kemba walker

How the New York Knicks can utilize Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina

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New York Knicks, Frank Ntilikina

Striking out in free agency when it comes to bringing in superstars certainly didn’t help the New York Knicks‘ point guard problem. But maybe it isn’t a problem at all with Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina featuring at the position.

The question will be — how can the New York Knicks utilize both and extract the most value?

Smith Jr. is the option with more optimism and scoring proficiency while Ntilikina is a defensive maestro that can lock down players in that facet. However, he’s a terrible scorer and hasn’t shown any growth in that respect.

How will the Knicks utilize both? I anticipate Smith Jr. will be the primary starter on an everyday basis while Frank plays a reserve role that features in defensive situations – if the Knicks are up by five with one minute left, the Frenchman will be called upon to help hold the lead.

Both point guards have been working tirelessly this offseason to improve their shooting abilities and add another element to their games. Ntilikina averaged 5.9 points per game while Smith Jr. earned 14.5 over two seasons. Both are going into their third professional campaigns and will ultimately be competing for the starting job.

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While the Knicks didn’t manage to bring in players like Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, or D’Angelo Russell, they still created competition between two options with plenty of talent. One is obviously more capable when it comes to scoring and Smith Jr. working on his outside shot should add another component to his game.

There’s reason to believe he can really blossom in 2019 after learning the Knicks’ scheme last season and developing a rapport with head coach David Fizdale. Frank was reportedly on the trade block this summer and wasn’t expected to last until now, but he’s still here and ready to put the work in to find a role on the team.

“Yeah, definitely. I’m happy to be a Knick,” he said, according to Newsday. “I still take as much as I can get from every situation that I can. I’m in their jersey. I’m happy to be a Knick. I’m happy to be here. I’ll work very hard to make this situation successful.”

Add in former Pelicans point guard Elfrid Payton to the mix and we have a very interesting position battle brewing at one of the weakest spots for the Knicks.

New York Knicks can rule out Kemba Walker in point guard market

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New York Knicks, Kemba Walker

The New York Knicks have two max-contracts available, the issue is, the superstar options are dwindling as the Brooklyn Nets have emerged as favorites in the Big Apple. It seems as if $73 million in open cap isn’t enough to lure high profile players anymore — winning is the priority, which at the end of the day is a good thing for the NBA.

With Kyrie Irving planning to take his talents to Brooklyn, the point guard market is down one elite talent for the Knicks. There’s more bad news, though, as Charlotte Hornet’s star Kemba Walker has reportedly ruled out a comeback to his native city.

For the first time in his career, Walker will be an unrestricted free agent. That rules out two points guards for a franchise in need of a truly elite player to lead their youth to the promised land. The hopes of signing Kevin Durant remain alive, but rumors have emerged that he’s keen on playing alongside Irving. The former Celtic going to the Nets doesn’t bode well for the Knicks in their hunt to land Durant.

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In 2018, cardiac Kemba averaged 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the field. He also landed 35.6 percent of three-pointers and shot 84.4 percent from the free-throw line.

All elite statistics for a point guard in the NBA — the Hornets have a solid shot of returning their best player. They have enough cap to resign him for the long-haul, putting the Knicks in a position where D’Angelo Russell could be the best option available.

All offseason the Knicks looked like the front-runners to land both Kyrie and Durant, but their obvious youth and lack of experience has become a concern for veteran players looking to win now.

New York Knicks: Will RJ Barrett lure big free agents to Big Apple?

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New York Knicks, RJ Barrett

As expected, the New York Knicks selected Duke star RJ Barrett with the 3rd overall pick. After fending off the Atlanta Hawks for the Knicks’ first-round pick, it was nearly a guarantee they’ be selecting the 6-foot-7 swingman.

Barrett will bring a tenacious mentality towards success and production in New York, despite shooting just 31% from behind the arc and 67% from the free-throw line last season. Those two deficiencies will be ironed out in his rookie campaign, but his potential remains sky-high.

What does RJ Barrett bring to the New York Knicks?

An elite scorer around the rim and solid defender, RJ has the ability to take the Knicks to another level during his career. His influence alone should be a catalyst in luring max-contract players to the Mecca.

The hardest part in recruiting superstars will be convincing them to have faith in the youth agenda the Knicks are following. A majority of their players are under 20-years-old, which puts the team in a good position. If they aren’t able to bring in a player like Kevin Durant, they can simply continue forward with their young players and continue developing them.

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However, signing Durant and a high-profile point guard would go a long way in the growth of the young players and allowing them to see success early on in their careers. A devastatingly poor season in 2018 surely didn’t help them in their overall confidence, but it was essential for them to earn playing time and understand the talent they must compete against.

Barrett, though, is versed in competition, and would likely have been the consensus No. 1 pick if Zion Williamson hadn’t taken college basketball by storm. Moving forward, we should expect to see the Knicks aggressively pursue Durant and Kawhi Leonard in free agency.

With rumors of Kyrie Irving taking his talents to the Brooklyn Nets, D’Angelo Russell has emerged as a legitimate option for the Knicks beyond Irving and Kemba Walker.

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.

