NY Knicks: 10 Reasons This Summer Is Shaping Up as a Nightmare

It's been an eventful summer for the New York Knicks, as the team is scrambling to keep all its pieces in place for another playoff appearance next spring.

In free agency, general manager Glen Grunwald has already re-signed a couple of role players, while the reclaiming of Jeremy Lin and Landry Fields is not quite official.

For outside hires, the Knicks went with a couple of elder statesmen. In the draft, they used their lone pick on a player who's staying in Greece for now.

The New York front office put a lot of work and a lot of money into maintaining a mediocre team. Here's a breakdown of the 10 reasons this summer is shaping up as a nightmare for the franchise.

The Landry Fields Predicament

New York Knicks small forward Landry Fields is a decent role player who's been impressive in his first couple years in the league, considering he was picked late in the second round of the 2010 NBA draft.

The 6'7" wing signed an offer sheet with the Toronto Raptors, a proposed three-year deal upwards of $20 million total.

Six-plus million per year doesn't sound outlandish, but remember Fields is the fifth or sixth-best player on the Knicks (Melo, Amare, Chandler, Lin and Smith ahead of him).

He hasn't reached double-digit scoring averages yet, and he's a streaky outside shooter. He disappeared for long stretches of last season. Bottom line: he's not worth it, but the Knicks will entertain the possibility of matching the offer.

Risky Commitment to Steve Novak

New York fans shouldn't be concerned that the team slightly overspent to re-sign sharpshooter Steve Novak.

It's the four-year commitment that's unnerving.

Novak is a one-dimensional player, so locking in a reserve like him for four years is risky.

Yahoo Sports' Eric Freeman explains that Novak has been a benchwarmer for the majority of his career, with the exception of his stint with the Knicks, so the long-term faith is questionable:

"

"...And with that kind of length, we have to wonder if the Knicks might be overreacting to a few good months from Novak."

"

Chandler and Melo at the Olympics

Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler's time in London has it's pros and cons for the Knicks.

The Olympics will be a great experience for Tyson Chandler and it will make him a better all-around center, but that's pretty much the only Olympic benefit for New York.

The disadvantages are threefold:

1. Overall wear and tear from London could get the pair off to a slow start next fall.

2. The ever-present risk of injury due to extended playing.

3. Less time to workout and build chemistry with teammates in voluntary sessions.

No Shumpert Until Mid-Season

Instead of working on his game to prepare for his sophomore season, Iman Shumpert is spending this summer just trying to regain his footing.

Shumpert is a promising young player, but his ACL injury sets his development back and compromises the team's depth heading into next season.

Shortly following his injury and surgery, Shumpert emphasized that he won't rush his return (a wise move for all involved), and that he doesn't expect to come back until December at the earliest.

His progress and eventual return is just another thing for New York brass to keep an eye on this summer.

Mediocre Draft

The Knicks want to win immediately, so their selection of Greek forward Kostas Papanikolau is highly questionable.

Before he was even drafted, Papanikolau made it clear that he would most likely stay in Europe for another season until before actually putting on an NBA uniform.

New York needs an infusion of young talent that can contribute to the championship chase, albeit in a limited role.

Why take a risk on a European who isn't coming to the states any time soon? Kyle O'Quinn, Kris Joseph or William Buford would have been better choices.

Getting Older, Part I

You can't quantify the value Jason Kidd brings to the Knicks with his leadership and court vision, but you can quantify the fact that he's 39 and coming off his worst season statistically.

In over 28 minutes per game in 2011-12, Kidd scored 6.2 points and dished 5.5 assists. Those numbers are unimpressive, and they'll go down this year as he gets fewer minutes.

Kidd might be chasing a second ring, and New York wants to compete in the East as soon as possible, but this is not a marriage that's going to help get it done.

Getting Older, Part II

As if acquiring one player pushing 40 wasn't enough, Glen Grunwald pulled some strings to get another one.

Veteran center Marcus Camby will be a nice addition to provide some rebounding and rim protection, but he's an injury-prone 38-year-old. Camby's missed 58 games during the last four seasons.

At this point in his career, he's fairly one dimensional. He's not going to put pressure on opponents from an offensive standpoint.

Similar to Kidd, Camby isn't a player that you can keep in the game for long stretches in the playoffs against teams like Indiana, Chicago, Miami or Boston.

Re-Signing Smith: In the Team's Best Interest?

Free agent J.R. Smith re-signed with New York for a modest $2.8 million with an option for a second year, but is he worth it, even at that price?

He's a high-volume shooter who will put a strain on the chemistry-building process on both ends of the floor. Combine that with the potential for off-court distractions, and it makes him an unattractive addition.

Bleacher Report's Kelly Scaletta breaks down the shooting guard's deficiencies on both ends of the court:

"

Smith is a long way from an efficient scorer. He has a lifetime field-goal percentage of .428, and last year, he was just .435. That's not very good. 

It might be acceptable if he were a great defensive player as well, but he's not. In fact, he's a below-average defensive player at best. Last year, he had an oPER of 16.2. He gave up an utterly horrendous 1.02 points per play, based on Synergy data.

"

The Jeremy Lin Drama

Through no fault of his own, Jeremy Lin finds himself surrounded by drama.

He'll ultimately re-sign with the Knicks, as New York plans to match the Houston Rockets' offer sheet. But Grunwald will pay a pretty penny for Lin, as the offer sheet is roughly $29 million. There are plenty of doubters who are publicly questioning whether Lin is worth that price from a basketball perspective.

Then there's the drama involving Lin's rumored anger at the Knicks for not offering him a deal before Houston, a rumor Lin quickly dismissed.

From a global marketing standpoint, Lin is worth every dime, but the public relations precariousness this offseason has been a headache.

Unresolved Chemistry Issues

All of the aforementioned concerns and problems are linked to the topic of whether the Knicks can build championship-caliber chemistry.

The veteran newcomers will transition to Mike Woodson's system nicely, but the rest of the group will have a tougher time connecting.

Can Carmelo Anthony come back from London and improve his compatibility with Amare Stoudemire? Will Iman Shumpert fit into the group in the middle of the season with a clearly-defined role? How will the point guards mesh with the different lineup rotations?

Those are a lot of moving parts, and it will be an uphill battle for New York to resolve everything and make a deep playoff run.