Ever since Carmelo Anthony decided to re-sign with the New York Knicks before the 2014 season, the Knicks organization has been in complete chaos. Carmelo has seen coaching changes, teammates come and go, Knicks legends getting escorted out of the building by security at the owner’s request, and plenty of terrible front decisions.

That summer of 2014, the Knicks were able to persuade Zen-Master Phil Jackson out of retirement to join their front office as the President of Basketball Operations. He was given the keys to the castle. While Melo was visiting with the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, it was the signing of Phil Jackson that drew Melo back to the New York Knicks in hopes of bringing the team back to its glory days of the 1970s; when Jackson won two titles as a player for the franchise.

Jackson and Anthony spoke at length about where they envisioned the direction of the Knicks to go. Jackson’s resume spoke for itself.  He won two titles as a player and is the proud owner of nine rings as a head coach.  His signature offense is the triangle. He ran it successfully in the Jordan/Pippen era, and he ran it with Shaq and Kobe in Los Angeles. That success has not translated with the Knicks, due in part to the fact that he is relying on his coaching staff to teach the triangle offense while he was in the office.

One could say that Jackson hasn’t had the best of luck since joining the Knicks.  Carmelo Anthony is the only player on the roster remaining from that 2014-2015 season; the summer he rejoined the Knicks.

They have tried signing veterans and have struck out.  Players like Andrea Bargnani, Brandon Jennings, Arron Afflalo, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee and more have suited up as a Knick and have failed to reach expectations.  Most of the veterans that they brought in were once prolific scorers, former MVPs, or prominent defenders. They all had perfected their craft at one point or another in their career. However, when they arrived in New York, they were washed up or injury prone.  None of these players made a difference.  Some of them (Derrick Rose) didn’t seem to take the organization seriously enough that they just flat out skipped a game with no means of communication.

The Knicks haven’t had any luck in the draft either. In 2014, they had two second-round draft picks, which they used to take Cleanthony Early and Thanasis Antetokounmpo. Early played two seasons with the Knicks (really a season and a half), before getting demoted to the D-League. Antetokounmpo (The Greek Freak’s brother) bounced around the D-League before a brief stint with the Knicks in 2016. After that season, he returned to Greece because he wasn’t fitting in on the Knicks roster.

They did hit a home run when they drafted Kristaps Porzingis in 2015 with the fourth overall pick in the draft. The 7’3” center from Latvia has a very unique skillset. He can shoot, rebound, defend and run the floor at his huge stature. In his two seasons with the Knicks, Porzingis averaged 16.1 points per game and 7.2 rebounds. He also added 1.9 blocks and shot 35% from the three-point line. Kristaps Porzingis is the real deal, and even though he was booed on draft night by many Knick fans, Phil Jackson saw something in Porzingis that other teams didn’t. He is a versatile player that plays both sides of the ball extremely well. Knicks fans have claimed that Porzingis is the face of the franchise, surpassing Carmelo Anthony.

With all of that being said, many rumors floated around this summer that Phil Jackson was shopping Porzingis around the league to gauge interest and see what teams would be willing to give up to add Porzingis to their roster. Jackson was upset that Porzingis skipped his exit meeting after the season had concluded. Porzingis was fed up with the Melo drama and the franchise’s lack of clear direction. So, what does Jackson do? He puts Porzingis up on the trade block and he lets it be publicly known that Porzingis, the face of the Knicks franchise, is not untouchable.

This move put Knicks fans over the edge. Phil Jackson had to go. Many of Jackson’s moves up to this point in time were questioned, and some moves were hated, but this was the final straw. Jackson’s legacy in New York will forever be tarnished. He won’t be remembered as the player who won two championships back in the 1970s; he’ll be remembered for his failed tenure in the Knicks front office. When he came to New York in 2014, Knicks fans were hopeful and ready to become legitimate contenders again. However, since Jackson arrived, the Knicks have not only failed to improve, but have also failed to define a clear direction for the team. They have changed head coaches and player personnel so that the current chemistry is nonexistent. The Knicks haven’t made the playoffs since the 2012-2013 season, before Jackson’s arrival to New York. The one good thing that Phil Jackson did for the New York Knicks’ franchise was drafting Kristaps Porzingis. He is supposed to be the future of the Knicks, and Jackson was trying to take that away.

The media circus continued around Phil Jackson and the Knicks. In the 2017 draft, the Knicks took French international, Frank Ntilikina in the first round, eighth overall. In the second round, they took Damyean Dotson from the University of Houston and Ognjen Jaramaz from Serbia: Two point guards and one shooting guard total. We don’t know how these draft picks will turn out. None of the picks were highly praised by draft experts and media members, except for Ntilikina’s potential in a triangle offense, which the Knicks presumably look to abandon, considering their lack of success with it since Jackson’s arrival.

