New York Knicks: Finding hope within the roster
By Bryce Olin
The Bigs
Other than Bargnani and Stoudemire, the other bigs Fisher has to work with next season are Quincy Acy, Samuel Dalembert, Jason Smith, and Cole Aldrich. Of that group, Aldrich was the only one with the Knicks last season. Smith was signed this offseason while Acy and Dalembert came to the Knicks in separate trades.
Quincy Acy
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/12/2014.
Acy brings athleticism to the Knicks frontline. In his two seasons in the NBA, he’s failed to have much of an impact with the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings. I’m not sure what it is, but I think Jackson and Fisher see something in Acy, and he’s going to get a ton of minutes for the Knicks next season. I have no sources or anything to confirm that, but I think it’s going to happen. Acy hustles; that’s probably what the Knicks feel like they need from their forwards.
Samuel Dalembert
| Season | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 80 | 20.2 | 2.7 | 4.7 | .568 | 6.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 6.6 |
| Career | 854 | 24.7 | 3.2 | 6.2 | .523 | 7.9 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 7.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/12/2014.
People like to mock the Haitian Sensation, but some part of me still feels like he has something left in the tank to give to a contender. Maybe it’s the memories from the mid-2000s when Dalembert was racking up the rebounds and blocking shots. Of course, Dalembert isn’t an offensive threat and isn’t someone to play the low-block in the triangle offense, but he can screen and collect some offensive rebounds on the backside, which is basically all Tyson Chandler was good for anyway last season with the Knicks.
Jason Smith
| Season | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 31 | 26.8 | 4.2 | 9.1 | .465 | 5.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 9.7 |
| Career | 331 | 16.7 | 2.5 | 5.3 | .472 | 3.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 6.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/12/2014.
Signing Smith this offseason was a surprise to some people. The Knicks have plenty of bigs to spread the minutes around, but Smith is a veteran player who tries hard, so I guess that’s better than some of the Knicks… cough… Bargnani… cough…
Smith only played in 31 games last season for the Pelicans, but in those 31 games, he averaged 9.7 PPG and 5.8 rebounds. He’s not a big time force in the post, but he’s capable of scoring with his back to the basket and collecting rebounds. I don’t know how much playing time he’ll get but every Jackson team needs a Mark Madsen, am I right?
When the Knicks win the 2015 NBA Title and Carmelo starts rapping, Smith better be dancing like Madsen.
Cole Aldrich
| Season | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 46 | 7.2 | 0.7 | 1.3 | .541 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 2.0 |
| Career | 135 | 7.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | .540 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 2.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/12/2014.
Aldrich might get his opportunity to actually play this season. I say that as if he hasn’t had the opportunity in his five seasons in the league. Zachary Bennett of Hardwood Paroxysm recently detailed how Aldrich is the permanent summer league player. Unfortunately, Aldrich might be headed back to the summer league next season without getting much playing time this season. There’s just too many bigs on this Knicks team and not enough minutes to go around, especially if Carmelo plays a lot of power forward.
Overall, the frontcourt, if Carmelo plays on the wing, is a giant weak spot for the Knicks.