A Knicks 2015 Free Agent Primer

Let's take a look at free agents who might be interested in playing for the Knicks and who the Knicks might consider good fits.  We'll assume that Melo is the only sure starter and we'll only qualify candidates by a front-court or back-court draft pick.

PG candidates - Of the big four (Dragic, Knight, Rondo, and Jackson), Rondo may be the one who bolts his current team.  That could happen because of Rondo's personality.  If he does, there is the rumor that he will team with Melo.  But there's a very real problem with that - Rondo will want big bucks for the downside of his career.  Willing as Rondo may be to come, it's unlikely that Phil Jackson rolls that way, it would make no long-term sense to do so.

And neither Knight nor RJackson represent a franchise changing talent - desirable, sure - max money, no -  *unless* the Knicks just can't attract anyone else.

Two more likely candidates emerge - Lin and Beverly, both of whom can likely be signed at a cap friendly price and both of whom actually represent value to the team. Gallo, Shved, and either FA would be great talent and depth.

SG candidates - Here's not only where the Knicks have real need but real Free Agent opportunity. Of a crowded field, Gerald Green, Afflalo, Lou Williams, KT McDaniels, Gerald Henderson, and Gary Neal all might be priced right and fill an important role. John Jenkins being a dark horse candidate here as well.  A very  interesting mix.

Here is where draft candidates get interesting as well. We'll talk about that in a later post.

SF candidates - Draymond Green would be a marvelous coup but the odds are long Middleton, Carroll, and Barnes are next best candidates.  At the right price Derrick Williams or Dunleavy may be worth considering.

PF  candidates - Knicks need a rock-solid backup here.  Jason Smith may be enough. Hard to imagine Millsap wanting to play second fiddle. Amir Johnson would be a coup.  Hansbrough a reasonable bench pick-up.

Center candidates - DeAndre Jordan is not out of the question should Phil draft for a guard.  Monrow is rumored, Brandon Wright an inexpensive choice.  Robin Lopez and Kanter longshots.

We're Back!

Yes, thankfully we lost the last game. One of the more interesting observations that Clyde made during the broadcast was that this season showed just how patient Knicks fans have been with the rebuild from Ground up.

He mentioned the high attendance, courtesy of not booing or disparaging the team, and the audience appreciation for how hard the team, though losing, played.  This is empirical evidence that, contrary to popular opinion, the Knicks can attempt rebuilding when few other options exist.

I also love the degree of losses.  Future Knicks teams needing a rebuild can now not feel like outliers.

Yet Another Moronic Victory

These players could not be more malicious to Knicks fans if they could be. Anyone who has suffered as a Knicks fan over the past 15 years and this clustermuck of a season would find nothing positive in these pyrrhic victories.

Should we fall short in the lottery, may our pick displace one of the morons who sees some kind of macho joy in any of this.

Trade them all, resign not a one.

Jaw Dropping Stupidity - Knicks Beat Orlando

To hell with Defense.  The shortage of basketball intelligence displayed tonight is inexplicable.  To endure this kind of season and to have it washed away in the last three games is F'n lunacy.

Jackson can't trade Hardaway soon enough.

Actually, I take that back.  Keep Hardaway. Assign him to the D league for as long as he can possibly be kept there.

Predicting 2015 - 2016

Recent comments by Derek Fisher have been met with a tsunami of derision by pundits, critics and Knick-haters.  Derek merely stated that the Knicks were not interested in simply winning thirty odd games and they were aiming higher and that if the stars aligned 63 wins would not be impossible.

Why would he say something like that?  If you believe the critics, Phil Jackson has done little right and the team has won but 16 games - "you are what your record says you are". And to hear it told it's nothing but a team of D-Leaguers.

The trouble with that analysis is that the NBA won-lost framework forces teams to "tank" in order to get a better chance at a draft pick.  This isn't news yet it never seems to be factored into discussions that presume "you are what your record says you are".  It seems to me that Fisher has factored that in. The Knicks who were in a total rebuild anyway chose to pursue a better draft pick and are doing it with as much grace and transparency as possible. If that reality distortion was not in play the Knicks are more likely a 40 win team in a fresh start season if nothing changed on the current roster.

The delta between a forty win team and a sixty-ish win team is still large but a few significant signings and a top draft pick could move the win total significantly.

Fisher may be an optimist but he's not delusional.

Ruminations Close to the End of the Season

Just a few games left that we should not even think about winning unless Minny wins another before us.

I thought beating Philly was a silly waste of a win.  I would have much preferred this team to have saved it for a team contending for a playoff spot. Oh, well.

Of the away games I watched, Chicago and Nets announcers showed the Knicks respect and discussed this season's strategy with intelligence.  And I'm no Chicago fan.  Just saying that for all of the negative noise being generated, a number of pros get it.

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Until we know what our draft position is and who looks good in workouts, picking a favorite draft choice is like picking a favorite color.  That said, I think the Knicks will go for a big one way or another.  If they get shut out at the three or four on Towns or Okafor, I would expect them to draft for someone else who can deliver Kaminsky or Cauley Stein plus a premium - either a first-rounder in next year's draft or a rotation worthy player.

And I wouldn't rule out a weird pick swap at the top four spots between Philly should they drop to four and NY at a higher spot. Philly has A LOT of bodies that can't all possibly co-exist.  If the Knicks get their man via Philly along with a second player who they like, its a no-brainer.

It could get very interesting, very quickly.

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If the Knicks do go big, the next shoe to drop is what to do about Bargnani.  All of the discussion thus far has centered on Bargnani's recent showing within the Triangle - some call it a good fit. The other side of the coin is his history of disinterest in the game, conditioning, and of course, his appetite to get paid for lackadaisical play.

My suspicion is that the Knicks will keep any offer to a fixed low number.  If Bargnani gets a better offer (and I suspect he will), he's gone.

And, IMO, that is a good thing.  A young center will need to have a teaching, calming presence backing him up and some beefy bangers to keep the kid from getting hammered in the paint. I expect Aldrich, Thomas, and Amundson to stick  with a new face or two joining that group to back the pick and Melo.  Can't help but believe Smith and Acy will get flipped in summer trades.

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I also fully expect that whoever is picked will be joined by a college teammate who falls through the draft or who is acquired on draft night.  Creating a comfort zone for the new guy will be important.

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Shved and Galloway have made a compelling case for securing the PG position.

Expect the two spot to be the position free agency will need to address. Afflalo?

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As for the doom and gloom predictions for next year - rumors of the Knicks demise are greatly exaggerated.