The New York Knicks have been somewhat of a pleasant surprise during the 2015-16 season. Between a healthy and defensively committed Carmelo Anthony, the emergence of Kristaps Porzingis, and the performance of its two biggest free agent signings in Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo, the Knicks are right outside of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
If New York has one area that needs to be improved in its starting five, it would be point guard. Jose Calderon hasn’t been spectacular, and at 34 years old, his best days are behind him. Langston Galloway has had his moments running the point, and Jerian Grant could be the guard of the future, but neither are starter-caliber point guards right now.
To remedy this issue, the New York Post reports that the team has eyes on an upcoming unrestricted free agent, Grizzlies guard Mike Conley.
It would be a great fit – the Knicks need someone at the one and imagining Conley in an offense with Anthony and Porzingis is a lot of fun. Plus Knicks coach Derek Fisher expressed his fondness for Conley on Friday
“Obviously an Achilles injury is a tough one to take a chance on, especially with a guy that’s as important to Memphis as Mike has been,’’ Fisher said. “It seems like it always works out that those guys come back against you. So the chances are we’ll see Conley, which will make our jobs a lot harder. But like we’ve talked about before, we’re trying to become the best at some point, so you’re going to have to go through the best to get there.’’
The Post also pointed out that there are a few similarities between Conley and Fisher. Both guys are natives of Arkansas, both play/played point guard, and both are left handed, which Fisher apparently views as a positive for point guards (it is).
Conley has an injured Achilles tendon, so he’s going to miss Saturday’s game between New York and Memphis. Through the season’s first three months, he’s averaging 15.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.31 steals per game with an 18.4 player efficiency rating, so it’s safe to say that the Knicks don’t need to see Conley in person to know that he’d be an outstanding addition to their backcourt.
