For all the hemming and hawing over whether the New York Knicks should use their final roster spot on second-round picks Jack Kayil or Tyler Nickel, they sent an entirely different message with their pursuit of Moussa Cisse: They are going to use their 15th and final roster spot on a center.
That center, of course, will not be 6’11” Cisse. New York tendered the restricted free agent a two-year offer sheet, with one partial guaranteed season. The Dallas Mavericks matched it in under 12 hours, recognizing his potential as an athletic rim-runner and rebounding machine.
Just because the Knicks missed out Cisse, though, doesn’t mean their big-man pursuit is over. If anything, this is an extension of what they’ve been trying to do all along. What happened in Las Vegas with Kayil and Nickel merely clouded the picture they were already painting.
Landing another big man is the right move for the Knicks
Despite signing Andre Drummond for the minimum, New York still needs more reinforcements behind Karl-Anthony Towns at the 5.
Although he didn’t play a ton of minutes, Mitchell Robinson left a gaping hole in the rotation. The Knicks can’t hope to fill it with one player—particularly when that player is a soon-to-be 33-year-old who has seldom graded out as a net-positive rim protector, and can’t really function outside traditional drop coverage.
The Leon Rose-led front office clearly understands this. Before going after Cisse, New York checked in on the availability of the Charlotte Hornets’ Moussa Diabate, and New Orleans Pelicans’ Yves Missi.
Adding another center was the priority before summer league. It remains the priority now, with just one roster spot left to fill.
Frankly, the Knicks have no choice. Their third center in the rotation is…probably OG Anunoby. And while downsizing is a worthwhile approach in small doses, it can’t be the default.
The debate over how the Knicks will use their final roster spot is over
Given Anunoby’s checkered health bill before arriving in New York, as well as Drummond’s limited defensive skill set, this team needs someone else to sponge up center minutes. It can’t be focused on finagling guaranteed contacts for Kayil or Nickel, neither of whom is a big man. Period. End of story. No exceptions.
Okay, actually, there is one exception.
The Knicks have the ability to create another roster spot by dumping a small salary. That would assuredly be terrible news for Pacome Dadiet, if not potentially Tyler Kolek. But it would pave the way for New York to add one of its two summer-league standouts.
Otherwise, until or unless the Knicks make a trade, there is no debate. Their 15th and final roster spot is already spoken for. It belongs to a yet-to-be-named center.
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