Knicks rumors: 3 positive things a Chris Paul trade would bring
By Josh Wilson
Stability
The Knicks are an extremely unstable franchise. That much is true.
Just a year ago fans were hinging their hopes on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving signing with the team. At worst, Kemba Walker.
Irving and Durant went to the Brooklyn Nets, Walker to the Celtics.
The Knicks were more or less ignored in the process of free agency negotiations, a clear display of the growing lack of confidence that players have toward the historic organization and the way that it is run.
Coaches have come and gone. Players have seen their careers plummet in New York or blossom upon finding their way out (Kristaps Porzingis is a clear example).
Many point to the ownership. The team is clearly not well run, and it’s obvious that James Dolan takes exception to criticism. Off the court, there have been issues with high profile celebrities (such as Spike Lee’s incident recently) being mistreated by the team in front of the public at games.
Related Story. Explaining the Knicks debacle with Spike Lee. light
The list goes on and on. So what does this have to do with Chris Paul?
He’s the antithesis of unstable. Now 34, he’s putting up numbers that mirror his career averages (18.5 point, 4.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists per game on his career, 17.5 point, 4.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists per game in OKC this year). He’s been a net-positive pretty much everywhere he has gone.
Paul is not subject to the capricious up-and-down that many players in the league are sometimes subject to season-to-season. His play is anything but mercurial.
His shooting has remained consistent over the years, and though it’s not elite (36 percent beyond the arc this year), it is serviceable. His ability to take care of the ball and facilitate for his teammates is clear as day and never wavering. Though he is a smaller guard, his defensive stats (1.2 DBPM this year) are encouraging and his offensive stats (3.0 OBPM) are even better.
You know what you’re getting with Paul. He’s one of the few players in the league that feels like he could be immune to the nonsense that seems to occur in Manhattan, even this late in his career.