.png){kind=small}
It’s been a hectic couple of weeks for the New York Knicks. Since Christmas, the Knicks are 2-11, putting them at 18-24, three games back from the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. During this stretch we’ve seen Carmelo Anthony come out and say:
“When we lose it’s me, when we win it’s us.”
We’ve even seen Derrick Rose go awol. When I say awol, I mean the guy showed up to shoot around and didn’t show up to the game that later that day. A game in which the Knicks lost at the buzzer to the Philedphia 76ers.
Derrick Rose said him leaving and not contacting team officials was due to a family emergency in which he needed “space,” okay, sure, we’ll go with that for now.
The future of the Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis has been good besides a slight slump prior to hurting his Achilles, which has now sidelined him for a few straight games.
This is good for the Knicks.
Well, it’s not if you want the Knicks to be more than they are. What they are is a right around or slightly above .500 level team. They are an on the bubble team, a team I predicted prior to the season being a 7th seed.
Phil Jackson did what most of us realist didn’t want him to do. He went out traded for Rose, then overpaid for an aging Joakim Noah.
Thanks Phil, you made the Knicks look and sound more relevant.
Losing isn’t fun, and when you continue to disappoint, the aging veterans and players who are looking to get paid this summer become expendable. This is good because of what it could finally lead to. A full on rebuild in which this Knicks team is in desperate need of.
Having Rose is fun, it brings in fans, it sells jerseys and tickets. But, if you think Rose is a long term solution for the Knicks, please exit now.
Rose is now a glorified ex-MVP point guard. He’s not top 10, not sure if he’s even top 15 at this point. Yes, he can score still, we’ve seen flashes of that old Rose. Rose is not $150 million max deal player. He doesn’t create for others, his jump shot is inconsistent, he’s walking on two ticking time bombs. To invest the future in him would be classic Knicks, but I think that road has been closed off.
He ranks 16th among point guards with 17.5 points per game and 40th for assists per game with 4.5.
Derrick Rose, I believe will be traded prior to the deadline this season. The Knicks will see what they can get and ship him off. Of course the list of teams who would want a guy like Rose are small, Orlando, Philly, Sacramento come to mind. Those few teams could look for the scoring Rose can give you at the guard position.
If that fails, Rose won’t be a Knick in the 2017-2018 season as I find it hard to believe the Knicks will offer a max deal.
This is a good thing, there are better free agents available than Rose on max money.
What about Carmelo Anthony?
The other interesting player on this roster is Carmelo Anthony. If he’s moved which is doubtful, he’ll likely only waive his no trade clause for a contender. So right away that’s the Cleveland Cavaliers or Los Angeles Clippers, which have nothing to offer, so he’s staying in New York.
We finally can put an end to all of these talks, Carmelo Anthony isn’t going anywhere.
What’s next ?
The Knicks head to Boston to face the Celtics on Wednesday, a division game in which the Knicks desperately need a win. If they continue to lose and struggle don’t panic, embrace it and hope for a blow up.
This is good, Knick fans, a future with Derrick Rose is not a bright future.