The New York Knicks are in a peculiar place in the NBA. They are a reborn team with a plethora of youth and talent, but are also locked up in massive contracts held by Joakim Noah and Tim Hardaway Jr. Finding a way to work around their salary cap issues will be a test in itself, but those problems won’t stop the rumors from flowing.
Let’s start with the first Knicks rumor:
Kyrie Irving. Yup, last week it was Kevin Durant and now it’s Irving. ESPN’s Ian Begley believes that the Celtics will have to compete with the Knicks to retain the dynamic point guard. Kyrie grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, meaning he would be close to home. And who doesn’t like stealing the best player from any Boston team anyway!?
Injury concerns are always a serious question when it comes to a player that hasn’t been able to consistently stay on the court. The Knicks will have to consider that factor and play with fire, just as they did with Derrick Rose. While Irving’s proneness to injury isn’t as severe as Rose, it’s still a risk. Joining a team with Kristap Porzingis, Hardaway Jr., Enes Kanter, Mario Hezonja, and rookie Kevin Knox could be persuading enough. The youth is the Knicks’ biggest selling point, and showing that their potential is real with a solid 2018-19 season will be the deciding factor in bringing a a big name to the Mecca.
Checking in on Frank Ntilikina:
Coach Fizdale has made it a priority to push Ntilikina to his max, trying to extract the aggression from the young guard.
“He’s a good basketball player,†Fizdale said, according to Newsday.com. “It’s going to be a process with him of constantly emphasizing aggression and always be in ‘go’ mode and don’t be concerned as much about taking care of everybody and that his aggression will draw defenders to help him take care of everybody.”
The 19 year-old guard struggled last season with unselfishness. He has all the ability in the world, but just can’t seem to drive to the hoop and finish. Often times, he would look for the pass when he had an open lane or would try to hard to get the ball to his teammates, resulting in a turnover. Fizdale will help him become a complete player, making him an offensive threat, but also helping him work on his defense and off the ball traits.
There’s a lot of potential in the frenchman, and if anyone can bring it out, it’s Fiz.