Rant #1,837: The End

The New York Knicks' NBA season ended last night.

No, the season still has many games to go, but as far as any success this team might have this season, for all intents and purposes, the Knicks' season came to an abrupt halt after their game with the putrid Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers are a bad team, had lost 12 straight road games, yet they came into Madison Square Garden with the same swagger that Laker teams of yore had, teams that had players like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West.

This team, with no stars and no right to have such a swagger, decimated the Knicks on their home court from the outset, out-hustling and outplaying the Knicks from the opening tip.

The Knicks looked completely lethargic in their latest loss, 121-107, and honestly, the game really wasn't even that close.

And people are starting to boo again at the Garden, a sign that things are awry at the so-called "World's Most Famous Arena."

And yes, there is a lot going on with this season, nothing positive.

Knicks President Phil Jackson supposedly assembled a team that was built for the playoffs, acquiring players like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to support stars Carmelo Anthlny and Kristops Porzingis.

With a solid bench to support these starters, the Knicks' goal was the make the playoffs, but as is usual with the Knicks, there is simply a black cloud hanging over this team.

Coach Jeff Horncek--another new arrival--cannot get this team to play any defense, which includes defending three pointers.

They don't get back on defense either, and are slow on guarding the other team's players.

Noah has been a complete bust, with injuries and age finally catching up with him. He did not play last night due to an injury.

Rose has been OK, not nearly his former MVP self, but more than adequate. The problem is that he is a certified mental case, having left the team earlier this year without telling anyone where he was, and he has also had nagging injuries. He is also no choir boy off the court, but the Knicks knew that when they got him.

Porzingis has seemingly taken a step backwards this season. Often looking as much lost as he is a rising star--sometimes in the same game--the Latvian big man hasn't progressed yet this season due to a number of nagging injuries and illness.

And then we have Carmelo Anthony, a superstar who pretty much represents what is wrong with the team by himself. He can play with the best of them, but he simply plays little or no defense, and he is a step or two slower than he has been in the past.

The Knicks have reportedly tried to trade Anthony to other teams, but several impediments stand in the way of him being moved, including salary, years on his current contract, a trade clause that kicks in if he is moved that pays him extra dollars, and the no-trade clause that gives him the right to reject any trade.

Anthony is a superb offensive player, but he is also not what he once was, and although now is the time to trade him, the Knicks can't yet find any suitors willing to give up what they want, which is draft picks.

All the while, the worst deal the Knicks may have made in recent memory is the signing of Jackson as team president. Although he excelled as a championship player and coach, working in the front office has been a challenge for Jackson, one that he has failed at miserably.

His one saving grace is that he drafted Porzingis; other than that, he has done absolutely nothing to make the Knicks into a viable basketball team again, and I do mean nothing.

Where does this all leave the Knicks?

Incredibly, they are just a few games out of the playoff picture at this juncture, an amazing feat considering how poorly they have played this season.

They still could make the playoffs by the seat of their pants, but a quick, early exit is guaranteed.

However, they have to win to make the playoffs, and last night's game might have been the true breaking point of the season.

They were never in this game, and a game against a team like the Lakers, at your own house, it a game you just have to win.

No, sorry, the Knicks are only going home when the season ends, they aren't going anywhere else.

And the blame is not just on Anthony and Jackson and the other players I named. It is on the entire squad, which simply has not performed up to any level they are capable of.

And I swear, there is a black cloud hanging over this team. With Walt Frazier sitting at court side as their broadcaster, those great teams of yore hang over this team like the blade of a guillotine, ready to come down at any moment.

And last night, the blade did come down.

The season is over. And how many seasons have been over this early in recent times?

Way, way too many.

Add 2016-2017 to that group.