The Knicks 2016-17 Bigmen will have to play a big-role in team success

My best offseason addition are Noah Noah Noah ...
Noah comes with great hustle, passing, leadership, and a high IQ that can elevate the team to new heights

Center - Noah / Hernangomez / Plumlee
PF - O'Quinn / KP

I may be the only Knicks fan that believe Kyle O'Quinn talent should be in the Knicks starter line-up instead of KP.
It would be nice to see a young tandem-big of KP and Hernangomez come off the bench developing chemistry with our new 6th man Jennings throughout the season.

We all are hoping Noah's high level of B.Ball will help Porzingis elevate his game even more then Lopez. Noah great offense isnt self-scoring, Noah need the ball to quickly pass to the open scorer plus make some sensational great passes to KP to set him up for dunks, layups, and outside shots.
Plus we hope some of Noah great defensive technique rub off on a few teammates.

Here's what our roster will be working with as our Big-Men ...

7.3 Kristaps Porzingis .. 2nd season
7.0 Marshall Plumlee .. Rookie
6.11 Joakim Noah ..10th season veteran, Injury-Prone
6.10 Kyle O'Quinn .. 5th season
6.10 Willy Hernangomez .. Rookie
6.9 Maurice Daly Ndour .. Rookie
6.8 Mindaugas Kuzminskas .. Rookie

How many of our young big-men will coach Horn play in the game rotation?
Will coach Horn play a small-ball rotation the majority of the season?
Will coach Horn play Melo at the PF position the majority of each game?

In the 2012 offseason the Knicks signed HOF PG Jason Kidd .. I automatically knew the signing of Jason Kidd will give the Knicks an above .500 season plus a playoff birth.

The Knicks signed a 9 yr veteran center Joakim Noah, who team made the playoff seven times in 9 yrs plus went pass the first round 3 times. If Joakim Noah could stay healthy for 70 games this season the Knicks will be an above .500 team plus make the playoffs having Noah's leadership and high-post passing skillz will bring communication among teammates.
A healthy Noah brings 45 win season plus playoff birth.

My opinion ...
If i knew Joakim Noah were a sure signing this offseason, i would not have traded Robin Lopez our best big man last season for injury-prone PG Derek Rose final yr contract. Lopez needed a veteran big man to tandem with in the lineup rather than Baby-Sit KP in the lineup. Having Noah along with Robin Lopez, KP and Quinn in a 4 man rotation would've made our Knicks frontcourt big-men the top defensive BIGS in the East this up coming season. Plus coach Jeff Horn letting Noah play the High-Post center would take a lot of pressure off any tier-2 guard teammate like a (Calderon & Afflalo) Jennings.

Knicks Re-Sign Lou Amundson

NEW YORK, September 19, 2016 – New York Knickerbockers President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has re-signed forward Lou Amundson. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Amundson, 6-9, 220-pounds, appeared in 70 games over the last two seasons with New York – including 29 games in 2016-17, averaging 4.3 points and 4.2 rebounds over 15.2 minutes.

Which hungry big man will step up for Knicks?


There may be an opportunity for one of the team's younger bigs to step up in a much needed way. Wily Hernangomez, Marshall Plumlee and Mindaugas Kuzminskas are all on guaranteed contracts. Of course, receiving playing time could come down to varying matchups over the course of a season. They all have different (and respectable) skill sets to offer.

With professional experience abroad and in the Olympics, perhaps Hernangomez has gotten the most legitimate exposure out of the bunch. He's physical inside, isn't afraid to throw his body around to box out for boards and to pester defenders, and can run up and down the court pretty well. An even more rugged big man, Plumlee plays with a very unselfish mentality and has an exceptionally high basketball IQ. Widely regarded as a potential replacement for Derrick Williams, Kuzminskas is a versatile forward who can shoot well from deep. Perhaps Maurice Ndour is the biggest question mark of all, but he has potential on both ends of the floor. Signing him, and seeing this opportunity through, is arguably more about righting last season's wrong of letting him go, more than anything else.

I love the young bigs on this team, eventually. However, I agree losing Lopez was significant. IMHO, that is why O'Quinn, Amundson, and Thomas will be very important in the first two months of the season.

I am less concerned about the third string point guard. Unless Rose and/or Jennings are hurt early in the year, there will be little need for a third string PG. Plus, I expect the Knicks to call up Baker, Randle, or some other PG as soon as there is some other multi-game injury in the rotation players. If we were to carry a third point guard longer term, I would rather have a true lock-down defender.