KNICKS NEED TO FIND ANSWERS
Here are things that happened since the Knicks last played a game:
· A new President was elected.
· The old President refused to recognize the new President.
· Nate Robinson started and finished a boxing career.
· A pandemic had two or three waves.
· Zoom became a thing and Skype somehow couldn’t capitalize on a great business opportunity. ·
TikTok arrived, Snapchat faded and Facebook went on trial.
· Thirty hurricanes on the Atlantic were severe enough for naming.
You get the point. It’s been a while. And after nearly nine months off, the Knicks are finally preparing to play another team. Individual workouts for training camp begin Tuesday, group workouts start five days later, and the preseason opener in Detroit is Dec. 11.
It’s an imperative gathering for all NBA teams, but especially for the Knicks as they introduce an all-new coaching staff with 11 new players.
Here are the five biggest questions that can at least start being addressed in training camp:
1. The Obi Toppin-Julius Randle conundrum
They play the same position (power forward) and, although stylistically there are differences, it’s hard to imagine a playable defensive lineup with them together. Randle is probably the Knicks’ best player, and certainly the highest paid at $18.9 million this season. But he’s not the longterm solution in New York. Toppin might be. So how will this play out? Tom Thibodeau historically rewards players who best enhance winning. He doesn’t bow to draft position or salary. Toppin has to earn it. 2. Who is the starting point guard?
It’s feels like an annual question and the Knicks didn’t solve it in free agency. Elfrid Payton is the incumbent and probably the frontrunner, but Austin Rivers provides more experience and Dennis Smith Jr., Frank Ntilikina and Immanuel Quickley are all between the ages of 21 or 23. This will be the eighth straight year the Knicks start a different point guard on opening night. Here are the previous seven: Raymond Felton, Shane Larkin, Jose Calderon, Derrick Rose, Ramon Sessions, Ntilikina, RJ Barrett.
3. How will the wing rotation shake out?
The Knicks have 4-7 players for two spots: RJ Barrett, Reggie Bullock, Alec Burks and Kevin Knox. You can add Ntilikina, Quickley and Rivers into the mix if they’re playing off the ball. Barrett and Burks are probably the best options, but the Knicks need a definitive answer on Knox. The deadline for picking up his 202122 option is right before this regular season starts.
4. Who will emerge as a leader? The Knicks don’t have one player in his 30s, which feels like a first for the franchise. Only Austin Rivers and Alec Burks have logged more than 12 postseason career games. There are no obvious candidates on such a young roster, but the Knicks could use a leader to keep the focus on work. Too many times over the last two seasons the locker room turned celebratory after a defeat. Complacency settled in. Thibodeau can only do so much without reinforcement from the players.
5. Who will not make the final cut?
The Knicks can have 15 players and two others on two-way contracts. Currently they filled their two-way contracts and have 16 players on guaranteed contracts. So somebody has to go. Also, the Knicks have Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on a non-guaranteed contract and he’s a strong candidate for a roster spot with a deep connection to top executive William Wesley. Jacob Evans and Iggy Brazdeikis are both on small guaranteed deals, representing potential cuts if the Knicks are forced into a move.