- Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was reportedly never a fan of Jeremy Lin‘s when the two were teammates. When asked about Lin potentially becoming the face of the Nets franchise, ‘Melo may have taken a veiled shot at the point guard, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. “What do I think about it? … He is the face of that franchise, believe it or not. He came up, they paid him and now the ball is in his hands,” Anthony said. “So now he’s one of the franchise players over there. What do you want me to say about that? I’m happy for him, excited for him to see how it’s going to work out, turn out over there.” The wording in question is the “believe it or not” portion of the statement, Begley adds. It should be noted that during the same interview, Anthony said that he’d love to have Line back with the Knicks.
The Bulls’ decision to trade Derrick Rose and let Joakim Noah walk in free agency is already proving to be addition by subtraction, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com opines. Not only did they rid themselves of two oft-injured players but both have created distractions during the preseason, Aschburner continues. Rose has missed practice and game time with the Knicks because of a civil lawsuit involving rape allegations, while Noah has created hard feelings with his behavior at West Point, where New York is holding camp, Aschburner notes. The way Rose managed the timing of his rehabs and returns also created issues in the Bulls’ organization, as did his comments prior to last season that he was looking forward to free agency in 2017, Aschburner adds.
In other developments around the Eastern Conference:
- Wizards power forward Markieff Morris focused this summer on improving his 3-point shot, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post reports. Morris has averaged 32.3% from long range during his career and made 31.6% of his 3-point attempts after he was dealt from the Suns to Washington during last season’s trade deadline. Morris attempted more mid-range shots (265) than any other area on the floor, Buckner notes, but Morris wants to make the 3-point shot a bigger part of his game. “It’s kind of like you have no choice now with the way the league is,” Morris told Buckner. “You got to be able to make that shot at the four. I’ve been working all summer trying to get better at it, continuing to get better at it.”
- Journeyman Toney Douglas is confident he’ll win the backup point guard job with the Cavaliers despite coming to camp with a non-guaranteed contract, Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net writes. Douglas, who played 61 games for the Pelicans last season, joined Cleveland this week and is competing mainly with rookie Kay Felder for that spot. “I’m a veteran player,” he told Amico. “I can play defense, lock up, hit open shots, run the offense and find guys when they’re open. I can do all that.”
- The Heat face a tough decision on point guard Briante Weber, according to Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders. Though Weber has only played in seven NBA games, he has shown enough upside that it will be difficult for the Heat to keep him off the opening-day roster, Taylor continues. Weber also has a partially-guaranteed contract, but veteran Beno Udrih looms as the main backup point man and Josh Richardson should return during the first month of the season from his knee injury, Taylor notes. If Weber is let go, another team would snatch him up quickly, Taylor adds.
Brandon Jennings has only played one preseason game with New York, yet the point guard feels the team is a great fit long-term. “I plan on staying,” Jennings said on his Twitter feed. “[There’s] nothing like being a Knick, I feel the energy already!” (note: Jennings has since deleted the tweet).
The 27-year-old signed a one year, $5MM deal with the Knicks during a busy offseason for the franchise. New York’s plan was to have an experience point guard lead the second unit and be able to step into the starting lineup in the event that Derrick Rose would suffer another injury. Rose is currently healthy, but he’ll be absent from the team to defend himself in his civil trail, so Jennings may get an opportunity to play with the starters this preseason. Jennings, like Rose, will be a free agent next summer and if Jennings plays well this season, he could land himself a salary that’s in line with other starting point guards at the end of the year.
Jennings was drafted by the Bucks with No. 10 overall pick in the 2009 draft. After his rookie campaign, it appeared he was on his way to stardom and there was a case to be made that he was the best guard in his rookie class, one that included Stephen Curry, James Harden and Tyreke Evans. However, his next six seasons didn’t look as promising and when Jennings became an unrestricted free agent over the summer for the first time in his career, there weren’t many suitors lining up for his services.
Jennings was recovering from a torn Achilles injury last season, but he appears to be fully healthy entering this season. He scored seven points and dished out four assists in Tuesday’s preseason game.
- The Knicks may be without two of their high-profile additions from the summer for the immediate future, Marc Berman of The New York Post notes. Point guard Derrick Rose heads to Los Angeles to join the $21.5MM civil trial for an alleged sexual assault – which began with jury selection Tuesday – and has indicated he’s unsure when he’ll return to the team, acknowledging that he likely will miss practices on Thursday and Friday, per Berman. Meanwhile, center Joakim Noah is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury that he suffered on Saturday during the team’s final practice of training camp, Berman adds.
The federal civil trial involving Knicks point guard Derrick Rose gets underway today, and Adrienne Lawrence of ESPN’s Outside The Lines has the details on what to expect from the case. As Lawrence writes, the trial is expected to take about eight to 10 business days, which would put it on track to be finished before the NBA’s regular season, though it could be delayed or shortened for various reasons.
