New York Knicks: Who Is Travis Wear?
The New York Knicks made a minor trade on Monday, with its main purpose being to open up a roster spot for undrafted rookie Travis Wear. The Knicks sent Travis Outlaw and a future second-round draft pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Arnett Moultrie, who was promptly waived by New York. With one Travis out the door, it cleared room for another Travis to make the team.
But the question is, who is Travis Wear?
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After winning a pair of California state championships in high school, Wear and his twin brother David enrolled at the University of North Carolina in 2009. Neither played much for the Tar Heels as freshman and they each decided to transfer to UCLA before their sophomore season.
In three years with the Bruins (after redshirting in 2010) Travis averaged 9.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. His numbers actually declined each season at UCLA, likely due to the arrival of more heralded NBA prospects Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Zach LaVine.
Wear was not selected in the draft last June, but managed to land on the Atlanta Hawks summer league roster. In three games in Las Vegas, Wear played a total of just 17 minutes, scoring eight points and grabbing two rebounds.
The Knicks signed Wear (and free agent Langston Galloway) on Sept. 9. Here’s one of the more thorough reports available at the time, from Pro Basketball Talk‘s Dan Feldman:
"Wear, who played three years at UCLA after a season at North Carolina, is a 6-foot-10 power forward with a nice shooting stroke. Unfortunately, that never extended regularly beyond the arc in college, let alone to NBA range.The Knicks already had 15 players, so I’d guess Galloway and Wear received small or no guarantees. They’re almost certain to be waived."
There’s nothing particularly impressive about Wear’s preseason stats either. Over five games he averaged 11.1 minutes, 3.8 points and 2.6 rebounds. So what did the 24-year-old do to earn his place with the Knicks? The New York Post‘s Marc Berman writes:
"The Knicks originally planned to cut Wear and have him play on their Westchester D-League team. Now, he can go back and forth between the Knicks and their new affiliate. He showed hustle, speed and a solid mid-range jumper, shooting 45 percent during the preseason."
And via ESPN New York, Knicks president Phil Jackson said:
"“He’s 6-10 with a terrific handle, outstanding athleticism and a nice touch from beyond the arc. He was overshadowed at UCLA but has the skill set to play every position from 1 to 4. We’ll eventually place him in the D-League, where his possible NBA future solely depends on his ability to learn how to defend.”"
Regardless of where Wear ends up, he’ll be in uniform at Madison Square Garden when New York opens its season against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday–and that’s something nobody expected to happen.