Andre Drummond

Damyean Dotson haunts Knicks in fifth straight loss

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are starting to turn New York Knicks‘ trash into gold.

After getting waived by the Knicks, the Cavaliers saw something in Damyean Dotson that warranted a two-year deal.

On Friday night, Dotson got his opportunity to repay the Cavaliers and get back at the Knicks.

Dotson delivered the big blows as the Cavaliers extended the Knicks’ losing streak to five, 106-103, at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Revenge game

The Cavaliers snapped their three-game losing skid with Dotson stepping up to fill the hole left by the injured Collin Sexton and Darius Garland.

A former Knicks’ second-round pick, Dotson has found his niche with the Cavaliers. As a fill-in starter, he played 40 minutes against his former team, producing 13 points, four boards, and four dimes.

Dotson scored seven clutch points in the final quarter as a closer. He started to take over with a triple inside the final 2:46 that gave the Cavaliers a five-point cushion, 98-93.

Costly errors

RJ Barrett committed two costly errors down the stretch, which Dotson and the Cavaliers pounced to pull off the close win.

The Knicks pulled within one, 98-97, on a Barrett tough jumper to beat the shot clock.

Then the Knicks unraveled.

Barrett quickly turned from hero to zero. He lost the ball to Andre Drummond, which led to a clear-path foul by Julius Randle.

Dotson calmly sank the two free throws, then added another layup in the Cavaliers’ bonus possession. Drummond sealed the win with another steal on Barrett.

Barrett’s erratic play late in the game dampened his second straight efficient shooting. He finished with 20 points on 7-of-12 field goal shooting.

Monster game

Drummond had a monster game — 33 points, 23 rebounds, three assists, two steaks, and two blocks — to lead the Cavaliers.

The big man already had a double-double in the opening half with 20 points and 14 rebounds — a feat never done by a Cavalier in more than 20 years, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Drummond is also the first player in the NBA to log in a double-double in any half since reigning two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo did it last March.

Quickley rising

The Knicks’ eight loss flushed Immanuel Quickley’s career night down the drain. For the second straight game, Quickley was the Knicks’ best point guard. He kept them afloat with a career-high 23 points off the bench.

Quickley spearheaded a late third-quarter run with the help of Nerlens Noel, who had a season-high six blocks. The Knicks wiped out a second-half 12-point deficit.

Game of runs

A 16-0 run bridging the third and final quarter had the Knicks taking a four-point lead, 84-80. But Drummond could not be contained down low. He teamed up with Cedi Osman as the Cavaliers took the lead for good with a 9-0 counter-attack.

Osman fired 25 points, including 10 in the third, and added five assists.

What’s next?

Barrett and the Knicks need to forget quickly as they gear up for a back-to-back game against the Boston Celtics on Sunday and the Orlando Magic on Monday.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Adding Andre Drummond to the New York Knicks doesn’t make sense

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New York Knicks, Andre Drummond

Whenever the trade deadline comes around, it always feel like Andre Drummond is linked to the New York Knicks.  However, taking on the 26-year old UConn product doesn’t make sense.

Drummon will be a free agent this summer.  But he has a player option for next season at 28 million dollars, who wouldn’t pick up that option.  If not, Drummond would then become an unrestricted free-agent at the beginning of the 2021-22 season.

For the Knicks, to trade for Drummond would be taking a few steps back in their process for the future.  There’s no reason to trade for him when he’s becoming a free-agent.  If the Knicks want him that badly, wait until he’s a free-agent.  But they shouldn’t do that either.

They made that mistake before with the Carmelo Anthony trade.  When the Knicks traded for Melo, he was set to be a free-agent the summer of 2011.

The New York Knicks traded Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov and a 2014 first-round pick.  Anthony wanted to be in New York.  Waiting until he was a free-agent was the play.  Then, they would have kept those players, plus the first-rounder.  The Knicks would have been better off if they waited.  Anthony was going to come regardless but that’s in the past.

The Knicks do need a bigger force in the middle.  Drummond would provide blocking, rebounds and a good way to clog up the lane but they have Mitchell Robinson.  Robinson is able to provide the blocking presence but his defense and fouling still need work.  Plus, the Pistons would most likely want back young assets and/or draft picks for Drummond.  Thankfully, the Knicks aren’t giving up picks and they shouldn’t give up young talent either.

In the past, the Knicks added big men that ultimately hurt them in the long run.  While Drummond is only 26, he’s going to want big money and playing time.  Adding him would hurt the team for the future and also take away time from Robinson’s development.  It’s best they stay away from Drummond at all cost.

New York Knicks, for once, might do the right thing before the trade deadline

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New York Knicks, Kenny Wooten

The New York Knicks are always in the mix when the trade deadline comes around.  Last season the Knicks made a big splash with the Kristaps Porzingis trade in January.  They were able to acquire picks which is something rare for them.

The Knicks always seem to be the team that’s giving away picks for superstars and/or quick fixes.  That hasn’t happened for awhile now but back in the early 2000’s and 2010’s it happened a lot.

This time around the Knicks appear to be staying put on trading away any of their first-round picks.  That is the best news that fans can hear around the deadline.  First-rounds picks are where the Knicks are going to build their future.  Stock piling as many picks as they can is only going to be better in the long run.

The Knicks are finally doing the right thing when it comes to keeping all picks.

Another thing that the New York Knicks finally did right was calling up G-League stand-out Kenny Wooten Jr.  There were teams that were reportedly interested in trading for Wooten, so the Knicks had to act fast.  They signed him to a two-way contract and waived Ivan Rabb.

Wooten should get time considering other teams were interested in him and the Knicks need to see what he can go.  He had major ups and pairing him with Mitchell Robinson would be something to look forward to for the future.  Wooten’s highlight tape speaks for itself.

New York Knicks should avoid Russell Westbrook at all costs

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New York Knicks, Russell Westbrook

With reports of the Oklahoma City Thunder interested in potentially finding a trade partner for star point guard Russell Westbrook, it presents the question – should the New York Knicks consider a deal?

With seven first-round draft picks over the next five years, they have plenty of ammo in the scenario that Westbrook is actually available and an option. The Knicks only have Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina as primary point guards, both are unproven and inconsistent.

Westbrook is a superstar that is one of the most dynamic scorers in the league, but the Knicks should stay far away from him for several reasons.

1.) Their draft picks are too valuable

Following the youth agenda idea, the Knicks are in a position to build upon the foundation they’ve already established with Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett and more. Giving away potential influential players for a high-price option doesn’t make much sense.

Averaging $41.3 million per season doesn’t bode well for a team that just signed multiple players in free agency. The Knicks don’t need his cap hit on the books to succeed, in fact, they’re likely better off without his production and monetary hit.

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2.) He will stunt the growth of the other players

The Knicks should be focused on developing their youth and giving them ample time and experience to refine their abilities. Putting a known ball-hog on the floor will only create a distraction and take the ball away from the players that need to work on their game.

Offensive players like Barrett and Knox need to continue building upon their confidence and skills at a young age and putting Westbrook in a position to take that opportunity away only hurts the overall success of the team and organization. In addition, he’d be on the book for four years.

The Knicks are better off waiting until next offseason to pursue free agent players like Anthony Davis, Mike Conley, Draymond Green, and Andre Drummond as they will all be signable without having to give up draft assets.

Holding on to picks and utilizing cap space should be the priority for a franchise focusing on their youth.