Rose is currently with the Knicks as they prepare to play a preseason game against Houston, but he’ll head to Los Angeles for the trial tomorrow, per Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter links). The veteran guard said today that he may have to miss a practice or two, and he doesn’t anticipate reaching a settlement with his accuser, according to Berman.
No-trade clauses are rare in the NBA, and they became even rarer this offseason, when several players with those clauses in their contracts either called it a career or signed new deals. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett, who all opted for retirement, had no-trade clauses last season, and so did Dwyane Wade, who doesn’t have the same protection on his new contract with the Bulls.
Nonethless, while the list of players with explicit no-trade clauses may be dwindling, there are still several players each year who have the ability to veto trades. A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year contract – or a two-year contract with an option clause – is given no-trade protection, and so is a player who signs an offer sheet and has that offer matched by his previous team. Players who accept qualifying offers after their rookie deals expire can also block deals, though no restricted free agents signed their QOs this year.
Taking into account that list of criteria, here are the players who must give their consent if their teams want to trade them during the 2016/17 league year:
No-trade clauses
- Carmelo Anthony (Knicks)
- LeBron James (Cavaliers): Received no-trade clause on his new contract with Cavs.
- Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks)
Players whose offer sheets were matched
- Allen Crabbe (Trail Blazers)
- Tyler Johnson (Heat)
Players accepting qualifying offers
- None
Players re-signing for one year (or two years including an option)
- Lou Amundson (Knicks) (waived)
- Elton Brand (Sixers) (retired)
- Ian Clark (Warriors)
- Alonzo Gee (Pelicans) (waived)
- Manu Ginobili (Spurs)
- Udonis Haslem (Heat)
- Kris Humphries (Hawks)
- Dahntay Jones (Cavaliers) (waived)
- James Jones (Cavaliers)
- James Michael McAdoo (Warriors)
- Steve Novak (Bucks)
- Marcus Thornton (Wizards)
- Beno Udrih (Pistons)
- Anderson Varejao (Warriors)
- Sasha Vujacic (Knicks)
- Metta World Peace (Lakers)
Information from Basketball Insiders and Yahoo! Sports was used in the creation of this post.
- Knicks center Joakim Noah is nursing a minor hamstring injury and is likely to sit out Tuesday’s preseason opener against the Celtics as a precautionary measure, Ebenezer Samuel of The New York Daily News relays. The big man did not practice today as a result of the malady, the scribe adds.
- Derrick Rose‘s $21.5MM civil sex assault trial begins Tuesday, but he plans to be with the Knicks for a preseason game in Houston, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I’ll figure out anything a little bit later when I get into the city, but for right now they are allowing me to just be with the team,” Rose said. “I haven’t heard anything legal-wise.” In his first year with the Knicks after a summer trade, Rose said he had his best camp ever.
- Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek has been impressed by Spanish center Willy Hernangomez, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Hornacek said the 22-year-old Hernangomez, who signed with the team in July, “looks like he’s a 10-year vet out there in terms of his calmness when he’s playing.”
- Not only is Derrick Rose getting used to a new city and new teammates, he’s also attempting to acclimate to the Knicks‘ triangle offense, which isn’t an easy task, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. “It’s complicated a little bit right now because it’s new to us. It’s foreign. But I think the more we work on it and the way the coaches are putting it into the offense, it’s [going to get] little bit easier,” Rose said after Thursday’s practice. “[There’s] like 40 to 50 options on one side of the floor. It’s like giving you your space for creativity. It’s like if you’re doing it the right way, you could do everything you want, you could freelance but you just got to know where you’re going.”
- The Knicks are pleased with the outside shooting of rookie Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who may end up being Carmelo Anthony‘s primary backup at small forward, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “He’s a guy that with his size, got agility, you can look at him at the 2 or 3,’’ coach Jeff Hornacek said. “There could be times we use his length at the 2 spot. He’s a guy who cuts — cutters open everything up. The stat’s not in the paper. You don’t get glory from it but it’s a huge part.’’
Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the 2016 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the New York Knicks.
Free agent signings:
- Joakim Noah: Four years, $72.59MM.
- Courtney Lee: Four years, $48.003MM.
- Lance Thomas: Four years, $27.55MM. Fourth year non-guaranteed.
- Mindaugas Kuzminskas: Two years, $5.773MM.
- Brandon Jennings: One year, $5MM.
- Marshall Plumlee: Three years, minimum salary. Second and third years non-guaranteed.
- Maurice Ndour: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed.
- Lou Amundson: One year, minimum salary.
- Sasha Vujacic: One year, minimum salary.
