New York Knicks
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Knicks, under the direction of Phil Jackson, have a lot to learn. Examining the teams in the 2017 NBA Finals is a great place to start.
A blind man can see the New York Knicks are not on the same level as the Golden State Warriors. Similarly, the only commonality with the Cleveland Cavaliers are the former Knicks who became champions in 2016.
The history of the Warriors and Cavs isn't too far away from the present situation of the New York Knicks. Both teams had long stretches of losing that ended in the NBA Draft spin-cycle. Ultimately, both the Cavaliers and Warriors earned championships in a relatively short time frame.
Between 1994 and 2012, the Warriors had only one year in the playoffs and spent many of those years at the bottom of the league. Likewise, from 1996-05, the Cavs made the playoffs once (1997-98), lost in the first round and also spent much of those years as NBA basement dwellers.
For the Knicks, it has been just four seasons since their last playoff appearance. Although things look quite messy this offseason, the sky is not falling in New York…yet.
If Phil Jackson and James Dolan can swallow their pride and be willing to learn from others, there is still yet hope. What can they learn?
NBA Draft
Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Master the NBA Draft
When the Knicks selected Kristaps Porzingis in the 2015 NBA Draft, children cried and the basketball world questioned what Phil Jackson was doing. It was a great choice, even if Jackson botched everything else surrounding Porzingis.
This upcoming draft is a very important time in the history of the New York Knicks. If they can find another gem like KP, the future can be bright sooner than anyone suspected.
Obviously, the Cavs had a gift handed to them when LeBron James fell into their lap. The LeBron pick happened in 2003, but their 2011 NBA Draft also changed their future. Both Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson were drafted by the Cavs within the first four picks of the draft. Consequently, the New York Knicks need multiple first round picks to repair their stalled rebuilding process.
The NBA Draft has been very fruitful for the Golden State Warriors. From 2009-12, Warriors management made three draft picks that helped earn them two NBA championships. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were both chosen in the same general draft slots as the Knicks pick this year.
Curry was chosen at No. 7 and Thompson was chosen at No. 11. In other words, whoever the Knicks choose with the No. 8 pick could very well be the answer to many of their questions.
Like him or hate him, Draymond Green is one of the best players in the NBA. His ability to dominate a game without even scoring is incredible. Yet, Green was not a first round pick and his individual success was not expected.
The New York Knicks have two second round picks in this year's draft. While these picks are toward the end of the draft, they still represent potential talent and potential wins.
New York Knicks
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Culture means everything
Choosing the right draft picks is an important piece in the championship puzzle. However, if those draft picks are brought into the wrong culture growth may never happen. Maybe Kwame Brown and Michael Olowokandi were never going to be successful NBA players. Yet, the team culture each player encountered didn't give them a chance.
Both the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards had volatile team culture in the early 2000s that led to years of losing. Neither Brown or Olowokandi had a real chance to grow because of the culture in their locker room.
The New York Knicks have a clear culture problem and both James Dolan and Phil Jackson deserve blame. This culture includes a lame-duck head coach and an assistant coach that almost everyone dislikes (Kurt Rambis). Kristaps Porzingis was a home run draft pick who has made his dislike for the Knicks team culture very clear.
Both teams in the NBA Finals have an excellent culture surrounding their locker rooms. The Warriors operate like a brotherhood that openly accepts new members. It is this family atmosphere that helped them earn two championships in the last three years.
In Cleveland, LeBron may rule the Land, but it is obvious the team loves playing together. Their belief in each other has led to one championship, and maybe more. Everyone surrounding the Knicks tries to say all the right things even while openly failing. If the Knicks truly desire to win, they must remove the bacteria that infected their culture long ago.
New York Knicks
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Shooting for the stars
Most NBA fans outside of Golden State hated Kevin Durant for leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant saw a team who developed their draft picks in a winning culture and chose to join them. As it stands now, the New York Knicks don't have that same culture and are not attractive to free agents.
Knicks fans and free agents know that James Dolan will spend money. However, money in free agency doesn't mean nearly as much as it did just a few years ago.
In the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, players earn more money by staying with the team that drafted them. Consequently, the Knicks must make their situation attractive enough that star players will sacrifice money to join them.
Unfortunately, the Knicks have one of the worst team situations and locker room cultures in the entire league. Change inside management and in the locker room needs to happen before star players will choose to come to New York.
Despite years of losing, laughable management and no vision for the future, the New York Knicks are one of the most valuable teams in the NBA. Similarly, Knicks fans are extremely loyal and support their team inside Madison Square Garden every year.
There are no easy answers to the Knicks' on- and off-court issues. However, when a player does lead the Knicks to championship form, his brand and his name will be internationally famous.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors give free agents all the reasons in the world to join their teams. Yet, it may take years for the New York Knicks to get within striking distance of either organization. Phil Jackson and the Knicks would be fools to ignore the lessons learned in this year's NBA Finals.
More from Hoops Habit
This article originally appeared on 
