After being quieted by a little "balding" kid from Atlanta, can the Knicks make the push next year?
Notable Additions/Subtractions:
Additions: Kemba Walker (bought out by the Thunder, will be offered in the neighborhood of ~$8m/season), Evan Fournier (4 years/$78m), re-signing Julius Randle, Derrick Rose, Nerlens Noel, and Alec Burks
Subtractions: None of note
Last Season’s Record: 41-31 (4th in East), first round loss to Atlanta
Projected First Two Rotations (2021-22)
Starters: K. Walker, E. Fournier, R.J. Barrett, J. Randle, M. Robinson
Second Unit: D. Rose, I. Quickley, A. Burks, O. Toppin, N. Noel
The Knicks took what worked for them last season, added pieces they needed for only slightly offensive amounts of money, drafted well, and are on the verge of making a push for the top of the East.
Are they still the New York Knicks, meaning they’ll inevitably make some horrible decision that leads to the inevitable freefall to the bottom of the Atlantic? Probably, but this could be a wistful Celtics fan talking.
By ‘poaching’ two shot-creators from their division rivals in green, the Knicks took their identity as a hard-nosed, defensive oriented team, and added some plug-and-play offense that, in theory, will make them more dynamic.
Latest reports from CBS Sports indicate that after the Thunder bought out Kemba Walker, the Knicks will offer him in the neighborhood of $8m/year. As a Celtics fan, it makes me look at $6m for Schroder and make ME want Kemba for $8m. Last year, they tended to fall into a Julius Randle iso/low post-ups black hole, which would have been a bigger problem if it didn’t lend itself to averages of 24, 10, and 6 on 46/41/81%, to go along with 41 wins.
Some call into question the amount of money paid to players that won’t be starting, and Julius Randle’s $29.25m/year extension, but the argument can certainly be made that locking in guys like Rose, Burks, and Noel holds down their second unit for the next three to four years. 4/$78m feels a little staggering for Fournier on paper, but he offers them catch and shoot opportunities on the wing to create space for Randle and Barrett, and again, offensive dynamism they did not have before.
In a league that’s getting younger, we’ve seen teams that go older and when it pays off; including this year’s Los Angeles Lakers experiment. The Knicks being able to throw three guys with a combined 31 years league experience alongside electric young talent like Obi Toppin and floater connoisseur Immanuel Quickley was and will continue to be beneficial.
The push to be recognized as a legitimate front office was reinforced during the draft this year, where Leon Rose and company making a series of good trades to end up with Houston sharpshooter Quentin Grimes at pick number 25, who recently signed a contract. They also ended up with 6’10” ridiculous athlete Jericho Sims out of the University of Texas at pick 58, which will go down as a great pick for them going forward, given his vertical athleticism, ability to switch on defense, and offensive potential.
After last season’s great series in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks that gave the Knicks an early start to the summer, this season they’ll look to bounce back and break all the stereotypes that East fans have been laying into for the better part of a decade. Will they do it? Fucked if I know, they are the Knicks after all. First thing they should worry about is not letting Trae Young quiet down MSG again.
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