The New York Knicks have a young roster that has pieces with some promise. They have a gem in Kristaps Porzingis, and some other young players could possibly grow to be solid role players to play with the 7-foot-3 Latvian sensation.
But currently out of a playoff spot, there is some thought that the Knicks should tank and play for a good draft pick rather than settle for being mediocre. However, the organization has other plans, per Ian Begley of ESPN.
At the moment, the Knicks have no intention of selling off assets at the Feb. 8 deadline and tanking the rest of the season. The club wants to remain competitive and fight for playoff position while it's feasible. The Knicks enter[ed] play Thursday three games out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
The plan seems like a solid choice for this particular Knicks team. With the bottom of the East so weak, the Knicks can conceivably make up those three games in the loss column.
To do that, the team will have to stay healthy, of course. But in the next couple of weeks, the Knicks have some difficult games ahead. They play the Milwaukee Bucks twice, the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers — all that in the next six days.
Those are tough teams, and in order to stay within striking distance, the Knicks will have to steal some of those games. It remains to be seen whether or not they can do that.
However, the trade deadline is fast approaching. If the team has a bad stretch over these next few games, perhaps it would make sense for them to change their thinking.
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