dennis smith jr.

New York Knicks: Why Signing of Elfrid Payton makes little sense

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New York Knicks sign Elfrid Payton,

The New York Knicks have made several free-agent signings, and I think all of them have been good, except two of them. I did not like signing Wayne Ellington, and Elfrid Payton, when you already have a surplus of guards. I understand that Wayne Ellington provides shootings so I understand signing him, even if he is taking minutes away from your young guards, but the signing I absolutely do not like is signing Elfrid Payton to a two-year, $16 million dollar deal.

The New York Knicks already have plenty of point guards to further develop:

The Knicks already have Dennis Smith Jr and Frank Ntilikina, along with Kadeem Allen on a two-way deal, and Allonzo Trier, who can play the point guard position. There is no need to sign another point guard, who will take minutes away from developing your young point guards.

Dennis Smith Jr. has loads of athleticism and needs more game experience, and Frank Ntilikina already is a great defensive player, something the Knicks haven’t had for twenty years, yet they’re trying to get rid of him. Those two guards should be getting all 48 minutes because its a necessity to develop further. This upcoming season should be about developing the in house talent, not making the playoffs, although I do think the Knicks could compete for the 8th playoff seed.

Elfrid Payton has been in the NBA longer than either of the Knicks main two guards have and has less potential than both Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. Elfrid Payton is not going to turn into a star, or even a serviceable starter, he is a backup, and that’s not a knock on Payton, it’s just that he doesn’t have the potential of the other two point guards.

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The Knicks should not be employing a career back-up, let alone paying him $8 million dollars a year, to stand in the way of the development of two young point guards.

Maybe the Knicks will flip Elfrid Payton to a contender in need of a backup point guard, I would be okay with keeping Payton until the trade deadline if that means getting future assets. The same goes with all the other players the Knicks signed, minus Julius Randle. I think the Knicks will flip them all for future second-round picks, and then spend the second half of the season prioritizing development of there younger players, with more potential than the veterans they just signed to two-year deals.

Were the New York Knicks right to withhold max contract from Kevin Durant?

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New York Knicks

As one of the best players in recent memory in the NBA, a torn Achilles shouldn’t have even been factored into the decision to pursue Kevin Durant for the New York Knicks this offseason. Modern medicine is good enough to see torn Achilles and ACL’s recover to 100%, but owner James Dolan figured he’d save himself some cash…so it seems.

The Knicks, once again, have played themselves, finding themselves with several second-tier free agents instead of premium talent. At the very least, bringing in Durant could have persuaded others to come to the Mecca of basketball as well.

While Julius Randle, 24, is a solid young power forward that will help the Knicks over the next three seasons, he’s no Durant. However, the other side of the story is still a positive one.

The New York Knicks are still headed in the right direction:

While the Knicks didn’t convince any superstars to join the ranks, they’re still on a good path moving forward with a ton of youth on the team and a potential star in RJ Barrett.

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As we dive into the roster — Kevin Knox, Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Damyean Dotson, Allonzo Trier, Dennis Smith Jr., there’s plenty to be excited about. The issue simply presents itself as time. Waiting for the youth to blossom into veteran talent is the cost of building through the draft and failing to bring in proven players that can influence the team now.

It’s not what Knicks fans want to hear or wait for, as another failing to address vital additions to the team costs us more of our lives to watch a struggling franchise. Dolan, the unanimous winner for the most hated owner, will remain seated in his current position, which guarantees more issues.

Hopefully, the likes of Scott Perry and Steve Mills can mask the deficiencies and extract the success we are all so hungry for.

Why the New York Knicks should keep Frank Ntilikina

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New York Knicks, Frank Ntilikina

The youth on the New York Knicks allows them to think for the future and not the present – the reality is, the organization is at least one season away from being a legitimate contender, and that’s if they can lure in a max-contract player to help spark an accelerated sense of progress.

Keeping the already applied youth players should be a priority, but there are some on the cusp of veteranship that are considered trading pieces.

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, they are reportedly shopping Ntilikina for a potential trade:

“Ntilikina has been a part of trade rumors for several months. It is unclear what the Knicks would be looking for in return for a Ntilikina deal, but the New York Post, which first reported the Knicks’ willingness to move Ntilikina, says the club is looking for a late first or second-round pick.”

I don’t believe they should trade Ntilikina for one simple reason, his defense. If the Knicks are unable to sign a quality point guard in free agency, they will be left with Dennis Smith Jr. who is more versed in scoring that defensive ability. The team has only a few hours left to acquire a draft pick this year unless they are willing to move him and earn a selection in 2020.

Letting him go would deplete the roster of a solid defender and a player with plenty of potential. Extracting it has been an issue on the scoring side, but he’s working tirelessly to improve his game.

Frank is entering his third season with the club and will carry a $6.18 million option for the 2020-21 season. If the Knicks decline, they will force Ntilikina to test the waters of free agency next summer. Gaining value now by adding a draft pick makes sense, but only if they are able to bring in a point guard like Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, or even Ja Morant in the draft.