Roster - New York Knicks

News · Roster · Patch · Statistics · Units · Ratings · Schedule · Transactions · NBA Stats · TbT

Bench makeover, Aussie style

Early in the season the Knicks were quite happy with their bench. Lately, going down the wire, the bench has turned into a glaring weakness.

Roy Hibbert has not shown up for work in weeks, and it is unclear whether he will again this season. Sparkplug Thornton now suffered the same fate, after getting waived in the NBA.
Dekker has been great at times but cannot be relied upon conistantly. Z-Bo's isolation plays have not yielded much lately.
And the recent ten-day signings took another turn for the worse with Stephenson suffering a grade-2 ankle sprain. He has not been signed to a second deal yet, but the team does want to keep him around for the rest of the season, hoping for a second comeback of the combustable guard.

All this led to the front office conducting the another overhaul to the bench. This one aussie style with a bit of brazilian flavor mixed into it.

Incoming are savy australian veterans Patrick Mills and Joe Ingles. Both know how to play within the system while possessing deadly range. Ingles even has some defensive creditials to show for, while 6-footer Mills has the footspeed to get into the lane, something the Knicks' bench lacked.

They are both nearing their 30th birthdays, but can be expected to play at their current level for several more seasons.

The third addition is 35-year old Brazilian big man NenÃª. Despite his age, NenÃª looks as spry as ever. He doesn't excel in any one area, aside from finishing at the rim, but his game doesn't have any weaknesses either, resulting in surprisingly good overall talent.

With James Harden finding his rhythm lately, the Knicks are making another attempt at surrounding him and Irving with players that complement their offensive games. Three and D players at all positions would be ideal, but management is also working with strict instructions to stay under the lux cap this season. Acquiring these three cheap players was one way to achieve both.

The acquistions cost three future draft picks and a young prospect in Dekker, so the trade is certainly Griffin inspired. But the team did retain its pick for the upcoming loaded 2017 draft and still has several youngsters that they consider building blocks.

Previous Article	Page 51/94 2017-02-25 08:53:01	Next Article