1- A significant win in the post -season: not less than the 2nd round 2- or a high lottery pick to rebuild the franchise i do not see any advantage from finishing the season like a 45 wins, or get swept in the first round thoughts?
Yeah, strong playoff run with the Knicks getting the #2 pick is ideal (since the swap is #1 protected).
Actually, yeah, you nailed it. A deep playoff run or a top five pick. Anything else pretty much sucks. Worse case scenario, first round blowouts or missing the playoffs by a few games. That dooms you to mediocrity and first round picks that can't even crack the rotation.