New York Knicks Have Discussed Signing Ty Lawson
The New York Knicks have reportedly discussed the possibility of signing embattled free agent point guard Ty Lawson.
The New York Knicks have become one of the worst teams in the NBA. 25 wins suggest they aren’t, but New York’s 37 losses have been fueled by a recent streak of 15 losses in 18 games—a win percentage of .167, for those curious.
In an attempt to turn this nearly lost season around, New York is weighing all of its options—even those that can be classified as risky endeavors.
Ty Lawson concluded his tumultuous tenure with the Houston Rockets by agreeing to a buyout with the team. General manager Daryl Morey had intended for Lawson to be the missing piece for a team that made the Western Conference Finals in 2015, but that vision never came to fruition.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, interim head coach Kurt Rambis confirmed that the Knicks have discussed the possibility of signing the recently bought out point guard to the main roster.
"Rambis on Tuesday confirmed that Ty Lawson, recently bought out by the Houston Rockets, has been on option discussed by Knicks management.“There’s a lot of names that have been bantered about,” Rambis said. “… We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future but those are all names that have all come up.”"
A decision has yet to be made on the future of Jimmer Fredette, but Lawson certainly has the name value to take precedence.
Lawson’s tenure with the Rockets was nothing short of disappointing. He averaged 5.8 points and 3.4 assists on a slash line of .387/.330/.700 in 22.2 minutes per game, thus failing in his projected roles as both the starting point guard and sixth man.
Don’t let his days in Houston cloud your judgement on what Lawson, 28, is capable of.
Between 2011-12 and 2014-15, Lawson accumulated averages of 16.4 points and 8.0 assists on a slash line of .453/.358/.773. He did this while committing just 2.6 turnovers per game and playing upwards of 35 minutes a night for the Denver Nuggets.
If he can channel those days as a member of the Knicks, Lawson could potentially save New York from missing the playoffs.
Lawson as an individual may not be enough to push a team into postseason contention, but New York’s biggest weakness can be found at point guard. It’s otherwise set at every other position, with Arron Afflalo, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Robin Lopez forming a very solid starting lineup.
Unfortunately, Jose Calderon‘s erratic defense and inconsistent offense have hindered the Knicks from building a sustainable rhythm on either end.
Lawson isn’t the best defender, but he’s a lightning quick athlete who can exploit the opposition in transition. That would be music to the ears of a Knicks team that ranks dead last in the NBA in both fast break points and points in the paint per game.
The question is, can and should the Knicks sign Lawson for the remainder of the season to help revitalize his career and salvage this disappointing season?