New York Knicks: Grading The 2016 Offseason

Phil Jackson and Steve Mills have created the new-look New York Knicks. How did they do? This is grading the Knicks 2016 off-season.

If the Golden State Warriors were an ensemble movie, they would be Marvel’s Avengers. If the Cleveland Cavaliers were an ensemble movie, they would be Furious 7.

If the New York Knicks were an ensemble movie they would be The Expendables—the entire trilogy.

That’s not a knock on The Expendables movies (this author is a huge fan). The Expendables are entertaining and there is always talk about which older action star is going to show up in the next one.

They make a lot of money, there is so much hype to them, and for all the good, bad, and ugly, they are unforgettable. They are great in their own right, but they’ll never be box office kings like the Fast and the Furious franchise or the Avengers movies.

People will argue that the cast of The Expendables, for the most part these days, would be better suited in supporting roles in other movies, for example Sylvester Stallone in Creed.  But these former stars find relevance once more in the Expendables movies.

And to top it all off, they occasionally sprinkle younger newer faces among the older stars. Notice all the parallels with the Knicks?

All joking aside though, Phil Jackson and Steve Mills were busy this offseason. They assembled an ensemble of players to team up with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. Some of these players may be past their prime, but the Knicks are being talked about.

They are relevant once more, they will sell plenty of tickets and jerseys, and they will make some noise in the Eastern Conference. The last time the Knicks did this, they won the Atlantic Division and won their first playoff series since the Jeff Van Gundy era.

The main concern next year for the Knicks is, of course, their health. The Knicks from a few years ago had health problems towards the end of the season and into the playoffs. They fell short of meeting the Miami Heat in the Easter Conference Finals.

If, and that’s a big if, the Knicks stay healthy they actually have a fairly formidable team. Jackson and company changed course after realizing Anthony is on the tail end of his prime.

These are the new-loko Knicks. It’s time to grade the Knicks’ offseason on paper before the start of next season.

Next: Jeff Hornacek

The New York Knicks’ first offseason move was hiring Jeff Hornacek to become the team’s 28th head coach. A betting man would have placed his money on Kurt Rambis taking over the reigns as the Knicks’ future head coach.

Instead, Phil Jackson hired a coach outside of his coaching tree, which was a good move.

What wasn’t a good move was he did not aggressively pursue the best candidates available (i.e. Tom Thibbodeau, Frank Vogel, Mark Jackson, etc.). Hornacek only has a 101-112 (.474) record in two-and-a-half years with the Phoenix Suns, so it begs the question: is he the, “Transformational,” coach the Zen Master was taking about.

From what everyone says, Hornacek is a nice guy and is used to places like Utah or Phoenix. What he isn’t used to is New York and an organization like the Knicks, which could lead to some potential problems.

But Hornacek also had a lot going against him during his tenure in Phoenix (injuries and trades) and he finished with just about a .500 record, which sounds average. But the Knicks won 17 games the first full season Jackson was teampresident and 32 games this past season.

A .500 record is still leaps and bounds ahead of their last two years.

GRADE: C+

Next: Derrick Rose, Part I

Who won the trade between the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls? Is it too early to decide? Was it a win-win for both teams?

The Knicks got Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, and a second-round draft pick from Chicago. They gave up Robin Lopez (who was on an affordable contract, especially with the cap going up this year and next year), Jose Calderon (who was a better served as a backup point guard and had an expiring contract), and Jerian Grant (possibly the Knicks’ future point guard who happened to be a first round pick last year).

Is Rose and Holiday a better back-court duo than Grant and Calderon. Yes. So did the Knicks win this trade?

The good thing is the Knicks didn’t give up any future draft picks, which they’ve had a history of doing. But the Knicks have found themselves in a dilemma—perhaps one that they are overlooking.

Let’s play this out hypothetically

If Rose falls apart again, then he’s just a one-year rental. He enters unrestricted free agency and the Knicks don’t have to re-sign him. However, the Knicks may miss the postseason for the fourth straight year, and that could be enough for Carmelo Anthony to demand a trade.

While some Knicks fans may want ‘Melo gone, he’s still the only superstar the Knicks have as of right now (Porzingis will become one, but he’s not there yet). And since Anthony has a no-trade clause in his contract, he can dictate where he wants to go, meaning the Knicks will never be able to get back what he’s actually worth.

The consolation prize: the Knicks own their first-round draft pick next year.

Next: Derrick Rose, Part II

This is where the things get real tricky. Let’s say Derrick Rose plays more than 66 games in the regular season (the amount of games he played last season). Let’s say he averages, at the very least, what he did last year.

