Report Card Grades for Each NY Knicks Free-Agent Signing

Team president Phil Jackson, general manager Steve Mills and director of player personnel Mark Warkentien: Your homemade cookies, wrapped in a shiny bow, are on their way. Some observers have dismissed your New York Knicks' offseason maneuvers as posturing that makes the team socially relevant but not legitimately competitive...but they're just hating.

(That said, there's also a basket of avocados and vitamins on its way to the players, because, well, there is some injury history to consider.)

The Knicks' acquisitions are, across-the-board, smart bets, if not entirely safe ones.

The new squad is a little old-school: point guards who drive and centers who post up. The front office has added length and, more importantly, hunger. Whether they are veterans who are trying to shake off the specter of an injury, famous Europeans who are looking for success in the U.S. or undrafted players who are desperate to turn a training camp invitation into a roster spot, these new Knicks come to New York eager to prove themselves.

So, the front office gets gold stars overall. What specific grade do the Knicks score for each one of these plucky freshmen, out-of-towners and comeback kids, though? Read on to see the pleasantly high marks. 

Joakim Noah: B+

Joakim Noah, C: Four years, $72 million

Some of you are now jumping out of your seats, shouting protests like "B-plus?! It's too much money! He kept us from landing other free agents! He was just injured!"

Sit down. I'll explain.

Eric Maroun at FanSided whipped up a handy salary-cap contract conversion tool that provides perspective on what this summer's contracts would look like in 2015-16 terms. According to it, Joakim Noah's new contract converts to $12.475 million, akin to what Ricky Rubio, Ty Lawson and Rudy Gay are earning—less than he made last year and hardly a king's ransom by NBA standards.

Perhaps he could have taken less money, but he would have had to take about $20 million less in order for the Knicks to land either of the top 2-guard choices. Both Evan Turner and Kent Bazemore scored four-year, $70 million contracts. As for Dwyane Wade, if the Knicks had paid him the two-year, $47.5 million he got from Chicago, Noah would have had to settle for less than a year's supply of hair care products.

You think other centers would have been cheaper? Bismack Biyombo came in at exactly the same deal, and other big men were considerably steeper—Al Horford (four years, $113 million), Hassan Whiteside (four years, $98 million), Andre Drummond (five years, $127 million) and Dwight Howard (three years, $70 million). If you'd be happier paying $64 million over four years for Timofey Mozgov, then by all means please move to Los Angeles.

Noah would be worth many millions of dollars to any team if all he did was sit on the sidelines roaring affirmations to his teammates and talking smack to LeBron James.

Yet he'll do much more than that. He's only two seasons removed from being Defensive Player of the Year, and even if he doesn't get back all of the agility and athleticism he once had, his leadership, defensive intensity and passing ability will improve the Knicks' fortunes.

Also, start your morning by reading or watching any interview with Noah about how excited he is to play in New York, and the feeling of elation it provides is worth at least $1 million. 

Courtney Lee: B+

Courtney Lee, SG: Four years, $48 million

Another reason to like the Noah deal is that he apparently helped the Knicks land their starting shooting guard. Courtney Lee told MSG Networks' Rebecca Harlow in the video above that Noah called him personally to recruit him.

It's a smart move for the Knicks. Lee got plenty of preparation to work alongside a driving, scoring point guard like Derrick Rose while running with Kemba Walker on the Charlotte Hornets during the second half of last season after the Memphis Grizzlies traded him.

Lee doesn't need the ball in his hands—he averaged only 9.6 points per game for Charlotte—but he's a top-notch three-and-D guy. He frustrates perimeter shooters, frees up scorers on his own team with solid screens and handoffs and can drill the beautiful catch-and-shoot buzzer-beating three-pointer for the win.

Plus, at 6'5", 200 pounds, he's a powerful guard, and when he drives to the hoop, opponents can feel it. With experience in Charlotte's fast-paced offense, Lee will have no problem if head coach Jeff Hornacek pushes the tempo.

Brandon Jennings: A+

Brandon Jennings, PG: One year, $5 million

This is a microscopic deal for a potentially fantastic backup point guard. Phil Jackson has apparently charged Brandon Jennings with becoming the next Six Man of the Year, per ESPN.com's Ian Begley.

Jennings is finally in New York after the Knicks passed him over in the 2009 NBA draft and after trade talks fizzled out last winter.

Instead of a triumphant return from a season-ending Achilles rupture, Jennings found that his team had already moved on and given his starting job to Reggie Jackson. He spent the 2015-16 season playing off the bench and getting traded to the Orlando Magic. Although his career averages are 15.5 points and 5.9 assists, last season amounted to only 6.9 points and 3.5 assists in 18.1 minutes.

However, Jennings is still a far better talent than other backup point guards the Knicks might have landed anywhere near this price point. He's healthy in a new setting and with a new attitude, so his performance can only benefit. 

Jennings seems to have thoroughly embraced his new role, as he told MSG Networks' Rebecca Harlow above:

"

Right now winning is everything and that's the only thing that matters. If coming off the bench is what I have to do, that's what I have to do to help the team win. You know, I don't mind coming off the bench behind a guy like Derrick Rose. You know, he's one of the best point guards still in this league, so I can learn a lot from him.

"

Lance Thomas: A

Lance Thomas, SF: Four years, $27 million

When the Knicks re-signed Lance Thomas, many people in New York breathed a big sigh of relief. As one of the most reliable, fundamentally sound players on the roster, Thomas improves the performance of the entire lineup, regardless of who else is around him.

