Knicks Daily Roundup 5/18: "The Last Dance" Ends, Knicks Offseason Advantages, and More
-As "The Last Dance" came to a close last night, fans were left with a bittersweet feeling. The documentary was a phenomenal series that could not have come at a better time, but it was sad for it to end. While the focus was on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty, the doc gave major insight into the NBA in the 90s and what the era was like for all the teams and players involved, including the Knicks. As someone who was born when Jordan already had a ring, I never got to truly appreciate this decade of basketball. Our own Jonathan Macri wrote about how "The Last Dance" beautifully took us back to a different time and put a bow on a special era of basketball.
-Damyean Dotson is a forgotten man on the Knicks. He's not a veteran that New York needs to make a decision on, nor is he like the other young players on the team who were either drafted highly (R.J. Barrett, Dennis Smith Jr., Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina) or have flashed major potential (Mitchell Robinson). Yet Dotson still has the tools to be a 3-and-D player the Knicks so desperately need. Our own Alex Wolfe wrote about Dotson in his latest "Keep or Cut" article. It may seem like the front office is leaning toward letting Dot go, so see if Alex thinks that would be the wrong course of action.
-While it's no secret the Knicks could benefit from a salary cap drop, ESPN cap guru Bobby Marks reinforced this notion. Marks spoke with Marc Berman of The New York Post about how the Knicks should "want the cap and tax to crash" given all the flexibility it would give them relative to other teams—as long as they make the right decisions with the upcoming team options and partially guaranteed deals.
Marks made two other interesting notes about free agency. First, he believes all players with player options will opt into their contracts. Second, he stated some executives hope to bring back the amnesty clause given how the pandemic is affecting the cap. The amnesty would allow each team to cut one player without any extra penalty. While Knicks fans might look at this and think it'd be a great way to get rid of Julius Randle, New York should actually root against the amnesty clause return. Randle is essentially an expiring contract next year, and the majority of other teams have a worse contract.
-Our own Kris Pursiainen continues his series of 2020 NBA Draft scouting reports, looking at some of the top prospects and how they could fit in with the Knicks. This weekend, Kris broke down Anthony Edwards and R.J. Hampton. It's unlikely that the Knicks will get Edwards without some lottery luck, and his inefficient play could lead to more lumps for the team. But in a weak class, Kris explains how Edwards' talent and athletic scoring ability could make him the best player available. Hampton is also an athletic specimen, but he's even more raw than Edwards. Kris wrote about how the lack of shooting and polish could lead to early-career struggles, notably on a Knicks team that has several lottery picks who have yet to reach their potential.
-Everyone is looking forward to having basketball back as soon as possible, maybe none more than New York Liberty fans. After grabbing Sabrina Ionescu with the first overall pick in this year's draft, the hype around the team continues to grow. But who will be on the floor with her on opening night when the season tips off? Our own Lauren Russell breaks down who she thinks will be the Liberty's starting five to begin the season.
-Giannis Antetokounmpo is a pipe dream for the Knicks in 2021. It's extremely unlikely the Greek Freak heads to New York. But during these trying times, it's easy to discuss everything, and Berman released another mailbag that analyzed the possibility of Giannis at MSG. The mailbag also touched on the Knicks potentially adding shooting in the draft, why Mark Jackson has not been as strongly considered for another head coaching position, and more.
