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As the New York Knicks front office begins to pick up the pieces of a failed season, they will be taking stock of everything in the organization, from the coaching staff to the players.
It’s clear the team needs to hone in on a direction for the future, and with young exciting talents like RJ Barett and Obi Toppin, they would be foolish to chase immediate contention. However, that doesn’t mean the Knicks shouldn’t look to improve their supporting cast, and potentially their coaching staff either.
And that’s where New York legend Fat Joe comes in, as he believes he could instantly add “20” wins to the franchise by teaching the players how to hold themselves accountable and play with pride.
“I’m going to tell you all the truth: They let me coach the Knicks and be an assistant coach on the Knicks, we would definitely win 20 more games. It’s the lion in my eyes. It’s like, I’m letting my crew know like, ‘Yo, we got to go down.! We lost about a good five to 10 games that we were up 20-something points this year. That’s unacceptable, bro,” Fat Joe said on a recent episode of the Certified Buckets podcast.
Chances are, the Hip-Hop legend was joking around, and he doesn’t actually have an interest in joining the Knicks coaching staff. But he may have a point. The Knicks are a young team in the NBA, and will have to take their lumps as they continue to develop, having somebody as confident and abrasive as Fat Joe in the locker room could spur the young players to operate with additional fire in their bellies and shut up shop after taking a lead.
Fat Joe Believes Brooklyn’s Struggles Will Help Knicks
Basketball in New York is going through a rough period. The Knicks have struggled for relevancy for over a decade, but the Brooklyn Nets were supposed to be a team the city could get behind in the playoffs, only for them to suffer the ignominy of a first-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
Now, at least for the remainder of the current season, there is no more basketball in the Big Apple, and fans will have to make do with watching the playoffs without having an emotional investment. However, Fat Joe believes that the Nets have alleviated some of the pressure on Knicks players, and any potential stars who join the franchise in the near future.
Fat Joe in a Kemba Walker Knicks jersey next to Kemba Walker with a Knicks jersey and Evan Fournier
“There has to be some truth to people not wanting that media smoke. They don’t want to be in New York City. They wanna come to visit and drop 60 on us, but they do not want to be here and do this on a regular basis.
I don’t know why. So, for me, alleviating the pressure is what KD and Kyrie did. Nobody ever won in Brooklyn, so they don’t really get that same type of pressure of like, ‘Yo, you primetime MSG,” Joe said on the podcast.
The “Lean Back” star may have a point, as previously the Knicks have been a hotbed for media scrutiny, but with everything happening elsewhere in the city right now, it could be the perfect time for stars to join the historical franchise and help bring it back to its rightful place without the heat of the bright lights shining down on them.
Decision Time for the Front Office
Regardless of if Fat Joe does get an offer to join the coaching staff – which is almost certainly not happening – the Knicks front office does have some tough decisions to make in the near future.
Julius Randle will be at the top of their list, as they decided whether to bet on him rediscovering his hunger for elite-level play. What to do with Kemba Walker will be second on their to-do list, as will decisions on the future of Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, and Mitchell Robinson.
One thing is for sure & that’s that AKME aren’t likely to approach this offseason like the Knicks who took their shortsighted success in one season & doubled down on the same roster hoping for a different result. Think we will see some pretty drastic changes, maybe even extreme.
So, we could potentially see a vastly different version of the Knicks by the 2022-23 season gets underway in October of this year. There’s also the issue of finding replacement talent because, for every player that leaves, their production will need to be replaced. There is currently a lot of noise around a potential deal with Jalen Brunson, although that isn’t set in stone, and if Robinson opts to join another team, the Knicks will need to find a new starting center.
And then, of course, there is the upcoming NBA draft, where the team can continue to build with youth and upside. This is a pivotal summer for the Knicks, and if they play it correctly, and approach things with the correct mindset, we could finally see the franchise begin to lay the foundations for a return to the long-term success we saw during their heyday.
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New York Legend Wants Coaching Role With the Knicks