Just six days after the draft on June 28, Knicks owner James Dolan fired Phil Jackson. In the three years that Jackson was the president of the team, the Knicks won only 80 games. Phil Jackson was run out of town. Now, let’s not be too quick to praise Dolan for this move. Yes, it was necessary and he had finally made the right decision, but Dolan isn’t a saint. Knicks fans have constantly viewed him as a very unpleasant person. He is easily triggered by fans who may heckle him at a game. Countless fans have been kicked out of the arena for their verbal engagements with Dolan. Most notably, this past season, Charles Oakley was removed by security after a verbal altercation had occurred between Dolan and Oakley. This ejection was per Dolan’s request, and Oakley was banned indefinitely from Madison Square Garden after the incident. Oakley was noticeably very angry during this situation and may have gotten a bit physical with some of the security guards as they were escorting him out of the building. He now has a court date for this altercation with Dolan. Charles Oakley claims that Dolan threw him out for no reason. Oakley, a beloved former Knick, stirred up outrage from Knicks fans because of Dolan’s actions.

Dolan claims to be a “hands off” owner and stays out of the day-to-day operations. Scott Perry, the new GM of the Knicks, was hired on July 14. During an interview almost a week later, Perry was asked a question about meeting with James Dolan during the hiring process and Perry replied stating that he had not yet met with Dolan. Dolan hired a man to run his organization, signed him to a five-year deal, trusted him with all of the powers that a general manager possesses, and didn’t even meet with him before or even soon after Perry was hired.

The Knicks are in a tough spot. They don’t have many assets, outside of Melo and Porzingis. They don’t have a draft pick next summer. The disconnect between the owner, the front office, the coaches and the players is still an issue. Fans want answers. What is the goal for this season? Are the Knicks tanking for a top pick in the draft that they don’t have? They’re clearly not even playoff contenders in an Eastern Conference that is weaker than it was the season before. So, what IS the plan?

Carmelo’s numbers are still solid. The 33-year-old still averaged 22.4 points on 43% FG and 36% from three. He averages 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists. They aren’t the numbers that he once produced, but Melo will always be a pure scorer. He will always get his points, but it seems to always be at the expense of the teammates around him. Melo has never been a vocal leader or someone who will fire up his teammates. It has been reported for years that Melo is more worried about his paycheck than he is about winning.

In all honesty, I don’t think that Melo leaves New York. He has a no-trade clause in his contract that allows him to axe a trade if he doesn’t want to go to that particular team. He has said in the past that he would waive his no-trade clause for the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers. I don’t think that Houston is willing to give up two or three assets to receive an aging Carmelo Anthony and have it turn out like the Dwight Howard saga did. I could see LeBron James telling the Cavs front office to go after Melo, but will he be the difference-maker that they are looking for to beat the Warriors? I don’t believe so, especially if they have to give up a big piece in order to acquire him. They are also dealing with their own media circus after the news broke that Kyrie Irving wants a trade and doesn’t want to play with LeBron anymore. He did mention that the Knicks are on his list of teams he’d like to be traded to, but if the Cavaliers traded Kyrie for Melo, they’d regret it for years to come. Kyrie hasn’t reached his full potential as a player; he’s only 25. Melo is 33 and has seen his play decline, in addition to dealing with some injuries. In any case, Kyrie seems to be headed to Boston, which would put a damper on any Kyrie-for-Melo speculation I don’t believe that he could help them get further than Kyrie could. All in all, Carmelo Anthony is stuck with the Knicks for a few more years. The circus continues in Manhattan and the Knicks are sinking.

The race to lose to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals just got a lot more interesting. The Association was shaken up Tuesday night as a blockbuster trade saw Kyrie Irving traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and next year’s first round draft pick acquired in the Brooklyn trade. This is a deal with a lot of moving parts, so here is a breakdown of each piece involved (from a Boston perspective, off course).

Isaiah Thomas

I’m not going to say I told you so (but see my earlier article “Why the Celtics Should Explore Trading Isaiah Thomas”). Coming off of a season in which he was the third leading scorer in the NBA, Thomas’ stock has never been higher. Despite his recent success, I have serious questions as to whether or not a 5’9” player can be a superstar, especially given the fact that much of Thomas’ game relies on his ability to get to the basket. Another facet to keep an eye on moving forward will be Thomas’ hip injury that forced him out of the Eastern Conference Finals and is forcing the Cavs to re-think the trade. While I believe that Thomas would have continued to play if the series had been more competitive, reports Tuesday prior to the trade were that Isaiah would be re-evaluated prior to training camp. I do not believe that his hip will be an issue, but as a small guard who relies on quickness to get to the hoop, any lingering issue with that hip could significantly impact Thomas’ 2017-2018 season.

To me, moving Thomas was more about his contract than anything else. He has made it apparent that he is expecting a max deal at the end of this season, telling the team that they should expect to “backup the Brink’s truck” after this season. I had serious doubts as to whether or not his one-and-a-half seasons of success in the league deserves a max contract. It is not a question of whether or not he will get the max. The max contract has become essentially a formality for any good player in the league. However, in a time of rebuilding for the Celtics, I do not want to commit max money over five years to anyone who is not an established superstar. Kyrie Irving is exactly that – an established superstar who deserves that deal – and I certainly do not mind sending Thomas in exchange.

