The Knicks attempted to lure Jerry West to the franchise this past summer after deciding to part ways with Phil Jackson, sources tell Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News. West told the team through back channels that it wasn’t the right time to come to New York, and ended up taking an advisory role with the Clippers instead.
New York’s current regime, led by team president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry, appears to be more professionally run than the old group, Lawrence writes — several players have told him that there has been a positive effect from the Knicks’ orderly front office.
“The atmosphere is a lot better,” veteran Courtney Lee recently said. “It’s always good to have good air. It’s easier to operate as a team, 100 percent, 100 percent, 100 percent. Every day there’s not something new in the media, about what’s being said about who. The whole situation wasn’t good. It was not good air. But now, the air is clear. It makes it easier to play now. I just wish ‘Melo was still here so he could be a part of it.”
Many expected the Knicks to contend for the No. 1 pick, though surprisingly, they’re 11-12. While injuries to Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. may blanket hope of an unexpected eighth-seed run, the franchise appears to be heading the in the right direction after years of drama and uncertainty.