Dysfunction seems to follow the New York Knicks wherever they go. On Monday night, Derrick Rose went A.W.A.L., not showing up for the Knicks' home game against the Pelicans and nobody in the Knicks organization had an immediate answer for his whereabouts after the game. Knicks president Phil Jackson didn't talk to the media after the game or provide any sort of explanation for what had happened to Derrick Rose, leaving Knicks players and head coach Jeff Hornacek to answer difficult questions that they really didn't have answers to. This whole situation is just another sign of incompetency and ineptitude in New York. Sadly, having a player seemingly vanish is just the kind of thing that would happen to the New York Knicks.
What's an especially bad look in all of this is that it was Joakim Noah that broke the news that Derrick Rose was ok, not Phil Jackson or team owner James Dolan. While it is true that Derrick Rose should have alerted somebody in the Knicks organization that he wasn't going to be present for Monday's game, Phil Jackson or James Dolan should have been the ones to address the Derrick Rose matter head on, not putting their players and head coach in an awkward situation.
It appears as though the Knicks' dysfunction in the front office is leading to dysfunction on the court. The Knicks have lost 9 of their last 10 games and are now 17-22 overall, which makes them 11th in the Eastern Conference. Despite having some quality players in Carmelo Anthony (21.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game), Derrick Rose (17.3 points and 4.5 assists), and Kristaps Porzingis (19.8 points and 7.6 rebounds), this Knicks team is not able to gel and one has to wonder how much of that has to do with having a front office that isn't in very good communication with its players or coaching staff. In addition, there have been reports that Derrick Rose may not be getting along well with head coach Jeff Hornacek, so it appears as though the dysfunction truly is extending onto the court.
The sad thing with the New York Knicks is that they have their priorities all out of whack. They should be focusing on building around Kristaps Porzingis and making him the center of attention, but instead, they are dealing with all of this Derrick Rose drama and trying to do all they can to keep Carmelo Anthony happy. Honestly, I don't expect that to change so long as they have the same yahoos in charge. The Knicks really need a change of ownership and a brand new front office to take the franchise in a different direction. Phil Jackson isn't the answer and James Dolan sure as hell isn't the answer, either. New ownership needs to take over in order for this team to become contenders again. It's that simple.
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