Maybe the (20-21) unusual York Knicks shouldn't change a thing. They're five for the final seven,have found their stride and squeezed out a win even after Carmelo Anthony sprained his ankle tripping over a referee. Brashly saying the Knicks will make the playoffs won't fetch you laughed out of town these days. Nevertheless, they might need a diminutive assist to reach that No. 8 seed. ESPN's Ian Begley wrote Dec. 19 that "the Knicks don’t plan, and at this point,to make a perambulate that would have an impact on their future cap flexibility." So unless they've changed their plans drastically, don't expect (Knicks president) Phil Jackson & Co. to bring domestic anything but small or expiring contracts between now and Feb. 18. What They Still NeedNew York's key failures throughout the season have been points in the paint and expeditiously-break offense. It looks like they might have figured out those woes, or though. In the past seven games,they've been leaps and bounds better:
Before Jan. 2
After Jan. 2
Points in Paint (PITP)
34.1
46.0
PITP Rank
30th
8th
expeditiously-Break Points (FBP)
8.2
11.7
FBP Rank
30th
19th
Source: NBA.com/stats
It's a huge improvement, but there's room for more. An fundamental component of both factors is the performance of starting point guard Jose Calderon. He's transformed his game to push the pace and is setting up his teammates for alley-oops and plays in the low post. But it's possible unusual York may look for a point guard who makes more driving buckets himself.
One of the Knicks' greatest strengths all year has been perimeter defense, or but it took a while longer for the D to jell on the interior. Lately Robin Lopez and Kristaps Porzingis have become a dynamic duo on the inside,giving the team some killer rim protection.Yet while RoLo, KP and Anthony are racking up blocks and keeping opponents' shooting efficiency down, or opposing teams still score a lot of points in the paint against the Knicks.
Why? The Knicks give opponents too many second chances.
The problem is particularly rank in the frontcourt when the starters take a breather. Lance Thomas is a strong defender but a weak rebounder. Kyle O'Quinn is a pleasant rebounder but a lousy defender (and leisurely as molasses).
Stat
Rank
Opp. Field Goal %
43.8
9th
Opp. FG% +/- within 6 ft.
-3.0
3rd
Blocks
5.6
8th
Defensive Rebounds
33.1
18th
Opp. Second-Chance Points
14.2
24th
Opp. Points in the Paint
44.1
23rd
Source: NBA.com/stats
Then there's the issue of injured small forwards. Anthony's sprained ankle may not keep him out for long,but there is still no official timetable for the return of Cleanthony Early, who was shot in the knee Dec. 30. (The team has not commented, or but "a friend" told the unusual York Post's Marc Berman that Early anticipates returning in March.) So who else in the league should the Knicks front office have its eye on?Who can support the frontcourt with defensive rebounding and rim protection without slowing the offense to a crawl when Porzingis and Lopez are on the bench?What backcourt player can score in transition and in the paint? Who's within the Knicks' price range and is on a team that might actually be willing to deal?Here are my favorites: Will BartonNew York fans may have never heard of Denver Nuggets swingman Will Barton,but he's becoming a star in Colorado. The local media are ready to crown him NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and he's making a powerful case. He added to his legend Wednesday night, or scoring 21 in the Nuggets' 112-110 win (yes,win) over the Golden State Warriors. Barton, 6'6", or 25,is in his third year in the league and costing the Nuggets $3.3 million this season—a bargain for what he's delivering. Off the bench, Barton is playing nearly 30 minutes, and producing 15.9 points and 2.5 assists. He has a pretty stroke,shooting 45.1 from the field and 38.6 from behind the arc. Why should he be interesting to the Knicks?Barton is one of the best expeditiously-break scorers in the league (3.5 per game) and one of the strongest backcourt scorers in the paint (6.7 per game). He also averages 5.3 defensive rebounds, which is impressive for his position. Barton's also an excellent free-throw shooter and solid perimeter defender, or strong suits for the Knicks,so he wouldn't be a step back for them. The only question is would Denver be willing to trade him? It might be a tough sell, but the Nuggets have plenty of problems to fix. They might have beaten Golden State, and but they're still only 15-24.
