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New York Knicks: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 15, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez (42) warms up before the start of their game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Canada Centre. The Trail Blazers beat the Raptors 113-97. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez (42) warms up before the start of their game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Canada Centre. The Trail Blazers beat the Raptors 113-97. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Knicks
Apr 25, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez (42) reacts after being called for a foul against the Memphis Grizzlies in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /

Signing RoLo

Sadly, signing the guy who is waging a continuous war with NBA mascots is the best move the New York Knicks made this summer. Lopez is a solid two-way contributor, but he’s quite a step down from names that had been on Jackson’s radar like Greg Monroe, LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan.

Lopez is no Broadway star, but he’s actually a solid pickup. Last season, Lopez was eighth in offensive rebounding last season and also doubled as one of the NBA’s best pick-and-roll defenders and rim protectors. It’s almost as if the Knicks are learning that real NBA teams are built on unsexy players with substance rather than overpriced flashes in the pan.

Paying $54 million over four years seems like a lot for a 27-year-old center, but with the salary cap exploding the way it is, RoLo’s contract isn’t as much of an overpay as Twitter would lead you to believe.

The fact that Robin Lopez is the Knicks’ best free agency acquisition this summer tells you two things about the kind of offseason it was: 1) New York REALLY struck out on the big names and 2) Jackson still deserves a little credit for not panicking and making an actual, honest-to-God savvy signing in the wake of missing out on those bigger names.

Grade: B

Next: The Other D-Will

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