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Knicks Rumors: Pros and Cons of potentially signing Alan Anderson

By Maxwell Ogden

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 10: Alan Anderson #9 of the Los Angeles Clippers handles the ball before the game against the Utah Jazz during a preseason game on October 10, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 10: Alan Anderson #9 of the Los Angeles Clippers handles the ball before the game against the Utah Jazz during a preseason game on October 10, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 13: Alan Anderson #9 of the Los Angeles Clippers handles the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers during a preseason game on October 13, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 13: Alan Anderson #9 of the Los Angeles Clippers handles the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers during a preseason game on October 13, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Con: Depth At The 2

The New York Knicks have four shooting guards who may all need a significant number of minutes in 2017-18. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee are signed to lucrative contracts, Ron Baker was signed to an $8.9 million two-year deal, and rookie Damyean Dotson has upside.

Baker, Hardaway Jr., Lee, and Dotson all need minutes, which beckons the question: Where exactly does Alan Anderson fit into Jeff Hornacek’s rotation?

It’s possible that Anderson would play a Sasha Vujacic role in the locker room. In that situation, he’d be less of an on-court contributor and more of a provider of depth, veteran perspective, and consistent energy in practice.

There’s no guaranteeing that Anderson would accept such a role, but it would be hard to justify prioritizing his minutes over those of the younger players..

It’s possible that Anderson could play the role of a small-ball 3 for the Knicks in 2017-18. He’s played a fair share of minutes at the 3 in the past, even making it a predominant position, but some of the other shooting guards may need those very small-ball opportunities.

In an era without many quality shooting guards and an abundance of star-caliber small forwards, it’s fair to question if he can continue to play the 3.