Now let’s say he plays a majority of the 82 games, if not all of them, in the regular season. Now let’s say he returns close to his MVP form. And now Rose is a free agent next summer.

What do the Knicks do then? Do the re-sign him to a max deal? They wouldn’t do that? Would they? Oh yes, they would. That could be enough proof for the Knicks to believe Rose is their point guard for the next several years.

The last player the Knicks tried this with was Amare Stoudemire. STAT played at an MVP level the first year he was a Knick. The second year, for the most part, was pretty solid, as well. And then everything went downhill very fast.

Knicks fans and the organization itself were counting down the days until his contract came off the books. Not what they expected from a guy who proclaimed the Knicks are back.

So seriously, what do the Knicks do? Do they let Rose walk in either of these scenarios? And how does that effect Noah, since Rose was the one who recruited Noah to the Knicks?

Noah wouldn’t have even considered the Knicks if it weren’t for Rose.

It’s a very pessimistic way of thinking, but it shouldn’t be ignored. This is the Rose dilemma and it makes this offseason move difficult to grade.

GRADE: C

Next: Justin Holiday

Justin Holiday came packaged with Derrick Rose and a second-round pick. He didn’t play much with the Chicago Bulls, but he does have fans throughout the league.

Holiday has had a versatile basketball career: he played in college, overseas, and in the NBA. He is an athletic guard who will provide backcourt depth, but he will be competing for a spot in the rotation. He may not just be a throw in. The second-round pick with Holiday only sweetens the deal.

GRADE: B-

Next: Joakim Noah, Part I

Many believed two years ago that Carmelo Anthony should have taken less money to go to the Chicago Bulls because they were in a win-now position. Melo almost left for the Windy City. Who knows how that would have played out?

What everyone knows now is Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose got injured. Since Anthony didn’t go to the Bulls, the Bulls are now coming to Anthony.

Noah, a native New Yorker, signed a four-year $72 million contract with the New York Knicks. Analytics will tell you that, under the new cap, this is roughly the same as Robin Lopez was making with the Knicks last year under the old cap.

The counter argument to that is, if Lopez would have stayed with the Knicks, his contract would have taken an even smaller percentage of the Knicks’ cap.

Is Noah a better player than Robin Lopez? Of course he is—when he’s healthy. That’s the key. The best ability is availability. If Noah is available and healthy, then he’s better than Lopez without question.

But Lopez is a Noah-type player who is younger and who doesn’t have the injury history that Noah does.

Next: Joakim Noah, Part II

Joakim Noah is turning 32 years old this year. He’s on a guaranteed contract for the next four years. Four years from now, there will be another presidential election and another Olympics.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Also, by the end of Noah’s contract, he’ll be basically 36 years old. He’ll be roughly the same age that Jose Calderon was this past year with New York. Knicks fans were constantly ranting on Twitter that the Knicks needed to get rid of him because of his age.

Let that sink in for a minute.

But Noah did look to be in great shape when a video of him and Carmelo Anthony working out hit the web. The key to this signing is health. If he’s healthy all four years, then it’s a great signing.

Being realistically optimistic, Noah should have two solid years left in him. The third may be shaky, at best, because of his age and injury history. And the last year, he’ll probably be a reserve.

He is a great locker room guy and will be a good mentor for Kristaps Porzingis. Hopefully Noah stays healthy because he is a heck of player when he is. Jah Bless.

GRADE: C+

Next: Courtney Lee

Courtney Lee, the definition of a 3-and-D player, is—on paper—Phil Jackson’s best signing. The New York Knicks had high hopes for Aaron Affalo last season, but he was benched by interim head coach Kurt Rambis.

Lee is the perfect replacement for Affalo, and at an average of $12 million a year, he has one of the more reasonable contracts that were given out during the off-season.

He will be 35 years old when his contract expires, but Lee is one of the iron men of the league, not having suffered any major injuries. Lee is one of the players who can start or be a force off the bench.

Don’t be surprised if during the first two years of Lee’s contract he’s a starter, and during the final two years he comes of the bench. At that time, Lee could be a future Sixth Man of the Year candidate, similar what Jamal Crawford has been doing.

As Lee put it, the Knicks do have a “scary” starting five, be it on paper, but players on paper don’t win championships. And Lee is already talking about championships, which is a good thing. You don’t want players on your squad with low expectations.

To beat a dead horse, all of this depends on health.

If it wasn’t for the Rose trade, Noah wouldn’t have considered the Knicks. If it wasn’t for Noah signing with the Knicks, Lee wouldn’t have been recruited. So as an indirect result, Lee came to New York because of Rose.

