2015 New York Knicks. (NBA)
The 2014-15 New York Knicks. A team coming in with mediocre aspirations of ‘maybe contending for a playoff spot’ fell dramatically short of those goals. A team that was expected to rely heavily on their star Carmelo Anthony, use their injury-prone $100 million dollar man Amar’e Stoudemire off the bench and utilizing some pieces in Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Jose Calderon, having great hopes all 3 of them could contribute very heavily for the team. Team President Phil Jackson brought his favorite shape – that all exclusive ‘triangle’ – with him to the big apple and his prodigal son, Derek Fisher, tagged along with Phil to New York. To cap it all off, New York was hosting the 2015 NBA All-Star weekend festivities.
So how did they do? Well. Lets just list off the ‘highlights’ of the Knicks season.
- Carmelo Anthony was shut down right after he played in the All-Star Game.
- Amar’e Stoudemire was exiled from New York right after the All-Star break.
- J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert were sent to Cleveland to help LeBron during the Cavs playoff run and possible chase for a title.
- Jose Calderon has missed a majority of this season.
- Samuel Dalembert did’t even last the first half of the season.
- Finally, Phil Jackson has essentially chalked this season up as a lost cause.
One phrase #Knicks president Phil Jackson used to describe this season for his club: “S*#t happens.”
Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 3, 2015
There has to be some sort of accomplishments this season, right?
Well.
They are projected to finish 17-65 on the season, the worst record in franchise history.
They will be at least 20+ games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by season’s end.
They currently are 5-30 against teams above .500.
From Basketball Reference.
Knicks team stats.
Team Points per game: 91.8 (29th of 30). Opponent points allowed per game: 101.4 (23rd of 30). Offensive Rating: 100.0 (29th of 30). Defensive Rating: 110.4 (29th of 30). Pace: 91.0 (28th of 30).
Finally, from ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
The Knicks have trailed by 30 or more points at halftime at home only three times in the shot-clock era. But two of those forgettable nights have happened since January: Charlotte’s 31-point halftime lead at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 10 and the Clips’ 39-point cushion this past Wednesday.
Stein also had the Knicks within the bottom 10 NBA teams all season long in his power rankings.
There is one positive though, the Knicks still rank in the top 5 in NBA attendance. So they need to bring some sort of product to the MSG ‘faithful’ to match the top 5 draft pick they’re projected to have in June.
All reports indicate the Knicks are keeping their pick, so that will mean a promising prospect will come to New York. That’s just one of the standards the Knicks will hold to be true this offseason. The team recently released some of their requirements when it comes to potential NBA free agents they will be looking at this summer.
Also according to ESPN New York’s Ian Begley.
- Knicks GM Steve Mills said the front offices doesn’t focus solely on how a player fits in the triangle when they discuss potential additions.
- Mills said the organization won’t chase the biggest names on the market solely to make a splash, as they have in the past. The same with Jackson who said he doesn’t want to get “chase” a big name in free agency. He said doing that with Amar’e put the Knicks in a “bad spot”.
- When it comes to building a title contender, team president Phil Jackson immediately mentioned defense.
- Mills said Carmelo Anthony has been very active in the team’s effort to target free agents in advance of the offseason.
- Jackson: “We knew we were going to have to take this team apart to get to where we wanted to go.”
- Jackson said he hopes to get two starters in free agency.
So with those sticking points to go along with the almost assured notion of keeping their top 5 pick, this is how I believe the Knicks should rebuild their roster this offseason.
Move over Steve Mills, I’m taking over this Knicks offseason.
Keep in mind, the projected cap for 2015-16 is $66,300,000.
Step 1: Drop The Dead Weight.
Carmelo Anthony will stay, obviously but Andrea Bargnani, Quincy Acy, Langston Galloway, Jason Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr and Cleanthony Early should all stick around for one reason or another.
Andrea Bargnani (NBA)
Andrea Bargnani at a cheap price, can be very valuable. The market for a former number 1 pick with chronic injury issues isn’t very high. Surprising, huh? I would value a contract for him at about $5 million per year on a 2 year deal, especially considering both sides have talked about his return to the team. He is versatile and in his expanded playing time this season, he’s proved to be a valuable member of the team. He can score from anywhere on the court, he can put the ball on the deck and drive to the hoop and his inside game ins’t too bad. His defense could use some work, primarily on the interior but he has the ability for some quick scoring and that can prove to be effective. Bargnani does have a lot to prove though to Knicks and NBA fans alike that he isn’t a bust.
