Tag: Robin Lopez

Knicks Pick Up Derrick Rose in Surprise Trade

New York Knicks v Chicago Bulls

 

 

Phil Jackson didn’t waste any time securing the first big trade of the NBA off-season by acquiring former MVP Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Jose Calderon, Robin Lopez and Jerian Grant.

According to league sources, the Bulls will also send guard Justin Holiday and a 2017 second round pick to the Knicks.

The 27 year old Rose has been plagued by severe knee injuries since his 2010 MVP season. He underwent surgery for an ACL tear on his left knee in 2012. In 2013, Rose suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee that required season-ending surgery. Last season, he averaged 16 points (42% FG) and 5 assists over 66 games.

I won’t act like I’m absolutely thrilled by this move, but I’m not mad at it either. Since the season ended, the Knicks front office has made it clear they want to contend over tanking. New coach Jeff Hornacek also made it clear that we needed an upgrade over Calderon at point guard.

So the options were to overpay Mike Conley to a max contract, or pay less but gamble more with a combustible character in Rajon Rondo. In Rose, we get a player that will be motivated in a contract year. Should Rose fail, he’s off the books next year and we have max money available to go after a franchise player like Russell Westbrook.

Make no mistake, it’s still a question mark if Rose stays healthy. And I’m sad we had to give up one of last season’s best contributors (Robin Lopez) and a promising young talent (Grant) to make this happen.

For now, does this look like a competent Big Three to you?

Rose_Knicks

Knicks Frontcourt Subdues Heat

image

MIAMI — The Knicks made it three in a row last night with an efficient, disciplined performance on both ends against the Heat.

PAINT DOMINANCE: On the offensive end, the Knicks got huge games from the starting frontcourt of Melo (25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals), Robin Lopez (19 points, 2 blocks) and Kristaps Porzingis (12 points, 2 blocks). Melo shot 75% from the field, using a balanced attack from inside and mid-range. Porzingis struggled with his shot, but hit double figures in the second half by getting to the line. And Rolo put his full arsenal on display with putbacks, spin moves and his pet baby hook shot.

D-WILL SPARK: Once again, Derrick Williams was the key bench contributor, helping New York maintain their fourth quarter double digit lead. He had 13 points (5/8) to go along with 8 rebounds. The most clutch bucket was a fourth quarter three-pointer with the shot-clock expiring. It pushed the lead back to double digits and seemed to deflate Miami’s confidence.

PORZINGIS STAYS FOCUSED: Chris Bosh had a monster game (28 points) and seemed to relish taking our rookie to school. He got a nice driving dunk at KP’s expense, and Whiteside followed up with his own slam over the Latvian giant. Porzingis didn’t get rattled, and came back from the Bosh dunk for an alley oop on the next possession. Earlier, he had two good blocks on Luol Deng and Dwyane Wade.

He’s not going to block every shot, but I like the fact Porzingis is never afraid to contest, even after getting yammed on like below.

 

Knicks Contain Drummond, Defeat Pistons 108-96

image

NEW YORK — The Knicks received by efforts from Robin Lopez (11 points, 6 blocks) and Derrick Williams (18 points) to snap a four-game losing streak and beat the Pistons 108-96 at Madison Square Garden.

Melo lead the way with 24 points and kept the Knicks close throughout until Williams exploded for 16 points in the fourth on 5-6 shooting. The team effort was rounded out with Calderon (15 points), Kyle O’Quinn (12 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (10 points).

The main threat coming in was Andre Drummond, and the Knicks did a superb job of throwing different bodies at him and keeping him from dominating the glass. Although no Knick had more than 7 rebounds, Drummond was held to 13 points (5/15) and 9 rebounds. Leading the way for Detroit were Ersan Ilyasova (19 points) and Reggie Jackson (17 points).

A big positive to take from this game is the Knicks are 11-2 when they score at least 100 points. But a glaring problem this season has been the losing streaks — this was the third time the Knicks had lost four straight. If we hope to get a playoff spot, these stretches of futility cannot keep happening.

