New York Knicks Power Rankings: Rating Every Player Near Season's Halfway Point
Nearing the halfway point of the 2014-15 NBA season, the New York Knicks are in full-on tanking mode.
If the Knicks' terrible record wasn't enough to convince everyone of that, trading away Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith as a salary dump confirms it. Already lacking in talent, the Knicks are now in the same ballpark as the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers once you look past Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire.
After the roster shake-up—and with a fair amount of sample size for the remaining players—it's time to break down New York's individual performances so far. As a team, the Knicks obviously haven't clicked together, but with both eyes squarely on the future, it's worth seeing if certain players have put forth any redeemable performances.
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13. Andrea Bargnani
There's very little to say about Andrea Bargnani, since he's been out with a calf injury for the majority of the season. Given that this is a contract year for him, there were hopes that he might actually step up and make some major contributions, but he just hasn't had the opportunity yet.
12. Langston Galloway
Though he's been impressive in the two games he's played this season (averaging 13 points and three assists per night), it's difficult to place Langston Galloway above anyone on the roster who's played more games. It's simply too small a sample size to make a judgment at this point.
11. Travis Wear
The odds were stacked against Travis Wear to even make the opening day roster at all, so the fact that his contributions have been minimal until very recently isn't too surprising. It will be interesting to see if he can make a name for himself with a bit more playing time now that Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith are gone, after solid performances in recent outings.
10. Cleanthony Early
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At the time of the draft, Cleanthony Early looked like a steal for the Knicks in the second round. As it turns out, though, he hasn't had the opportunity to prove his worth in his rookie year.
The learning curve was going to be steep for Early in any case, but after missing almost two months with a knee injury and struggling to find consistent minutes even when healthy, things have been difficult for him.
Early has been averaging five points per game on 40 percent shooting, but since he's playing just 13.6 minutes per night, that's understandable. It is worth noting that since returning from injury on January 2, he's been averaging 8.2 points on 43 percent from the field; since Shumpert and Smith were traded, he has been averaging 23.9 minutes per game.
In the second half, we should see Early get more opportunities and hopefully climb up these rankings. There's no reason for the Knicks not to feature him in their present situation—he's one of the few role players who actually has a decent chance of returning next season.
9. Shane Larkin
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Shane Larkin's production has been fairly consistent all season. He's averaging just 5.8 points and 2.5 assists per game—numbers which provide an accurate description of his struggles. Put simply, he is not much of a scorer or creator.
In terms of the eye test, however, it's been an up-and-down year for Larkin. In the first week, he looked impressive, providing solid defense and explosiveness on offense, but in the long run filling in for Jose Calderon as the starter ended up highlighting all of his flaws as a player. More recently, now that he's had time to adjust to coming off the bench, Larkin has looked more comfortable.
As an undersized player (5'11", 175 lbs) without any standout skills, Larkin is going to continue to struggle to find a role in the NBA at the league's most stacked position. Phil Jackson had the foresight not to pick up his team option, and it does appear as though he's not going to be back in 2015-16 (and even if he is, re-signing him won't be a priority).
Larkin does bring a few unique things to the table with his speed and quick hands, but so far he has been unable to put together a package that would secure him a role on a competitive team.
8. Quincy Acy
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For the most part, Quincy Acy has met expectations this season. He was brought in to rebound and provide some toughness in the frontcourt, and he has done his job in that regard. As a former second-round pick on the minimum salary, it's hard to really ask much more of him.
Acy is averaging 9.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per 36 minutes this season and is shooting 52 percent from the field. He understands his limitations, and even while playing more minutes than he should be, he avoids stepping out of his comfort zone.
The real issue with Acy is that he shouldn't be in the role he's in. On a good team, he is the kind of player who might not see the court every night, much less start most games and consistently play over 20 minutes per night.
Most of his problems are a reflection of the Knicks' lack of talent. He's going head-to-head against starting-quality forwards every night, so that shouldn't detract from what he's shown as a potential role player next year, whether in New York or elsewhere.
7. Jason Smith
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Starting the season with a hot hand, Jason Smith has since come down to earth for the Knicks, but his numbers are essentially still in line with his career production.
He shot 55 percent from the field through his first eight games but is now shooting just 43 percent overall. He is, however, averaging 14.3 points per 36 minutes, which is a slight upgrade of his career average of 13.1 points.
Though Smith has never been a particularly good rebounder or defender, his contributions in those areas have been pretty appalling for a 7-footer. His 6.1 rebounds per night are by far the lowest of his career, while defensively he's struggled without a major presence in the frontcourt after growing accustomed to playing alongside Anthony Davis.
Like Acy, Smith is simply a bench player, and he hasn't been able to step up for the Knicks when they've needed someone to support the few quality players on the roster. For the most part (especially on offense) his struggles shouldn't be held against him.
6. Cole Aldrich
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Despite impressing toward the end of the 2013-14 season, Cole Aldrich struggled to find minutes early in the campaign, falling behind Samuel Dalembert and Jason Smith in the depth chart. He appeared just 14 times in the team's first 27 games, averaging 9.1 minutes per night.
Recently, however, Aldrich has been getting opportunities to play and has made the most of them. Since December 18, he's averaging 10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per game starting at center, with three impressive double-doubles over the course of those 12 games.
