Knicks Trade Rumors: Pros And Cons Of Swapping Derrick Rose For Ricky Rubio

Con: Ineffective Scoring

As previously alluded to, the New York Knicks have an elite slasher who’s shooting 46.2 percent from the field in Derrick Rose. That’s an appealing truth that will be considered when New York makes a final decision on a potential trade.

If the Knicks are going to execute this trade, then they must weigh both Rose’s scoring proficiency and Ricky Rubio’s ineffectiveness in that regard.

Rose’s jump shot is faulty, but he’s an outstanding slasher and finisher. Rubio, meanwhile, is a poor shooter who struggles to finish at the rim, in the paint, from midrange—he essentially struggles in every phase of the game as a scorer.

Rubio is essentially the point guard version of Joakim Noah in the sense that he’s a virtual non-threat as it pertains to scoring.

Rubio’s inability to score with any form of efficiency would limit New York’s options when moving the ball in a motion offense. That alone is reason to pursue other options, although it’s unclear which teams would actually make quality offers for Rose.

The question is: can the New York Knicks afford to add a non-scorer in Rubio to an offense that’s attempting to score via depth and balance?