The New York Knicks signed a bunch of different players to training camp contracts to compete for roster spots before the beginning of the season. Two of the guys they signed were James Wiseman and Drew Eubanks. The Knicks were able to take advantage of what the Philadelphia 76ers don't have: Roster flexibility.
Arguably, the Sixers need center depth more than the next two. New York only has one backup center, Andre Drummond, and the Sixers have two in Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti. However, considering how much more of an injury risk Joel Embiid is compared to Karl-Anthony Towns, it feels like the Sixers could use extra centers more than the Knicks could. Plus, Drummond is more proven than Hukporti and Bona.
That said, Philadelphia doesn’t have standard roster spots to offer. It needs to be a lot more careful when considering which players to sign to training camp contracts, especially considering they already have some training camp players in place.
Knicks' James Wiseman and Drew Eubanks signings were what 76ers need to do but can't
The biggest difference between the Knicks and the Sixers right now is that the Knicks actually have standard roster spots to hand out. So, when players are considering where to sign training camp deals, they are more likely to sign with a team that can actually sign them at the end of camp.
Unfortunately for the 76ers, they don't have that. Their roster is completely full, so the only training camp guys they can sign are ones who know that they probably won't land a full roster spot at the end of the day.
Meanwhile, the Knicks can promise players a chance to compete for an actual roster spot in the NBA. For veteran players like Wiseman and Eubanks, that's a much more enticing situation.
That's good news for the Knicks, because that means they get a better crack at signing legitimate center depth compared to the Sixers, who are going to be left hanging out to dry.
Philadelphia did manage to sign Tacko Fall to a camp deal. He had a brief stint in the NBA. However, guys like Wiseman and Eubanks are a little bit more proven.
The Knicks will spend the next few weeks seeing which players they would like to sign. They didn't just sign centers, bringing in the likes of Bruce Brown, Ochai Agbaji, and John Konchar, too, but the center depth might be their biggest need.
Just like it's the biggest need for the 76ers. But luckily for the Knicks, they had the right situation to draw in the right players. Philadelphia just didn't.
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