Knicks facing plenty of questions this offseason as the honeymoon won’t last long – Yahoo Sports

Just as the Madison Square Garden crowd saluted the New York Knicks for a return to relevancy after years of misery, Trae Young drilled a 30-footer, bowed to the crowd and signaled that for all the good vibes the moment delivered, the series was over.

And it was a reminder of the work to be done before the Empire State Building can turn its lights orange and blue again when the Knicks take the floor for the 2021-22 season.

The feel-good story of the year had a hard crash Wednesday, dumped by the surprising and mouthy Atlanta Hawks in five games. The expectations were raised headed into the series by the Knicks strong finish, but they were relatively exposed as an overachieving bunch.

It proved something that wasnt a secret, with the regular season being about what you can do and the playoffs being about what you cant.

Heres where Knicks president Leon Rose, senior adviser William Worldwide Wes Wesley and general manager Scott Perry must get busy in the offseason, because honeymoons in that city dont last but for a New York minute.

The Knicks face plenty of questions not as many as when a seat is reserved at the lottery, but plenty nonetheless. Playing for head coach Tom Thibodeau requires maximum effort at all times, which doesnt leave much room for the elevator to go higher in the playoffs.

The temptation is alluring $60 million in cap space, extra draft picks courtesy of shrewd trades to use as sweetener in a deal for a prime-time player and an annoying amount of hope but going for the large talent upgrade could be fools gold unless the perfect deal comes along.

Theyll be in every conversation for any disgruntled superstar, and even if they arent, well still hear about it anyways. The Knicks have turned into a desirable destination and with the crosstown Brooklyn Nets charting a championship path, the pressure will be on to match their energy sooner rather than later.

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Taking care of Julius Randle is probably the easiest financial decision if he wants an extension, a relative bargain this season at $18.9 million and $19.8 million next season. Randle struggled mightily in the series, looking nothing like the Most Improved Player and at times, like the turnover machine he was when he first arrived via free agency.

It looked like Randle saw triple during the series, every set of eyes fixated on him, and couldnt discover the man who dominated Atlanta during the regular season, the Julius Randle who gave the Hawks two of his three 40-point games.

Its because the playoffs are a different game, and teams will load up on his left hand next season as the book is out. His turnovers increased as the series went on, highlighted by eight in the clincher, and he shot under 30% from the field.

Ugh.

They didnt have the playmakers to lessen the dependency on Randle when he struggled and strategically, didnt find ways to make the game easier for him. He was either forcing the action or wholly indecisive, an experience the Knicks better hope is an outlier rather than harbinger.

There's only one way to get experiences, you have to get it, but it's a big part of learning, Thibodeau said. And hopefully we can take that and move it forward.

Randle thrived as the main playmaker, and its easy to say hes not a traditional No. 1 for a contender, but not many of those players come on the market, especially not after the litany of player turnover league-wide the last couple of seasons.

Can he be as effective if the Knicks made a personnel move to acquire a top-line scorer, if the offense wasnt built around him? If he finds a way to be more finisher than facilitator, itll make his life and the Knicks that much easier.

After the confetti from making its first postseason since 2013 fell from the emotional rafters, we saw a team that couldnt shoot, could barely score and maxed out.

The Hawks didnt make them quit, but the mascara was removed and the picture wasnt as pretty as we thought.

Antics aside, the 4-5 matchup with the Hawks looked like a clear disparity with talent, and if the Knicks look close enough, theyll see a team thats perhaps a half-step ahead with roster development.

Young was sensational and theatrical, but it was a group effort from the Hawks that propelled them to a second-round matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.

I thought Atlanta really, they added some good pieces to complement Trae and I think that helped him, Thibodeau said following Game 5.

Second-year forward DeAndre Hunter didnt get a full chance to display his growth, but the potential both from using his length and the angles to effectively guard Derrick Rose and his improved shot selection was evident in stretches.

And adding a secondary scorer in Bogdan Bogdanovic took pressure off Young. Not only did it shift opposing defenses, but it took pressure off Young to make every play, limiting the bad shots and questionable decisions.

Derrick Rose wants to be back, and if Tom Thibodeau has his way, the Knicks will sign him. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Sounds like a recipe the Knicks can follow.

Rose wants to be back, and if Thibodeau has his way, the Knicks will sign him. Names like Dennis Schroder or veteran Kyle Lowry will come up in free agency, but Thibodeau would close games with Rose even if a 25-year old Magic Johnson was manning the point.

Thibodeau clearly soured on Elfrid Payton, but theres enough space for internal development elsewhere on the roster if the Knicks choose to be patient.

Its not sexy to say player development but thats the lane Obi Toppin, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley travel in. Mitchell Robinson is still a second-round gem, but his injuries had better be more freak than the sign of a brittle athlete. He missed out on valuable playoff experience with a fractured right foot.

Can the Knicks invest in every young player or will they be bold and try to capitalize on the organizational momentum? Rose and Wesley are still novices, and they could want to press the fast-forward button.

But even the biggest Knick optimist can see theres a gulf between any team in the East and Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Milwaukee hence why Danny Ainge stepped down in Boston. Theres no one magic move to elevate them to that echelon, not one without huge risk that isnt necessary at this stage of development.

The appetite has been whet all around New York City, now its up to the front office not to get too full in the meantime.

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Knicks facing plenty of questions this offseason as the honeymoon won't last long - Yahoo Sports