Ian Begley, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Phil invokes higher authority for rebuild

NEW YORK -- One day after his New York Knicks made the wrong kind of history, team president Phil Jackson took to Twitter to talk about the rebuild that lies ahead.

It’s interesting that Jackson would use the hashtag “#groundup” at the end of the tweet. He had an opportunity to start the Knicks’ rebuild from the ground up in the truest sense last summer when Carmelo Anthony hit free agency. If he wanted to, Jackson could have let Anthony walk and entered free agency this summer with a near-empty roster and an incredible amount of cap space.

Instead, after saying publicly that he hoped Anthony would consider a pay cut, Jackson re-signed the All-Star forward to a $124 million, five-year contract. Jackson will now try to rebuild the Knicks around Anthony, who is rehabbing from left knee surgery and is expected to be healthy for training camp.

Jackson will have at least $25 million in cap space this summer. That amount of money will give the Knicks an opportunity to build a roster with enough talent to compete in the Eastern Conference. New York also will likely have a high pick in June’s draft. If they finish the season with the NBA’s worst record, the Knicks will pick no lower than fourth.

The draft pick and cap space give Jackson the ingredients to build a contender in New York. This season, Jackson's first full campaign as Knicks president, the team has reached historic lows. They will have a league-worst 14-60 record when they take the floor on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets.

The 60 losses are the highest total in the franchise’s 69-year history.

Ledo back: The team announced on Sunday that it has signed guard Ricky Ledo to a second 10-day contract.

Question: What players would you draft or sign in free agency to fit best around Carmelo Anthony?

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