Empire Writes Back
Fansided

Breaking New York Knicks Down By Position: Power Forward

By Kenneth Teape

facebooktwitterreddit

The 2014-2015 season is an important for the New York Knicks. They are under new management from the front office with Phil Jackson, to the coaching staff headed by Derek Fisher. There has also been a huge turnover on the roster, as the Knicks attempt to build their roster to be tailored to the Triangle Offense, while also not digging into the precious cap space they have manufactured for the upcoming offseasons. With that, a series of articles will be written to break down the Knicks position by position, going in depth about who the starter will be, and the role each player will have behind the starter. The fourth position we’ll take a look at is the power forward spot.

More from New York Knicks

Starter: Undetermined

It looks like the starting power forward for the season opener is going to be newcomer Jason Smith. Smith is a great fit for the Triangle Offense, as he is a seven-footer with the ability to know down perimeter jump shots and has good court vision to make timely passes.

Smith had a late start to the preseason as his wife gave birth to their child, resulting in an up-and-down performance. In three of the games Smith shot 50 percent or better; in his other two he didn’t make a shot.

Smith does offer some good things to the Knicks, as he has proven to be a double-digit scorer with the ability to throw in good rebounding percentages and some blocks when healthy. The thing is he is rarely healthy. The most games Smith has appeared in the last three seasons is 51, making it difficult for the Knicks to truly count on him until he proves otherwise.

But while he is healthy, he will be a strong option for the Knicks up front. They are pretty thin at power forward and center, with health concerns surrounding virtually every player on the roster at the positions. He should see time at both power forward and center depending on the lineups Fisher is using, and if he is capable of it, heavy minutes at times.

Oct 24, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire (1) dunks the ball during the second half against the Toronto Raptors at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Backups: Andrea Bargnani, Amar’e Stoudemire, Quincy Acy, Travis Wear

Bargnani has already been ruled out for at least the first three games of the season because of a hamstring injury that he suffered the first preseason game of the season. His return at this point cannot be determined, as he will undoubtedly need some practice time to get back up to speed after missing essentially all of the preseason.

Acy, who could see some minutes at small forward as well, has earned playing time with his play in the preseason He started multiple games in the preseason, using the opportunity presented to him by the Bargnani injury to earn a spot with the team, and a spot in the rotation. His play is one of the reasons that Travis Outlaw was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in the week, as the Knicks feel Acy can soak up whatever minutes they were going to give Outlaw, if any, at small forward.

The other, and biggest reason, for the moving of Outlaw was the play of Travis Wear. Wear, an undrafted free agent from UCLA, caught the attention of the Knicks with his play in training camp and preseason. Like Smith, Wear has shown an ability to knock down the perimeter jumper and a penchant for passing the ball out of the high post. He will most likely spend a lot of the time this season in the D-League, getting some seasoning and learning the offense more while getting consistent playing time. He won’t see much playing time, if any, with the Knicks outside of garbage time or a barrage of injuries, something not out of the realm of possibilities with the medical track records of the players on the Knicks’ roster.

The last player at this position, and arguably the most important player for the Knicks this season, is Stoudemire. Stoudemire has made noise this offseason because of a new treatment he is using called vinotherapy, which is essentially wine baths. They are supposed to help Stoudemire recover and keep his body rejuvenated; so far it would be hard to argue the results as Stoudemire suited up for every preseason game, including a three games in four nights stretch.

Stoudemire was surprisingly durable for the Knicks last season, missing only the games the team had scheduled as days off for him. He flashed the dominance he had when the Knicks signed him at times; it’s just a matter of his health. There aren’t many players in the NBA that try harder and give more effort than Stoudemire. For him and the Knicks sake, hopefully he can stay healthy. He will be a great weapon off the bench or in the starting lineup if he can contribute consistently.

More from Empire Writes Back

Stoudemire is the most likely option to replace Smith in the starting lineup if Fisher wishes to change things up. He has experience starting obviously, but has started time and time again he will do whatever it takes for the team to win, showcasing his team before himself attitude once again.

Keep an eye out for the Center position breakdown, the final piece in the series heading into the regular season starting for the Knicks.

Click HERE for the Point Guard Breakdown

Click HERE for the Shooting Guard Breakdown

Click HERE for the Small Forward Breakdown

Home/New York Knicks