New York Knicks: What happens if Kyrie Irving takes his talents to Brooklyn?

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What should the New York Knicks do if they lose out on Celtics star, Kyrie Irving?

There’s a simple reality to Kyrie Irving potentially taking his talents to the Brooklyn Nets and dragging Kevin Durant along with him. The New York Knicks will have to settle for the next best thing, and that might very well be D’Angelo Russell.

The star Nets points guard had an All-Star season in 2018, averaging 21.1 points-per-game. However, he’s still the second, or even third point guard choice for the Knicks as Kemba Walker remains a possibility.

Irving has expressed his desire to join the Nets – an indicator being his signing with Roc Nation, the CEO being the brother of the Nets’ general manager.  Irving has already sat down with Durant and spoken about playing together in the Big Apple. At this point, signs are pointing towards the Nets, but ruling out the Knicks so early in the free agent window would be ignorant.

According to Ric Bucher of Fox Sports:

“I’m told Kevin Durant has moved all his stuff to New York and will spend the summer there,” Bucher said on The Herd. “He and Kyrie have met and have continued to discuss playing together… Every indication says KD is making plans to be elsewhere.”

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It’s fair to consider Russell, who’s comfortable in New York, a potential option for the Knicks given the injury to Durant and lack of confidence in Irving coming to The Garden. The point guard market will certainly dry up fast, and the draft doesn’t represent many good options aside from Ja Morant, who will likely take his talents to Memphis as they hold the No. 2 pick.

After the premium options, the Knicks would be left to choose from Ricky Rubio, Darren Collison, Patrick Beverley, and Rajon Rondo.

With Russell at 27-years-old, it’s fair to say offering him a max contract would be a good idea. With only one inspiring season under his belt, it would be a risk, but he’s shown that he can play at an extremely high level, and providing him with the weapons to utilize offensively should help him develop even further. It will be interesting to see where the Knicks allocate more resources this offseason.

 

 

 

New York Knicks are running out of superstar options in free agency

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Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving

With the 2018 NBA season coming to a close on the backs of the Toronto Raptors and Kawhi Leanard, the New York Knicks will now begin meddling in free agency.

With Kevin Durant tearing his Achilles and expected to miss all of 2019, the premium players are dropping like flies. Add in Klay Thompson’s knee injury, Kyrie Irving’s desire to join the Brooklyn Nets, and Kemba Walker being loyal to the Hornets stating he would take less than a max deal, and the Knicks are in big trouble.

It’s possible they still pursue Durant despite his injury, but it would require them to unload a massive amount of money for essentially no value. However, his return in 2020 would put the organization in a good position to win immediately, especially if they collect another top pick and provide RJ Barrett with a year’s worth of experience.

The New York Knicks could be forced into making a difficult decision:

The scenario where the Knicks save some of their money and stick to their youth guns isn’t a bad one, in fact, it could be the only one after the smoke clears. It’s expected that general manager Scott Perry will pursue Kawhi Leonard in free agency — he believes a meeting is more than possible.

The likeliness of convincing a player like Leonard to come to the bright lights of New York is, well…unlikely. It’s not impossible, though.

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Sticking with Durant and allowing him to fully heal for a year while the Knicks continue to develop their youth isn’t a bad idea. They should stay far away from a potential Anthony Davis trade and begin to think about how they can utilize their ample cap-space to build a competent team capable of winning in the NBA.

It’s getting to a point where the organization could be deemed stagnant if they don’t make any moves this offseason.

Why the New York Knicks shouldn’t even think twice about pursuing Kevin Durant

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New York Knicks, Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors

After seeing Kevin Durant’s calf vibrate with what looked like a torn Achilles tendon, the New York Knicks fan base once again fell into despair. The emotions of a potential super-star coming to the Big Apple have been overwhelming as of late, but the injury to Durant shouldn’t stop us from seeing those feelings to reality.

With $73 million in cap space, enough to bring in two max-contract players, the Knicks are in a good position heading into the offseason. There are plenty of quality players to choose from, despite Durant being the most sought after of the bunch.

The pursuance of him will continue, as an Achilles tear isn’t as significant as it once was. It generally requires a 30-minute surgery that demands 4-6 months of recovery time. While the tendon may never return to full strength, Durant on a hobbled leg is still better than a majority of players.

If only the Golden State Warriors shut him down in hopes of winning a game down 3-1 in the series without him. Durant likely was the reason they won their most recent game, crawling back to 3-2. Unfortunately, they will have to push forward without him.

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What do the New York Knicks do now?

As for the Knicks, players like Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and Kawhi Leonard all present opportunity. Personally, I’m against the idea of trading for Davis, as it would require the Knicks to give up the 3rd overall pick in the 2019 draft and multiple young talents.

AD simply isn’t worth the price-tag, especially since they would have little depth left on the team and would need to utilize the rest of their money to build around Davis. The reality of a potential deal is this – the Knicks have to decide whether they want to establish around Davis or stay on the current path they’re on and instill confidence in their youth.

The vote should be simple — Mitchell Robinson, Kevin Knox, RJ Barrett potentially, Allonzo Trier, Damyeon Dotson…all of these players represent the future of Knicks basketball.

