Why Big-Name NBA Free Agents Should Consider the New York Knicks
For New York Knicks President Phil Jackson's front office this summer, the sales pitch to prospective free agents may not seem too appealing on the surface. Coming off the worst season in franchise history and led by a coach and president with minimal experience, the Knicks are a risky destination for any player seeking a new home this July.
But even for the biggest fish in the market, it could be a risk worth taking.
It's not often that 17-win teams enter an offseason as an expected player for big-name free agents. But the perks normally associated to the league's bottom feeders—a top draft pick, loads of cap space—are coupled with characteristics unique to these Knicks—a bona fide star centerpiece and one of the most decorated basketball minds in charge of player personnel.
While the Knicks may not be championship contenders next season, this summer brings an opportunity to take a gigantic stride toward that goal. It will take some convincing, but New York still may be able to snatch up a key piece via free agency.
'Melo's New Outlook
Lack of cap space kept the Knicks from free-agent forays these past few years, but even with some cash, it'd be easy to see why stars might have shied away. With Carmelo Anthony averaging 20.7 field-goal attempts per game over his Knicks tenure, and considering his ball-dominant nature, why would other scorers come to the Knicks simply to watch Anthony do all the work himself?
The triangle should inherently work to solve that issue, but regardless, the Knicks' highest-paid player is aware of the scenario described above—and he's doing everything in his power to reverse the stigma.
According to ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley, Anthony says he's open to being New York's second option should a top scorer want to sign on this summer:
"Oh yeah, I don't have a problem with that. If I had a chance to be the second option, I will definitely be the second option. That just takes the load off of me. For me, I don't have to go out there and do it every night. So I think everybody, All-Star players, we want that light, we want to be the focal point of our team, of our organization. But if we get somebody to come in and help us out, that's a load off of us. That's helpful to me, that's helpful to the other star that's coming in, that's helpful to the whole team.
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It may sound like an empty promise coming in April, but for a player as stubborn as he's been over his career—in terms of sticking to his particular playing style—this is a large step in a career-long maturation process.
Bleacher Report's Dan Favale outlined just how important these statements could be:
"If they're to enter the conversation for this summer's—as well as next summer's—grand prizes, [Anthony's] ability to paint a picture that depicts him as the willing sidekick is huge. Though Anthony is viewed as an asset in individual status, the chances of fellow superstars lining up to play the part of subordinate sidekick on a rebuilding team are slim in theory.
Joining up as the No. 1 option or part of a 1A-1B attack is exponentially easier. It assures players of Aldridge's and Gasol's ilk that they will, at the very least, be welcomed in as an equal—a notion further reinforced by Anthony's enthusiastic approach to the entire free-agency process.
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Specifically for LaMarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol (and Kevin Love should he opt out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers), knowing that Anthony is willing to share the spotlight is a major selling point. The last time Anthony was paired with a premier scorer over a full season was 2011-12, with a 29-year-old Amar'e Stoudemire. Stoudemire averaged 13.9 shots that campaign, just one year removed from hoisting 19 a game in 2010-11.
Though he's one of the most gifted scorers in the NBA, Anthony has never been someone free agents have lined up to play with. If he's a man of his word, this will change in July.
Triangle Breeds Multistar Success
The Knicks didn't get to showcase the triangle very well this past season, shuffling so many mediocre players in and out of the lineup while Anthony sat the majority. And although it's been years since the system has been deployed with legitimate NBA players, there's reason to believe it can successfully feature multiple stars.
Before this season, the most recent incarnation of the triangle was with Jackson's Los Angeles Lakers in the late 2000s. Led by Kobe Bryant, those teams sputtered without much playoff success until the addition of Pau Gasol in 2008—another ball-dominant scorer.
Over his three full seasons in the triangle, Gasol averaged 18.7 points, which is essentially equal to the 18.8 he averaged as the Memphis Grizzlies' focal point over the seven previous seasons. During his first full season in the system, the Lakers' 2008-09 championship campaign, he posted the best field-goal percentage of his career at 56.7 percent while scoring 18.9 points nightly as Option B to Bryant.
A decade prior on Jackson's Chicago Bulls, Scottie Pippen was able to eclipse the 20-point-per-game mark in four separate seasons, playing second fiddle to Michael Jordan.
Even with just a slight change in ideology from Anthony, Derek Fisher's offense should, in itself, help make a two-star system cohesive—no matter who is "Option 1A" or "Option 1B."
Based almost entirely off the opposing defense, New York's read-and-react offense is most effective when there are multiple capable scorers in the lineup. So long as Anthony is willing to secede the spotlight on occasion, the Knicks shouldn't have problems catering to another ball-dominant scorer.
Not Just Any Rookie
Never mind that silly winning streak the Knicks went on to end their season, giving the Minnesota Timberwolves the league's worst record by a single game. New York is still guaranteed a top-five pick, and each of the top five draft prospects can certainly help them build a winning model.
Jackson will have options no matter where the Knicks select. Should their 38.7 percent chance of landing a top-two overall selection come to fruition, Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns become instant selling points for free agents, rounding out what could be a dominant triangle. Anthony-Towns-Gasol? Anthony-Love-Okafor? Those trios could make up a winning nucleus right away and only get better in time.
If luck isn't on the Knicks' side and they fall to Nos. 3, 4 or 5, the options are still franchise-altering. Point guard prospects D'Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay seem ready to enter the starting lineup immediately and would both be able to score and pass well out of the triangle.
Justise Winslow, though lacking the flashy highlight reels that other prospects in this range are equipped with, is sound on both ends, as his impressive play in the NCAA tournament evidenced, garnering comparisons to Metta World Peace (via Will Hobson of The Washington Post).
When selling the Knicks to Gasol, Aldridge, Love, DeAndre Jordan or lesser-likely restricted free agents such as Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard, Jackson will be attempting to sell a largely barren roster—which could be a positive in that there's tons of spending room and a limitless team-building direction.
Or it's a negative in that there's no assurance of a winning construction.
But if one of the team's six contracted players is a rookie who could immediately make New York better, it's a selling point and proof to free agents that last season's suffering was in the name of long-term improvement.
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