The New York Knicks need a point guard. Ty Lawson, recently bought out by the Houston Rockets, needs a team. Sounds like a match made in heaven, right? That’s what the Knicks are currently thinking, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.
Rambis on Tuesday confirmed that Ty Lawson, recently bought out by the Houston Rockets, has been on option discussed by Knicks management.
“There’s a lot of names that have been bantered about,” Rambis said. “… We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future but those are all names that have all come up.”
The Knicks had not reached out to Lawson as of Tuesday evening, according to league sources with knowledge of the situation. One Lawson friend suggested that the Knicks’ triangle offense wouldn’t be an ideal fit for the guard.
Lawson should listen to his friend. The Knicks may seem like an attractive destination, with the chance to play alongside Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Arron Afflalo (whom Lawson was close with during their time together in Denver), but it would do little to revive his career. Even if Kurt Rambis isn’t the coach next year, Phil Jackson is dedicated to running the Triangle offense, which plays to very few of Lawson’s strengths. In the Triangle, the point guard is mainly relegated to a stand-still shooter, running very few pick and rolls or dribble penetrations, both of which Lawson excels at. While Ty is a good shooter, he’s also a reluctant one, preferring to set up others rather than look for his own shot.
The Knicks should also exercise caution and restraint if they pursue Lawson, both because of his poor fit with the offense and because of his drastic dip in play this year. It’s entirely feasible that Ty bounces back on a new team, but one has to wonder whether he’d truly be engaged on a team with no postseason hopes (next year might be a different story, though if Rambis stays on as coach, it might very well not).
What may seem like a perfect marriage should instead be looked at with skepticism. Lawson is a better fit in an uptempo offense where he can create for others, and the Knicks, though desperate for talent at the point, shouldn’t be so eager to throw in with a player who hasn’t been truly engaged with a team for most of this season.
(Via ESPN)