Quincy Acy (USA Today Sports)
Quincy Acy is a great rebounder who is just a tough guy. He’s scrappy and the Knicks can keep him around on a reasonable deal worth about $1.2 million next season if they exercise their team option. He’s a player who can fill up the stat sheet for you and play the tough guy/bruiser that the Knicks tried to have with Kenyon Martin or Rasheed Wallace in recent years past. He dunks a ton and but he is a little small for the power forward position and lacks a prominent post game. He still can contribute though and he’s on the top of the list of guys I would not want to tangle with.
Jason Smith (Getty Images)
Jason Smith had his share of moments this season with the Knicks. He’s gone from a solid bench player to one of the better starters. He has great size standing at 7 feet and with that size comes a nice mid-range shot with a simplistic inside game. Defensively he’s an above average shot-blocker and overall he’s a good bench player who is pretty consistent with his abilities. Size and defense will be the reasons the Knicks could keep him around for another year on a contract worth $3.5 million.
Langston Galloway (NBA)
Langston Galloway is a spark offensively and can come off the bench to score in bunches. He’s very, very raw but luckily enough the team has a 2 year team option on him. He’s become a fan favorite, making some great plays at the rim and even having games where he’s dropped 20+. In the offseason, working on his defense should be his primary focus along with working on a consistent 3 pointer. He should be a good value as a backup point guard especially with a contract worth $845,000 next season.
Cleanthony Early (AP Photo)
Cleanthony Early is an interesting prospect. Standing at 6’7 he’s a combo forward with nice scoring skills but the interesting part is, he’s primarily slotted at a wing position. He can come in to play the 3 and backup Melo but he can also cause some problems defensively playing the 2. He can step out in the midrange/3 point zone to knock down some shots or use his size to get to the rim so he’ll often be a mismatch in one way or another. He’s pretty athletic, makes free throws but his defense isn’t quite there yet along with his ball handling. He’s another really raw product with a pretty high ceiling.
Carmelo Anthony and Tim Hardaway Jr (Getty Images)
Tim Hardaway Jr is the most questionable of all of these guys. He has a solid jump shot but falls in love with the three often. He’s nowhere near the level of ball handler compared to his father and he’s just an average defender. I still think the Knicks will keep him around, especially at a 1.3 million dollar clip next season. He’ll be worth keeping and developing at least for one more season to see how he fits with this team.
Everyone else, gone. So say your goodbyes now because the likes of Lou Amundson, Ricky Ledo, Alexey Shved, Shane Larkin, Cole Aldrich, Lance Thomas and Travis Wear will be free to roam on another teams bench and/or D-league team.
Jose ‘Hams’ Calderon will be gone also, possibly traded somehow. A team will like his services and he could go for a second round pick to a team who needs a veteran point guard to come off the bench who can hit some 3’s for you. So basically a Spanish Steve Blake for $7.5 million.
After keeping these players, and letting go of some, the roster is currently at 7 players totaling $32,246,466 against the cap. Cap is at $66,300,000 and the Knicks would still have $34,053,534 to play with.
Step 2: Draft Karl-Anthony Towns, no matter what
Karl-Anthony Towns (Getty Images)
A big reason is, he’s from the area. His hometown of Piscataway, New Jersey and his high school are within 45 minutes driving of Madison Square Garden (also 1 hour and 15 minutes on public transportation). It would be a pretty comfortable situation for him to get acclimated too with family and friends so close to him.
His profile is impressive and he’s rated as the number 1 prospect in the upcoming draft and with proper reason.
Karl Towns was Kentucky’s longest player posting a 7’3.25 wingspan at 6’10.25 without shoes and 250-pounds. His measurements are consistent with the numbers he posted at the last two Nike Hoop Summits. His athletic testing, however, were fairly impressive, as his maximum vertical is just an inch lower than the marks posted by Cody Zeller and Joakim Noah when they were coming out of college. Towns has never been known as a high-flyer, and it will be fascinating to see if his impressive testing here is a sign of how his body is progressing in a college strength program.
His post skills definitely need some work, especially when it comes to putting the moves on someone down low but he does still pose a threat somehow offensively in the paint. He’s not crazy athletic but he can get up and put down dunks and send away a few shots. He needs to get a lot stronger, get better footwork and get a little quicker first step but these are all things to expect from a 19 year old. Knicks should land in the top 3 spots and should work to get KAT at any cost.
If that means this is where Jose Calderon gets traded, then do it. Tim Hardaway, Jr needs to go? Send him.
