New York Knicks: 5 Reasons Marc Gasol Could Make the Team a Contender

After the New York Knicks were trounced on their home floor by the Orlando Magic, there was a man in the middle. Dwight Howard went on to score 33 points, corral 11 rebounds, and block three shots en route to a 111-99 Orlando Magic victory.

For those of you who are not surprised to see such a productive stat line by one of the most athletic big men in the game, consider this: The Knicks give up 105.61 PPG, and they are in the bottom five teams in basketball in the amount of points they relinquish in the paint. Meaning that whether the Knicks are playing against an elite center of Dwight Howard's stature or a mediocre one, the results don't differ as much as one might think.

As of right now, whenever the Knicks go up against a team in the NBA with a seven footer with average skills, they are almost guaranteed to lose the game. With the only sizable players being Amar'e Stoudemire, who plays shoddy defense at best, and Ronny Turiaf, who brings tremendous energy but is undersized at the center position standing at only 6'9" (no I am not counting Jared Jeffries), the Knicks playoff hopes, let alone hopes of winning a title remain slim.

When teams play the Knicks, they realize that in order to beat them, all that must be done are two things: Feed the ball inside and get Amar'e in foul trouble, which is easy to do since he is playing out of position at Center.

If the Knicks were to bring in Marc Gasol, his size would catapult the Knicks into the upper echelon of teams, since his presence on the inside would cause a positive ripple effect throughout the team, allowing everyone to play more comfortably and with more intensity.

Get ready to see what the Knicks would look like with a defensive big man in the middle. Don't believe it's possible? Just read for yourself. 

Marc Gasol Can Match Up Against Any Center in the League

Marc Gasol Defending his big brother Pau Gasol

Weighing in at 265 pounds and towering over most of the opponents he encounters at a whopping 7'1", Marc Gasol uses his physicality to overwhelm his adversary on the offensive and defensive end.

As was mentioned previously, the Knicks have been overwhelmed in the paint, allowing anyone who comes within 10 feet of the basket to dominate the Knicks' undersized centers. However, with Marc Gasol clogging the paint, mediocre post players whom the Knicks usually struggle with would have to think twice about driving to the hole.

The Knicks would no longer have to experiment with a center by committee type of scheme, since Gasol would give them their first established Center in a very long time. He affords them them the luxury of having someone who can contribute on both ends of the floor, eradicating offensive liabilities like Shelden Williams and Jared Jeffries from the rotation.

His Presence Would Benefit Amar'e Stoudemire Immensely

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CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 25: Amar'e Stoudemire #1 of the New York Knicks stands at the free throw line during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 25, 2011 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledg

Possibly the biggest beneficiary of this signing would be Amar'e Stoudemire, since having such a force at center would allow Amar'e to play at power forward, which is his natural position.

Playing alongside the brutish Gasol, Amar'e would be matching up against players who are his own height or shorter, making it easier for him to improve defensively. In order to maximize the Knicks chances of becoming an elite team in the NBA, Amar'e must improve upon this facet of his game.

Since Amar'e would be playing at his natural position, he would not be predisposed to getting into foul trouble as easily, since Gasol would take over as the man in the middle. This occurrence would allow the coach to monitor STAT's minutes the way he wants, instead of being forced to take Amar'e out of the game from fouling out.

Gasol's presence allows Amar'e two indulgences on defense. He would be able to take more chances to go for the steal on players, since Gasol is right behind him patrolling the paint. Secondly, he would be able to guard players on the perimeter more, making it harder for them to get off a clean shot.

If used correctly, the acquisition of Gasol could make the Knicks offense even more potent. Since he is a substantial rebounder and serviceable scorer, opposing teams would have to keep a body on him at all times. This would allow Stoudemire to utilize his combination of agility and athleticism to overwhelm his opponents one on one more, since he is less likely to face as many double teams as he does now.

The Knicks would become a tough team to guard on offense overall as well, since Gasol's occupancy in the lane allows the Knicks perimeter players to swing the ball more and shoot with confidence knowing they have Stoudemire and Gasol down low to clean up the boards, and afford them with more second chance opportunities.

