Adam Silver On WFAN: Knicks Fans Need To 'Give Phil A Chance'
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- The Knicks posted the worst record in franchise history in 2014-15, winning 17 games and losing 65.
Yep, that's a .207 winning percentage. Not good.
New York finished with the second-worst record in the NBA -- only Minnesota had a more dreadful mark -- under first-year team president Phil Jackson and first-year head coach Derek Fisher.
But better times are on the horizon, it would appear. The Knicks will have a top pick in the upcoming NBA draft -- potentially the first overall pick -- and Jackson is projected to have roughly $25 million to $30 million in cap space to spend on free agents.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver joined WFAN co-hosts Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton in studio on Monday morning, and he believes that Jackson can absolutely turn this organization around.
Fans just need to be patient, as hard as that may be.
"Give Phil a chance," Silver told Boomer & Carton. "He clearly set out at the beginning of this year -- I don't think he publicly would have said, 'I predict this team is going to be in the playoffs' if he was planning to have one of the worst records (in the NBA). I think he said it because he believed it.
"I mean, and then you have injuries, obviously Carmelo (Anthony), and the team doesn't work out. At that point, you have to rebuild. It's irresponsible not to. ... For Knicks fans here, what you want is somebody who has a plan, who has a theory on how to build a team over time."
Listen to the entire interview for Silver's thoughts on the state of the NBA, including his stance on gambling, the age limit for NBA draft eligibility, Danny Ferry and the future of the Atlanta Hawks franchise, and more:
