2017 NEW YORK KNICKS OFF-SEASON PREVIEW GUIDE

Written By Kyle Crabbe

2016 Season Details

-Team Record : 31-51, 3^rd in Atlantic Divison, 12^th in Eastern Conference

-Points Per Game: 104.3(18^th)

-Opp. Points Per Game: 108.0(23^rd)

-Off. Efficiency: 104.7(18^th)

-Def. Rating: 108.8(25^th)

The 2016 New York Knicks Season began with great optimism after Team President Phil Jackson and General Manager Steve Mills pulled of the trade of the summer to land former Chicago Franchise Point Guard Derrick Rose. The excitement even prompted Derrick Rose to term his new team as a possible “Super Team”. However the excitement didn't produce the season many fans were hoping for. A constant stream of injuries robbed the newly minted team with new head coach Jeff Hornacek of the opportunity to build the necessary chemistry to win consistent games in the NBA. With the pessimistic New York Media showing the door to Current Knicks Superstar Carmelo Anthony, Knicks Current President Phil Jackson, and Current Knicks Owner James Dolan, this season will garner even more scrutiny then years past.

The Knicks have a few needs the team must address this offseason but in my opinion they are in a much better position than they sat at this time last year. The biggest elephant in the room for the Knicks currently is whether in house Superstar Carmelo Anthony will be part of the continued development of this Phil Jackson ran Knicks. Phil Jackson has received criticisms from all across media circuits for how they have perceived his handling of the Carmelo Anthony situation with the Knicks. Phil Jackson has maintained that the Knicks process of rebuilding will take time and that timeline might not be adaptable to Carmelo's window for winning a Championship. As Phil Jackson and the Knicks along with Carmelo Anthony figure out how they will proceed the Knicks will also be addressing the 2017 NBA Draft and Free Agency to continue building this Franchise this Offseason.

A) Carmelo Anthony

Many believe that Carmelo Anthony's time in New York has come to pass and that the best choice is for he and the Knicks to move on. The reasoning is he can better chase a championship at this point in his career somewhere else where the team there is more ready to compete to contend and where he is more loved and greater appreciated. That notion is one I completely disagree with. Many pundits claim the Knicks can benefit greatly from a Carmelo Anthony trade, to that I ask what can be obtained for Carmelo that could ever be of equal value for Carmelo. With Carmelo having a no trade clause, the list of potential trade partners become very limited and therefore the possibility of obtaining a great trade for both sides isn't very possible without adding a third team. Therefore in my opinion the best option is for the Knicks and Carmelo to continue their relationship and collectively push forward towards creating a Championship team. I feel that Carmelo's goal when coming to the New York Knicks was to bring the city where he was born their first Championship since the 1970's. Carmelo knew that something this major would make his resume on par with some of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA if he was to ever accomplish this feat. His best opportunity thus far in New York was in pairing up with Power Forward Athletic Stud Amare Stoudamire and great Defensive Big Tyson Chandler to forge an unstoppable frontcourt and reputable force in the NBA. Injuries to Stoudamire not only robbed Amare of a potential Hall of Fame Career but also at a possible Championship in New York. As of now Carmelo is playing with the best player he's ever played alongside in Kristaps Porzingis. But the young Porzingis is now just coming into his own and Carmelo has already sacrificed two years of his career to help Porzingis develop in the extremely tough and critical New York Market. So for Carmelo now to ship out of New York and chase that championship some where else would throw away the sacrifice he made, and lend to someone else the fruit to bear of playing with such a rare talent in his coming prime in the aforementioned Kristaps Porzingis. I can compare this situation to the last dynasty we've seen in the NBA. Which is the great San Antonio Spurs of the last 20 seasons that came from not trading off their inhouse superstar when they drafted their future franchise player. Avid NBA basketball fans will know where I'm going with this argument. The Spurs had a great in David Robinson when they drafted future Legend Tim Duncan. If they had traded David Robinson because they thought he would slow Duncan's progress, the Spurs would not have won their earlier Championships and maybe never developed into the perennial Championship contenders they became. Why? Because of the major role David Robinson played on those teams. Carmelo has already shown his willingness to adjust for the betterment of the team, now the team needs to block out the outside noise and move forward with Carmelo Anthony and Future Legend Kristaps Porzingis. I fully support Carmelo Anthony staying with the Knicks and helping New York finally see the Championship the city has longed for since the days of Clyde Frazier. But this will take time, a full rebuild takes 5 years. But I predict if Melo does remain, the Knicks can be a strong force for a title in 2018 season.

B) 2017 NBA Draft

In this year's NBA draft, we can expect the Knicks to look to draft a point guard or backcourt player with the potential to be a significant piece to fit well with their promising young frontcourt in Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez. In this year's draft the Knicks hold the 8^th pick in the first round and the 45^th and 58^th selections in the second round. For their lottery pick we can expect them to take strong considerations of Kentucky's Sharp Shooter Malik Monk, NC State super athletic Guard Dennis Smith Jr, or International Prospect PG Frank Ntilikina. Check out my 2017 Knicks Draft Preview for a more in depth look at the Knicks draft possibilities.

C) 2017 Free Agency

The Knicks come into the 2017 free agency with 8 players on the roster with guarantee contracts. So we shouldn't expect too much movement in free agency from New York. With starting point guard Derrick Rose heading for Free Agency the main position for the Knicks to address for Free Agency is the position of starting point guard. There are some very intriguing options for the Knicks at Point Guard in this year's free agent class. Here's a few potential players and their possible fits:

Potential Cap Space: Est. 19 Million(5^th most Available in NBA)

Derrick Rose : Rose is still a very talented guard in this league that can still get his own shot and play a dynamic Point Guard. Rose has also expressed interest in returning to New York to continue to pursue winning big in the city. Rose's agent BJ Armstrong( Former PG with Phil Jackson Bulls in the 90's) recently said during a interview his client Rose would be willing to take a pay cut to return to New York but the balls in the Knicks court to take action and bring him back. To further attempt to build the necessary team chemistry that started last year I believe it would be great for the team to bring Rose back. The knocks on Rose is his deep injury history, lack of playmaking out of the triangle offense and his subpar defensive play this past season. However we can attribute much of his defensive play on the entire teams poor defensive stemming for what I believe was a lack of chemistry which I'll also contribute to his lack of assists to his newly acquired teammates. However, I do believe Rose is the Knicks 1^st option at signing their next potential starting point guard for the 2017 season.

1. Jrue Holiday : Holiday is a big guard that checks all the boxes as a excellent two-way player PG in today's NBA. His brother Justin Holiday just had his best year of his career playing with the Knicks this past season and they have both expressed interest in playing together in the NBA. This would be a ideal situation for the Knicks to retain Justin and bring in a perfect compliment in Jrue to what the Knicks already have in place. However Jrue is a big time player and might be priced out the Knicks range with the Dallas Mavericks also in heavy pursuit of the brothers' services.
2. Chris Paul : Known as the Point God, he has been the best point guard in the league for the past decade. The Knicks acquiring his services at this point looks more like a dream but because of his close relationship to current Knicks Superstar Carmelo Anthony, always makes this signing a slight possibility. Paul like Carmelo have been great players in this league for the better half of a decade but both haven't achieved championship status. They have witnessed their banana boat buddies Dwayne Wade and Lebron James team up in South Beach for a couple of Championships, so it could be pretty cool if Paul teamed up with Melo on the brightest stage to capture that elusive championship. If Paul was to take a pay cut to join his buddy Carmelo and the Knicks, the Knicks would instantly become legitimate threats to King James in the Eastern Conference. But like I said the possibility of this happening as of right now is more of fantasy than a reality.
3. George Hill : Hill is a very solid point guard that is well rounded and posses the kind of two way play that Phil Jackson prefers. He can become an option for the Knicks if they strike out on Derrick Rose and Jrue Holiday.
4. Jeff Teague : Teague is a another very good point in a deep free agency class of point guards. At 28, he is entering his prime, a very quick player, good ball handler, and is also a good playmaker. He is also a good option for the Knicks.

After the Knicks are able to secure their starting point guard for the 2017 season they will also be looking for a backup wing player in case they lose Justin Holiday. Holiday is a great option to bring back as the backup SG to Courtney Lee, but if he is to sign elsewhere this offseason, here's a couple players the Knicks could be looking at to fill that role:

1. PJ Tucker : Tucker was a favorite of current Knicks Head Coach Jeff Hornacek when he coached the Phoenix Suns. He is an aggressive defender, which is a quality the 2016 Knicks were sorely missing. He's a solid rotation player that would be a great addition if the Knicks were to sign Tucker this off-season.
2. Shaun Livingston : Livingston is a typical Phil Jackson Lead Guard. Big guard(6'7) with good court vision and great mid-range jumper. If Knicks could lure Livingston from the Championship winning GS Warriors he would be a great piece going forward.
3. Thabo Sefolosha : Sefolosha has carved a career in the NBA as a great defensive player and a solid wing. He fits with the Knicks for his length and defensive ability.
4. Tony Allen : Allen is in the latter half of his career but is still one of the better defensive players in the NBA. He would be a immediate upgrade for the Knicks and help the Knicks create more of a Defensive culture in New York.

Those are a few players we should be looking at that might be wearing a New York Knick uniform next season.

Offseason Details

Guarantee Contracts :

-SG Courtney Lee

-SF Carmelo Anthony, SF Mindaugas Kuzminskas, SF Lance Thomas

-PF/C Kyle O’Quinn, PF Kristaps Porzingis

-C Willy Hernangomez, C Joakim Noah

Partially Guarantee Contracts :

-PG Chasson Randle
-PF Maurice N’dour
-C Marshall Plumlee



NY Knicks Free Agents

Unrestricted FA: PG Derrick Rose, PG Sasha Vujacic, SG Justin Holiday

Restricted FA: PG Ron Baker

NY Knicks 2017 Draft Choices
- #8, #45, and #58

My Verdict

I believe Phil Jackson and Steve Mills are pushing the Knicks in the right direction and this offseason is another opportunity for them to continue the momemtum. I believe a great offseason for this Knicks Franchise is retaining Carmelo Anthony as the teams focal leader, and resigning Derrick Rose as the returning starting point guard and drafting Frank Ntilikina to study behind Rose to become the next Knicks Franchise Point Guard.











Potential Knick Lottery Pick PG Frank Ntilikina