The Knicks have been awful this season, but the team’s owner insists it’s not due to lack of effort stemming from a tanking-centric strategy.
New York spots a 10-31 record, and is only two games out of last place in the Eastern Conference — a spot currently held by Cleveland.
It appears that the Knicks and Cavs are both playing certain lineups that make it look as if they’re trying to lose games, in hope of landing the No. 1 pick — which could be Duke’s RJ Barrett.
But Knicks owner James Dolan insists that isn’t the case, saying that tanking is dispirited in nature.
“You have responsibility to the fans,” Dolan said, via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “Fans pay for tickets and they deserve (the) best game you can give them. That’s probably No. 1. But when you go in and tell a team, even if you’re just telling the coach, to lose the game, you’re dispiriting your team. That hurts more than getting a better draft pick helps. It’s hard to reignite the spirit of the team.”
Dolan can say what he wants, but playing journeymen veterans over young players that the team is looking to develop makes no sense, and deserves to be scrutinized. It does appear that the team is tanking, and it’s going to be a long year for Knicks fans.
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