The Knicks are back in action on New Year’s Day against the Bulls.

Robin Lopez Agrees to Knicks Deal at 4 Years, $54 Million

RobinLopez

Center Robin Lopez has inked a 4-year, $54 million deal to leave the Portland Trailblazers for the New York Knicks.

The 27-year old Lopez averaged 10 points (54% FG), 7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over 28 minutes last season for Portland.

Known for his defense and rebounding energy (3 off. rpg), Lopez is expected to be the “rim protector” team president Phil Jackson emphasized as a free agency focus.

With Carmelo Anthony and rookie Kristaps Porzingis likely to spend significant minutes at power forward, Lopez’s 7’0, 255 pound frame is essential for covering their weaknesses on the boards and defensively. This used to be Tyson Chandler’s job until he mentally checked out. Cole Aldrich and Lou Amundson did the best with their limited ability last year. Rolo is a clear upgrade in all facets. I’m expecting him to average a double double being in the East and likely playing increased minutes.

No, Lopez isn’t a name-grabber like Deandre Jordan or LaMarcus Aldridge, but he’s a marked improvement and fits the defensive mold we’re trying to build.

Still skeptical? Check the videos below.

The Cope & Melo Show — Knicks End Three-Game Skid with Hornets Victory 100-87

Chris_Copeland

Even with the Knicks struggling mightily in the New Year with various injuries, a loss to the Hornets would have been a huge low point. It wasn’t a flawless performance earlier today, but we saw glimpses of the ball movement and defense that made this team great to kick off the season.

A CONTINUATION OF THE BULLS BEATDOWN: Including today, the Knicks have lost 11 of the last 14 first quarters. Early on the Knicks were flat today with no ball movement and heavy on isolation plays for Carmelo Anthony, who was ice cold from the field (1-5 to start). Our second-leading scorer in JR Smith was no better in going 0-4 in making a stupid foul at half-court with the clock winding down that gave the Hornet 3 free throws to push their lead to 29-22. Eric Gordon had a hot start as well lighting up our guards from long range and driving at will. The one bright spot was Chris Copeland, who hit 3 three-pointers to keep it close.

COPELAND MAKING A NAME: With JR struggling, Chris Copeland provided the offense that the Knicks sorely needed. He went 4-7 from downtown and made some key drives to the basket to keep the Hornet at bay. At times, the Knicks have gone with lineups that has them playing three against five when it comes to offense execution. As one of the few guys on the team that can create his own shot, let’s hope Coach Woodson keeps Copeland in the rotation.

NOVAK DOING WHAT HE DOES BEST: Steve Novak hit some key three-pointers in the fourth that put this game out of reach. One at the beginning of the quarter pushed the game to 76-68, and another a few minutes later put it at 84-68.

STAT MOVING ALONG: Amar’e Stoudemire had a productive 23 minutes in getting 12 points. The rebounding was still bad; he only had 3 and was getting pushed out of position by the likes of Robin Lopez. However, Stat did get one offensive board and with the exception of a few miscues, was competent on defense (even with 5 fouls). It’s only his seventh game back and I remain hopeful that he can start beasting with our second unit.

MELO WAKES UP: After going 1-9, Melo woke up and and went off for 18 points in the second quarter. He showed his full arsenal by scoring on fast breaks and jumpers. His work was instrumental in an 8-0 run to take the lead for good at 36-34. At one point, Melo scored 14 straight Knicks points which lead to MVP chants whenever he went to the line. He finished with 27 points and was a presence on the glass in notching 7 rebounds.

JR OUT OF SORTS BUT STILL CONTRIBUTES: Aside from the bonehead three-pointer foul mentioned earlier, JR Smith also got a technical for complaining about fouls in the third. Nonetheless, our shooting guard started to find his jumper in the second half and was aggressive driving to the basket. Even with only 8 points, JR notched six assists and two steals, showing his importance in the second half in regards to ball movement and defense.

It’s onto to London (!) next for a game against the Detroit Pistons.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AUOm-FtkJ4&feature=youtube_gdata_player]