Knicks president Steve Mills stopped short of predicting playoffs for 2019-20 but stated his new Knicks are going to be beloved by the patient fans who have endured six straight losing seasons.
In breaking his silence since late June, Mills said he was “very excited” about the summer and added the free agents that came chose New York over other options, dispelling a notion players don’t want to play in New York.
Mills brushed off their failure to land a star in free agency while the rival Brooklyn Nets welcomed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
“This is a team that’s consistent with how we said we’d build the team,” Mills said during Monday’s Media Day. “This is a team – New Yorkers are going to like this team. The grittiness of these guys. The toughness of these guys. It’s a group of guys that had places they could’ve gone. They made the decision to come here – to New York and play for the Knicks. These are guys are fans are going to like, the toughness they bring every day they come to the court.”
Mills, reacting for the first time to missing on the stars, said he was “proud” they had constructed more than one plan.
“We all know free agency is a very fluid process in the NBA,’’ Mills said. “One thing we know is what’s important is that for you to control the things that you can control. And guys make decisions about where they want to play, and those are things they come to on our own. What you have to do is be prepared and control the things that you can control. And what we’re most proud about is we put ourselves in a position and planned in a way that on the opening day of free agency we had six guys who were important to us, that we were lined up to meet with.”
While The Post reported the club broke a meeting with Kawhi Leonard because it was too late in the process, Mills claimed he could have met with other stars, too.
“There were a lot of max type players that we could have met with, that were interested in coming here,’’ Mills claimed. “We had a certain way that we wanted to build this team. This is how we chose to build it.”
Owner James Dolan said in March he expected a free-agent splash but Mills claimed he was aware of the lesser targets.
“Absolutely,’’ Mills said. “Jim knew we were going to have a successful free agency period and we feel like we did that. He was on board with what we were doing and one of the rosters that he saw well in advance of free agency looks like what we’re going to put out on the floor this year.”
Mills, GM Scott Perry and coach David Fizdale had staged a media boycott since June 21’s post-draft press conference and had not yet addressed their free-agent haul.
Fizdale came closest to stating belief this club could compete for a playoff berth. Fizdale said the team is “ready to take the next step.”“When the dust settles, that’s where we want to be,” Fizdale said.
However, the seven signees have been dismissed in some NBA circles as not being difference-makers able to lift the Knicks into a playoff threat after a 17-65 record. But Mills stated they were all high on their board and indicated the club passed on meeting with a couple of max guys to make sure they netted this group.
“We had them on the board as a roster,” Mills said. “We liked the way they fit with each other.”
Julius Randle is the lone potential All-Star from a group that also includes PG Elfrid Payton, SG Wayne Ellington, SG Reggie Bullock, who underwent spinal fusion surgery, and big men Bobby Portis, Marcus Morris and Taj Gibson.
Still, Perry would not say playoffs were the goal. Las Vegas sportsbooks have the Knicks’ over-under for wins at 28.5
“We are looking to get better every single day starting tomorrow,” Perry said. “We expect every night we go out there to play, we’re playing to win. We’re not in the prediction business. I’m not here to predict records. But I expect us to be better, an improved basketball team. I expect the team to grow and develop and exhibit that throughout the course of the season.”
Perry added the free-agent haul “upgraded their talent” because they didn’t have a power forward on their roster and also needed more outside shooting. “It was by design in terms of how we [went after] these guys,” Mills said.