drj wrote:I think we have to distinguish (i) intentionally rebuilding, from (ii) trying to win but losing anyway.
IMO Dolan doesn't mind (ii) as long as he still sells tickets. He doesn't care about winning and losing per se. He's kept Isiah in part because Isiah has helped him sell tickets. The Isiah-era Knicks have been selling the sucker fans hope and empty promises for the last few years, and it by and large has worked.
But I doubt Dolan would accept (i). He has been very clear that he wants to see butts in the seats. If you feature a roster of underdeveloped youngsters, and stop making splashy offseason trades for overhyped players, then how do you hype the team?
The only thing that I disagree with is that ticket sales would drop if the Knicks rebuilt fully. If Isiah can parlay an overpayed cancer who puts up flashy numbers into hope, and ticket renewals every season, then I'm sure he could do the same thing with a no. 1-5 draft pick. But I could be wrong. Obviously I don't know for sure what Dolan would or wouldn't allow.
Actually, going through a full rebuild, in my opinion, isn't necessarily the only way out for the Knicks anyway. Not that I wouldn't like it, but with Dolan's seemingly limitless resources I think this team can be pretty good or even very good if it's just managed intelligently. I don't think it's absolutely imperative that we trade every talented player we have and suck for multiple years and build using high draft picks. If you think about it, Atlanta did that and the closest thing they have to a franchise player is josh smith, who's very good but not great. (like dwight howard, or lebron james great). It just goes to show you that, that strategy isn't fool proof.
In fact, I think a strategy similar to Isiah's could dramatically change the Knick's fortunes, The only thing is, The GM has to be smart, and good as his job. That's the main reason why I want Isiah replaced, not beacuse he didn't go through the specific strategy of a full rebuild, but because he simply has absolutely no idea what he's doing. Whether he's rebuilding, half rebuilding, or trying to win now a GM that doesn't know what he's doing isn't going to go far.
I basically agree with what JoeT said. I don't think it's mandatory for the Knicks to get under the salary cap and all that jazz to become a good team with a chance to win it all. They just need a GM that will make good decisions with Dolans money. Unfortunately we don't have that right now.