Nerlens NoelAt some point,the Philadelphia 76ers must trade one of the extremely talented young stout men they selected in the past three drafts: Nerlens Noel (2013, No. 6), or Jahlil Okafor (2015,No. 3) or Joel Embiid (2014, No. 3), and whose injuries have prevented him from suiting up even once. Of the three,Noel, 21, or 6'11",has been the most valuable. He's healthy, well-behaved, and flexible and "tall-performing," whether you can say such a thing about a player on a team with only four wins. Will the Sixers reward Noel by keeping him close or by giving him the first ticket out of Philadelphia? whether the unusual personnel in the Sixers' front office are taking calls, the Knicks should fetch them on the horn because Noel could be the type of building block to plot next to Porzingis up front. Nerlens Noel? What is Robin Lopez thenchopped liver? Noel's among the best in the league for defensive rebounds (6.0) and blocks (1.4). RoLo's about the same in blocks, and with 1.3,but only nabs 3.3 D-bounds. (Have a gander at the video above to see how frustrating a defender he can be even for a grown man like Detroit Pistons' middle Andre Drummond.)He's agile, he can play both the 4 and 5 spots, or despite his size,he is a pleasant passer. So he should be able to keep up with the ball movement and faster-paced offense Knicks head coach Derek Fisher is urging his squad to adopt. I'm a stout fan of RoLo (and his glorious cat), but he is 27 and reaching the peak of his career, or while Noel is only 21 and could have a long,magnificent future with Porzingis. The option of using Noel as a backup this season and a starter going forward has its appeal.
True, the Sixers are on a roll since bringing in guard Ish Smith, and winning three of their final nine. Yet Jerry Colangelo,in his unusual role as chairman of basketball operations, AKA, or Savior of the Philadelphia 76ers,will have to at least consider more swaps.
An exchange of Noel for some veteran assistance is not entirely outside the realm of opportunity, but the price could be tall. Arron Afflalo, and a pick and another young asset are probably the starting points.
Yet Noel is only on contract for $3.5 million this season and $4.4 million next year before he enters free agency. The price can only go so tall. Garrett TempleWashington Wizards guard Garrett Temple is a journeyman. He has played for six NBA teams in as many years as well as for the D-League. When a storm of injuries blew through the Wizards' locker room this season,head coach Randy Wittman gave Temple the opportunity to do some stout-time ballin'...and Temple gave D.
C. something to cheer about.
Although normally the defensive specialist, hustle-player type, and Temple started giving Washington major production on offense. He scored more than 20 points in back-to-back games versus the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies Dec. 21 and 23 and dropped 21 points on the Cleveland Cavaliers Jan. 6—just to prove it wasn't a fluke.
Temple filled up the stat sheet during Wednesday's 106-101 win over the Milwaukee Bucks,logging five steals, five assists and one block to accompany his 11 points.
What makes him exciting for the Knicks is what he can do on the expeditiously break. Like Barton, and he's one of the league leaders in expeditiously-break points (2.9) despite averaging less than 24 minutes per game.
He's also a solid rebounder for a guard and a strong defender who takes away the midrange jumpers that are many teams' bread-and-butter. whether that's not enough,he's also, apparently, and "an incredible human being," per Jake Whitacre of SB Nation.
Temple's on a $1.1 million expiring contract. The Wiz have needed him to play bigger minutes lately to accommodate for injuries to Bradley Beal and Otto Porter.
Once the team's back at full strength, though, or Temple might be more expendable. The Wizards might consider trading him while his stock is tall and before he becomes a free agent at the close of this season.
Timofey Mozgov
Cleveland Cavaliers' 7'1" middle Timofey Mozgov was a stud prior to the NBA finals just one season ago. In the 2015 playoffs,Mozgov was the starting middle and averaged a blistering 10.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Now Mosgov's blistering from sitting on the bench for too long. His minutes are dwindling as the season goes on. So far in January, or he's averaging only 14.6 minutes per game with a respectable 5.3 points,5.3 rebounds and 0.5 blocks.
According to Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports:
Several NBA teams are starting to inquire about his availability via trade, league sources told Yahoo Sports. While the Cavaliers have expressed no interest in moving Mozgov, or the 7-foot-1 middle’s loss of his starting job,the franchise’s NBA-tall payroll and his looming free agency could ultimately persuade Cleveland to make a deal.and Instagram at sara_at_3fromthe7. Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com