Here's our weekly Knicks mailbag with SNY's NBA Insider Ian Begley...
Before we get to the questions, you can find the latest on the Knicks’ coaching search here:
@Traticaster101: Who is the Knicks No. 1 free agent signing that’s not on the team?
I’d be lying to you if I said I’ve seen Leon Rose’s list of free agent targets, but I think they could have varying degrees of interest in Carmelo Anthony, Christian Wood and Danilo Gallinari. I don’t know who among those three would be the No. 1 target. Their interest level in those players could change based on what happens in the NBA Draft. It could also change if any young stars become available via trade.
But at this point, my best guess is that the Knicks will consider pursuing at least one of the three players listed above. Regarding the top free agents this summer, it’s hard to see the Knicks offering a big long-term contract to an established All-Star, unless Anthony Davis surprises everyone and decides to opt out of his deal and leave the Lakers.
@KnicksFTW_HOTK: What percentages of the blame for the failures this season fall on Steve Mills and Scott Perry?
I think any objective party would say that most of the blame lies with management. They made the decision to trade Kristaps Porzingis once he requested a trade. They hoped to land top free agents with the cap space acquired in the deal, and it didn’t happen. I think you can also place a fair share of the blame on players and coaches who underperformed during the season. But management picked the coaches and players, so that’s why I’d place a majority of the blame on their shoulders.
One thing that gets overlooked on Mills and Perry: they didn’t make any cap-killing moves and didn’t trade any first-round picks. So Rose and his team, which includes Perry as GM, have ample cap space and seven first-round picks over the next four drafts. Those are good tools to use for a rebuild.
@DavidKR__: Do you think the Knicks could look to trade up from the Clippers pick at 27 to get in the mid to late teens?
If I had to guess, I’d think they don’t pursue a move like this because of the depth of this draft. Media and scouts have both said that there isn’t a big drop off between picks in the mid-to-late first round, so I don’t see a lot of utility in this type of trade.
@bkln_prince: Who would be the perfect player to pair with RJ and Mitch-Rob from the draft based on where we’re positioned?
I’ll echo what former Knicks head coach David Fizdale said in an interview with ESPN Radio during the season: the Knicks could really benefit from adding a point guard and a big who can knock down shots. I think that the point guard should be a top priority for the club. Given that, the perfect lottery pick for New York is a lead guard who can knock down a perimeter shot. This would complement Barrett well and would improve Robinson’s impact as a roller in pick-and-rolls with a point guard.