The Knicks‘ fortunes will depend largely on a pair of veteran point guards with a history of knee issues, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. The team addressed the position over the offseason by re-signing Derrick Rose and adding Kemba Walker after his buyout with the Thunder.
Rose didn’t have any physical problems after the Knicks acquired him in February. He played 35 games and the only time he missed was due to COVID-19. Walker, however, was slowed by an arthritic left knee all season and managed just 43 games for the Celtics.
“Health, I think it’s a big question for every team, and it’s important (Walker) feels good,’’ coach Tom Thibodeau said. “(Kemba’s) been in. He’s doing a lot of work. And you got to trust him. He understands what he has to do to be ready for a season.’’
There’s more from New York:
- The Knicks plan to continue their approach of gradually building a title contender and won’t look for shortcuts after the surprising success of last season, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Armed with more than $50M in cap room, the front office concentrated on roster stability, re-signing much of the team’s core to long-term deals. “We wanted to bring enough of those guys back from last year that started to set a bar for us to get better,” general manager Scott Perry said. “And as you look around the league, teams that improve tend to have a lot of the same guys back. You’ve got to be able to have enough time to develop a core group of guys, so that was reflective of what we did this summer.”
- Addressing the media Friday for the first time in 14 months, team president Leon Rose said there are certain advantages to being a former agent, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Rose came to the Knicks from CAA, where he used to be one of the NBA’s most influential dealmakers. “I think being an agent gives me a great perspective from the other side of the table, and allows me to have a greater understanding of the things we come up against every single day and the way the other people think,” Rose said. “So I think it’s a huge benefit.”
- Wayne Selden‘s new deal with the Knicks is a rare Exhibit 9 contract, according to Spotrac. As Bondy explains (via Twitter), the non-guaranteed deal offers protections for the team if Selden is injured during training camp.
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