Aldrich has established himself as the best and most willing rebounder on the team, and he also contributes efficiently on offense, shooting 51 percent and finding good looks in the paint.
In the second half, Aldrich may just be the player to watch for the Knicks. He isn't suddenly going to emerge as an elite prospect, but at his current rate he's definitely someone the front office should consider keeping around.
5. Pablo Prigioni
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Pablo Prigioni's talents are wasted on a team like the Knicks, but on the rare occasions that they look competent on the court, he usually has something to do with it.
For what it's worth, Prigioni is averaging 5.1 points (a career high) and 2.7 assists per game for the Knicks, but his value can't really be measured with stats. He makes players around him better, but completing that task on a regular basis for a team without much talent usually means creating something out of nothing.
Without a doubt, he has been one of the Knicks' best players this season, but he's not a great fit right now. At his age (37), he's the type of player who should be working off the bench for an elite team in the hunt for a title, not trying to be a glue guy for a team that simply doesn't have the pieces to be glued together.
Still, with such a young rotation now, Prigioni can help the Knicks as an on-court extension of the coach—something that will be particularly useful next year once more talent is brought in through the draft and possibly restricted free agency.
4. Jose Calderon
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Jose Calderon's return was the Knicks' last hope of turning the season around, but it hasn't worked out. Through 26 games, he's been disappointing, averaging just 9.3 points and a career-low 4.3 assists per game and shooting 40 percent from the field (another career low).
The fact that he appears so high in these rankings is a testament to New York's lack of talent. Even in a down year for his standards, he's a cut above most players in the rotation.
While Calderon could bounce back—especially when he gets more talent to work with—it's not a surprise that the Knicks are looking to get rid of him and his contract by the trade deadline. According to CBS Sports' Ken Berger, he could be the next player on the move in a salary dump following Shumpert and Smith.
With assets all but dried up outside of Tim Hardaway Jr., moving Calderon will be difficult, especially considering that he's now visibly on the decline. Given how deep the NBA is at point guard, few teams will be willing to pay $15.1 million for Calderon over the next two years.
3. Tim Hardaway Jr.
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After Shumpert's departure, Tim Hardaway Jr. is the last of the Knicks' marquee prospects, but it remains to be seen if he'll be kept long-term or used to sweeten another salary dump.
It's been an interesting, if at times confusing, year for Hardaway. Early on, he struggled to find minutes behind Shumpert and Smith, although in hindsight it's possible that the Knicks were giving them as much opportunity as possible to raise their trade value.
Rumors from ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard of a feud with Carmelo Anthony added further reason to believe Hardaway may have been out of favor in New York, but those were quickly snuffed out by Melo.
Of the Knicks' remaining players, Hardaway is now second on the team in both minutes played and total points scored, behind only Anthony. He's averaging 10.9 points per game on 38 percent shooting, and though his efficiency has gone down, he appears to be much the same player he was in his rookie year overall.
Hardaway does have a lot to work to do in diversifying his game. His contributions defensively and on the boards are often lackluster, and offensively he has the talent to get to the rim and find better shots more often. Still, he is unquestionably the team's premier prospect right now and has shown significantly more than most of his teammates.
If the Knicks keep a hold of Hardaway through the deadline, he'll still have plenty of work to do to prove himself. The Knicks turned their surplus of shooting guards into a shortage, but Hardaway showing further signs of development in the second half will help soften the blow.
2. Amar'e Stoudemire
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It's a shame that Amar'e Stoudemire's time with the Knicks is coming to an end in such an inconsequential season, but the fact that he's continuing to produce at a consistent level has been one of the team's few bright spots this season.
While STAT is well past his superstar days and doesn't appear to have a future with the franchise, he has been here for five years, and after all he's gone through with injuries, it's nice to see his career is still intact. The Knicks and their fans no longer have a real vested interest in him, but it's hard not to want him to succeed after watching his hard work since 2010.
Stoudemire is averaging 17.9 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes, and his 56 percent shooting from the field is the highest he's posted since 2008 when he was a member of the Phoenix Suns.
The Knicks will almost certainly renounce Stoudemire's rights at the end of the season—they'll have to if they want to be spenders in free agency—but if he's still around later in the offseason and is willing to sign a more reasonable contract, it would make sense to bring him back.
1. Carmelo Anthony
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This has been a down year for Carmelo Anthony, but that has as much to do with injuries, a lack of supporting talent and a new system as it does with himself.
His scoring has dropped from 27.4 points per game to just 23.9 points per game, but on the bright side he's continuing to shoot over 45 percent from the field, despite a tough shooting stretch earlier in the year.
After signing his new $124 million contract, Melo is clearly in this for the long run, and so there isn't much to be gained for him in a season like this. This team doesn't have the talent to be competitive, and it makes sense for him to rest as much as necessary when all that's left to play for is pride.
In the second half, we should see Anthony's minutes drop and with it his production, too. It won't be a big deal, though—he's the one player on the team without anything to prove to the front office in terms of his value moving forward.
When Melo is on the court, it would be nice to see him step up as a leader. He isn't suddenly going to turn this team around single-handedly, but with a bunch of young players in the rotation, this is a great situation for him to hone his leadership skills without any real pressure.
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