5-on-5: New York Knicks Season Preview

[jonathanlambert33]

1. What grade would you give the Knicks' offseason?

Jim Cavan, KnickerBlogger: B. Yes, trading for Andrea Bargnani was risky. Yes, Masai Ujiri clowned them again. No, the Knicks' small, mostly lateral moves might not be enough to keep pace in an improved East. But signing Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih, bringing back Pablo Prigioni -- these are not insignificant moves. Former GM Glen Grunwald did a good job with barely a sliver of wiggle room.

Jared Dubin, Hardwood Paroxysm: B-. The Bargnani trade was questionable at best, but Grunwald had done an excellent job filling in the end of the bench on a limited budget with signings like Jeremy Lin, Steve Novak, Chris Copeland, Prigioni, Udrih and World Peace. Reassigning him to the role of adviser and re-hiring Steve Mills (who brought in Isiah Thomas last time he was around) is a puzzling decision.

Mike Kurylo, KnickerBlogger: C-. Good teams grab players like World Peace and Udrih, two guys who can complement a playoff team. Bad teams grab the rebounding-adverse Bargnani and the inconsistent Tim Hardaway Jr. And Congress is the only other body dysfunctional enough to do something like replace Grunwald days before training camp opens.

Israel Gutierrez, ESPN.com: C. As in Chaos. The Knicks didn't have much flexibility to maneuver, so they did what they could. That translated to adding the inconsistent Bargnani and the volatile World Peace, creating a cluster of forwards who wouldn't appear to complement their most important forward, Carmelo Anthony. It'll be quite the challenge for Mike Woodson and his staff to get the best out of this group.

Robert Silverman, KnickerBlogger: C+, reflective of a mixed bag. While signing World Peace, Udrih and Prigioni to cheap deals was quite a coup, they also "reassigned" Grunwald five days before the start of camp for reasons that remain unknown. Equally mystifying is the slew of picks they surrendered to acquire Bargnani, offensive skills notwithstanding.

 
http://espn.go.com/nba/preview2013/story/_/page/5-on-5-1314nyk/2013-14-outlook-new-york-knicks
 

 

[Giantmetfan07]

My god, since when has ESPN been bringing in HP guys? I can't argue with the C grades putting most of the blame on reassigning Glen, and while Hardaway Jr was inconsistent I think he's got a lot of potential and can fit in to their offense quite well. A lot of people gave the Knicks a solid draft grade with that choice so I'm a bit surprised at that comment. Bargnani was a stupid move, one that took up even more Salary space they could have used. I'd personally give it a B-, mainly because I think they re-signed Prigioni below what he was worth even at his age. Team did great when they used the two PG system and keeping a defensive guy like Pablo out there is just what Woodson wanted. 

 

[Teagz]

lol at the guy bashing the Hardaway Jr. pick. That pick was great for the mid 20's in a horrid draft.