Yet another example of how the Rose trade is paying dividends. This is a solid signing by Phil Jackson and Steve Mills.

GRADE: A+

Next: Lance Thomas

Stephen A. Smith has often said that Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks traded Iman Shumpert and JR Smith for a bag of cookies. Well that bag of cookies has turned into Lance Thomas.

Thomas worked on his game after the Knicks’ franchise-worst season and he developed into a solid sixth man last year. Many fans were irritated when Thomas was the first guy off the bench instead of the draft bust Jackson and company were paying $5 million dollars, but Derek Fisher saw something everyone else didn’t until much later in the season.

Thomas was a completely different player than when he was first traded to the Knicks.

How important was Thomas last year? The Knicks were 25-34 when he played. They were just 7-16 after they lost him to injury.

Thomas is the perfect glue guy that is a less polished version of Courtney Lee. If Thomas can develop into Lee, the Knicks will have two very good rotation players: Lee in the guard position and Thomas in the forward position.

Thomas also took a hometown discount and did not chase the money, even though no one should have blamed him if he did given the way some of these players were getting paid. At about $6 million a year for the next four years, the Knicks actually underpaid for a player.

Many fans wished Jackson locked up Langston Galloway for the same contract, but Galloway went home to the New Orleans Pelicans. If you want a grade on Jackson letting Galloway walk it would be an F, but that’s another story for another day.

Now Thomas is back with the Knicks and he wants to get the taste of losing out of his mouth. Thomas was a part of the 17-win Knicks two years ago and the 32-win Knicks from last year.

If Thomas is working on his game as much as he did last offseason who knows how good he’ll be for the Knicks bench? That makes for one delicious bag of cookies.

GRADE: A+

Next: Brandon Jennings

Remember Jordan Hill? The New York Knicks drafted him one spot before Brandon Jennings in the 2009 NBA Draft. The Compton native had been campaigning to join the Knicks, but instead went the Milwaukee Bucks.

Now Jennings will fulfill his dream of playing at the Mecca. Jennings is the type of player that is good enough to be a starter, but may be best coming off the bench.

That’s why the most surprising Knicks offseason news came when it was revealed that Jennings agreed to sign for a one year prove it deal for $5 million. Last year, Wesley Matthews struck it rich last season when he signed with the Dallas Mavericks for $70 million.

Matthews suffered a similar achilles injury as Jennings. But while Matthews recovered quicker than most expected, Jennings is still finding his footing.

Of course there is the argument that the Knicks traded for a point guard with injuries and signed a backup point guard with injuries. However, with such a small risk and high reward factor, the Knicks are the clear winners with this signing.

As is Jennings, who will look to go back to his pre-injury form this year. Jackson has put some pressure on the backup point guard as he wants him to win the Sixth Man of the Year award.

If Jennings returns to anything close to his old self, he just may.

GRADE: A+

Next: Willy Hernangomez

In a league that is moving towards stretch 4’s and even stretch 5’s, it is nice to see Spanish center Willy Hernangomez play the traditional center role. Willy, or Billy as its pronounced, was acquired by the New York Knicks in last year’s draft 35 overall.

He is 6’10” and weighs 255 pounds. Last year, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 34 games. While those numbers may not excite many, he will be a solid backup and can learn from Noah.

As Kristaps Porzingis found out last year, the NBA season is much longer than the Liga ACB season. Hernangomez most likely won’t be playing the minutes Porzingis was last year so his adjustment may be easier.

As everyone knows, Hernangomez and Porzingis played together, so they have a feel for each other’s game. Steve Mills, Phil Jackson, and Jeff Hornacek all wanted Hernangomez to come over this year and the Knicks locked him up for four years.

Don’t expect him to be going anywhere as long as Porzingis is around and turns into the star everyone expects.

GRADE: B-

Next: Mindaugas Kuzminskas

New York Knicks fans rushed to Google and YouTube when it was announced that their team came to agreements with Mindaugas Kuzminskas. Who? Mindaugas Kuzminskas.

When Kristaps Porzingis was drafted, Barclays Center filled with boos. Knicks fans still hadn’t gotten the Andrea Bargnani taste out of their mouth. But give the Knicks’ European scouts credit; they hit a grand slam with the Latvian.

That brought more exposure to his buddy Willy Hernangomez. But the American audience for the most part has no idea about Kuz.

Kuzminskas is a shooter, and is exactly what will fit in Hornacek’s system. One of the first videos that comes up when you search Kuzminskas on YouTube is when he played against Team USA at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

He put on a clinic, and it doesn’t matter that James Harden was guarding him. He was still playing against an elite basketball team, and even though Kuzminskas’ team fell short, he had a great game.

