Same Old Knicks

By : Mike Rifkin

On Thursday Donovan Mitchell watch ended. The Jazz sent the 26 year old to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Guard Collin Sexton, Rookie Forward Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen and five first round picks (3 unprotected and two pick swaps). Mitchell in his five seasons averages 23.9 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game and 4,5 assists per game. Last season he averaged 25.9 points per game, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. Now if you listened to rumors and insiders this offseason the talk was Mitchell was going to the New York Knicks. 

Now the rumors swirled of what the Jazz wanted from the Knicks. The Knicks had up to eight first round picks and young players that Utah could’ve had. Now for Knick fans there are two ways of thinking there is the thinking of I am not mortgaging my future for the good of one star. The other way of thinking is that you do whatever it takes to get an established player to New York. Then there is my way of thinking which is a combination of the two prior thoughts. Here is my issue Donovan Mitchell reportedly wanted to be a Knick, and yes Utah had asked for a lot but my issue they couldn’t meet in the middle. There are people who say give Leon Rose a chance to build the team he wants. Here is my problem with that for the last 20 plus years the Knicks have been a disgrace of a franchise minus a few years. They have made choices when they did mortgage the future for a player to help the team (Carmelo Anthony). New York fans in any sport are some of the most passionate but to preach patience to an organization that has been abysmal for the last 20 years is the wrong way to go about it. Should fans be mad at Danny Ainge for wanting so much out of the Knicks? No, should fans be mad at Leon Rose for not giving into the outrageous demands? Also no, what fans should be mad at is the fact that the Knicks still don’t get it and are late to the party. Of the eight first round picks they have coming how many will pan out? We don’t know but we also don’t know what is to become of RJ Barrett (who they extended) , Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley and the rest of the roster. Now who knows what happens with Mitchell if he comes to New York as well. First it was Donnie Walsh, then it was Phil Jackson (boy were we wrong on that), and now Leon Rose who were supposed to fix the Knicks. Walsh and Phil didn’t and while not giving up on Rose yet he has to show something because this is a fan base not starving for a championship, Knicks fans are starving to be relevant again.