Super fan Spike Lee is recruiting Ray Allen to the New York Knicks. Should Phil Jackson push to get a deal done with the all-time 3-point shooting king?
It’s not hyperbolic when one claims that the New York Knicks are tied to every available free agent. The rumor mill seems to run directly out of New York, as free agents and trade targets become attached to the Knicks in countless ways.
The latest player to be linked to the Knicks may be the most surprising in franchise history: all-time 3-point king Ray Allen.
This is less of a rumor and more of a concrete desire to bring Allen to New York—just not yet from the organization. Instead of Phil Jackson, it’s film director Spike Lee who’s recruiting Allen to New York.
According to Dom Amore of The Hartford Courant, Lee has been texting Allen in an attempt to persuade him to play for the Knicks.
"“Spike Lee has been trying to recruit me,” Allen said. “We’ve been texting.”"
All hands on deck.
Allen and Lee have a relationship that dates back to the 1990s. Lee directed the classic basketball film He Got Game, which starred Allen as Jesus Shuttlesworth and Denzel Washington as his father, Jake Shuttlesworth.
There’s no telling just how influential a figure Lee is in Allen’s mind and life, but the recruitment is transpiring.
The obvious question is: should Jackson and Steve Mills move forward with the pursuit of Allen’s services? It would certainly be an unconventional use of the 15th and final roster spot, but that doesn’t necessarily make it the wrong move.
It’s time to get down to the bottom of it: should the Knicks make a run at signing Allen?
Next: Pro
Pro: 3-Point Shooting
If there’s one thing that’s all but guaranteed with Ray Allen, it’s that he’s going to consistently knock down the 3-point shot. He’s the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals made, and he’s reached that status with remarkable efficiency.
Many strengths decline with age, but as the old saying goes: a great shooter never truly loses their touch.
Allen finished his first 18 seasons with 2,973 3-point field goals made—413 more than the previous record held by Reggie Miller. Allen also has 385 career 3-point field goals made in the playoffs.
That, too, is the all-time record—65 more than Reggie Miller and 76 more than the next leading active player: Manu Ginobili.
For context, Allen didn’t accumulate these numbers with erratic shooting over time. He has identical career averages of 2.3 3-point field goals made per game in the regular season and 2.3 per game in the postseason.
Most importantly, Allen is a career 40.0 percent shooter from beyond in the regular season and 40.1 percent shooter in the playoffs—elite volume and elite efficiency.
Next: Con
Con: Age
Ray Allen has played 18 illustrious seasons in the NBA. He’s a surefire Hall of Famer who has won in the postseason, set all-time records, and produced at a level that warrants far more praise than it often receives.
Unfortunately for the New York Knicks, Allen is also a 41-year-old shooting guard whose game has been predicated on having superior stamina to his opponents.
With age comes wisdom and experience, but it also comes with the deterioration of one’s physical abilities. Allen has never relied upon his explosiveness for success, but late in his career, he did make a living out of his ability to avoid or overcome fatigue.
Allen was in constant motion on offense, running off of screens, catching passes, and rising up with perfect form for jump shots from midrange and beyond the arc.
It should be stated that Allen has always done an excellent job of remaining in peak physical condition. Thus, while it’d be surprising to see a 41-year-old running off of screens, it’s not entirely out of the question.
There are simply obvious reservations to be had about a 41-year-old perimeter player who has to defend their generally athletic position.
Next: Pro
Pro: Depth
The New York Knicks have a starter who won’t be dislodged from their status any time soon. For as strong of a contributor as Courtney Lee may be, there’s an understandable amount of uncertainty surrounding backup Justin Holiday.
Holiday could be one of the true bright spots for the Knicks in 2016-17, but without definitive knowledge of how he’ll play, it’d be rational to pursue depth.
Holiday has shown flashes of being a genuine two-way player who can space the floor, create off the bounce, and defend multiple positions. He’s also averaged no more than 6.5 points per game during his three NBA seasons.
Holiday has undeniable upside, but it’s not a guarantee that he’ll be able to perform at the level expected of him.
Allen isn’t exactly a safe bet, either, but he does have a longer track record of NBA success. Even in 2013-14, when he was 39 years of age, he still managed to perform at a high enough level to help the Miami Heat reach the NBA Finals.
Holiday was more than just a throw-in piece in the Derrick Rose trade, but Allen shouldn’t be written off as a potential provider of depth.
Next: Con
Con: Rust
As previously alluded to, Ray Allen is the all-time 3-point shooting king and one of the best shooting guards in NBA history. He’s also 41 years of age, which only scratches the surface of this dilemma.
The issue isn’t just that Allen is 41 years of age; it’s that he hasn’t played a single NBA game since the 2013-14 season.
Having spent two years away from the NBA, there’s no way of telling how well Allen would perform in 2016-17. He’s done an excellent job of remaining in the best possible shape, but that statement must be qualified.
There’s a very big difference between staying in basic human shape and remaining in NBA game shape, and no one will know which Allen is in until he plays.
If Allen shows up as physically ready as he’s been in the past, then this is a non-issue. Even beyond the physical requirements, however, is the reality that he hasn’t played a season against NBA-caliber competition since 2013-14.
This era is perfectly suited for Allen’s strengths, but there’s no telling how a 41-year-old who hasn’t played since 2013-14 would fare in any era.
Next: Pro
Pro: Championship Experience
Team president Phil Jackson has one goal in mind with the New York Knicks: to build a sustainable contender. In order to do so, the short-term Knicks must be of a high enough caliber to develop a winning culture.
Jackson already has some quality pieces on the roster, but Ray Allen has something that no starter currently possesses: a championship ring—or two.
Allen is a two-time NBA champion who played a critical role during both of those title runs. The only other NBA champion on the roster is Justin Holiday, who averaged 2.2 minutes during the 2015 Playoffs with the Golden State Warriors.
Adding Allen to the mix would provide the Knicks with the type of veteran leadership that may be missing from the locker room.
Carmelo Anthony and Joakim Noah are two of the greatest leaders in the NBA today. Neither have won a championship just yet, however, which is why it’d be wise to have a player who has for when the title push begins.
If any free agent can provide that veteran wisdom, it’d be the player who has two rings and four NBA Finals appearances on his resume.
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Ron Baker and Chasson Randle would provide the youth and promise that New York needs, but dismissing Allen as an option would deprive the Knicks of a rare opportunity to improve the culture.