NBA offseason grades: Knicks stay busy, but remain mediocre
With most of the NBA summer already in the books, SI.com is grading each team’s off-season performance and examining their best and worst moves. Today, we dissect the Atlantic Division, where two teams took major steps forward this summer (spoiler alert: the Knicks are not one of them).
New York Knicks
Best Move: Trying, for Carmelo. Carmelo Anthony now has three gold medals and is the most decorated Olympian in U.S. men's history, but people have come out in droves to remind everyone that Anthony doesn’t have an NBA ring. I’ve developed some respect for Anthony’s willingness to wait it out in New York, and though the actual plan is 100% flawed, at least the Knicks’ front office is trying to give him help. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah have seen better days, but they will certainly make the Knicks’ season interesting. Let’s just hope young Kristaps comes out of this mess with his touches intact. — J.W.
Worst Move: Signing Joakim Noah. The NBA’s other superteam, the Knicks, acquired a culture upgrade by bringing over Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah from Chicago. While the Rose gamble is mitigated by his one-year deal, the Noah signing already screams disaster. A passing savant and defensive tone-setter at his height, Noah has been beset by injuries the past two seasons. Noah could only muster 21.9 minutes per game in 2015–16. Even with the massive cap spike, Noah already looks like an overpay in Year 1, and his contract could be much worse by Year 4. Noah will probably end up being a slight downgrade from the departed Robin Lopez. — R.N.
The Skinny: The only things standing between the Knicks and an “A” for their off-season grade is a time machine and an invincibility cloak. Unfortunately, Phil Jackson’s major additions are living in 2016, rather than 2011, and they are burdened by years of accumulated health concerns.
That’s really all it takes for New York’s summer to be viewed in a pessimistic light. Rose, one of the NBA’s least efficient high-volume shooters, will earn $21 million next season before hitting unrestricted free agency next summer. In the likely event that his play on both sides of the ball continues to lag far behind his top form from five years ago, Rose would wind up being an “all sizzle, no steak” addition. In the unlikely event that he finally gets his career back on track after multiple knee surgeries, New York would be forced to pay him while continuing to worry about his health.
Adding Rose was a lose- lose proposition, and that’s before one accounts for the fact that trading for him cost the Knicks a reliable and productive center in Robin Lopez.
Signing Noah, 31, to a four-year deal worth $72 million following the worst season of his career is simply inexplicable. The former All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year has been hit hard by injuries over the last two seasons, and his lacking offensive game has been increasingly difficult to work around. New York is left praying that Noah will somehow be able to reclaim and sustain his peak mobility and motor on defense. Otherwise, his signing could look like one of the summer’s worst by the time the trade deadline rolls around.
Jackson’s other moves—signing shooting guard Courtney Lee (four years, $48 million) and back-up point guard Brandon Jennings (one-year, $5 million) were far more agreeable. Lee fits in nicely as a complementary 3-and-D option, while Jennings is a capable stand-in starter should Rose find himself donning street clothes.
If there’s a winner here, it’s probably All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, who may enjoy the illusion of playing for a team that seems serious about a postseason run. Rose, Noah and Lee all boast significant postseason experience, and all are aligned fairly closely in age with Anthony. Given New York’s lacking depth and the very real possibility of an injury or two blowing apart this plan completely, Anthony would be wise to keep his expectations in check.
The most flummoxing part of New York’s off-season, however, is what it says about Kristaps Porzingis. New York’s Rookie of the Year runner-up finds himself on a veteran-dominated roster that apparently wants to win now. Porzingis also finds himself as a tertiary option on the pecking order, given Anthony’s alpha role and Rose’s natural scoring inclinations. Jackson will have a lot of explaining to do if these new roster circumstances cause Porzingis to plateau in Year Two.
Needless to say, new coach Jeff Hornacek will have his hands completely full. In Phoenix, Hornacek overachieved in his first season before falling victim to an imbalanced roster, personality conflicts, and unresolved tension among his leading offensive options. Gulp. Hornacek must now find a way to keep both Anthony and Rose happy with their roles on offense and motivated on defense, develop Porzingis, balance Noah’s availability issues against his roster’s lack of interior depth, and keep Jackson involved with the philosophical approach of the team. Gulp again.
The safe money here is to bet on something going wrong after a splashy summer that lacked a coherent vision.
