Power Ranking Every NY Knicks Player Heading into 2015 NBA All-Star Break
For perspective, it's important to remember the New York Knicks have seen worse days. Their current 10-43 record stands as the NBA's worst entering the All-Star break, but for the first time in decades, there are several points of intrigue up and down the roster.
With only four current Knicks guaranteed a spot on next year's squad, the remainder of 2015 is about development—or, more accurately, throwing a bunch of everything against the wall and seeing if anything sticks.
Compared to years past, when Knicks rosters had been almost as futile with even more bloated, long-term salaries, Phil Jackson's strategy seems brilliant. It's landed the team at least one keeper in Langston Galloway, while Lance Thomas could be another midseason acquisition to score a role on next year's roster.
It certainly isn't the most talented bunch, but it is an interesting one for Knicks fans who've grown accustomed to overpaid, seasoned veterans clogging the payroll.
15 Though 11
1 of 11
15. Andrea Bargnani
Maybe Derek Fisher's triangle could have helped Andrea Bargnani finally fit into the Knicks' scheme. We may never know. To date, he's suited up for only four games due to injury. Over 53 minutes, he's shot 36 percent. As his contract's expiration grows near, he'll surely be a buyout candidate, as the Knicks look to stockpile potential future assets.
14. Cleanthony Early
It's been a rocky rookie campaign for the Knicks' second-round draft choice. Between Fisher's reluctance to rely on the forward afnd a long road back from early-season knee surgery, Cleanthony Early has appeared in just 18 games, shooting just 35.5 percent. Once Carmelo Anthony (injury) and Amar'e Stoudemire (potential buyout) are no longer in the fold, Early's role should increase, which can only help his development.
13. Travis Wear
Making the team as a non-guaranteed invitee out of training camp, Travis Wear could have a future in the league. His playing time has dipped significantly lately, but like Early, he should get significant time once Anthony and Stoudemire's roles open up. The 6'10" forward brings versatile size to the lineup, shooting the three at 37.5 percent.
12. Shane Larkin
Getting legitimate minutes for the first time in his NBA career, Shane Larkin has essentially used 2014-15 as his rookie year, after battling injuries and failing to enter Rick Carlisle's rotation last season. His 5'11" frame has played a negative factor, as he has often been swallowed up at the rim—that is, when he decides to shoot. He's seemed too passive with the ball, regularly passing layups away to teammates with more difficult looks. If he can improve his floater, it would do wonders for his future in the league.
11. Cole Aldrich
The Knicks have cycled through several bigs this season, but Cole Aldrich has managed to remain part of the picture through most of the year. His 7-foot size is promising, though his offensive repertoire leaves much to be desired—regardless of how entertaining those hook shots are. He impacts the game defensively but is shooting just 38-of-108 on shots beyond three feet.
10. Quincy Acy
2 of 11
For a while, Quincy Acy's role on this Knicks team had expanded further than anyone predicted before the year. He found himself starting most of the team's games through December and was averaging five points and five boards over 21 minutes through the first two months.
But that's about how long it took for the Knicks to realize what Acy is. He's not a bad player to have—a hard-nosed grinder who grabs rebounds and doesn't take shots out of his range. But this particular team was relying on the 24-year-old far too much.
Over a 10-game span from Dec. 21 through Jan. 10, Acy was hoisting 7.4 attempts per night—more than four shots over his career average. Since then, he's logged less than 11 minutes nightly over 10 games.
For a 6'7" combo forward with no reliable jump shot, it's hard to make a living in today's league. Though Acy makes sure the opposition feels his fouls for days, he's not a particularly great defender; however, his rebounding metrics are impressive.
He's due for a qualifying offer this summer, but desperate for as much spending room as possible, the Knicks may let Acy walk after one season in New York.
9. Jason Smith
3 of 11
On a one-year deal for the mini-mid-level exception clocking in around $3 million, Jason Smith is still a relative bargain. A 7-footer with shooting range that extends past the three-point line brings versatility to any offense. When he is placed in the right lineups, his defense isn't bad enough to significantly hurt your chances.