His Defense and Toughness Would Be Invaluable to the Knicks

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LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 02: Marc Gasol #33 of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts after committing a foul against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Staples Center on January 2, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The Grizzlies defeated the Lakers

It is clear from watching Gasol play that the effort and toughness he exudes on the court is indelible in every play he makes and is intrinsic to the style which he prides himself on. For him, toughness is not a facet of the game; it is the game. Whether you are watching him execute a game-changing block or hurtle an opponent to apprehend a rebound, you are just witnessing one of the game's most underrated big men refining his craft one play at a time.

As of right now, the only player that brings toughness and heart to the Knicks in the paint is Ronny Turiaf. Unfortunately, since he is undersized, playing center can get him into early foul trouble, leaving the Knicks with a gaping hole in the middle for the remainder of the game.

With Marc Gasol, the Knicks go from a defensive liability to a defensive stalwart with a forceful player like Marc manning the middle and gobbling up loose rebounds.

He will inject energy into a team that, as of late, is thirsting for it. With Mike D'Antoni clearly losing control of his new team, many have made excuses for the Knicks, stating that the team is new and it will take time to get used to playing with one another and learning the tendencies of each others games.

While this may be true, effort and chemistry have nothing to do with one another. Effort is your individual energy exerted towards a goal, whether it's diving for a loose ball and coming away with it or out-muscleing someone for a rebound in order to give your team another possession. For the Knicks, Gasol would provide them another layer as a team that would improve their chances on making their way to the top. 

He Would Give the Knicks Front Court Depth

A twosome of Marc Gasol and Ronny Turiaf would allow Amar'e Stoudemire to operate on the offensive end, and focus on scoring the basketball, while they take care of the dirty work on defense.

The Knicks would go from cellar dwellers to one of the most intriguing front courts in the NBA. With Gasol starting, the Knicks would be able to bring Ronny Turiaf off the bench, allowing him to energize the second unit and allowing the coach to feel comfortable, since he will not lose any defensive intensity if he wanted to give Gasol a rest.

However, the signing of Gasol would pay the biggest dividends for the Knicks come playoff time when they are faced with playing teams who have more than one talented big man such as the Celtics, Bulls, Lakers, Mavericks, etc. When facing these teams, the Knicks would be able to match up inside with all the elite teams, having the luxury of choosing from Turiaf, Stoudemire and Gasol to defend the middle.

Pairing Gasol and Turiaf would be reminiscent of the toughness and defense brought when Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason were protecting the paint for the roughneck Knicks teams of the 90's. Even though Gasol's passing ability is not on par with Oakley's, and Turiaf and Mason have subtle differences in their games as well, the hustle and energy brought by Turiaf and Gasol would make Oak and Mase proud.

He Would Improve the Knicks Rebounding Tremendously

The Knicks would become a tough team to guard on offense overall, since Gasol's occupancy in the lane allows the Knicks perimeter players to swing the ball more and shoot with confidence, knowing they have Amar'e Stoudemire and Marc Gasol down low to clean up the boards and afford them with more second chance opportunities.

While statistics are useful, they do not always tell the whole story. This is one of those cases where we need to look behind the statistics in order to be more accurate when pinpointing Marc's rebounding capabilities. He averages 6.8 rebounds per game. While at first glance this may not be so impressive, it is important to note that he plays with one of the NBA's supreme rebounders in Zach Randolph, who is currently averaging 12.5 rebounds per game.

Randolph also tends to shoot from the perimeter, often resulting in an easier rebound. Since his shot is from further out, the ball usually bounces out to the perimeter, meaning he only has to scrap for the ball with smaller opponents, with the opposing big men usually playing closer to the basket. Since Gasol is more of a back to the basket type of player, his rebounds come closer to the rim, where you have to out-muscle someone your size, or larger, in order to retain possession.

While this is obviously not the case every time down the court for the both of them, statistics are useful to a degree to help support this theory, with Randolph averaging 4.5 offensive rebounds per game and Gasol averaging only 1.9. It is important to note also that most of Gasol's 31 minutes per game are played at the same time as Randolph, since he averages about 36 minutes per game himself. Since the game is only 48 minutes long, the majority of their playing time is alongside each other, maker it harder for Gasol to be the type of rebounder statistically that he would likely be alongside Amar'e Stoudemire in New York.