This offseason, the New York Knicks revamped their roster. They did so through free agency, but also through the trade market.
Courtney Lee, not Derrick Rose, is the Knicks Most Important Acquisition
The Knicks traded center Robin Lopez and point guards Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant to the Chicago Bulls for former NBA MVP, point guard Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday and a 2017 second round pick. Rose has struggled with injuries throughout the last five years of his career, but he appears to be heading in the right direction.
Last season Rose played 66 games, which is the most games he’s played since his 2010-11 MVP campaign. Rose will never be the MVP player that he was five years ago, but he is still one of the NBA’s most aggressive guards. Rose gives the Knicks the point guard they haven’t had in Carmelo Anthony‘s tenure with the Knicks; however, even though Rose will be a key contributor to this team, he won’t have the same impact as free agent signee Courtney Lee.
Free Agency
In free agency, the Knicks made much needed signings. They signed Bulls center, and New York native Joakim Noah to a four year deal. Noah will man the paint, and make up for the loss of Robin Lopez. They signed point guard Brandon Jennings from the Magic, to be Derrick Rose’s backup, and they signed Charlotte Hornets shooting guard Courtney Lee to a four year deal.
Lee’s impact on the Knicks will be monumental. Lee is the modern day version of basketball’s ‘three and d shooting guard”. He is a good shooter from the outside, he can hit jumpers from inside the three point line, is a good free throw shooter, and most importantly, he’s a lockdown defender.
Last year, the Knicks were strong in the paint defensively with Robin Lopez and Kristaps Porzingis, but their perimeter defense was below average. Arron Afflalo‘s perimeter defense was inconsistent, Jose Calderon has been a below average defender for most of his career, and as much as some Knick fans might not want to hear it, Sasha Vujacic was their best perimeter defender. The Knicks prioritized defense this summer. Courtney Lee will be the perimeter defender this team has been craving for years. While Courtney Lee will be a defensive anchor, he will also be a nice complement to Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose offensively.
Ball Movement
Lee isn’t a player that needs the ball to be effective. Currently, the Knicks have two ball dominant players in Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony. Both Rose and Anthony are proven scorers, but they’re not sharp shooters from the outside. Lee is a proven shooter from the outside, and he is also one of the better offensive rebounding guards in the NBA. He will be a glue guy for this team, and complement Rose and Anthony very nicely.
Lee is one of basketball’s best underrated guards. He is a ‘three and d shooting guard”, a skill set that is vital in today’s NBA. His skill set may be perfect for the Knicks, especially with Lee’s role last season with Charlotte. Last season, Lee played with the Hornets. He played between ball dominant point guard Kemba Walker, and scoring forward Nicholas Batum. Lee’s skill set was a great fit between the two, and the Knicks present an identical situation. Derrick Rose is the same type of attacking point guard that Kemba Walker is. Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony, while a more talented player, plays similar to Batum. The Knicks made many shrewd moves this off-season, but none will have a bigger impact than Courtney Lee.
Main Photo By scott mecum – Flickr: DSC_8430, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26209668