Grade: D
https://a.msn.com/r/2/BBvZLjW?m=en-us
With most of the NBA summer already in the books, SI.com is grading each team’s off-season performance and examining their best and worst moves. Today, we dissect the Atlantic Division, where two teams took major steps forward this summer (spoiler alert: the Knicks are not one of them).
New York Knicks
Best Move: Trying, for Carmelo. Carmelo Anthony now has three gold medals and is the most decorated Olympian in U.S. men's history, but people have come out in droves to remind everyone that Anthony doesn’t have an NBA ring. I’ve developed some respect for Anthony’s willingness to wait it out in New York, and though the actual plan is 100% flawed, at least the Knicks’ front office is trying to give him help. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah have seen better days, but they will certainly make the Knicks’ season interesting. Let’s just hope young Kristaps comes out of this mess with his touches intact. — J.W.
Worst Move: Signing Joakim Noah. The NBA’s other superteam, the Knicks, acquired a culture upgrade by bringing over Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah from Chicago. While the Rose gamble is mitigated by his one-year deal, the Noah signing already screams disaster. A passing savant and defensive tone-setter at his height, Noah has been beset by injuries the past two seasons. Noah could only muster 21.9 minutes per game in 2015–16. Even with the massive cap spike, Noah already looks like an overpay in Year 1, and his contract could be much worse by Year 4. Noah will probably end up being a slight downgrade from the departed Robin Lopez. — R.N.
The Skinny: The only things standing between the Knicks and an “A” for their off-season grade is a time machine and an invincibility cloak. Unfortunately, Phil Jackson’s major additions are living in 2016, rather than 2011, and they are burdened by years of accumulated health concerns.
That’s really all it takes for New York’s summer to be viewed in a pessimistic light. Rose, one of the NBA’s least efficient high-volume shooters, will earn $21 million next season before hitting unrestricted free agency next summer. In the likely event that his play on both sides of the ball continues to lag far behind his top form from five years ago, Rose would wind up being an “all sizzle, no steak” addition. In the unlikely event that he finally gets his career back on track after multiple knee surgeries, New York would be forced to pay him while continuing to worry about his health.
Adding Rose was a lose- lose proposition, and that’s before one accounts for the fact that trading for him cost the Knicks a reliable and productive center in Robin Lopez.
Signing Noah, 31, to a four-year deal worth $72 million following the worst season of his career is simply inexplicable. The former All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year has been hit hard by injuries over the last two seasons, and his lacking offensive game has been increasingly difficult to work around. New York is left praying that Noah will somehow be able to reclaim and sustain his peak mobility and motor on defense. Otherwise, his signing could look like one of the summer’s worst by the time the trade deadline rolls around.
Jackson’s other moves—signing shooting guard Courtney Lee (four years, $48 million) and back-up point guard Brandon Jennings (one-year, $5 million) were far more agreeable. Lee fits in nicely as a complementary 3-and-D option, while Jennings is a capable stand-in starter should Rose find himself donning street clothes.
If there’s a winner here, it’s probably All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, who may enjoy the illusion of playing for a team that seems serious about a postseason run. Rose, Noah and Lee all boast significant postseason experience, and all are aligned fairly closely in age with Anthony. Given New York’s lacking depth and the very real possibility of an injury or two blowing apart this plan completely, Anthony would be wise to keep his expectations in check.
The most flummoxing part of New York’s off-season, however, is what it says about Kristaps Porzingis. New York’s Rookie of the Year runner-up finds himself on a veteran-dominated roster that apparently wants to win now. Porzingis also finds himself as a tertiary option on the pecking order, given Anthony’s alpha role and Rose’s natural scoring inclinations. Jackson will have a lot of explaining to do if these new roster circumstances cause Porzingis to plateau in Year Two.
Needless to say, new coach Jeff Hornacek will have his hands completely full. In Phoenix, Hornacek overachieved in his first season before falling victim to an imbalanced roster, personality conflicts, and unresolved tension among his leading offensive options. Gulp. Hornacek must now find a way to keep both Anthony and Rose happy with their roles on offense and motivated on defense, develop Porzingis, balance Noah’s availability issues against his roster’s lack of interior depth, and keep Jackson involved with the philosophical approach of the team. Gulp again.
The safe money here is to bet on something going wrong after a splashy summer that lacked a coherent vision.
Grade: D
https://a.msn.com/r/2/BBvZLjW?m=en-us
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