Like several role players on this year's Knicks, in major minutes, Smith's weaknesses have been exposed repeatedly throughout the year. They may not be things we didn't know previously, but now with a career high in total minutes, the 28-year-old has been exploited at times.
The Knicks have been 10 points better per 100 possessions with Smith off the floor, according to Basketball-Reference. He's averaged career lows per 36 minutes in boards with 6.4 and blocks with 0.6.
It's become clear that Smith is better integrated as a stretch 4, which wasn't always the case as Derek Fisher constantly tried to find his best fit at center. For better results in the second half, Smith should exclusively play alongside a true center and should definitely look to expound on his recent success with the corner three.
8. Lance Thomas
4 of 11
In his fourth NBA season, perhaps all Lance Thomas needed for success was a trip back home. The Brooklyn native signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Knicks after a three-team trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, and he has signed on for the rest of the season.
Thomas wasn't able to make much of his extended burn with OKC when the Thunder were deprived of bodies early on, and he played just 15 minutes total from Dec. 11 until his Knicks debut on Jan. 15. Since, the 26-year-old has impacted a few games on both ends for New York.
He's posted two 16-point games and one 17-point game, averaging 10 points and three boards over 25 minutes with the Knicks. He shoots almost exclusively from inside the arc but has shot 51 percent from between 10 and 16 feet and 36 percent from between 16 and the three-point line.
His long reach and decent athleticism could make for an excellent defensive skill set with more comfort in the system.
7. Lou Amundson
5 of 11
Some would say it's typical of the Knicks to find success in someone like Lou Amundson—the type of player they've needed for the last three seasons. Now, after a pair of 10-day contracts, the 32-year-old will likely man the middle for New York the rest of the year.
It's been well-earned, too. After playing in 79 total minutes over 12 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers and looking all but washed up in his ninth season, Amundson may be the Knicks' most consistent big. He's almost never a factor offensively—aside from 17-point showing on Jan. 29 against the Indiana Pacers, his most since March 3, 2012—but he does a good job at protecting the rim while doing decently on the glass. He's posted a pair of double-digit rebounding contests while averaging 24 minutes per night.
The Knicks have been 12.2 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor, via Basketball-Reference, which is the best mark of his career by far. ESPN.com ranks him 28th at his position in defensive real plus-minus.
6. Pablo Prigioni
6 of 11
At 10-43, the Knicks now have little use for Pablo Prigioni, a 37-year-old backup point guard who specializes in drilling open threes and creating looks for teammates. The quality of those teammates in New York is hardly enough to make the best use of Prigioni's talents, which explains the team's search for a deal to move him, via Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Prigioni's shooting numbers have regressed in his third NBA campaign, which could simply be a result of a bad team rather than deterioration. He's still shot better than 37 percent from three, though that mark was a near-league-best 46.4 percent in 2013-14.
The Argentine specializes in emphasizing ball movement to stagnant offenses, which was key under Mike Woodson but is not as necessary in the triangle, which helps alleviate that issue on its own. The Cleveland Cavaliers could be interested in the 6'3" guard, considering his positive impact on Carmelo Anthony over his Knicks career.
Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal wrote in January:
"Anthony has shot much better (51%, instead of 43%) and scored more (42 points per 100 plays, up from 31) when Prigioni is on the floor this year. And that’s always been the trend. In their three seasons together, Anthony has made 49% of his shots (up from 44%), including 43% of his three-pointers (up from 37%) when he plays with Prigioni.
“I love playing with Pablo,” Anthony said recently. “I would have loved to see him come over sooner. It sucks, because he picked up [the American game] so quickly and fits perfectly, and now that he has, he’s toward the end of his career.”
"
Despite his age, Prigioni can still have a role on a contending team. On this one, though, his impact is limited.
5. Jose Calderon
7 of 11
New York was certainly wishing to get more out of Jose Calderon when it acquired the 33-year-old last June. But even in a down season, he's still one of the more reliable Knicks when it comes to running the offense.
