Knicks to invite Ike Diogu, Josh Powell to training camp
By Brad Rowland
Depth hasn’t exactly been a strength for the New York Knicks in recent years, and it appears as if the franchise is searching for some plug-and-play options.
According to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, the Knicks have extended training camp invitations to power forwards Ike Diogu and Josh Powell for the 2013-2014 season. The addition of the two veteran forwards brings the Knicks roster size to 18 as October approaches, but the fact that both players are legitimate NFL veterans is intriguing.
Powell is a 6-year veteran who was last season in the NBA with the Hawks in 2010-2011. He’s a potent outside shooter for a big man, but Powell has historically struggled (to put it mildly) with finishing around the rim and contributing on defense.
As far as Diogu, the former Arizona State Sun Devil has also been the league for 6 seasons, and he has underground fan base dating back to his days in the Pac-10 (now Pac-12). At 6-foot-9 (maybe), he’s a very adept offensive player with a career 51% field goal percentage, but that is the list of positives on the resume of Diogu. I’m actually a fan of his as a fringe bench player, however, and he could contribute in the perfect situation.
It remains to be seen if the Knicks will keep either player (although their chances skyrocket with the absence of Jeremy Tyler from training camp), but they provide real options in the Big Apple.