smackeddog wrote:

Finestrg wrote:Like everyone else, I want this Jahlil Okafor in the draft, but say it doesn't work out. Say we get pick 3 in this draft and like Emmanuel Mudiay, enough to take him with the 3rd pick (who knows how high the Knicks will wind up having this kid on their draft board when the time comes. Plus, we do need a PG upgrade one way or another however we can manage it). Just thinking about our best big man options in FA, specifically at C. I think there are 2 pretty good ones: DeAndre Jordan and Enes Kanter. Two completely different players here--one's an athletic rim-protector/alley-oop converter; the other's a very nice offensive player/potential 10 rpg guy who's just starting to come into his own.

What's each guy's worth in FA? Who do you guys prefer if we went this route (a big in FA as opposed to the draft)? Who's the better buy between these two? Jordan's restricted and might be easier to get although I think I prefer Kanter--I like the youth and I think he has more upside than Jordan overall, definitely on the offensive end where it's not even close. More complete player I'm thinking, although Jordan's rim defense is elite level. Kanter's an unrestricted FA -- does Utah match a sizable offer sheet to retain him? I think either one of these guys could help us next year if we were forced into Plan B mode.

Who fits our plans better?

Thanks for posting these- I was about to do a search on youtube for his highlights. Those commentators are awful though! Enes is a weird one- I remember following his numbers a season or two, ago and he was capable of putting up some absolute monster stats- but then nothing really came of it. He's still as wildly inconsistent as he always was. Maybe you take a gamble on him and it pays off big time, but he could also be a bust- he's a risky target! I really don't know enough about him.

What's his defense like?

Not the best lateral movement- not great as a shot blocker.

If you pair him with shot blocking PF you might have a workable lineup.

My problem with Kanter is that Anthony might not be able to play D at the 3 anymore. If you have a Kanter/Anthony 5/4 combo, your defense will be in trouble, and your shot blocking numbers will be the lowest in the league. Kanter is also a poor passer, something that would annoy Jackson and Fisher, I would think.

Finestrg wrote:Stoudemire was an older established vet when we got him who had substantial injury concerns. This kid Kanter's only 22, no injury concerns to speak of, bigger with even better offensive potential than Stoudemire (if he succeeds in fully realizing that potential -- 95% chance Kanter becomes a 20 ppg scorer in the NBA with a few more mins. per game. There's also an outside chance he could average 25 ppg -- I think he's that good of an offensive player. If I'm the Knicks and we got him, I'd go out of my way to make sure he reached his ceiling--get him his shots, feature him in the offense along with Melo etc.) and he will be a better rebounder than STAT once he gets more consistent minutes. Knowing STAT's shortcomings and injury history we still offered him $100mm over 5 years. Kanter would cost far less than that. I don't really see the comparison. If the rest of the roster was constructed properly, Melo/Kanter could definitely work.

i only made the comparison because stoudemire is just dumb on defense... we all saw it... this guy is equally as dumb... plus having your center, your last line of defense, having zero effect in the paint is a VERY tough thing to overcome... it's so tough that it almost doesn't matter if you have 4 all word defenders at the other positions... if your starting center doesn't affect shots in the paint, can't cover a pick and roll.. you will be in the bottom third in defense every year....

i can't even think of any team remotely calling themselves a contender having a center that was as bad on defense in the history of basketball...