Did Knicks five signings salvage day from hell?

Five observations on the Knicks’ calamitous opening of free agency, when their $72 million of cap space set for two max players did not lead to a superstar coming to the Garden.

1. Let’s hit this right away. It’s disingenuous and an oversimplification to spin the Knicks weren’t interested in post-Achilles Kevin Durant for the max after they had already lost out on him. One ESPN report suggested as such. It’s easy to float that spin after Durant already told you he was not interested in a face-to-face meeting, prompting brass to fly to Los Angeles on Sunday morning to huddle with second and third tier players.

After the draft, sources said the Knicks were still all-in on Durant for the max, though would proceed cautiously, hoping to review medicals. The one concern, according to a source, was if a red flag arose in the physical July 6 , other free agents would be off the board. Yes, there was genuine caution, but if Durant wanted to be a Knick, he’d be a Knick. Bottom line. They didn’t even get the chance to recruit him and start the process.

2. This was a roster crying for a star. Of their five signings, they didn’t get one. Each contract is for two years to leave flexibility for the 2021 free agency of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Three of the signees are 28 or younger.

But only power forward Julius Randle is starting material and has an outside chance to emerge one day as an All-Star. Yes, that’s a long shot and some personnel men view Randle as a sixth man on a good team because of his poor defense and basketball IQ. The 6-foot-11 Bobby Portis, 24, is looked upon as a backup, as is 28-year-old 3-point shooter Reggie Bullock. Taj Gibson, 34, who always wanted to be a Knick, is here to teach the youngsters. The most important man in the Knicks organization has now become Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama’s brother, who is their player development chief. The entire roster needs development.

3. The Knicks like their first four signings because of the versatility it gives them at the two positions in which they were bone dry. The Knicks didn’t have a power forward under contract or a backup center. The Knicks actually want to win this season and the pressure is on coach David Fizdale to figure out a rotation from his stock of similarly skilled players. Of the three power forwards – Randle, Gibson, Portis – the club views them as versatile and can play both the 4 and 5. The Knicks’ brass likes their toughness, rebounding and each can score, too. One thing the Knicks will have this season is depth. Their cap space is down to $10 million after overpaying veteran journeyman shooting guard Wayne Ellington in a two-year, $16 million deal. This is Ellington’s second stint. He never played a single game the first time as they traded for him then they dealt him immediately to Sacramento.

4. Marcus Thompson II, who wrote Durant’s biography that came out last month, had the best take on Durant’s decision to play in Brooklyn, which is second banana in New York and owns the league’s worst attendance. Stephen Curry, Thompson reported, visited Durant Sunday in New York but after the Brooklyn decision had leaked. It was Curry’s relationship with Durant, which never grew to the next step, that was part of the reason Durant will never grace the new San Francisco arena as a Warrior. Durant now plays with buddies Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, whom the Knicks once thought would be a Durant recruiting tool for them.

“Seems the real driving force was the opportunity to play with his good friends,’’ Thompson wrote for The Athletic. “It’s not surprising that such an opportunity matters to Durant.”

5. It’s an appropriate time to reflect on the Kristaps Porzingis trade and the decision to go after extra cap space for a max instead of young assets. You can view the trade now as Porzingis for Randle, Dennis Smith Jr., Bullock and Dallas’ two first-round picks in 2021 and 2023. Time will tell on whether Smith and Randle amount to special players.

Source: Nypost.com

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