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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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Rasheed Wallace Dancing in Huddle (Video)

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He passed the torch to Shump, I guess.

Can the Knicks come back?

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By Tommy Rothman

For the first time this season, the Knicks are playing a must-win game. A real must-win game. If the Knicks lose on Thursday, they won’t have another game until November, and only Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Steve Novak, Iman Shumpert, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Marcus Camby are locks to be on the roster next year. With so much on the line for now and so much in question for the future, Thursday’s game 5 is a game the Knicks must win at all costs. The same holds true for game 6 and game 7 (if necessary). 9 NBA teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit. Can the Knicks make it 10? Is New York still alive?

Here is my breakdown of game 5, game 6, and game 7.

NOTE: Obviously, my analysis for game 6 is based on the assumption that the Knicks have won game 5, and my analysis for game 7 is based on the fact that New York has also won game 6.

Game 5:

The first thing the Knicks need to do is win game 5 at home. The odds favor New York as the game will be played in the Garden, but as we learned in game 1, nothing is guaranteed. The Knicks must feed off of the crowd, hustle a bit more, and get a few more shots to fall in order to take care of business at home and keep their season alive. I give them about a 70% chance of winning this one.

Game 6:

Game 6 is where many expect the Knicks to meet their end. New York will have to beat Indy on the road, something they have not done all year. Indy is 4-0 at home in the playoffs, and the Knicks looked listless for part of game 3 and almost all of game 4 at the Fieldhouse. After winning game 5 (see NOTE), the Knicks will have some momentum and confidence, and will be playing with the knowledge that all they need is one win to force a game 7 in a packed Garden. At this point, the pressure will be on the Pacers. Indy is a young team that has been prone to blowing leads all year. At times, they have appeared easily rattled. Can the veteran Knicks capitalize on this? That will be the key. To win, of course, New York will need improved shot-making and a bit of an improvement on the glass. They can’t get sucked into the somewhat muted Indiana atmosphere and become completely listless like they did in game 4. I think the Knicks have a 35% chance of winning here.

Game 7:

After winning games 5 and 6 (see NOTE), the Knicks will have earned the right to host a winner-take-all game 7 at the Garden. All the pressure will be on Indiana. If it gets to a game 7, as long as the Knicks don’t get complacent after winning games 5 and 6 (which, it pains me to say, is possible based on our roster’s history), they should be able to take care of business in game 7. I’d give them an 80% chance of winning this game.

The Knicks are the better team, and their matchup with Indy isn’t too bad. If they can get back the home-court advantage they so foolishly squandered in game 1, they should be able to take the series. Game 5 seems like a very winnable game, but it will by no means be easy. The Knicks need to take care of business Thursday, then move on to game 6. Game 6 is where their season will most likely end, but if they can pull out a win there (and i think they can), then we will have the upper hand going into game 7. The Nets came back from 3-1 down to force a game 7. Why don’t we one-up them?

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Angry Walter still believes in his team. Do you?

Angry Walter still believes in his team. Do you?

BREAKING: Knicks’ Chandler selected to NBA All-Defensive 1st team

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Tyson Chandler was selected to the All-Defensive 1st team Monday, despite not receiving this honor last year, when he was named the Defensive Player of the Year

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