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Knicks Sign Josh Powell (Training Camp & Roster Update)

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The Knicks have signed PF Josh Powell to a non-guaranteed training camp contract. Powell is strong, athletic, and a good rebounder. Powell last played in the 2010-2011 season as a 28 year-old, averaging 4 points, 2.5 rebounds, in 12.1 minutes per game, which translates to a healthy “per-36” line of 12.3 PPG and 7.5 RPG. 

New York has 3 more spaces left on their Training Camp roster, which currently consists of Ray Felton, Pablo Prigioni, Toure Murry, Beno Udrih, Iman Shumpert, J.R Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr, Chris Smith Carmelo Anthony, Metta World Peace, CJ Leslie, Andrea Bargnani, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kenyon Martin, Powell, Tyson Chandler, and Jeremy Tyler. 

Felton, Prigioni, Udrih, Shumpert, J.R, Hardaway, Carmelo, Metta, Bargnani, Stoudemire, Martin, and Chandler will definitely be on the roster, leaving Leslie, the injured Tyler, Chris Smith, Powell, Murry, and 3 other yet-to-be determined training camp invitees to compete for the final 3 roster spots on Coach Woodson’s team.

-Tommy Rothman

Which Knicks Will Be Back This Season?

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By Tommy Rothman

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The Knicks head into the offseason with only 8 players under contract (not counting the recently retired Jason Kidd). Who will be back? Who will not? We go through every player on the roster.

Under contract

These players will be on the team unless they retire, are traded, or are released. 

Carmelo Anthony: Obviously not going anywhere.

Chances he is on roster: 100%

Mike Woodson: No way he gets fired before the season starts

Chances: 100%

Amar’e Stoudemire: We couldn’t get rid of him even if we wanted to.

Chances: 99%

Iman Shumpert: The team views him as a future star, would only trade him for a current one.

Chances: 95%

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Tyson Chandler: Good player, important to team. Trade value is a bit low, and contract is hard to trade, anyway. Would only be moved in a package for a star.

Chances: 90%

Raymond Felton: Good point guard, good contract. No reason to trade him, barring a surprise package for a big-time player.

Chances: 85%

Marcus Camby: We would probably love to get rid of his contract. But we probably can’t.

Chances: 85%

Steve Novak: Same contract problem as Camby, albeit probably a more useful player. But other teams could take interest as well.

Chances: 80%

James White: Could be a useful trade chip. His unguaranteed $1 million salary makes him an option for a team looking to save that amount of money (and cap space). Not very useful beyond that.

Chances: 40%

Jason Kidd: Already gone, released from his 3-year contract

Chances: 0%

Restricted Free Agents

These players are free agents. However, the Knicks can bring them back by matching any offer the RFA signs with another team, salary cap permitting. The Knicks are over the cap and do not have Bird Rights for either of their two RFA’s, so to match an offer greater than $1 million, the Knicks would have to dip into their $3.1 Midlevel Exception. To keep both of their RFA’s (or even just the second one on this list), it will likely cost them the entirety of their MLE.

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Pablo Prigioni: Knicks can probably only give him $1 million. Might be worth more, but likes New York, and has defined role here. Team may elect to take another point guard in the draft, which could mean the end of Pablo.

Chances: 50%

Chris Copeland: Worth more than Qualifying Offer of $1 million. Knicks can give him up to $3 million using their Midlevel Exception, which would probably prevent them from signing other Free Agents for more than the minimum. He wants  to stay, and it sounds like they want him back. Will probably receive bigger offers elsewhere, and probably more minutes. He reportedly turned down bigger offers last year to come to New York, and will need to do the same again.

Chances: 50%

Unrestricted Free Agents

These players are free agents and can sign with any team. The Knicks do not own the Bird Rights for any of these players, and they are over the cap. Therefore, they can only offer the minimum to Barron and Richardson. Martin will be offered the minimum, and probably a slight raise (around 20%) if they are allowed to use a Non-Bird Exception on him. Smith will be offered the Early-Bird Exception, assuming the Knicks want him back.

