New York Knicks: Grading The Offseason
Signing Triple-A
Theoretically, Arron Afflalo brings his 3-and-D skill set to the wing for a team that could seriously use it. One year after his best statistical season with the Orlando Magic, Triple-A had a pretty underwhelming year splitting time between the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers. But even after a down season, two years and $16 million is a perfectly acceptable price tag.
Last year, Afflalo’s shooting dipped to 42.4 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three-point range, and his defensive numbers weren’t great either. But in Denver, he was in a toxic situation playing for a coach who had no idea what he was doing, and in Portland, he was thrust into a starting role halfway through the year for a team that was in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race.
The Knicks got Afflalo at that price because he flat out stunk last year. It's a smart contract and a worthwhile risk but it's no steal
— Brian Geltzeiler (@BGeltzNBA) July 2, 2015
Taking those things into account, it’s hard to fault him for failing to live up to his career-best numbers with the Magic in such unstable situations. No one should be thinking this is some sort of major move either, however.
Playing alongside his old Nuggets teammate Carmelo Anthony should help Afflalo feel comfortable, and the sad truth of it is that Afflalo is probably due for a resurgent year playing on a worse team where he’ll have more of an opportunity to put shots up like he had in Orlando. The Knicks want to see improvement, but there’s virtually no pressure on Afflalo after New York’s dumpster fire season last year.
Grade: B-
Next: RoLo