He leads the Knicks with 4.6 assists over 30 minutes per game, while his 43.8 three-point clip also leads the team. Fisher has tempered the veteran's minutes, with Shane Larkin and Langston Galloway also getting showcased at the position.
Calderon is far from a scoring guard, but he's reached double figures 13 times. The personnel on this team hardly fit his style of attacking, which largely consists of driving to create for teammates. This year, he's accumulated 54 "bad pass" turnovers through just 39 games, according to Basketball-Reference, whereas he totaled 68 over a full season last year.
Fully understanding the new offense has a lot to do with Calderon's struggles, although he was despite being perceived as a prototypical triangle point man. He's holding his own shooting the three-ball. From the corners, where the triangle is supposed to place him more frequently, he's shooting 56 percent, though those only account for 19.2 percent of his total threes.
The constant roster shuffling hasn't helped Calderon in his inaugural Knicks campaign, but there's still hope for him moving forward, if Phil Jackson elects to retain him.
4. Langston Galloway
8 of 11
It may not be hyperbole to say that the Knicks have needed a player like Langston Galloway for a couple of years. Since the rookie made his debut after a NBA Developmental League call-up on Jan. 7, his style of play on both ends has given the team a much better chance, as New York's record with him indicates.
The five games they've won over Galloway's 16 games matches the five they won in the 37 before his arrival. His call-up was accompanied by the infusion of plenty of other new blood as well, but the 6'2" combo guard has had the biggest impact.
He's averaged just less than 30 minutes per night and has been in the starting backcourt since Jan. 19. His ability to drive and attack the rim has opened up the team's offense in ways that weren't available previously, without any bona fide scorers in the backcourt (aside from possibly J.R. Smith, who was predominantly a jump-shooter).
His 2.7 drives per game are second on the team, only to Shane Larkin's 3.2, according to NBA.com's player tracking data provided by SportVu. Though at 5'11", Larkin's drives only have so much of an effect on a defense.
Below is a table, via NBA.com, of Galloway's defensive player tracking numbers. "Diff%" is the difference in field-goal percentage between when Galloway is guarding a shooter and the league average clip from that spot. In all cases, the rookie holds shooters to lesser field-goal marks.
| Overall | 14 | 14 | 3.5 | 9.9 | 35.3 | 100% | 43.6 | -8.4 |
| 3 Pointers | 14 | 12 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 27.3 | 31.7% | 34.7 | -7.5 |
| 2 Pointers | 14 | 14 | 2.6 | 6.8 | 38.9 | 68.3% | 47.1 | -8.2 |
| Less Than 6 Ft | 14 | 12 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 39.1 | 16.5% | 59.2 | -20.1 |
| Less Than 10 Ft | 14 | 14 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 39.1 | 33.1% | 53.1 | -14.0 |
| Greater Than 15 Ft | 14 | 13 | 2.1 | 6.0 | 35.7 | 60.4% | 37.2 | -1.5 |
Both on the ball and off it, Galloway has provided the Knicks with missing traits over his first NBA month. The only thing keeping him from higher placement on this list is the small sample size.
One of the first true two-way players New York has had over the last few seasons, it'll be interesting to see how he's integrated next year on a possibly much-improved roster.
3. Tim Hardaway Jr.
9 of 11
Tim Hardaway Jr.'s second NBA season has been almost like his rookie campaign, just a bit worse.
Still, on this putrid Knicks team, it's difficult to say any non-past-All-Star Knick is more talented. Hardaway hasn't necessarily earned this placement (which will rise in the coming days after a certain roster move), but on this roster, No. 3 is all his.
Going into the season as the third option at shooting guard behind Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith, Hardaway was the odd man out of the rotation for a while. He averaged just 11 minutes over the first four games and 17 over the first 23.
Then, the two guys ahead of him on the depth chart got traded. And here we are.
In a lot of ways, Hardaway could have benefited from a full season buried on the depth chart. Over his rookie season, he proved he can be relied on as a scorer. The improvements that needed to be made were in every other facet: defending, rebounding and facilitating. And now, with Anthony, Stoudemire and J.R. Smith either gone or soon to be out of the 2014-15 picture, the Knicks will be relying on Hardaway's offense out of necessity.