#Knicks‘ Phil Jackson was asked if he knew who he’d draft in June: “I do.” Reading between the lines tonight, sounds like Karl Anthony Towns — Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 3, 2015
Plus, a player also considered to be in the top with KAT among the top prospects in this draft doesn’t exactly mesh with Carmelo Anthony’s scoring habits. Duke’s big man Jahlil Okafor might not be the best target for the Knicks to consider based off where he likes to score.
One thing for Knicks fans dead set on Okafor to note: look at the right block. That’s where Melo likes to operate. pic.twitter.com/1ZBJ6ozqP3
— Jared Dubin (@JADubin5) April 2, 2015
Towns contract on a rookie scale – comparative to Andrew Wiggins last year – will be around $5.5 million in the first year with a small $200 thousand increase per year.
KAT, FTW.
Knicks total cap number is at $37,796,466 with $28,503,534 remaining. This is the Knicks only draft pick in 2015 so no more rookies expected to join, yet. After getting KAT, their team will be at 8 players. 5 more for a full rotation, 7 more for a whole team.
Step 3: Give Wes A Chance. A Big Chance
Wesley Matthews (NBA)
Wesley Matthews. A guy that had his season cut short due to a horrible achilles injury continues to try and prove the world wrong about him. Why not bring him in?
He has a great offensive repertoire with the ability to spot up and shoot the 3 as well as driving into the paint and crashing in for a contested layup and he has a consistent mid-range game as well. He doesn’t require the ball and he’ll be able to play off ball with Carmelo. He’s a bigger guy standing at 6’5 and weighing in at 220 pounds so with that size on the perimeter, why not? He plays hard, he’s a very efficient defender and he can guard bigger players and welcomes the challenge. We’ve seen him go up against guys like Melo, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and not blink an eye. He’s a great defender and just what the Knicks need.
It definetely will be a challenge taking Wes from the Blazers. They do love him in Portland but if the Knicks offer him a contract that might be too rich for their blood – especially considering that they have to re-sign LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez this summer – the Knicks might be able to steal him away. I wouldn’t completely eliminate any team from stealing Matthews due to his high value to a team. A contract with a team option for a second year at $8.5 million to steal him away from Portland sounds about right. He likes proving himself and what better stage than the big apple and MSG with the New York Knicks on a ‘prove yourself’ contract.
Knicks roster at 9 players. with about $20 million to go.
Step 4: Bring In Some Productive Veterans
Randy Foye (NBA)
Randy Foye and Brandon Wright are 2 guys who jump out immediately as guys who can help this rebuilding Knicks team on short contracts.
Foye was almost dealt by the Denver Nuggets at the trade deadline so him not getting his team option picked up by the Nuggets wouldn’t exactly be insane news. He’s from New Jersey as well, Newark to be exact which is right outside of NYC. Much like Towns, he’d be going home. He has very good size and strength for a point guard. He can teach Galloway a few things with his solid scoring on the perimeter and mid-range areas. Foye is Pretty tough and can fight his way to the rim, if needed. He will have to take a step back and score a little less and facilitate but he can do that, if needed. The issues are, he’s not a great playmaker and his conditioning isn’t the best but that’s where Galloway can come in, help him out and relieve him.
Brandan Wright (NBA)
Wright on the other hand went through a lot this past season. He was thriving in Dallas with the Mavericks, got traded to the Boston Celtics, rarely played with them and he finally ended up being dealt to the Phoenix Suns. The issue is, he’s behind Alex Len on the depth chart in Phoenix. It’s time for him to come in to start and what better place than for this Knicks team, teaching a young Towns a few things. Wright has great wingspan, good hands and a nice touch around the basket. He can defend the rim and keep from people scoring on the inside. He definitely can get stronger and more aggressive but he has to be careful because he does tend to get injured from time to time.
Both these players are about medium risk, high reward guys. So contracts at $5 million each for 2 seasons wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
Knicks roster is now at 11 players with about $10 million to go.
Step 5: Youth Movement In NYC
K.J. McDaniels (Getty Images)
2 guys who have been passed up during their young NBA careers can be brought in to fill out the remainder of the Knicks main roster. A great wing defender in K.J. McDaniels and a guy who’s a scrappy fighter that has some great potential in Thomas Robinson.
McDaniels was an rookie drafted in the second round of the 2014 draft and signed a ‘prove-it’ contract with the Philadelphia 76ers to start the season. He made the most of his time with Philly being considered as a top candidate for the Rookie of the year award alongside Andrew Wiggins. Then there were highlight plays, after highlight plays, after highlight plays that helped him stay in everyone’s mind early in the season.
