It's been quite a week for the New York Knicks -- or more accurately, quite a half-week. After a 21-point drubbing at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, which dropped the Knicks to 2-8 at the time, team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry called an impromptu press conference in which Mills stated, quite obviously, that he and Perry were "not happy with where the team's at right now."

It was a highly unusual move for execs to call a press conference like that, let alone 10 games into the season, and it was a blatant shot at coach David Fizdale -- Mills' obligatory "we still believe in our coaching staff" soundbite notwithstanding.

Mills continually cited the inconsistent play of the team while adding "we've got to find a way to play complete games." Mills made it clear that he and Perry expected this Knicks team to be, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowksi put it, "highly competitive," which is another way of saying Fizdale has this team underachieving -- at least in the eyes of management which, you know, put this roster together. 

Indeed, the day after the press conference, Wojnarowski reported that even before the loss to the Cavs, Mills had "started to lay the internal groundwork for the eventual dismissal of coach David Fizdale." You can connect the dots pretty easily here. Mills and Perry, for whatever reason, thought they had put together a good NBA basketball team, and now that the Knicks are playing like the exact opposite of that, they're looking to save their own backsides. 

Which brings us to late Tuesday night, when SNY's Ian Begley reported that Mills and other members of management had spoken with owner James Dolan, and that they walked away from that conversation believing their jobs are safe, for now. From SNY:

Dolan speaks with Mills and other top decision-makers regularly, just as most NBA owners do, but this conversation seemed to carry a little more weight. Sources familiar with the conversation told SNY that management came away with the impression that their jobs would be secure as long as the Knicks 'showed progress' this season. 

What constitutes "progress" in Knicks language remains unclear, but keep in mind this talk with Dolan reportedly took place on Monday, and on Tuesday the Knicks got blasted by 18 points by the almost equally bad Chicago Bulls. Losing back-to-back games to the Cavs and Bulls by a combined 39 points doesn't seem great for Mills and Perry, who Begley reported are also "on notice." 

Sources told SNY that, in addition to Fizdale, Mills and Perry are also 'on notice' in the wake of the Knicks' slow start. Regardless of what happens with Fizdale, opposing executives expect Mills and Perry to be given the remainder of the season to show Dolan that the team they put together can be competitive. 

But, as we noted on Tuesday, the notion that Perry or Mills, who has served as either president or GM of the Knicks (under Phil Jackson) since 2013-14, would be immune to the consequences that would come of New York continues to under-perform is inaccurate.

If the Knicks continue to struggle, agents and executives keeping an eye on the Knicks believe that the most likely scenario has Fizdale being fired during the season and Mills and Perry being replaced after the year. 

In case you're interested, the Knicks play host to the Mavericks on Thursday in what will mark Kristaps Porzingis' return to Madison Square Garden. The Knicks beat the Mavericks last Friday in a game that would, on some level, appear to validate Mills' belief that the Knicks are capable of playing good basketball. But all NBA teams can play good on any given night. A lack of consistency isn't always a matter of effort of concentration. The simple truth is: inconsistent teams, generally speaking, are consistently playing at a talent deficit. 

Dallas is a good team. There's a good chance they beat the Knicks, who then will go on to face 11 playoff teams in their next 13 games -- including two dates with the 76ers along with matchups against the Spurs, Nets, Raptors, Celtics, Bucks, Pacers, Nuggets and Trail Blazers. 

In other words, the chances of the Knicks showing "progress" in the near future seem, well, somewhat slim. This does not feel like it's going to end well for anyone, but we shall see.