Report: New York Knicks to Meet with Robin Lopez Tonight
By William Lee
Robin Lopez met with the Milwaukee Bucks today and is dining with the Knicks tonight. Teams that miss on LMA/Monroe/DJ will join pursuit too
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2015
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, The New York Knicks will meet with Robin Lopez tonight. With rumors swirling of the top big men being off the board, Lopez would be a nice consolidation prize.
LaMarcus Aldridge is rumored to becoming a San Antonio Spurs, after the Spurs sent Tiago Splitter to the Atlanta Hawks to free up cap space.
LaMarcus Aldridge will land a deal in San Antonio, a source said.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) July 1, 2015
Although Aldridge’s representatives group denies that their client has already made up their mind.
.@aldridge_12 has not made any decisions yet. All reports to the contrary are false & he looks forward to sharing his plans soon.
— Wasserman (@Wasserman) July 1, 2015
DeAndre Jordan looks like will either be staying with the Los Angeles Clippers or going to the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks had a nice and long meeting with Jordan according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas.
DeAndre Jordan initially supposed to start meeting teams tomorrow. Mavs' standing in the DeAndre race gets them sitdown right after midnight
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 1, 2015
Mavs' meeting with DeAndre Jordan is done. Lasted about 4 1/2 hours.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 1, 2015
Another sign that New York probably has no shot at Jordan is that the Knick’s scheduled meeting with Jordan got pushed back another day…
Knicks pushed back in DeAndre Jordan for meeting tomorrow morning instead of today. Lakers tonight.
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) July 1, 2015
Forner-Knick Tyson Chandler agreed to sign a $52 million four year deal with the Phoenix Suns. Not that Chandler would ever return to New York after Phil Jackson threw him under the bus after he was traded.
Lopez is not as sexy of a name as any of the aforementioned free agents but is a solid player nonetheless. Lopez had a down year this past season due to a right hand injury, averaging 9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. The previous season Lopez was close to averaging a double-double with 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
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As per NBA.com Diff% which is defined as – The difference between the normal field goal percentage of a shooter through the season and the field goal percentage when the defensive player is guarding the shooter. A good defensive number will be negative because the defensive player is guarding the shooter. A good defensive number will be negative because the defensive player holds their opponent to a lower field goal percentage than normal. Lopez was a decent defender last season despite breaking his hand, with a negative -5.1 diff % within six ft. of the rim and a negative -5.3 diff % within ten ft. of the rim.
When Lopez was healthy, he was a defensive beast. Lopez was a negative -13.2% within six ft. of the rim and a negative -9.6 diff % within ten ft. of the rim in 2013-2014, as per NBA.com.
Lopez would be the perfect player for the Knicks to pursue if New York can not land any of the big fish free agents, a defensive minded center is exactly what the Knicks need to put alongside Carmelo Anthony. Just what the doctor ordered! Bring on Sideshow Bob to the Knicks!