J.R Smith: Has clearly stated his desire to remain in New York. If the Knicks want to commit to him, they can give him around 6 million per year. Other teams might give him a bit more, but his unpredictability on and off the court probably keeps him in our price range. If we want him back, he should be back.

Chances: 80%

Kenyon Martin: Eligible for Vet’s minimum. Held out last year for a bigger contract. Didn’t work. He loves New York, will probably take offer of VM.

Chances: 70%

Earl Barron: Actually can be a useful big man, should be cheap. They should keep him. Not sure if they will.

Chances: 50%

Quentin Richardson: Can’t see the organization bringing him back. Not much upside.

Chances: 10%

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Draft Pick

Whoever we draft will be on the team unless we trade them.

Chances: 90%

Who should the Knicks bring back? Who should be sent packing? Let us know what you think in the comments!

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Raymond Felton is Under-Appreciated

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By William Botchway

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Whenever a team is a contender, it’s a combination of a lot of pieces that makes the team great. There are the stars and the role players. There are the coach and the assistants. There are the benchwarmers and the “energy” guys.

This is the case with the New York Knicks, but some people don’t always get the credit that they deserve. People tend to heap a lot of the praise on Carmelo Anthony and his lethal scoring ability. There’s J.R. Smith’s wild personality and even wilder athleticism. Tyson Chandler is known as the defensive anchor on the team, securing the paint with his ability to guard the pick and roll. There’s even Iman Shumpert, the team’s budding star who has captured the imaginations of the fans with his obvious potential, causing all of us to look ahead to the future to see what it holds for that young man.

Then there’s the part that nobody seems to talk about. No, I’m not talking about Chris Copeland, he got a ton of attention during the playoffs when he finally got released from Mike Woodson’s doghouse. I’m actually not talking about Earl Barron either, who contributed…well he actually contributed nothing to the team. I’m talking about the point guard, Raymond Felton.

Felton gets overlooked a lot of the time because he isn’t a flashy point guard, and he rarely puts on Stephen Curry-esque shooting clinics. Game in and game out, Felton just gets the job done. I consider him to be the key piece in the team’s success because of his ability to get into the lane and open up the floor for shooters.

When he is on top of his game, he easily gets to the hole. Whether it be that floater that he pulls out of nowhere, his pull-up jumper, or layups, Felton has a knack for getting into the paint. He also is willing to go there. Sometimes, Melo decides to rely solely on his shooting, and that’s fine. Felton on the other hand, realizes that he has a much better chance of scoring if he lowers his shoulder and drives to the basket. That creates a ton of space for guys like Copeland, Smith, Anthony, and Jason Kidd Iman Shumpert to shoot threes. That is obviously central to the success of the Knicks; when they get a lot of open looks, they usually knock them down.

The reason why I say that Felton is the key is that we all know what to expect from most other players on the team. Melo will get his points in various ways. Prigioni will create shots for everyone (except for himself of course).

Chandler’s offensive game is catalyzed by Felton. Obviously Chandler is known as a defensive player, and has the offensive skill of a drugged up Amar’e Stoudemire, but he can put it in the hole thanks to Felton’s ability to initiate the pick and roll and throw lobs near the rim for Chandler to catch and stuff.

Raymond Felton is the X-Factor on this team the way it is currently constructed. If he plays at a very high level (which he does occasionally), the Knicks have a real shot to truly contend in the East. Even if he’s not actually at the caliber of a star point guard, he does a lot for this team. It’s time for him to get a little bit more credit.

Also, he was better last year than that Lin guy.

Remember that Lin guy?

Yeah, neither do the Rockets. Beverleysanity.

As a side note, I just realized that Lin’s ineffectiveness caused the Rockets to use Beverley more often, and he injured Russell Westbrook. So basically, Jeremy Lin cost the Thunder their chance at winning the West. Send your mail to Landry Fields’s couch, Thunder fans.

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