Thomas is frequently the go-to guy for defending the opposition's best scorer, and he upped his own offensive game last year, shooting a career-high 40 percent behind the arc. He was on the radar of many teams and probably could have fetched a higher price. 

However, Thomas is a local boy, and New York is where he wanted to be. He told ESPN.com's Ian Begley: "I don’t want to be a losing Knick. I want to win in New York. My decision to come back was pretty easy. The moves we made made it even easier."

Sasha Vujacic: B

Sasha Vujacic, SG: One year, veteran minimum

You probably don't like it, but I like it.

If you stopped watching the Knicks play in February because they were dreadful, then you missed The Sasha Show in March and April. Vujacic took Arron Afflalo's starting spot because he injected those zombies with a dose of energy.

When Vujacic's shot was off, it was way off, but when it was on, the crowds screamed his name as buzzer-beaters and fall-back jumpers flowed like water.

Perhaps more importantly, Vujacic will set an example for the team's other backup 2-guard, Justin Holiday, and extol the virtues of consistent defense. Holiday steps up his D when facing an All-Star, but on most possessions, he'll meet a decent screen with a half-hearted wave goodbye to the opponent as he rolls to the bucket and scores.

For the veteran's minimum, Vujacic's presence as a role model—and someone to sub in if Holiday's D is abysmal—is worth it.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas: C+

Mindaugas Kuzminskas, SF: Two years, $6 million

Most of us don't know Mindaugas Kuzminskas, but some Team USA players from a couple of years back will remember him quite well from all the buckets he scored for Team Latvia.

Kuzminskas has good hops but hardly needs them because he's so long (6'9"), and he can score in a lot of ways. Phil Jackson explained the thinking in a press conference (via Maxwell Ogden of Fansided's Daily Knicks):

"

We needed a mobile, agile 3 who had some ability to shoot [from] distance and spread the court. He represents a player who’s probably going to take acclimating to the NBA. We understand that. We also think it gives us an opportunity to play smaller, quicker. A wider extension of spacing.

"

Kuzminskas is an accomplished player. He is a four-time Lithuanian All-Star and three-time Lithuanian national champion. He averaged 12 points and 3.4 rebounds on 48.6 percent shooting last season playing for Malaga in Spain.

The question marks center on his defense and his slender body's ability to stand up to the battery of NBA hard knocks. Regardless, the risk will be small.

Guillermo 'Willy' Hernangomez: B-

Guillermo "Willy" Hernangomez, C: Four years, $5.8 million

First things first: It's spelled "Willy" but pronounced like "Billy," according to an interview with ESPN.com's Ian Begley. If you don't know, now you do.

Signing Hernangomez was a good move, partly because it's time to find out if the Knicks' Eurostashing experiment will pay off, but more so because he fits the style the team is aiming for. 

With Noah and Kristaps Porzingis as the starting frontcourt and Hornacek expected to increase the tempo, the Knicks need a backup big who can run, move the ball and own the low post. Hernangomez should fit nicely. He told Begley: "I'm a center. I love playing in the low post. I like passing the ball to my teammates. ... I like to run and play fast like [head coach Jeff Hornacek] wants. I like to run the fast break."

Hernangomez is also a close friend of Porzingis, and they've played together before. If he's successful, these four years will go by too quickly.

Marshall Plumlee: C+

Marshall Plumlee, C: Two years, $2.5 million 

Yep, there's another M. Plumlee, and he also went to Duke. However, according to Marshall Plumlee, he has a little something his older NBA brothers, Miles and Mason, don't have. He told the New York Post's Marc Berman, "I don’t mind getting my hands dirty more than they do and getting my nose in there and getting physical."

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski gave his support and said the Knicks are getting a "perfect backup center" in Plumlee. Per SNY's Adam Zagoria, Coach K said:

"

He brings fundamentals and he's a leader. He's going to be an Army officer. He talks on defense. He'll screen, he'll play defense he'll rebound. And he doesn't need the ball. He just wants to make other people better. And they'll never be a practice where he's not enthusiastic. He's a perfect backup.

"

You should never underestimate on-court communication and rock-solid fundamentals in a league where some people are liabilities on the court. 

Plumlee represents a low- to no-risk proposition, but the question will be whether he fits when the Knicks quicken the pace.

Maurice N'Dour: B

Maurice N'Dour, SF-PF: Two years, $1.4 million

Anyone who watched the Knicks in last year's NBA Summer League remembers Maurice N'Dour. News broke Wednesday that the Knicks signed him to a two-year deal via sports journalist David Pick.

During 2014-15 summer league, N'Dour sometimes put the Knicks squad on his back with scoring performances, but what were particularly thrilling were his enthusiastic rebounding and monstrous blocks that came out of nowhere.

He brings an athleticism to the power forward position that Kyle O'Quinn lacks and a defensive mindset that the Knicks have yearned for.

The question mark, once again, is about injury. The Knicks were outbid for N'Dour last summer by the Dallas Mavericks, who cut him after he suffered a "stress reaction" in his left leg, according to The Vertical's Shams Charania. He signed with Madrid in December but did not play extensively. 

New York fans should be excited to see him back, but they'll have to keep their delight slightly in check until they see how fares.  

Contract figures per Spotrac.

Disagree with Sara Peters on Twitter @3Fromthe7.