The Knicks are sitting not so comfortably at the bottom of the eastern conference and are in the midst of the worst five-year stretch in franchise history, but don't expect NBA commissioner Adam Silver to step in to help them any time soon.
Speaking to WFAN on Thursday, the commissioner didn't leave any doubts concerning his stance on potentially interfering with the Knicks.
"I wouldn't. It's not my role," Silver said. "Of course, I work for 30 teams. And the 29 other teams want to beat that team. That's not to say me getting involved (would be good) and that I'm in any better position to know what to do. We set the rules. And then we try to have a level playing field for the teams to compete."
Silver reportedly had a role in the Philadelphia 76ers hiring Bryan Colangelo as GM to try and help them end their tanking efforts.
Over the last 20 seasons, the Knicks have the worst record in the NBA with a .416 winning percentage, despite being the league's most valuable franchise at over $4 billion and being in the largest media market in the country.
Even with these clear struggles, Silver said he wasn't sure if the Knicks' hard times were impacting the league.
"I'm not sure," the commissioner said. "I would just say it would obviously be great in the country's largest media market to have a high performing team, one that's winning more games on the floor. But at the same time, increasingly with every game available through digital media, league pass, apps, national broadcasts -- I think the market is less significant than it used to be. All things being equal, sure you'd like to see big city teams be successful. At the end of the day, you want to see teams compete the best they can."
Silver stated that he believed the need to play in a big market is no longer a concern for stars any longer with the rise of social and digital media.
However, the four biggest free agents of the last two years-- LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving -- all signed with big market franchises. Not to mention Anthony Davis forcing a trade to the Lakers this past offseason.
You don't see any big stars forcing trades to the Knicks right now.