The Knicks’ plan in free agency this past offseason seemed to involve gambling that stars who appeared to be past their prime had something left in the tank. New York’s huge free agent signings over the summer were Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, two players whose on-court performance was negatively impacted by injuries over the last few years.
Rose has shown that he might be “back.” Noah, meanwhile, hasn’t really looked like his old self. The Knicks have Kristaps Porzingis in the frontcourt, so this isn’t necessarily a huge issue, but it’s fun to wonder what would have happened if New York targeted, say, Dwight Howard in free agency.
Why Howard? Outside of fitting the “older star who maybe had something left in the tank” description, Howard was reportedly interested in joining New York this past offseason. It would be an interesting fit, but it’s hard to argue that Howard wouldn’t have been a massive upgrade over Noah.
There’s just one problem: the reports of Howard being interested in becoming a Knick were inaccurate. At the very least, that’s the case if you believe what Howard told the New York Daily News:
But one player who apparently wasn’t so keen on playing center in New York was Atlanta’s Dwight Howard, who Wednesday strongly denied an offseason report that the Knicks were among the teams he considered as a free-agent destination.
“I never said that. I love New York, the Knicks are a great team. But that was something that was a lie,” said Howard, who drew interest from the Celtics and Blazers, among other teams, in free agency. “That was a rumor that was being put out there. Like I said, I have no issues with New York or the fans or the people there, but it’s just something I’ve never said.”
Howard is correct in that he never straight up said “I want to play for the Knicks” on the record, at least not that we can find. The ESPN story from last year cited friends who “have let it be known recently that the center would be interested in coming to New York,” which could be true, but it also gives Howard the benefit of the doubt.
Perhaps Howard’s disinterest stemmed from money – the Knicks gave Noah a four-year, $72 million deal, while Howard received a three-year, $70.5 million contract from the Hawks. Could Howard have been wooed to the Big Apple if he got more cash? Would that have mattered? No one will ever know, but we have a feeling watching a healthy and rejuvenated Howard line up next to Porzingis in New York’s frontcourt would have been so much fun.
(Via New York Daily News)
