The NBA season is back but the Knicks aren't invited.
The NBA's owners are set Wednesday to approve a return-to-play format of 22 teams in Orlando, according to multiple reports, leaving James Dolan's franchise outside the bubble. The Knicks will finish at 21-45 with the sixth-best lottery odds.
In some ways, it's a positive development for the Knicks. They long ago buried this season and pivoted toward the future by hiring a new team president, Leon Rose, who spent the last three months preparing for the draft and restructuring the front office with the help of his longtime associate, William Wesley. The cancelation of the season allows Rose to push forward with hiring a new coach, and the expectation is that Tom Thibodeau lands the gig. As the Daily News reported, Thibodeau, the former assistant under Jeff Van Gundy, is so confident about a Knicks reunion that he's already made calls to assemble a staff. The New York Times reported that the Knicks have begun gathering background intel on Thibodeau, although Rose certainly knows the coach well as his longtime agent.
Mike Miller, the interim coach, is expected to get an interview, according to sources, and could be retained as an assistant. Kenny Atkinson will also be considered by the Knicks, according to The Athletic.
The draft lottery, normally held in May, is pushed back to August and will coincide with the combine. It is the next big date on the Knicks calendar, followed by the draft in September and free agency in October.
Since the 2020-21 season is tentatively scheduled to start in December or January, the Knicks will have had about 10 months in between meaningful games. They last played March 12 in Atlanta, the day the NBA season was shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.
By the time they restart, the Knicks will look totally different. They could have as many as eight free agents, including five with team options _ Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Wayne Ellington, Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock. Damyean Dotson, Allonzo Trier and Moe Harkless are guaranteed to become free agents. Most of the above are not expected to return following the disappointing 2019-20 season.
Who is left? Julius Randle, Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Dennis Smith Jr. That group needs a lot of help.
The Knicks opened up their practice facility for voluntary workouts last week but the vast majority of players left the area during the pandemic. It'll be a while before they all gather again.
