NY Knicks: 4 Ex-Knicks to consider bringing back this summer

I know I’ve said this in various different ways over the last few articles I’ve written, but I’ll say it here again — I love how flexible the NY Knicks have become over the last few seasons.

As a lifelong fan, I’ve seen the ups and downs of this team, more so ‘downs’ but you get the picture.

It felt like every year, the fanbase was hoping and praying for the lottery to fall in our favor for once and some rookie would come in and be the savior.

Or a huge free-agent star would choose New York City as his next home.

Or a massive name would hit the trade rumor mill and as always, New York was a destination he’d be rumored to.

But now, while we’d all like those things to happen, I don’t think we necessarily NEED them to.

Would you want the NY Knicks to bring back any of these former players?

I’ve personally been going through a million different scenarios regarding the Knicks’ draft and free agency, and even if the team doesn’t make the splashy signing or package their picks to move up,

I still think they could be in great shape now and in the future.

Ian Begley of SNY believes that the Knicks could perhaps just hold off until the summer of 2022 to make some serious moves.

The Knicks would ultimately go into this offseason focused solely on next year and having a nice chunk of cap space left to play around with.

This is what brings me to the idea for this article.

The Knicks just finished in 4th place and hosted a playoff series in The Garden.

Granted, a lot of the reason as to why they finished where they did could have been implications from the pandemic and the fallout from it…but that’s neither here nor there.

The fanbase might be in for a rude awakening because we may see some regression for the team next year.

But James Dolan still has a business to run, so what moves would allow the Knicks to remain flexible but could also help attract fans and put butts in seats?

Bringing the band back together! That’s what!

None of these names are going to blow anyone’s hair back, and may not necessarily contribute to very much winning this season, but they’ll keep the Knicks somewhat competitive while providing a little bit of nostalgic value on top.

Here are 4 Ex-Knicks players the team should consider bringing back this offseason.

Would you want the NY Knicks to bring back Bobby Portis?

There’s a number of different roadblocks that would prevent Bobby Portis from coming back to the Knicks.

Firstly, he’s been a huge piece for the Bucks and their finals run.

As this is being written, the Bucks are leading 3-2 against the Suns and are likely on their way to being 2021 NBA Champions.

By the time this article goes live, Bobby Portis could be celebrating his title win.

He’s filled in for The Greek Freak when needed admirably and has otherwise been a huge 6th man off the bench on both ends of the floor for an incredible Milwaukee team.

Even though the Knicks have been rumored to want Portis back, it would behoove Milwaukee to bring him back at almost any cost he could demand.

Portis, on the other hand, could say “hey, I just won a title (if the Bucks do in fact end up winning), let me go chase a bag instead of another ring.”

The Knicks could give him a similar deal to what he had signed for 2 years ago in the summer of 2019, but sweeten the pot a little bit.

We like to call it “The Scott Perry Special” here at Daily Knicks…a blatant overpay on a 2-year contract with a team option on the second year.

What if the Knicks gave him 2-years, $40 million…I’d do it.

Now, regarding those other roadblocks I mentioned earlier on…

The Knicks just spent the 8th overall pick in 2020 on a power forward in Obi Toppin…the same position both Bobby Portis AND the team’s superstar Julius Randle plays.

Even if Obi is traded this offseason as some rumors speculate, then there’s still the issue of Portis getting playing time behind Julius Randle.

Basically, the Knicks would have to move on from both Obi and Nerlens Noel and allow Portis to get minutes off the bench at the 4 and the 5 to make his contract make sense and to give him the minutes he’d likely need to even consider coming back to New York.

Let’s see how the summer shapes itself out.

Would you want the NY Knicks to bring back Carmelo Anthony?

As much as I want my guy Melo to ring chase and go sign with a contender like the Lakers, nothing would make me happier than having #7 back in orange and blue.

Heck, I’d even be down if he came here rocking that weird #00 jersey, whatever you want, Melo…just come back!

I had just started to really get into following basketball back in 2010, so when Carmelo Anthony, one of the sport’s best players came to MY hometown team just a short while after, it was destined that I’d be a Knicks fan.

He’s a shell of his former self, but that just goes to show how unstoppable he once was on the offensive side of the ball.

I’ll never forget what an ex-coworker of mine once said about Melo roughly 10 years ago.

He said, “Carmelo Anthony has the kind of shot that you’re almost surprised doesn’t ALWAYS go in…like its weird when it DOESN’T.”

And it’s true, his form is impeccable and I’m sure millions of basketball players and fans around the world have studied it.

Now, regarding his fit on the Knicks, although he’s been playing more of the 4-spot as of late, he is a combo-forward and I would be fine if Thibs stuck him right in between RJ at the 2 and Randle at the 4 as our starting small forward.

Really bring it back.

What the Knicks lose on the defensive side by relegating Bullock to the bench (if he’s retained this summer), they gain in a scorer who can still lead an offense.

Maybe not like he used to, but he can still take over a game once in a while.

He’s been an incredible shooter from deep since joining Portland, shooting over 40% on 5 attempts per game last season alone.

And we all know he’s a mid-range assassin.

Name your price, Mr. Anthony. We need ya.

Would you want the NY Knicks to bring back Doug McDermott?

Doug McDermott or otherwise known as Dougie McBuckets had a short but somewhat memorable tenure as a Knick.

What’s important is that the team wouldn’t be bringing back the ‘somewhat memorable’ version of McDermott as he’s improved his game tremendously since his first stint in NY.

Always known as a long-range sniper, what comes as a pleasant surprise is that in this past season, ‘DMC’ hit over 64% of his 2-point field goals.

He’s not just that spot-up shooter from years ago.

He’s shown the ability to play serviceable if not above-average defense, an ability to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot, and his playmaking/offensive awareness has increased drastically.

So needless to say, he’s a solid piece to add to a budding Knicks roster.

But, the primary reason any team pays a guy like ‘DMC’ is his ability to shoot the basketball.

A career 41% shooter from beyond the arc, he fits the criteria of exactly what Coach Thibodeau said he’d be looking for this offseason in a wing that can shoot.

Depending on the price, I’d love to have him back.

He could start at the small forward on day 1, or come off the bench with Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley and the Knicks could have one of the deadliest benches in the league.

Would you want the NY Knicks to bring back Robin Lopez?

The least sexy name on this list but probably the most likely name to come back to the Knicks is Robin Lopez.

Lopez is a veteran big-man who’s defensive-minded and would come here for the cheap.

He had a chance to get some quality minutes on the Wizards this past season, and he finished off his 2020-21 campaign with 9 points and 4 rebounds per game.

He’s been trying to extend his range a bit like his twin brother Brook but it hasn’t been working out as well for Robin.

Lopez is a tremendous screener, so having him run pick-and-rolls with the bench guards would be a lot of fun to watch.

Nonetheless, if Nerlens Noel were to leave in free agency and the Knicks don’t draft his replacement, Robin Lopez should definitely be an option to backup Mitchell Robinson for a season or so.

Another player who had a relatively short stint with the Knicks, as some may know, he was a part of the trade that brought Derrick Rose to New York the first time.

Having them back on the same bench unit would be a cute little idea.

All I’m saying is that while the name Robin Lopez doesn’t exactly get anyone out of bed, they could do a lot worse at the backup 5 spot than RoLo.