Nine has been an unlucky and burdensome number for the Knicks. Since reaching their ninth win of this season Dec. 14 against the Charlotte Hornets, they have gone nearly two weeks without a victory. That can seem like an eternity for a young team endeavoring to build confidence.
. But losses have been common and plentiful for the 9-26 Knicks. After being easily handled by the Milwaukee Bucks Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden, 109-95, they face the Bucks again tonight to begin a six- game, 13-day road trip that will end Jan.. 8 versus the Golden State Warriors. Sandwiched between the Bucks and Warriors will be games against the Utah Jazz (Saturday), the Denver Nuggets (New Year’s Day), the Los Angeles Lakers (Jan. 4) and the Portland Trailblazers (Jan. 7).. The Knicks’ next game at the Garden won’t be until Jan. 11 against the Indiana Pacers. They have not discriminated in where they lose; their home and road records are almost equally ugly.. The Knicks are 4-12 at MSG and 5-14 out of the city. When the NBA schedule tipped-off last night, they were tied with the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks for the second lowest number of wins in the Eastern Conference, one win ahead of Cleveland Cavaliers.. For all the Knicks fans who want the team to land the No.1 overall pick in next summer’s NBA Draft and select Duke’s 19-year-old freshman, 6-foot- 7, 280-pound, Zion Williamson, the presumptive favorite to go first, the current road trip should significantly help their cause.
. Unlike the Philadelphia 76ers ’chief decision makers’ well-documented intentional effort to annually secure one of the top three spots in the NBA Draft Lottery, known as The Process— a more appropriate term is tanking— the Knicks’ shot callers, owner James Dolan, president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry, aren’t strategically directing coach Dave Fizdale to allocate minutes to players who have little chance of winning games.. The fact of the matter is the Knicks just are not good enough to consistently better the opposition. Since the start of November, they are 6-20 playing a multitude of players and starting lineups. . No combination Fizdale has assembled has provided requisite sustained offensive and defensive production. Heading into to- night’s game, they were ranked 27th in opponents points allowed at a horrific 115.7 and 22nd in points scored per game at 108.2.. By the numbers, center Enes Kanter has been the Knicks most productive player, averaging 14.9 points on 55 percent shooting and 10.9 rebounds. But it is doubtful the eight-year veteran who is still only 26 is in the franchise’s long-term plans.. The native of Turkey, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Jazz, is set to become an unrestricted free-agent this summer and is the team’s highest paid player at $18.6 million for this season..
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