SILVER LININGS
Free-agency whiffs, bad luck in draft don’t have to doom the Knicks
The Knicks’ offseason failures will be staring them in the face in Brooklyn on Friday night.
Kevin Durant will be watching from the Nets’ bench while Kyrie Irving opposes the Knicks after spurning them in free agency. Will it define the Knicks’ season, though?
Walt “Clyde” Frazier said he hopes, instead, the Knicks’ backup plan of landing second- and third-tier free agents on short-term contracts changes the atmosphere around the team.
“They have these guys on one-year contracts, so they still have a lot of flexibility for next year,” said Frazier, a Hall of Famer and longtime MSG Network analyst.
“Only [Julius] Randle can exhale because he’s on a twoyear deal with a club option for a third. So all these other guys know they have to perform in order to get a good contract. That’s putting pressure on them to excel.”
Frazier went a step further when discussing the Knicks’ other perceived offseason disappointment. The legendary point guard said that ending up with RJ Barrett at No. 3 in the NBA draft, instead of Zion Williamson at No. 1, could change the trajectory of the franchise in a positive way.
Frazier was impressed by the post play Barrett exhibited in the preseason, one that ended with Williamson needing surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
“To me, I liked how this worked out,” Frazier said. “Barrett is the better basketball player. Zion is a freak and those tendencies are catching up with him in injuries. Maybe he can’t play at 6-6, 280 pounds. Maybe he has to lose some weight with the pressure on his knees.
“I think the Knicks are in good position. … I like when he gets into the paint it’s not with a lot of quickness. it reminds me of myself.
When I got to the paint, because of my size, I could overpower guys, especially backcourt guys and that’s what he’s doing.”
Even in the most positive of lights, though, Frazier projected the Knicks to win around 38 or 39 games, if the effort is there defensively. The expectations are much higher in Brooklyn after a playoff bid and Irving joining the core group that got the Nets there.
The opening night of this NBA season featured Kawhi Leonard getting booed at a Clippers home game by Lakers fans. The Nets have a similar dynamic, with the city’s second team landing the free agents their rival coveted. And Knicks fans don’t have LeBron James and Anthony Davis to comfort them like the Lakers do.
“Are the Nets ever going to have more fans than the Knicks? No, that battle has already been won by the Knicks,” said Nets No. 2 play-by-play man Ryan Ruocco. “Could the Nets take over the city for a great run the way the Mets and Jets can? I think so. The way that happens is success. I feel like they are on their way to that.
“Moving to Brooklyn was the first step, building a culture, they really hit on that last season. The biggest step was getting transcendent talent that fans want to watch and now they have that. I believe they are on their way to being a very interesting team in the city and a needle-mover.”