Knick Players Worth Discarding

by

There are currently 14 Players on the Knicks roster according to http://knicksnow.com/ Some are exceptional and some are acceptable, but there are just some players that the Knicks should consider discarding.

Raymond Felton

It did not feel right to start this article without Raymond Felton. Felton works hard but he just does not work well for the team. He is terrible on the defensive end and mediocre on the offensive end. Felton is not getting any younger and he is not getting any better, averaging a career low of 9.7 points. He also averages a career low of 2.0 turnovers, but tends to do it in inopportune moments. He is the Knicks starting point guard averaging 31.0 minutes for the season, but has failed to remain effective and consistent for the team as he averaged an all around atrocious shooting percentage. In the 2013-2014 season he managed to average .395% from the field, .318% from three, and .721 from the free throw line. One who does not know much about Felton or who may have witnessed his on court action for the first time this season could argue that perhaps he only had a bad year. That may be a legit argument if it were true, but it is not. He has spent 9 years in the NBA and his career is not going anywhere uphill anytime fast. Other teams may not want him, but he is easily replaceable and if the Knicks get a chance they should discard Felton.

Andrea Barganai

Andrea Bargnani for the most part is a huge liability for the Knicks. He is slow on the defensive end and mediocre on the offensive end given that he is 7’0 feet tall and the number 1 pick in the 2006 draft. He was brought in for the Knicks with a payment of 11 million dollars for the year embedded in his contract. They also brought in Bargnani with the idea that he would shape up and add spacing to the floor. What he brought to the team was nothing short of a nightmare. For a big man who is supposedly a shooter he averaged a career low .278% from three. Even uncontested shots did not fall like they should have, not to mention the the unacceptable shot he took against the Milwaukee Bucks while ahead by 2 points with 12 seconds on the clock. Honestly Bargnani getting injured for most of the season was one of the best things that happened for the Knicks down the road. If he stayed healthy their record may have been even worse than it is now. In my opinion the Knicks can do better next year, but a lot of it rely’s on what they do with Bargani. If Bargani does not opt out, it all depends on how they use him. His contract may scream “starter” but his effectiveness on the court screams otherwise. Every player deserves to play, but he should not amass starter minutes and may prove to be more effective off the bench with an average of maybe 10 to 15 minutes. Seeing how they never seem to learn from their mistakes I expect them to bring him back as a starter with the same strategies while expecting different results.

Kenyon Martin

Kenyon Martin is a tough 6’9 Power Forward who does not allow any easy baskets near the rim and can come off the bench to draw needed fouls. Still all of this does not matter if he barely shows up to contribute even if its a small contribution. In The last two seasons Martin has only attended a total of 50 games which is a little more than half of one season. At age 36 he is only getting older meaning that he will only get more susceptible to injuries. Ridding Kenyon Martin from their roster will give them a chance to add someone with more mileage in their career.

Amare Stoudemire

Personally I like how Amare Stoudemire has been playing as of late, but the fact of the matter is that his contract weighs more than he is worth on the court. Stoudemire of old would be great, but those days are over. Injury has also been an issue since arriving to New York. He maybe be worth about half of his contract but 21 million dollars is just too much for him to be paid at this stage in his career. He is not a terrible player and does not serve as a complete liability, but his contract just weighs too much and if he chooses to opt out the money could go towards another promising player or players which is why Stoudemire is worth discarding.