The Carmelo Anthony Era is Over | What did the Knicks Gain?
It was an ugly divorce, but it's finally over. Carmelo Anthony is joining forces with Russell Westbrook and Paul George in OKC. The Knicks season opener is in, of course, Oklahoma City, so it should be fun watching Melo shooting wide open shots on a Knicks defense that might be even worse without him.
Regardless of how you feel about Melo, it's important to understand what the Knicks actually got by trading him.
If you dislike Melo for being a ball stopper and not playing defense... well just you wait! The good news is Enes Kanter is a gifted post player who can bring some much needed scoring off the bench. The 24 year old has an impressive stat line per 36 minutes: 24 points and 11 rebounds.
He only averaged 20 minutes per game on the Thunder, and that is because of how atrocious he was defensively. Kanter is incredibly slow when guarding the pick and roll, which is why I think Willy Hernangomez is still going to be more valuable than Kanter.
https://twitter.com/JADubin5/status/853809851163709440
Enes Kanter has a player option after this season to make $18 million; you better believe he's opting in. That means Knicks fans have an extra year of Kanter!
Dougie McBuckets! This young swingman is now going into his fourth season. He hasn't proven much other than the fact that he is a decent scorer. He'll fit right in New York! It's nice having him as a young asset on a small contract, for the obvious low risk high reward factor.
Since this is the Bulls second rounder, it should be early in the second round, because they're projected to be one of the worst teams in the league. This upcoming draft is apparently stacked, so maybe the Knicks can make some noise in the second round? Probably not, I don't know. Who cares.
Melo will be missed. Whether you liked him or not, you cannot deny the fact that the Knicks failed to build a legitimate team around him. This is just another what could have been chapter in New York.
Now the Knicks can focus all their attention on Kristaps Porzingis. Hopefully Knicks GM Scott Perry can figure out how to build a proper supporting cast in a couple years.
https://twitter.com/NBASwissCheeseD/status/911639533346787328
Regardless of how you feel about Melo, it's important to understand what the Knicks actually got by trading him.
Enes Kanter
If you dislike Melo for being a ball stopper and not playing defense... well just you wait! The good news is Enes Kanter is a gifted post player who can bring some much needed scoring off the bench. The 24 year old has an impressive stat line per 36 minutes: 24 points and 11 rebounds.
He only averaged 20 minutes per game on the Thunder, and that is because of how atrocious he was defensively. Kanter is incredibly slow when guarding the pick and roll, which is why I think Willy Hernangomez is still going to be more valuable than Kanter.
https://twitter.com/JADubin5/status/853809851163709440
Enes Kanter has a player option after this season to make $18 million; you better believe he's opting in. That means Knicks fans have an extra year of Kanter!
Doug McDermott
Dougie McBuckets! This young swingman is now going into his fourth season. He hasn't proven much other than the fact that he is a decent scorer. He'll fit right in New York! It's nice having him as a young asset on a small contract, for the obvious low risk high reward factor.
Bulls Second Round Draft Pick
Since this is the Bulls second rounder, it should be early in the second round, because they're projected to be one of the worst teams in the league. This upcoming draft is apparently stacked, so maybe the Knicks can make some noise in the second round? Probably not, I don't know. Who cares.
Melo will be missed. Whether you liked him or not, you cannot deny the fact that the Knicks failed to build a legitimate team around him. This is just another what could have been chapter in New York.
Now the Knicks can focus all their attention on Kristaps Porzingis. Hopefully Knicks GM Scott Perry can figure out how to build a proper supporting cast in a couple years.
https://twitter.com/NBASwissCheeseD/status/911639533346787328