He's averaged 24 minutes per night during his 16 games since the trade, including five starts. He's shot 38 percent, including 35 percent from three-point territory. On the season, he's averaging 11 points, one point higher than last season's mark, but on 1.5 more shots. His effective field-goal clip has dipped five points from that rookie season.
Hardaway has plenty of tools to work with. He's athletic enough to get to the rim and finish, while his jumper is typically reliable. Putting that athleticism to uses other than scoring will need to be the 22-year-old's next step in his development.
2. Amar'e Stoudemire
10 of 11
Once again, Amar'e Stoudemire can call himself the Knicks' second-best player—at least while he's still on the Knicks, which may not be long at all. According to the New York Daily News' Peter Botte, Stoudemire and the Knicks are discussing buyout terms and could have an agreement in place by the end of the All-Star break.
“Obviously playing these 13 years and through the few injuries, Father Time is ticking. So you know that you want to take advantage of good health when you can and try to win a championship when you can,” Stoudemire said via the Daily News.
The Dallas Mavericks (per Tim McMahon and Marc Stein of ESPN.com), Golden State Warriors (per Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News) and Phoenix Suns (per Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post) have been rumored in the anticipated Amar'e Sweepstakes, which will be much less expensive than the one that landed STAT in New York.
This season, through sore ankles and knees, Stoudemire is the Knicks' second-leading scorer with 12.2 points per game over 24.3 minutes. His 6.9 rebounds lead the club, while his boarding percentages are higher than they've been since his early 20s.
Clearly not able to carry the bulk of a scoring load anymore, Stoudemire still seems fit to provide 20 minutes off the bench in a scoring role for a contender. This year, at age 32, he's even shown improvements on the defensive end, which the Knicks could have used a few years ago. His team defending and scheme awareness are what they are, but on the ball, Stoudemire has held his opponents to a 6 percent decrease in average field-goal percentage, per NBA.com player tracking data provided by SportVu.
Stoudemire has weathered several storms over his four-and-a-half years with the Knicks, and it seems that the time to move on has finally come. The present-day version can only have a finite impact on a terrible Knicks team, but for a squad that is looking for a scoring punch on the second team, Stoudemire can be of some help.
1. Carmelo Anthony
11 of 11
Rounding out the Knicks' power rankings is none other than their best player, Cole Aldrich. Cole connects on his magnificent hook shot at a 100 percent field-goal clip, drives the team's revenue up single-handedly and is sure to receive his long-awaited max-extension offer from Phil Jackson in the coming days.
None of that is true. Carmelo Anthony is the Knicks' best player.
He may not be the team's smartest player, opting to delay knee surgery so that he can play in the All-Star Game and eventually tweaking it so badly he may just miss the event anyway.
“Of course I want to, I’d love to play, but if I can’t, I can’t. I won’t even try to force it," he said Tuesday, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. "Even though the game will be in New York and I’d love to play in front of that crowd, if I can’t go, I can’t go."
The team says Anthony is dealing with tendon damage, and surgery would require eight weeks of rehab.
Miraculously, with the knee issue, Anthony has somehow been very effective. Over his 10 games since Jan. 15, he's posted 25 points per night while shooting 39 percent from three-point range and grabbing 6.6 rebounds. Before re-injuring the knee against the Miami Heat on Monday, he had scored 26 and was facilitating more than we'd seen in weeks.
It's difficult to gauge 'Melo's acceptance of the triangle and the effects it's had on his game, given the poor shape he's been in all year. But performance aside, compared to last year, his usage remains the same, while his assists are up and turnovers are down, according to Basketball-Reference. When kicking out to three-point shooters, his teammates are 40-of-98, or nearly 41 percent, according to NBA.com player tracking data provided by SportVu.
The system seems to be a fit for Anthony. Now all Phil Jackson needs is about 10 new players. And for his star to hurry up and have his knee repaired and healed in time for next season.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
