The Knicks made a frantic late-season push to try to gain one of the final playoff spots in the East, which wasn’t all that preposterous given just how bad the conference has been the entire regular season.
But that pursuit officially came to an end on Saturday, thanks to the Hawks taking down the Heat with a 98-85 victory that eliminated New York from playoff contention.
Ian Begley of ESPN New York pointed out a couple of facts that added insult to injury.For the first time in his 11 seasons in the NBA, Carmelo Anthony will not be in the playoffs. #Knicks
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 13, 2014
The 2014 first-round pick that the #Knicks traded to the Nuggets in the Carmelo Anthony deal will now be a lottery pick.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 13, 2014
Not many believed that the Knicks would somehow dig themselves out of their early season hole, but now that their fate is sealed, it’s worth wondering just how much change is in store before next season.
Phil Jackson is firmly in control as president of basketball operations, and seems to be fine with moving forward having Carmelo Anthony as his primary offensive star.
But Anthony can become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and questions will arise as to whether or not he wants to be in New York for a rebuilding, or if he’d prefer to seek a win-now proposition with one of the multiple teams out there that will undoubtedly be interested in his services.