The New York Knicks once again fell short in making the NBA playoffs this season. Despite the huge Derrick Rose contract signed to help the ailing Carmelo Anthony squad, the entry of the Chicago Bulls star with Joakim Noah still failed to improve their standing in the Cleveland Cavaliers dominated Eastern Conference. Will a Lance Stephenson contract eventually give more direction to the Kristaps Porzingis team?
The beginning of the 2017 NBA season had been quite promising for the New York Knicks as the team showed off their new acquisitions, Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. More than the former Chicago Bulls stars was the impressive improvement from Kristaps Porzingis and better leadership from Carmelo Anthony. However, things quickly went south midseason as the Joakim Noah squad suffered losses in the hands of the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat. What made things worse had been the brewing Carmelo Anthony trade rumors floating around the league.
Rumors are rife that the Carmelo Anthony trade might still push through. In turn, the New York Knicks are expected to sign cheaper acquisitions reportedly starting with a Lance Stephenson contract this season. The former New Orleans Pelicans star, who has been battling injuries all season, is set to become a free agent soon. While it remains to be seen if the New York Knicks will truly sign him, some fans believe that he would complement Kristaps Porzingis in the roster quite well.
League sources shared with ESPN that the Minnesota Timberwolves would be releasing their Lance Stephenson contract. This information comes after the star completed two 10-day contracts with the Ricky Rubio team. Sources told the site that "Minnesota has chosen to go in a different direction" and "Stephenson will become a free agent."
At the moment, the New York Knicks hold a lot of contracts at their disposal. These could easily clear their cap space and pave the way for a legit rebuilding efforts from the Phil Jackson team. If the comments from rising star Kristaps Porzingins are to be believed, then now seems to be the best time for the Carmelo Anthony team to start from scratch and rethink their plans.
The sophomore All-Star shared, "I think it was pretty easy to tell from the inside that we're not that good of a team. We can win games based on our talent but it's not going to last long."
