Empire Writes Back
Fansided

New York Knicks Rumors: Carlos Boozer Being Targeted?

By Kenneth Teape

facebooktwitterreddit

New York Knicks Rumors: As the Knicks are continuing to round out the end of their roster, could veteran power forward Carlos Boozer be an option?

At this point in the summer, NBA teams are scraping the bottom of the barrel of the free agent market. With a large portion of salary cap money being spent, it is time to search high and low for bargains and begin filling out the end of rosters with minimum contracts. For the New York Knicks, this is an important process as they are in the middle of a rebuild and could afford gambling on some younger players to see if they can help them reach their potential.

But, there is a need for veterans still on the roster no matter how poor of a roster you have. Veterans are something the Knicks are lacking right now, as there is only three players currently on the team that are beyond 30 years old. Because of that, the Knicks are interested in bringing some veterans aboard. The most recent player to be linked to them is Carlos Boozer.

At this point in his career, it is fair to assume that Boozer is looking to put himself in the best position to win a championship. If that is where his head’s at, than the Knicks and Nuggets can be written off, and potentially the Mavericks as well. Joining the Spurs would be the ultimate sacrifice for Boozer, as he would receive almost no playing time there with LaMarcus Aldridge and David West already signed this offseason to go along with Tim Duncan. But, they would represent the best path to a championship of the team’s interested in him it would seem.

Also on Empire Writes Back: Who is the best Knick PG of all-time?

The interest from the Knicks is a little head scratching. On the surface, just looking at the roster, Boozer seems to be a poor fit. With 14 players currently on the roster right now, including non-guaranteed deals, the Knicks have other holes they could fill with the last roster spot, such as adding another shooter. A true center could be needed as well, as Robin Lopez is the only one currently on the roster; Kyle O’Quinn and Louis Amundson are capable of sliding over to center, but profile more as power forwards.

Also, it is hard to imagine Boozer just riding the bench for a team as far away from a championship as the Knicks are. With young player such as Kristaps Porzingis and O’Quinn needing minutes at power forward, giving some to Boozer seems like a waste. Carmelo Anthony could be the starting power forward, and if that is the case there will already be limited minutes to bench players as well. Don’t forget the Knicks also signed Derrick Williams, who projects as a combo forward off the bench but could be the starting small forward depending on what the Knicks decide to do in their backcourt.

More from Knicks Rumors

On the court Boozer would seem to be a poor fit as well. All of the signings and draft picks point towards one thing this offseason for the Knicks; a determination to improve on the defensive end of the court. That is something Boozer will not help at all in, as he is as poor a defender as they come. Two years ago with the Chicago Bulls he was routinely benched in fourth quarters for his lack of intensity on that end of the court, and it was much of the same last season with the Lakers despite them having very few bodies to go with.

But, one area Boozer would represent an upgrade at is in the rebounding department. Despite playing only 23.8 minutes per game last season, Boozer was able to pull down 6.8 rebounds per game. He could also provide a little scoring punch, as he averaged 11.8 points per game.

If Boozer is signed by the Knicks, expect him to play a role similar to what Amar’e Stoudemire was giving them last season. He has the ability to score a little bit and will rebound, but will be negative defensively. Is that something the Knicks really need on their roster right now? The answer would probably be no, as the Knicks should be focusing more on developing younger talent more than appeasing a veteran such as Boozer. With players at the end of the bench, you are usually looking for guys with a specific skill that will help the team, something Boozer does not really provide at this point in his career.

Next: Arron Afflalo Is Ready For New York

More from Empire Writes Back

Home/Knicks Rumors