The New York Knicks' front office tandem of president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry have installed a brand new system, revolving around a key element the franchise had grown devoid of — patience.
Mills took over the helm after former president Phil Jackson was fired last summer, quickly bringing in Perry, who had shined with an overhaul of the Sacramento Kings. Having made small, but significant moves in his one year as president, Mills has faith in his process, waiting patiently to pounce on a robust 2019 free agent class after freeing up as much cap space as possible over the last two offseasons.
“I do feel like it’s going to work because I think we have patience, which is not something that normally is connected with how the Knicks operate,” Mills said, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. “We laid out a plan that requires patience and Jim agreed to buy into it. That’s what I think makes it different.
“I believe the fans will accept a team that has a plan and you stick with it and if you deliver players, you do have some hope. [Porzingis] is an elite player in the NBA. He has an injury, but he’s a very special player. We added some players in the draft. Hopefully this year will be a big move for Frank. He’s a lot more confident. We think we have something we can see is different as long as we have the patience to stick to it.”
The Knicks will have some more waiting to do, as star forward Kristaps Porzingis recovers from a torn ACL injury that could cause him to miss part of this season after sustaining it in February. Yet the front office has remained poised and unlike in the past, hasn't swung for the fences to try and plug up the holes.
“I’ve been around, I’ve seen a lot here at the Garden, and what I try to do is learn from what I’ve seen and what I’ve experienced,” said Mills. “I know those short-term quick fixes, you’re planning one way and then all of a sudden you’re making a shift. It’s one thing if you’re right on the cusp of competing for a championship, but when you’re where we are to all of a sudden pivot and go in a different direction, I’ve just seen it go wrong too many times. I’m not going to be part of doing it that way.”
Mills appears to have the right wisdom to finally shake the stigma off this Knicks franchise, but players, executives, and fans will have to buy into his concept of patience, even if that's not what they've historically done over the years.
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