The New York Knicks are desperate to form a core that can help them hold on to All-Star Carmelo Anthony longer. While the entry of Kristaps Porzingis in the roster looked to be a promising first step, the 20-year-old Latvian star will still need years before he develops into the top caliber basketball star he is expected to become. Hence, sources believe that the New York Knicks are scrambling to form a team composed of veteran stars that can carry them to the playoffs next season and hopefully, into the NBA Finals.
With the NBA trade that saw Derrick Rose exit the Chicago Bulls and join Carmelo Anthony in New York, it becomes apparent that the Phil Jackson squad is serious about acquiring experienced stars to finally boost their ranking. Since his exit from the Jimmy Butler team, Rose had been quite open with his target free agents this July. According to the former Chicago Bulls star, he intends to pursue Joakim Noah. If possible, he also plans to convince Pau Gasol to join them in the New York Knicks.
"The methodology is based on a number of factors: the latest rumors, how a player would fit on a certain team, how much cap space that team has," explained Sascha Paruk. The sports odds editor added, "Joakim Noah's (odds) in particular were weighed heavily on the Knicks' cap space, need for a big center and his relationship with (Derrick) Rose (who the Bulls traded last week to the Knicks). As for Gasol, he's been linked to the Spurs for years."
So what can the New York Knicks offer?
Since the Chicago Bulls are in the rebuilding phase of their franchise, rumors are swirling that Kristaps Porzingis might be sent to the Taj Gibson team in exchange for Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. With the promising future of the Latvian star in the NBA and the presence of Jimmy Butler as a potential mentor, a lot of fans believe this will be a fair trade.
"You don't see a guy 7-3 that can do multiple things," said Jeff Hornacek of Kristaps Porzingis. The New York Knicks head coach added, "And in our offense, you could see him in some high pick-and-rolls out of the sets we have, fading for 3s. At 7-3, I still believe you can get him on the post, and if a team wants to try to play him with a small guy and get up into him, then we can throw him down there and take advantage of his height in there."
What do you think? Will the New York Knicks be better off with both Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah in the roster? Or will they be making the wrong decision if they choose to move Kristaps Porzingis?
