The New York Knicks have been in the news a lot lately and just about none of it has been good. There was the time the starting point guard went missing. Of course that just led to the public revelation that some veterans are upset with the defensive scheme created by Kurt Rambis. And it isn’t helping matters that the Knicks are currently sitting at 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. With all that in mind we decided to talk all Knicks in our latest roundtable. Enjoy.
Who is the best player on the New York Knicks right now?
Rory Masterson (@rorymasterson): The pessimist Knicks fan in me would like to begin by reminding everyone that “best” is a relative term. That being the case, it’s Kristaps Porzingis. Let’s not overthink this. Carmelo Anthony is still a fascinating scorer who can generate one-on-one points seemingly at will, but Porzingis’ all-around game has been a treat to watch develop. With an almost 33-year-old (!) Anthony, you know what you’re getting; with Porzingis, the fun lies in what we’ve seen already, and how much higher he can push his own ceiling.
Chris Barnewall (@ChrisBarnewall): It’s still Carmelo Anthony. Porzingis is awesome and he’s this fun unicorn that we all love. He’s a second year player that has the benefit of playing on a team with a lot of veterans that take much more attention away from him than if he were on another team, such as the Philadelphia 76ers. Anthony is still the focal point of the offense, an incredible scorer, and despite age beginning to show through he’s still the best player on that team.
Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg): Guitar player? James Dolan.
Matthew Miranda (@MMiranda613): One or two nights a week, it’s Anthony. Increasingly, though, there are more and more nights he looks like a former ace pitcher whose lost a couple miles off his fastball. Porzingis shows strong hints of greatness, but has yet to be asked to be New York’s centerpiece. The Knicks’ best player is in a constant state of flux. That could be the organization’s epitaph.
Matt Cianfrone (@Matt_Cianfrone): This was a tougher question than I expected when I asked it but I think I lean Porzingis. Anthony is still a great scorer on most nights but Porzingis just does so much that it is hard to ignore. I mean what other seven footers consistently hit threes, block shots and cross guys up. He is just special in every sense of the word.
Bryan Toporek (@btoporek): The qualifier “right now” makes that question tricky. Porzingis clearly has more long-term upside and is already the better two-way player, but if the Knicks needed a last-second basket on an isolation possession, Anthony would be the one taking that shot. The answer comes down to what you prefer — a reliable veteran one-on-one offensive threat or a young, well-rounded prospect who’s still growing into his own body and skill set. I’d give Anthony the slightest of edges at this moment, but Porzingis will soon usurp him.
Can the Knicks fix their defense this season?
Masterson: I am a firm, on-the-record skeptic on this front. The team’s defensive rating is currently 26th out of 30, which, as I now look at that, seems high. A grand total of three players on the roster carry a net positive Defensive Box Plus-Minus as of now: Joakim Noah, Kyle O’Quinn and Willy Hernangomez. It’s not exactly an inspiring bunch of defensive cornerstones, particularly given Noah’s generally decrepit state these days.
Barnewall: Fix? No. It’s too late in the season to fix things outside of trade everybody under the sun. Improve? There’s some hope for that but it’s gonna require making some tough decisions such as benching Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose. Really though? This feels like just a lost cause.
Goldberg: They have some workable players on defense: Courtney Lee, Porzingis and Kyle O’Quinn are all eager and effective defenders. I want to believe that Anthony can ramp up his defense but there is zero evidence throughout his career that he can and will. But to fix the defense, the Knicks will need to trade for a point guard who can D up. Rose, Jennings, and the white guy with the hair are no good. Get a plus-defender at the point of attack, and make some lineup adjustments, and the Knicks can be league average.
Miranda: No. They can simplify their pick-and-roll defense by standardizing it, something Anthony has already brought up. But to “fix” the defense will need another roster overhaul. They can’t just will Anthony or Rose into becoming plus-defenders; they can’t shave three or four years off Noah’s age. Ron Baker has been their best perimeter defender so far. Until they have players both interested in and capable of containing penetration, what you see is what you’ll get.
Cianfrone: As long as Kurt Rambis is running anything it cannot be fixed. And I mean anything. I wouldn’t trust him to successfully manage a Starbucks at this point.
Toporek: Seeing as some of the Knicks’ veterans have reportedly begun grumbling about the team’s defensive schemes, per ESPN.com’s Ian Begley, they’re likely too far gone to expect significant improvement on that end. With Joakim Noah hampered by a shoulder injury, things may only get worse before they get better. If the Knicks leaned more heavily on the likes of Kyle O’Quinn, Courtney Lee and Ron Baker, they’d stand a fighting chance on defense, but there are about 100 million reasons why they’ll continue trotting out Noah, Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings instead.
Who ya got: Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings or Ron Baker?
Masterson: Of this truly motley crew, I’ll take Jennings. Rose shows flashes of his old self, but that’s all they are anymore, and that’s all they ever can be. His recent flirtation with a sabbatical begat a pretty nice game against the Sixers Wednesday night, but it was about the most anyone can reasonably expect. Jennings takes wild chances, but he has the highest assist rate on the team, and his herky-jerky tendencies keep opposing point guards consistently on their toes, at the very least. He’s proven he doesn’t necessarily need as much of the ball as Rose to make an impact, and his 3-point percentage is nearly ten points higher. Ron Baker is Ron Baker. His presence at the end of the Bucks win last week is probably incidental at best.
Barnewall: Probably Jennings but only because the other option is a washed up vet that still thinks he’s a star and a rookie. Jennings still has moments where he tries to be better than he is, but he’s much more likely to take advantage of the way he attacks to set up offense than to be looking for his own shot the way Rose does.
