As a rookie in 2008-09, Courtney Lee went to the Finals with the Magic, who lost in five games to the Lakers coached by Phil Jackson. That was frustrating.
But not as frustrating as falling short of the 2016-17 playoffs with the “most talented” team Lee has been a part of, a Knicks team assembled by the same Phil Jackson.
“Getting to the Finals is an accomplishment, and that’s tough because it’s a long road to get there. Win or lose in that situation, you know you went out there and competed and you were above the majority of the teams, you were in the final two,” Lee said after his first Knicks campaign became an official lottery venture Wednesday through a 105-88 Garden knockout by Miami.
“But this is definitely frustrating because we have the talent,” said Lee, who signed a four-year, $50 million free-agent deal with the Knicks last offseason. “If I had to compare all the teams I’ve been on, this is probably the most talented team if you look at it on paper. It’s just everything didn’t come together. Everything just didn’t work out.”
Very little worked out for the Knicks (28-47), sailing toward their third straight 50-defeat season.
Seven games remain, and coach Jeff Hornacek said he wants to keep looking at the young guys. But he can’t play all the rookies together — especially with the next six opponents fighting for playoff positioning.
“We still need veterans out there and win or lose, you’ve still got to play,” Hornacek said, noting Lee “lends the shooting and some of the defensive abilities that we need out there.”
Lee knows these next seven games will be salt to an open wound, but professionalism mandates nothing less than full effort.
“They’re going to be tough knowing what you’re trying to play for every year is out of reach,” Lee said. “But you can’t disrespect the game. I still love the game of basketball, so I’m just going to go out there and compete and do what I love to do.”
Without any regrets of signing with the Knicks. There was a stronger, although shorter, offer from Philadelphia. But Lee, 31, chose security. And playoff potential. Oops.
“It was short-term, so it really wasn’t a better offer. They were talking about a large number but me aging, it’s not smart to go for the short-term,” Lee said.
“It’s been tough all year. Set out to try to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season and then everything went south. It’s definitely frustrating.”