Draft-and-stash signings:
- Willy Hernangomez: Four years, $5.865MM. Fourth year non-guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Ron Baker: One year, minimum salary ($75K guaranteed)
- Chasson Randle: One year, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed)
- J.P. Tokoto: One year, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed)
Trades:
- Acquired Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, and the Bulls’ 2017 second-round pick from the Bulls in exchange for Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, and Jerian Grant.
Draft picks:
- None
Departing players:
- Arron Afflalo
- Jose Calderon
- Cleanthony Early
- Langston Galloway
- Jerian Grant
- Robin Lopez
- Kevin Seraphin
- Derrick Williams
- Tony Wroten (waived)
Other offseason news:
- Hired Jeff Hornacek as head coach to replace interim head coach Kurt Rambis. Rambis retained as associate head coach.
- Signed Amar’e Stoudemire to a ceremonial contract so he could retire as a Knick.
Check out our salary cap snapshot for the New York Knicks right here.
The Knicks entered the offseason as a franchise at a crossroads, needing to choose between hitting the reset button and building around Kristaps Porzingis, or attempting to maximize Carmelo Anthony‘s few remaining productive seasons by adding veterans who could step in and contribute immediately.
Team president Phil Jackson chose the latter, adding a number of talented players who have the potential to help New York return to the postseason, but carry with them significant injury concerns. Are the Knicks a better team on paper than a season ago? Absolutely. But just how many games the team can expect to get out of the trio of Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings and Joakim Noah remains to be seen.
New York made its biggest strides as a team this summer by improving on its woeful backcourt of a season ago. The addition of Rose is a gamble that could pay off significantly for the team if the 27-year-old can remain healthy. This is obviously not a given, considering he has averaged just 33 games per season over the last five campaigns. Given his track record, not to mention the grind of back-to-back games that take a terrible toll on players, it isn’t realistic by any means to expect Rose to play in 82 contests. But if he can be a semblance of his former self for 60 to 65 games, which I believe is a realistic target, then Jackson’s gambit of acquiring him in a contract year may end up working in the short term.
With Rose as the starter, the Knicks will need depth at the point — not just in the event that disaster strikes, but to allow him to sit out the occasional game to rest. This is where things get a bit frightening for fans of the team. While I love the addition of Jennings, especially at the bargain price of $5MM for one year, he’s coming off of a ruptured Achilles tendon and is no sure bet to avoid sitting behind the bench in street clothes for stretches of the campaign. The only other point guard currently on the roster is undrafted rookie Chasson Randle, who is probably better suited to log minutes in Westchester for the team’s D-League affiliate this season than in Madison Square Garden. If the franchise is serious about making a playoff push this season, it should seriously consider signing Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole, the two top remaining free agents at the position. If Sasha Vujacic ends up becoming the fallback option as playmaker, ‘Melo may end up regretting not pushing for a trade this summer.
For the second summer in a row, Jackson added a shooting guard via free agency. Last year’s signing of Arron Afflalo failed miserably, with the team essentially pushing him out of MSG, shutting the doors, changing the locks and turning off lights once he opted out of his deal. Courtney Lee should be a much better fit for New York than Afflalo was, especially if new coach Jeff Hornacek is given free reign with the offense and not forced to stick with the triangle as his predecessors, Derek Fisher and Kurt Rambis, were. Lee’s solid defense and three-point shooting will be a boon to the team, though inking the 30-year-old to a four-year, $48MM+ deal is a bit of a gamble given his career scoring average of 9.6 PPG.
Speaking of risks, the signing of Noah to a four-year, $72MM+ pact is perhaps the biggest roll of the dice this offseason for Jackson. There’s no denying that Noah, when healthy, can impact the game on both ends of the court. The 31-year-old is almost assuredly going to become a fan favorite in New York, but he has only averaged 63.5 games per season during his nine-year NBA career, and big men don’t generally grow more durable once they reach their 30s. This contract not only has the potential to become an albatross around the Knicks’ necks; it could negatively impact the development of Porzingis, whose best position may ultimately be at center. Anything that could have an adverse effect on the second-year player and potential superstar is a bad thing for the franchise.
It’s in no way a given, but if the majority of their players can remain healthy this season, the Knicks should improve upon the 32 wins they notched in 2015/16. Still, I’d be wary of expecting too drastic an improvement, as the eight seed and 40-42 wins seems like a favorable scenario for New York this year.
With Rose and Jennings each only signed for one year, it’s possible the franchise will find itself rebuilding and/or retooling in 2017. If that’s the case, Jackson needs to look in the mirror and ask himself if making the Knicks a borderline playoff contender this season was worth not tearing down the team and starting anew.
Of course, the Zen Master could be gone next summer, since he has the ability to opt out, leaving the cleanup to someone else. By that time, Anthony will be a another year past his prime and will hold less trade value than he did the past two seasons. It’s been 43 years since the Knicks won an NBA title, and it may be a few more years before fans have another legitimate shot at cheering for a champion.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.