DENVER — In the postgame locker room Sunday night at the Pepsi Center Marcus Morris sat in his locker with ice packs strapped to both knees, leaning back exhausted. He and the Knicks had just endured another loss, dropping the team to 6-21. In the past was a coach who was already let go and ahead was an uncertain future with the trade market opening for an underachieving team.
And he was hopeful.
Two months into the season the Knicks were still optimistic that something had clicked even in defeat. The loss to the Denver Nuggets ended a four-game road trip that began with a one-sided loss in Portland and then the first two-game winning streak of the season — albeit against the team with the worst record in the NBA and then a sub-.