Jackson says Knicks need to show they can win before attracting top free agents

There's a different dynamic at Madison Square Garden now than in 2010.

That year, the New York Knicks cleared cap space and jumped into the summer's vaunted free-agent sweepstakes. After a brief flirtation with LeBron James, the Knicks signed Amar'e Stoudemire (when he was still an All-Star), and later added Carmelo Anthony via trade.

Yet the stark reality about the Knicks is this: They've won more than 42 games only once since then, and regardless of the city they play in - the "Mecca of Basketball" and so forth - on-court failure is the reason players haven't subsequently lined up to don the blue and orange.

"We need to win, be a competitive team," Knicks president Phil Jackson told reporters Monday when speaking about the franchise's status among this summer's free-agent crop. Jackson, in search of a big man for the triangle, lost out on LaMarcus Aldridge, who never seriously considered New York, and Greg Monroe, who chose the Milwaukee Bucks.

"Greg went to the right spot," Jackson said of Monroe's choice. "That's the right place for him. We understand that entirely."

In his first public comments since the Knicks signed four free agents - including starters in center Robin Lopez and shooting guard Arron Afflalo - Jackson expressed satisfaction with his team's acquisitions.

"I think we showed agents and players around the league a serious nature of what we're trying to accomplish," he said. "People who know basketball will recognize that, and we'll have people who want to come here."

While the addition of Lopez and Afflalo - plus other bigs in Derrick Williams and Kyle O'Quinn - didn't set the Knicks' world of impatient fans and media on fire, the first two, at least, can be viewed as smart signings given the team's current limitations.

"We made a defensive attempt in free agency to really kind of solidify our team and give ourselves a basis from which we can work from," Jackson said. "We really said we want to play defense, and this is what we're attempting to do with our free agency. This is going to make a difference."

Lopez, a strong defensive center, averaged 9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game with the Portland Trail Blazers last season. Spending part of 2014-15 with the same team, Afflalo is a decent on-ball defender who had a bit of a down year shooting the three.

Jackson added that his intention has never been to simply land another star-caliber baller to play second fiddle to Anthony.

"We're going after solid players that step into vacuums and play ball," Jackson said. "If we have a system that we play basketball together with, that'll all work itself out."