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Lakers and Knicks: A Tale of Two Franchises

By Ed Schrenzel

Dec 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson looks on during a stop in play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson looks on during a stop in play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Both the Lakers and Knicks, two once-great franchises, are in turmoil. But are they on the edge of turning things around?

For the past two seasons both the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks were coached by a former Lakers guard—until Knicks president Phil Jackson fired Derek Fisher earlier on Monday.

Jackson himself was hired two years ago by the Knicks. After that season ended, he tried to woo Steve Kerr to coach the team, but Kerr instead signed with the Golden State Warriors. Jackson then turned to Fisher, who was just completing his playing career with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Fisher was widely considered to be a great leader and, of course, he knew Jackson’s preferred triangle offense inside-out from his days with the Lakers. Phil thought he’d be able to move right into coaching, but the transition was harder than anticipated.

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Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss of the Lakers also conducted a coaching search of their own at the end of that 2013-14 season. About six weeks after Jackson hired Fisher, they chose former Lakers guard Byron Scott to coach the team. Their hope was to recapture some of the Showtime magic of the 1980—without orchestrator Magic Johnson, of course.

Both teams struggled mightily in the 2014-15 season. LA, in part due to an unprecedented wave of injuries, especially to star Kobe Bryant, had the lowest winning percentage in franchise history. They recorded only 21 victories, the fourth fewest in the league. But New York was even worse, winning only 17 games, just one game better than league-worst Minnesota.

However, in the draft lottery the teams essentially exchanged places. The Lakers jumped up to second pick while the Knicks fell to fourth. On draft day, each team made a somewhat controversial selection. LA eschewed center Jahlil Okafor, instead choosing 19-year-old point guard D’Angelo Russell. Meanwhile, the Knicks picked Kirstaps Porzingis, an almost 20-year-old 7-3 Latvian largely unknown to the American public.

Once the season started, Porzingis got off to a great start, silencing doubters who questioned his toughness as he combined a smooth jump shot with aggressive rebounding, especially on the offensive end. For much of the year, the Knicks exceeded preseason expectations, winning half of their first 44 games and giving fans hope that they might return to the playoffs this year.

Russell, meanwhile, struggled out of the gate along with the rest of the Lakers. But after an NBA indoctrination of 10 or so games, he has markedly improved, more or less steadily. Wins, however, continue to elude his team. The Lakers have triumphed just 11 times this season, a pace that will produce only 16 or 17 wins.

The Knicks have hit a brick wall recently, in part caused by a tough portion of their schedule, and also because, according to reports, the players were no longer playing hard for Fisher. They have lost nine of their last 10 games, and have fallen to 12th place in the Eastern Conference, in danger of dropping out of playoff contention. That’s when the axe fell on Fish. 

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The Lakers’ mostly down season has continued largely unchecked except for a brief three-game winning streak in January and two-straight victories recently. Some losses have been blowouts, some have been close, but they still have the worst record in the Western Conference and second-worst in the NBA, as they have for most of the season. Yet it appears likely that Scott, at the very least, will finish out the year as head coach.

What about the outlook for both franchises going forward? Porzingis is the a future star on the current Knicks roster. Otherwise, they have an aging, oft-injured star in Carmelo Anthony, a fairly good big man in Robin Lopez, and a decent wing in Arron Afflalo. A few young players like Jerian Grant and Langston Galloway also show some promise.

But Jose Calderon is not a primetime NBA point guard, and the rest of the bench is just mediocre, nothing special. On top of that, their first-round pick had already been traded before Jackson arrived. Unless Jackson somehow finds a bonanza in the free-agent market, the Knicks’ future is not particularly bright.

The Lakers already have in place a talented young core of Russell and Julius Randle along with Jordan Clarkson if the team re-signs him as expected. Rookies Larry Nance Jr. and Anthony Brown also have the potential to contribute and Lou Williams is a proven NBA scorer.  To start with, that’s a reasonably good nucleus.

Diehard LA fans hope that they once again get lucky enough in this year’s draft lottery to earn a top-three selection so the pick doesn’t move to the 76ers. But if a top-three choice is added to the mix, the Lakers roster is bristling with significantly more potential than the Knicks’. Adding a key free agent or two would only help.

Of course, the Knicks are now on the hunt to sign a new big-time coach to help turn their franchise around. It remains to be seen whether the Lakers will also look for a replacement coach who might be better equipped to coach a young roster.

Next: Lakers Rumors: Could Phil Jackson, Luke Walton Come to LA?

Rumors also swirl around that Jackson might someday return to LA and join his girlfriend Jeannie Buss in the front office. Stranger things have certainly happened. Wherever Phil Jackson winds up, though, perhaps each of the NBA’s marquee franchises will turn things around, sooner rather than later.

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