Could The New York Knicks Sign Ray Allen?
By Vijay Vemu
Ray Allen is reportedly attempting a comeback in the NBA and the New York Knicks are in the mix to sign one of the greatest three-point shooters of all time.
A lot of rumors have been swirling around when it comes to retired NBA veterans wanting to make a comeback in the NBA. Stephen Jackson, Derek Fisher, Ray Allen, and even Emeka Okafor all reportedly want another shot in the association. But out of all of those guys, Allen is the one that has been heavily linked with an NBA team. That team is the New York Knicks.
According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, the Knicks are interested in his services. Well, not exactly the Knicks, but their biggest fan is trying to go after Ray Allen’s services. Spike Lee, the famous movie director and die-hard Knicks fan, is trying to get Allen to the Big Apple. Allen has also talked to the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks about coming back. But Allen to the Knicks would be a very interesting fit, although the salary cap would raise some issues.
Allen is 41 years old and can’t play heavy minutes anymore. He would be relegated to a bench role and one where he plays around 10-15 minutes per game. Allen has always been in good shape throughout his NBA career but Father Time catches up to everyone.
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Also, given the types of players on the Knicks, Allen would only be used in a role where he sits in a corner and waits for kick-outs or coming off screens constantly — the first scenario being more likely given his age and Jeff Hornacek‘s offensive style.
Shooting at a career average of 40 percent and making over 2,900 career threes, Allen is one of the best three-point shooters ever and he would certainly stretch the floor for the Knicks. With his quick release, teams can’t exactly just leave him open and beg him to prove that he can still hit the three. We know he still can.
On corner threes, Allen has a career average of 43.5 percent, but it hasn’t been a big part of his game. Only 27.3 percent of Allen’s career three-point attempts came from the corner spots, so some adjustment would have to come from his part to sit the corner and be ready for kick-outs.
The Knicks have players like Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony who primarily need the ball in their hands to make an impact on the offensive end. They will likely draw double teams on post-ups or when they come into the lane, prompting them to kick it out to the three-point line. Having a guy like Allen would cause some problems for defenses in terms of collapsing in the paint and rotation.
Right now the Knicks are right at the cap and can only add one more player to reach the max of 15 players that they will be paying guaranteed money. If they do sign Allen to a guaranteed contract, it would force a tough situation for the Knicks in regards to some of their young players. Ron Baker, Chasson Randle and J.P. Tokoto all have non-guaranteed deals with the Knicks at the moment and signing Allen would make it very hard for them to make the roster.
Waiving a player with guaranteed money is a likely option to get one of those three on the roster plus Allen, but looking at the players who are getting guaranteed money, it is unlikely the Knicks would do that. If the Knicks were to make that move, however, Baker would likely be the one player they would bring back. He offers some depth at the 2-guard spot with his ability to handle the ball and shoot from deep.
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Having a guy like Ray Allen would be great in the locker room and on the court. But the New York Knicks will have to make some tough choices regarding the salary cap and the fit might be a little off.