By the end of this summer, the Bulls might not have anyone left from last season’s backcourt. Derrick Rose will be sidelined for much of the season. Kyle Korver is in Atlanta. C.J. Watson went to Brooklyn. And now Ronnie Brewer is packing his bags, along with his defense and his one-of-a-kind off-ball cutting, for the Big Apple. Brewer played in every game for Chicago last season, and while his average of 6.9 points a game isn’t catching anyone’s eye, the former Arkansas star brings a lot of intangibles to the floor. Alas, because of money concerns, Chicago didn’t pick up his $4.3 million option this summer, thus making him a free agent.
Several sources have indeed confirmed that Brewer has signed on with the Knicks for a one-year deal. Originally reported by David Aldridge, terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.
I spent some time with Brewer last summer, and it’s actually quite ironic he’s headed to New York City. He’s originally from the country in Arkansas, and still goes back there every summer. Then in the NBA, he’s played in cities like Utah and Chicago, both of which couldn’t be more different from each other (He also briefly played in Memphis). Neither one had much southern culture in them. New York has a little bit of everything, but is so drastically different from Arkansas that there’s really no reason to bother comparing them.
As for the actual basketball, Mike Woodson is a hard-nosed coach who loves veterans that play defense. Even though Brewer’s jumper has never been a strong point – on his career, he shoots the triple at barely 24 percent – he does many of the same things Landry Fields excels at. With Fields in Toronto, I’m sure the New York coaching staff will expect their newest addition to help fill that void.
But in the end, it’ll come down to what everything comes down to nowadays in New York: how will he fit in next to Carmelo Anthony? That’ll tell the real story.
Is this a good move?
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