There are some people out there who have labeled the New York Knicks‘ offseason as a failure, and said that Phil Jackson doesn’t know what he’s doing. Well, I have news for you – the Knicks has actually had a decent offseason.

Yes, the Knicks have not landed the flashy, big money free agents that everybody thought they would go after. But in reality, chasing after big name free agents was not the Knicks’ true endgame this summer. Instead, Jackson’s master plan for New York was to build a respectable team so that the Knicks would be attractive to the likes of Kevin Durant in 2016, and Jackson has largely achieved his goal.

For starters, the Knicks’ prized first-round draft pick Kristaps Porzingis will be better than advertised, and he has a range of skills that will fit well with Carmelo Anthony. In free agency, the Knicks missed out on the big names, but they got players who will fit what Jackson and head coach Derrick Fisher are trying to build in Gotham.

Arron Afflalo should be a lock at the shooting guard position, and he is an upgrade over the players who manned the position last season. Afflalo gives the Knicks a credible two-way threat, a guard who can play good perimeter defense and can give them 14 to 16 points a night.

Robin Lopez is no DeAndre Jordan or Greg Monroe, but he can be an anchor on the defensive end, a place where the Knicks really need to improve, and he will be a valuable asset on the offensive end by eating up rebounds. And don’t discount Derrick Williams, who had a mini-rebirth with the Sacramento Kings last season, and can provide the Knicks with much-needed energy either in the starting lineup or off the bench.

Jackson is getting an incredible amount of criticism for his offseason moves, but if you look at the bigger picture, he has built the Knicks into a playoff team next season. Remember, it doesn’t take much in the East to get into the postseason dance, and New York now has as good of a chance as any to not only bring playoff basketball back to Madison Square Garden, but to also show the free agent class of 2016 that the Big Apple is indeed a great place to play basketball.

And that’s why the Knicks should be considered winners this offseason.

Kareem Gantt covers the wide world of sports for Rant Sports. Want to know what’s on his mind? Follow him on Twitter at @kganttwrites.