Then, unexplicably he was sent from the Sixers to the Houston Rockets and immediately his playing time plummeted. He went from averaging 9.2 points per game, with 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and almost a steal a game in 25 minutes per game in 52 appearances to a guy who has played a TOTAL of 18 minutes, playing a total of 8 out of a potential 23 games and he’s scored a TOTAL of 2 points with the team.
He is still a very raw talent but learning under guys Carmelo and potentially Wes Matthews can help develop his game some more. I would expect for him to sign for around $1 million.
Thomas Robinson (Getty Images)
Thomas Robinson has been all over the NBA and it’s unfortunate. While he lacks size, he does play hard and has an impressive wingspan. He’s a god rebounder with the ability to hit a mid-range shot and does a lot of the intangible, hustle things. He is athletic and can be seen getting a putback dunk to go down from time to time. He also is a Newark, New Jersey native so getting him to play, staying close to his hometown on a small $1.5 million contract shouldn’t be a problem.
Knicks roster is now at 13 players with about $7.5 million to go.
But wait.
There is a surprise contender that some might be forgetting about. The interesting case of Tobias Harris.
Carmelo Anthony defends Tobias Harris (Getty Images)
Tobias Harris has expressed interest in joining the Knicks, the same goes for the Knicks bringing in Tobias Harris. He worked out with Carmelo Anthony last summer and he’s also from New York, so another guy playing at home. Tobias’ skills scoring are definitely his strong suit. This season, Harris has been productive for the Orlando Magic, averaging about 18 points and 6.9 rebounds per 36 minutes while shooting an efficient 46 percent from the field. These are numbers that would easily make him the second-best player on the Knicks behind Melo until KAT finalizes becoming a solid player around the rim. Harris is a great finisher around the rim, he’s stepped up to hit some clutch shots for Orlando and while his perimeter game needs some work, he can use his 6’9 height to matchup with most power forwards as he gets bigger and not have to worry about stepping out. His defense is highly questionable but he’s not a liability like Enes Kanter, who actually might not even know whats going on while playing defense.
The issue is his contract. The Orlando Magic have to do something with him this summer but seeing how they gave Nikola Vucevic a big extension earlier this season and they already have solid pieces to build with Vucevic in Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo, I don’t see Orlando matching anything that is too much money. They probably won’t match anything around the, oh, possibly $9 million mark which the Knicks could offer Harris, going over the cap and into the luxury tax just a little bit. Nothing they haven’t done in the past.
From this point the team would need to sign some younger players on small contracts to fill out the roster or even call up a guy like Thanasis Antetokounmpo from their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.
Final Projected Roster for the 2015-16 season
Starters:
G: Randy Foye
G: Wesley Matthews
F: Carmelo Anthony
F: Tobias Harris
C: Brandan Wright
Bench:
F/C: Karl-Anthony Towns
F: Andrea Bargnani
G: Tim Hardaway Jr
G: Langston Galloway
C: Jason Smith
F: Quincy Acy
G/F: K.J. McDaniels
F: Thomas Robinson
F: Cleanthony Early
If the Knicks want to be taken serious, ever again, they need to start doing some serious moves and taking real chances. Stop chasing after the huge, blockbuster names and go after guys that can produce and have a lot to prove. Those guys are more often the guys you want on your team to perform above their expectations and you can either keep them or trade for some assets.
There are guys who come in, like Matthews, Foye, Towns and McDaniels that can hold their own on defense. Keeping guys like Bargnani, Smith and Hardaway keeps some sort of continuity on the team for the new, young guys and all of these guys, with the exception of Foye and Jason Smith, are 28 or younger right now. It’s just a team of guys who would be willing to go out there and lay it all on the line for the team and allow Melo to produce while also managing to get their own points when called upon.
Besides, if the big names would come to the Knicks, it would limit the possibilities to have money sign some other talent during the 2016 offseason. Not spending too much this offseason is pivotal to when the Knicks have more cap space next summer. When the cap goes up, it would be important to have as much money to spend, so having only a few guys around on short deals with manageable ‘prove it’ money would just benefit everyone.
Big names in 2015 wouldn’t want to come to New York anyway. The franchise is deemed ‘a rebuild project’ by many and wouldn’t be able to convince players to play in the ‘Big Apple’ quite yet. But, after this projected team makes the playoffs and possibly challenges for a division title, then the Knicks will be back to commanding the respect the franchise and their fans so desperately desire.
The post Necessary Moves The Knicks Need To Make This Summer To Be Considered A Real NBA Team Again appeared first on Def Pen Radio.