Jae Crowder

Goodbye. See you later. I could not care less. For some reason, Celtics fans have fallen in love with Crowder as a tough and gritty player who is an example of the Celtics way. His hard-nosed play combined with his team-friendly contract (Crowder is signed until 2020 for about seven million dollars each year) has created the illusion that his loss will impact the team. First of all, recent moves made by the Celtics have made Jae Crowder obsolete. If he was still on the team, he would be the third option at small forward. The signing of Gordon Hayward and the drafting of Jayson Tatum has solidified the position for Boston. While Brad Stevens likes to play “positionless basketball,” Crowder is too small to play the four and too raw to play the two. If anything, moving Crowder should leave more room for Tatum’s development. While his toughness on the defensive end is something that this Celtics team will not have at the small forward position, the addition of Marcus Morris at power forward adds a gritty element that Boston did not find in Amir Johnson, while increasing offensive production.

Ante Zizic

It is difficult to make an assessment of a player we have yet to see in the NBA. However, a lot of basketball analysts significantly value the 20 year-old from Croatia. Many believed that he would potentially find his way into the starting line-up, as Al Horford would prefer to play the four rather than the five, and the seven-footer would add much-needed size in the paint. That being said, the Celtics have seen their fair share of seven-footers who cannot rebound (Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Zeller) and Zizic did not have a very good showing during Summer League action. I am more than happy to give up Zizic, a complete unknown, for a top ten player in the NBA, despite how highly regarded he is by some Celtics analysts.

Brooklyn First Round Pick

This is the worst part of the trade. I am far more hesitant to give up the pick than I am to give up Isaiah Thomas. Isaiah was a good player for the past few years when the Celtics did not have a chance of winning a title. Those Brooklyn picks are for when Golden State’s dominance runs its course and the rest of the league can become competitive again. However, given reports that Cleveland was asking for this year’s first round pick (Jayson Tatum) in place of the pick, I do not mind parting with that last Nets pick. Boston was able to keep a shot at a high pick by trading down from first overall to third last year. In return, they received either the Lakers’ 2018 first round pick if it is number two through five or the Kings’ 2019 pick if it is number two through five. With the potential to remain at the top of the draft, it is not as detrimental it would first appear to give up that Brooklyn pick. Additionally, for the first time in a few years, there is some uncertainty as to where that pick will land. After an abysmal 20-62 season, the Nets revamped their roster with D’Angelo Russell, Timofey Mozgov, DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe poised for major minutes. This is not to say that the Nets have a good roster, and certainly not what some Celtics fans now believe (that the Nets might make the playoffs). But with an improving roster and no need to tank, there is a chance that the pick falls outside of the top five.

The pick could be incredibly important this season for Cleveland amidst rumors of LeBron leaving in free agency. They could flip it at the deadline for a player like DeMarcus Cousins to help encourage their star to stay. A supporting cast of Thomas, Cousins and Love may be enough to entice LeBron to stay. If he chooses to move to Los Angeles and join Lonzo Ball and a potential addition of hometown kid Paul George on the Lakers, Cleveland has a piece to potentially start over in his absence. In order to make a deal, they required a young player from Boston’s core – either Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum, or that Nets pick. Brown is highly regarded by the Celtics organization and will likely be the starting shooting guard this season, with the ability to play at the forward spots as well. Tatum flashed moments of greatness in Summer League action, showing offensive ability and a good-looking shot. It took a young piece to get the deal done, and out of the three on the table, Boston chose the right one to give up.

Kyrie Irving

The Celtics just got younger, taller, and better and point guard. Kyrie is a similar player to Isaiah, only with more height, better defense (still bad defense, but better), and a better ability to get to the basket. He is an established NBA superstar, while Thomas had a few good seasons and one great one. I feel far more comfortable giving Kyrie a max contract when his time comes, and I believe that Boston acquired him with the expectation that he will re-sign. Reports after the deal said that Irving was excited to be in Boston and would work on an extension or on re-signing. It is difficult to not get excited as a Celtics fan for an established NBA superstar and a top-ten player in the league.

Overall

From the perspective of a Celtics fan, I love the trade. That is not to say that it was a steal; the deal required giving up some real assets. There is a genuine concern that Boston overpaid for a player who wanted out of Cleveland. That being said, given the player they received, I do not mind giving up any of the assets involved, and Irving is under contract for the next couple of years. For the last year, I have been pleading that the Celtics organization does not give Thomas a max contract. The deal tells me that they have the same opinion, and see no issues with moving him in the last year of his contract. Jae Crowder is more than overrated, and moving him will actually help the Celtics in the long term. The signing of Gordon Hayward and the drafting of Jayson Tatum forced Crowder out of a role, and moving Crowder will allow Tatum more space to grow. Although his grit and defense be missed, a replacement can be found in Marcus Morris who provides that very same intensity. Parting with that first round pick is tough, especially in a year of what is supposed to another loaded draft. But there is no way of knowing for sure what that asset will be, and the Celtics have already acquired two players for the future. It was time for this franchise to make a big move, and they did just that.