There will be an adjustment coming from overseas, obviously, but the kid has all the tools to be a good player in the NBA down the road. Knicks scouts were right with KP6, and they appear to be right with Hernangomez, and that’s why it’s safe to trust them with Kuzminskas.

GRADE: B-

Next: Sasha Vujacic

Two years ago, Sasha Vujacic wasn’t in the NBA. The reasons were obvious why he was playing overseas. But when the New York Knicks signed him last year, it sounded as if the ex-Laker was a veteran coming in to help teach the Triangle Offense.

When Kurt Rambis took over, Vujacic’s minutes increased and he even started in place of Arron Affalo.

The move made no sense unless the Knicks just wanted Affalo to opt-out so his salary wouldn’t hit their cap. If that was the case, then the Knicks succeeded. The Knicks re-signed Vujacic this offseason for the veterans minimum.

If he is an extra body for practice proposes, an insurance policy in case Brandon Jennings and Derrick Rose go down, and a teacher of the triangle, then this signing makes sense.

If he’s vying for the starting shooting guard position again, Knicks fans will riot. Knicks fans will even be upset if Vujacic is the second-string shooting guard.

GRADE: D

Next: Marshall Plumlee

Marshall Plumlee went undrafted in this year’s NBA Draft. Perhaps the New York Knicks knew this would happen, and it may have been the reason they didn’t obtain a selection on draft night as they have done since Jackson took over as president.

Marshall is yet another Plumlee brother now in the NBA. He’s one of the older kids coming out of the draft. Jackson loves the college kids who decide not to do the “one-and-done.”

They’re a little bit more mature, they’re a bit older, and they have more years playing the game than your average rookie.

Then again, there’s a reason they spent four years in college instead of doing the “one-and-done,” because most of these players are late first rounders, second rounders, or undrafted.

While expectations shouldn’t be through the roof, there are plenty of reasons to be excited that the Knicks signed Plumlee for 3 years. Look no further than what coach Mike Krzyzewski said about the kid during an SNY interview:

"“First of all he’s older, he’s 23. He’s been a five-year player. He brings fundamentals and he’s a leader. He’s going to be an Army officer. He talks on defense. He’ll screen, he’ll play defense he’ll rebound. And he doesn’t need the ball. He just wants to make other people better. And they’ll never be a practice where he’s not enthusiastic. He’s a perfect backup.”"

Plumlee is provides center depth behind Joakim Noah and Willy Hernangomez. Noah is older and has a history of injuries. Hernangomez is a European player that will need to adjust to a longer season.

There may be enough minutes to go around for all three centers and the Knicks are hoping he develops into the solid backup Coach K believes he can be. Plumlee may spend some time in Westchester as well.

GRADE: B-

Next: Ron Baker and Maurice Ndour

Ron Baker is another undrafted rookie who signed with the New York Knicks. Baker, like Plumlee, is an “older” player coming out of college. Last season for the Wichita State Shockers, he averaged 14 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.

Baker struggled during his first few games with the Knicks at Summer League, but rebounded in the last couple.

There is no guarantee he makes the final 15 man roster, but Knicks should consider him for depth and bodies in practice. Expect him to spend time with the Westchester Knicks as well.

GRADE: C+

Last year, Maurice Ndour was a stud for the Knicks at Summer League. The 6’9″ forward averaged 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds. He had 23 points and six rebounds in a win over the 76ers’ Summer League team.

All signs pointed to the Knicks signing the kid, but they were outbid by Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks. Ndour was then waived in October because of a leg injury.

He then spent last year with the Real Madrid in the EuroLeague.

He’s a high-energy depth player with a resemblance to Derrick Williams. Like Baker and Plumlee, Ndour could be spending time in the D-League.

GRADE: C+

Next: Final Report Card Grade

The New York Knicks were busy, to say the least, this offseason. They are a completely different team than they were last year. They certainly should win more than 17 games, and most likely more than 32.

Just how good the Knicks can be all depends on their health.

They Knicks are following the same strategy from the 2012-13 54-win season: a mix of veterans surrounding Carmelo Anthony with some youngsters to round out the roster. The Knicks were ripped by the media when they made the moves to sign Jason Kidd, Kurt Thomas, Marcus Camby, and so forth.

The Knicks are again being ripped for assembling a team that could have won the tile in 2011.

These grades were determined by analyzing the contracts, the player’s injury history, and the player itself. They may not reflect their final grades, however, as the season has yet to start.

This is Jackson’s ensemble cast. Next season will be interesting.

must read: Five possible rotations for the 2016-17 Knicks

Record Prediction 2016-2017: 50-32

Final Off-season Grade: B-