Goldberg: Ron Baker! That’s his name.
Miranda: Starter? Jennings. His ceiling is limited asking him to be a scoring sixth man, which is what the team projected for him in the preseason. Rose and the team could be best served bringing him off the bench: his usage rate would be higher playing with the second unit than it is competing with Anthony and Porzingis and the other starters. Rose could simply focus on doing what he does best, pushing the pace and breaking down defenses. Baker intrigues for his defense and basketball IQ. That may sound like your classic American white guy profile, but on a team lacking both of those qualities, it’s legit praise. It’d be interesting to see where Baker could find himself in the rotation by season’s end.
Cianfrone: I’ll take Brandon Jennnings which is incredible because I was pretty happy to see that guy leave Milwaukee and my Bucks. But he looks like the best value. He isn’t super expensive, won’t be looking for a max contract any time soon and has bought into a bench role fully. That is more than you can say about Rose. And while the Baker thing was a nice story against the Bucks I have my doubts he ever gets beyond where Jennings is as a player right now.
Toporek: Can I choose Frank Ntilikina instead? No? Well, until June, it’ll have to be Jennings. Rose’s recent mysterious disappearance underscored the danger in the Knicks relying upon him as a long-term part of the future. Even if he doesn’t go MIA again, his lengthy injury history makes it difficult to count on him as a fixture in the starting lineup. Baker has impressed in flashes, but he isn’t ready to lead this team full-time. Thus, by process of elimination, Jennings emerges as the winner — or, more accurately, as the lesser of all evils.
Outside of Kristaps Porzingis who is the Knicks best long-term asset?
Masterson: Willy Hernangomez has shown the same, distinctly Liga ACB brand of intensity his erstwhile Sevilla teammate, Porzingis, has displayed. He’s come off as brash and fearless in ways that the Garden crowd tends to love, and his 6’11” frame could end up posing matchup nightmares for opposing defenses if and when Porzingis moves to the five full-time. If there is a reason for long-term optimism for the Knicks beyond their unicorn, Hernangomez is it.
Barnewall: Hernangomez is legitimately fun. He’s been a great asset for New York off the bench this season and every time he enters the game it feels like it turns out as a positive for them. Considering the lack of youth on the roster otherwise it’s hard to not pick him.
Goldberg: Uhhhh forgive me for oversimplifying this but Anthony is still a strong asset for them. He’s locked into a three-year deal and he’ll garner a nice collection of players and draft picks at any point of those three years. Someone will buy on Anthony if the Knicks are selling, and it’s the best way to tear it down and rebuild around Porzingis. (Something I don’t think they need to do.)
Miranda: They have all their future 1st-round picks and they have cap room. Those are their best long-term assets.
Cianfrone: Whichever college player becomes their 2017 first round pick. I’m not enamored with any other of the “young guys” on this roster so that pick is the most appealing thing they have that is “young.” In general though I think that Courtney Lee and Anthony are both be nice trade chips that the Knicks should be looking to move and bring in more long-term assets. The ceiling just isn’t high enough to keep this group around in an attempt to win a title with it.
Toporek: I’m with Wes: It’s still Anthony. Though Billy King isn’t in the league anymore, it only takes one dumb general manager with an owner pushing him to make a win-now move for Anthony to net a sizable return. If Rudy Gay flees Sacramento in free agency, couldn’t you see the Kings talking themselves into trading Willie Cauley-Stein, Arron Afflalo, Kosta Koufos and a lightly protected 2021 first-round pick for Anthony as a way to convince DeMarcus Cousins to sign a long-term extension? If the Knicks decide to shop Anthony over the coming weeks — and they should, as he can opt out of his contract following the 2017-18 season — the return they receive for him would likely exceed the value of any asset they currently own.
Do the Knicks make the playoffs this season?
Masterson: In our season preview, I had the Knicks poised to finish with 35 wins, good for about 9th or 10th in the Eastern Conference. Given the past ten games, of which they’ve lost eight, I see no reason to stand down from that now.
Barnewall: No way. They’re fading fast while the better teams in the East are starting to ramp up. They’ll get close and be in a race for the eight seed come April, but if they’re still starting Derrick Rose while playing the type of defense they are right now then they’ll fall short.
Goldberg: I’ll give them a 50-50 chance. Maybe they make a move to plump the team up. The Bulls’ best basketball this season is behind them and if the Knicks’ only competition is the Washington Wizards and maybe the Detroit Pistons then they certainly have a shot. So, to answer your question, maybe.
Miranda: Doubt it. The Porzingis Achilles injury flared up again and is a concern. Would you bet money on Rose being as healthy the second-half of the season as he has been the first? The Knicks have talent, but it’s narrow; any injury to almost any rotation player costs them something they can’t replace. They’d be better served with the eighth pick than the eighth seed.
Cianfrone: Not unless some team ahead of them gets hit with a major injury. And even then probably not unless two teams do. I think all eight teams in the playoffs in the East right now are better and I still believe that the Pistons are as well. Add in the Bulls and I just don’t see enough teams falling apart to give the Knicks a shot.
Toporek: Probably not. Unlike the Western Conference, the race for the No. 8 seed in the East isn’t a comedy of errors. Washington has come on strong after a slow start and the current top five seeds seem relatively safe (assuming Atlanta doesn’t trade Paul Millsap), which leaves the Knicks little margin for error. If Porzingis’ latest Achilles scare doesn’t prove to be a long-term issue, they could still sneak in, but I wouldn’t bet on it at even money today.