Jan 10, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks president Phil Jackson addresses the media before the start of game against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s face it: the New York Knicks have been a joke franchise for the past decade or so. Their personnel decisions, player acquisitions, the meddling owner and his delusions of grandeur, along with their long-suffering fans who have turned on the team, all contribute to the Knicks being the easy butt of a joke.

In fact, every decision the organization has made recently has been treated with nearly the same response: “What are the Knicks doing? What a joke! LOL!”

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If you needed proof, just look at the response Kristaps Porzingis received when the Knicks drafted him. The poor 19-year-old was booed by Knicks’ fans everywhere — not a great way to start your career if you’re a hopeful NBA draftee. The kid hadn’t even played a single minute for the team and yet the fanbase was ready to aim their pitchforks at him.

I have an inkling that the fans would’ve booed had the Knicks drafted anyone other than Karl-Anthony Towns (who was taken first overall).

And yet, to some degree, the fans have a point. The Knicks have earned the reputation as a joke franchise through the decisions they’ve made in the past.

After all, this was the team that gave Allan Houston $100 million dollars over six years – a decision so bad that the NBA created the “Allan Houston Rule,” allowing teams to release one player without his contract counting against their cap.

The Knicks also gave Jerome James a hefty five-year, $30 million contract after an 11-game stretch where he exploded. James failed to live up to the contract and played just four games in the final two years of his tenure with the Knicks.

This was also the same team that gave Chris Smith – brother to J.R. Smith, a roster spot in order to appease J.R. in the hopes that it would, in turn, please Carmelo Anthony. After remaining on the roster for the minimum allowable time, the Knicks waived Chris, allowing him to walk away with his money.

As you can see, the Knicks were an organization that made knee-jerk decisions, gave players too much power, and had a penchant of getting caught up by a player’s potential superstardom.

In the one year (and a bit) that Phil Jackson has taken over as president of basketball operations, the decisions the Knicks have made aren’t at all alike to what former Knicks teams would have made.

It started with the culling of dead weight. Jackson was tasked with turning the franchise around, and was even given the assurance by owner James Dolan that he wouldn’t meddle in team affairs. Jackson worked hard to secure Melo’s services for the next five years, and even convinced him to take (slightly) less than the maximum amount he could have signed for.

He then gutted the team, trading away the older players and injecting some youth into the team. It started with Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton, followed by Pablo Prigioni, Iman Shumpert, and J.R. Smith.

The Knicks even managed to buy out Amar’e Stoudemire’s contract! Once lambasted for having four frontcourt players with salaries more than $10.5 million (Andre Bargnani, Chandler, Melo, Stoudemire), they are now left with just one – Melo.

The team is now so different from the 2012-13 iteration that made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Only Melo remains from that team – not even the coaches are similar. And back then, the Knicks were viewed as a team with no future – capped out for the next few years, relying on aging talent that was breaking down, with no young talent to restock the shelves with.

In fact, Jackson managed to turn things around so much that the Knicks had cap space for a max free agent during the recent offseason. The last time this happened was in 2010, when they were involved in the LeBron James’ sweepstakes. Similar to then, their pitch to the biggest free agent (then James, recently LaMarcus Aldridge) failed.

But what was dissimilar was the team’s response to the situation. In 2010, the Knicks panicked and signed Stoudemire to a four-year, $98 million contract. There were concerns with his overall longevity and health, but the Knicks saw a future without a star. It proved to be a hefty mistake.

This time, after failing with Aldridge, the Knicks chose to spend their cap space on utility players, putting together a half-decent roster that would fit Jackson’s system of choice.

This was also the first instance in a long time where the Knicks put the system over a player. It was no surprise that they wanted Aldridge to play center, despite knowing that he despised doing so. The old Knicks would have tried to appease him and shoehorn him into the power forward spot – a position that Melo flourishes in.

It may provide the team with star power and some “relevance” in media circles, but it would ultimately hinder the team’s growth and future flexibility.

In the span of 17 months, Phil Jackson has managed to change the Knicks’ team culture. By bringing some semblance of normalcy to the franchise, he has stabilized what was once a sinking ship.

Previously widely regarded as a team with a bleak future, the Knicks will have financial flexibility moving forward, young talent to develop, and a roster full of role-players you’d expect to see on a contender.

If any other team had made the same moves as the Knicks have done over the past few months, they’d be regarded as “taking a step in the right direction”. But just because it’s the Knicks, they’ve been laughed at to death.

Let’s stop making fun of the Knicks. Because for the first time in a long time, they’re a normal franchise again.