10 most dysfunctional NBA franchises
By John Buhler
27. . East. Atlantic. New York Knicks. 2. player
Outside of two distinct eras of great basketball, the late 1960s to early 1970s and the mid-to-late 1990s, the New York Knicks have epitomized the decadence of a highly dysfunctional professional team in a massive media market.
The Knicks rarely get anything right these days. While owner James Dolan has been surprisingly hands-off during Phil Jackson’s tenure as team president, Jackson doesn’t seem to be all in on turning around the club he once was an important sixth man for in the glory days as a player.
New York typically overpays for free agents that are on the decline to cringe-worthy contracts that make salary cap management is only nightmarish as the Knicks can. Being that the Knicks play in Manhattan, rebuilding is never a solution as there is too much to do in New York to withstand painful growing processes.
Even good to great coaches like Pat Riley, Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Woodson, and Mike D’Antoni don’t last in this chaotic organization. They may enter a season with the best of intentions, but with Dolan’s undermining tendencies, atrocious front office regimes, and rosters full of player that would prefer to get paid than to actually win an NBA Championship, it’s hard to survive as a coach in the Knicks organization, especially win the New York media turns on him.
The Kristaps Porzingis pick was great. Linsanity was unbelievable while it lasted. Maybe the Jeff Hornacek hiring is exactly what the Knicks need to usher in the modern era of NBA offense? However, New York’s reputation for immense dysfunction seems to always rear its ugly head annually. Will 2016-17 be any different? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Next: 1. Brooklyn Nets