 

New York Knicks: Kevin Durant would be perfect mentor for RJ Barrett

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New York Knicks, Kevin Durant

If the New York Knicks can lure superstar forward Kevin Durant to the Big Apple, they could find themselves in a position to realistically contend for the playoffs after having the worst record in the NBA in 2018.

Drafting RJ Barrett with the 3rd overall pick seems like the most obvious move, especially if they are able to grab a point guard in free agency as well. With options like Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker available, there’s no question the Knicks will do their due diligence on the elite players.

The New York Knicks could complete a rebuild in one offseason:

Adding Barrett, Durant, and either Irving or Walker would turn over the roster completely. The most exciting aspect of this trio would be the effect Durant has on Barrett and his development.

The Duke star is coming off a stellar season where he averaged 22.6 points per game, 7.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 0.9 steals. Impressive production for a player featuring behind Zion Williamson, who will undoubtedly be the No. 1 pick to the New Orleans Pelicans.

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Both Durant and Barrett play similar positions and are keen on driving to the basket. The Warriors star is a far better shooter, but that’s part of his game that can translate over to RJ with a bit of exposure. Comparing their field goal percentage (Durant 52.1%) to (Barrett 45.4%), there’s plenty of room for improvement.

My ultimate question is – will Durant be open to helping Barrett and embrace the leadership role required of him if signed? Kevin has shown in the past that he can be egotistic in ways, and taking on a mentor role could be one of them, especially after featuring on such a dominant team like Golden State.

However, Barrett’s godfather is Steve Nash, one of Durant’s close friends. This could indicate a blossoming relationship between the two, but nothing is set in stone. There’s little evidence that shows the Knicks taking another player other than RJ, and unless Ja Morant falls, it should be an easy choice.

 

Should the New York Knicks Pursue Kyrie Irving or Kemba Walker?

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Heading into the final days of the NBA playoff period, free agent talks will begin to ramp up, especially for the New York Knicks and their ability to take on two max-contracts. Rumors of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving coming to the Big Apple have circulated over the past few months, but nothing is set in stone.

Ideally, the Knicks will bring in a premium playmaking point guard to help take the team to another level of quality. Both Irving and alterative free agent Kemba Walker brings that ability.

Should the New York Knicks pursue Kyrie Irving or Kemba Walker?

This past season saw Irving and Walker earn nearly identical numbers. Their comparisons range from athleticism to shooting and driving the lane. Both would be a stellar addition to a team that hasn’t had an elite point guard in quite some time. It might just be time to give up on the Frank Ntilikina experiment or put him in a reserve role.

Side-by-side stat comparison (Land of basketball):

Points per game — 

Irving: 23.8

Walker: 25.6

Rebound per game–

Irving: 3.9

Walker: 3.8

Assists per game–

Irving: 6.9

Walker: 5.9

Steals per game–

Irving: 1.5

Walker: 1.2

Block per game:

Irving: 0.5

Walker: 0.4

Percentage-wise, Irving was better in nearly every category (field goal, 3-pointer, free throw). My biggest concern is Irving’s health and if he can play the entire season. Last season, Irving played in 67 games where Kemba played in 82. In fact, Kyrie hasn’t broken the 80-game mark once in his entire career with Walker has reached that point four times in eight seasons.

Overall, Kemba had the more explosive year offensively, but Kyrie certainly held his own. However, Irving’s attitude became a problem later on in the season after the Celtics began to falter. That could create issues for a team that hasn’t had a winning season in quite some time – better to bring in a player that can fight through adversity if need be.

 

 

 

Should The New York Knicks Go After Kemba Walker In 2019?

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One of the most uncertain positions on the New York Knicks’ roster is at point guard; Frank Ntilikina has struggled to solidify himself as the starter moving forward. His defensive abilities are more than serviceable, but he must show more on offense for him to be considered the PG moving forward.

Having a quality point guard will help Kristaps Porzingis and Kevin Knox utilize their talents efficiently. One player that could be a potential option in 2019 aside from Kyrie Iriving is Kemba walker.

Where is Kemba Walker in his career and does it make sense for the New York Knicks to chase him?

The Hornets veteran PG is going into his eighth season as a professional. Walker had the second highest FG% in his career last season, finishing up hitting .431 of his shots. His three point completion percentage was the second highest it has ever been at .384.

Overall, he had a stellar season just one year ago, and after 2018, he will be ready to make a move to a team that’s on the up and up. Walker has always been a player for the spotlight, and he would fit perfectly with the Knicks team trying to rejuvenate the ever-so active fan base in New York.

The veteran will make $12 million in the season ahead, but will be looking to enjoy a serious raise once he hits the free agent market. He stated that he plans to stay with the Hornets a long time…how many times have we heard that before?

The players will go where the money goes, and the Knicks will have enough cap space for one max contract. Getting rid of Joakim Noah will also add to their financial mobility.

The major concern with Kemba is his age, and paying a player upwards of $25 million per season into their 30’s is a major concern. His abilities as a player are extremely attractive, but laying out that kind of cash will scare away several potential suitors, and one of them could be the Knicks.