|
|
|
January 10th marks the day that all NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season. As we all know, there is only one player on the Knick roster that this might actually impact. Anthony Roberson (signed for the league minimum over the summer) is a player that has a guaranteed deal for this season. But seeing these fringe players being cut makes me call into question this particular roster spot.
I hate bringing this up all the time because he seems like such a good guy; but let’s face it, Anthony Roberson is not adding much to this team. I would love to keep him around; but with the lack of depth that this team has, would we be better off cutting ties with the seldom used guard? With D’Antoni running Duhon into the ground, what does that say about Roberson? He cannot even get minutes on this team when the starting point guard looks too tired to even be standing. Not even a couple of minutes to give Duhon a breather. Thus far, Roberson has proven to be a “sharpshooter” who cannot hit his shots with consistency. He looks overmatched on the defensive end. Any comparisons to Eddie House are really unwarranted.
Regardless, he is still on this roster. His contract can help facilitate trades, making salaries work in some deals. That is a benefit of keeping him around. And I am unsure how his character helps in the locker room, which might be reason enough to keep him. But I hope that his presence on this team is not simply a matter of Donnie Walsh being too stubborn to cut a player. If that is the case, then I have to question his judgement. Anyway, what are your thoughts on the matter? Why is Roberson still on this team?
It’s quite simple…..
Roberson is on this team because he had a great display of shooting the ball in the summer league and the coaching staff fell in love with him. Dantoni loves shooters and he thought this guy may be a good addition to the team. Bottom line is…he’s not. Yes he is a good dude but that’s about it. He’s one of those guys we use to call practice players. He knocks down shots from all over the gym in practice and in the games he can’t throw a ball in the ocean.
My opinion is I think we have to hold on to him. You don’t just cut him when his salary is guaranteed. He can be useful in a trade.
The staff knows they made a boo boo by signing this kid.
I can honestly say I don’t think any of these players on the team now will be here come 2010. Maybe with the exception of Gallo and Chandler. Everybody else will be gone. Which is why I’m not against moving anybody on this team with the exception of those 2.
He seems to be like another Marbury, not that he’s a stubborn has-been, but that he’s a waste of a roster space. Considering we don’t have the open roster spot of Mobley yet, and we still have Marbury taking up space, either Donnie is opposed to cutting players or maybe he has potential trades that require Roberson’s contract like you mentioned. If there are no trades set up, we definitely need to cut Roberson to sign someone who’d have at least minimal use. A backup for Duhon would be nice, and before the Suns signed him, people were saying that the Knicks should sign Dee Brown, and now that the Suns cut Brown I can’t see why that is no longer an option. I say cut or trade Roberson, because no matter who they get instead will have more use to this team.
I was skeptical of this signing to begin with. I knew nothing about Roberson at the time, but when several teams have already taken a look and passed it’s pretty rare to find a hidden gem. It’s one thing to project out on draft night for an unknown. It’s another to think everybody that has already seen a player in action against pro level players is wrong.
All that said, unless we have someone in mind to fill that roster spot that can contribute more for very little money, I see no reason to make a move.
ive said thids before to my friends,…the way that the players just run and chuck it up during summer league,plus the lack of “REAL NBA”players you should never sign a guy ,based on summer league play.kind like what pat riley calls “FOOLS GOLD” i would have thought that with how sloooooow Mr walsh moves that he wouldnt so quickly sign a guy based on that.ALSO OFF SUBJECT..i find it really depressing that even the worst teams in the NBA have some good young talent (OKC,PORTLAND etc.)and when you look at the knicks ..NOTHING! everyone wants to say that chandler is ,but i see him as a bench player on a real good team,not an up n coming star
Chris I think you got it wrong on this one. Before we cut a guy that actually shows up to work, that tries in practice, that wishes he could contribute more to this team, the one that wants to be there for his teammates, and give his all, we should cut the dumb guy that does not come to practice, does not even step on the court when he is asked the one that would rather talk about his own personal business then his team, the one that has played such an essential role in ruining the reputation and state of the franchise and the one that couldn’t care less about his teammates or the fans of New York.
But it’s FAR EASIER to cut the player who can’t hit a jumper to save his life, has no defensive presence, and makes Tim Thomas look like a stopper on D. But hey, if you like guys who try in practice maybe we can sign Brian Cardinal! Hey Darko Milicic is available too! Even better, let’s sign Nathan Scott from One Tree Hill, he trains super hard!!!
Regarding his role in practice, Allan Houston is a better shooter now than Roberson ever will be, and no one can question his training. I’d rather have H20 over Roberson.
… anyway cut Roberson, sign Ewing Jr. and I guess it’s time to look at Earl Watson (although I feel the Rose contract is more valuable).
I agree with the post above. I think his greatest contributions are not seen during games. Statements like “he is nothing but a practice player” are nothing but reasons keep him around. If he shoots like and all-star in practice, then he operates as a valuable teaching tool to the players who are actually on the floor during games. When Roberson is nailing J’s in your face in practice because you are slow in your defensive rotations, then you’re going to learn to make your rotations faster because you better believe guys like Joe Johnson or Ray Allen WILL make those shots during games. You keep a guy like that around. He makes everyone better by his good character and his work ethic in practice.
I hate this he benefits the team in other ways bs. A player working hard doesn’t help if he isnt talented. there are thousands of guys who can hit an open jump shot and are willing to work hard but they are fans and not players for a reason.
Roberson works hard and is a good guy, unfortunately we are talking about a professional sports team, not little league. the fact is that an empty roster spot is more valuable to the knicks then Roberson, no matter how nice of a guy he is.
Greatman- It is also easy to cut the guy that makes relatively no money as well. That’s the only reason why he is singled out.
I root for the guy every time he takes the floor. I want to see him go out and knock down his threes. But he does not always do that.
I would love for Walsh to cut some of the other dead weight, such as Jerome James, but that will not happen.
But the contract is the reason why he is the most realistic to be cut to create a spot.
If it means anything, Roberson will probably not be cut by Walsh. The only roster spots to look forward to are Mobley’s and maybe Steph’s.
Frankman, Roberson does not hit a jump shot… point taken…. he does not play great D…. point taken…. he is not an overall good basketball player…. point taken. But thats better than Steph who does not take any jump shot b/c he refuses to play… does not play any D because he refuses to play…. and refuses to show that he isn’t a good basketball player because he refuses to play.
I’m not saying Roberson deserves to be on an NBA roster but come on if they are going to cut someone its gotta be Steph, you can’t justify cutting someone who atleast shows up to earn his pay check over someone that does not. Wouldn’t you be pissed if you went to work tried your best and got fired over someone that never showed up to work called in sick everyday and got paid and crap load more then you?
what will do knicks do if chris duhon is out for the season with an injury tomorrow or anytime soon? play nate at point? we all know roberson cant lead this team or play PG position.
I love what donnie walsh did clearing cap space for the future but we’re talking about the knicks here… Big market team, loyal fans and any player would love to play for the knicks.
Knicks need some tips from the yankees. I know its bad business practice to just release players but this is NY and we have no patience for players like Jerome James, Anthony Roberson, Maik Rose and Stephon Marbury.
Note to walsh! if you cant trade them, just get rid of them already. its no brainer that those 4 players have no trade value even if they have expiring contracts. they just have bad rep. even the elementry kids know these facts.
As much i hate curry and his never conditioned body, at least he has trade value. get rid of those 4 players i mentioned above and go sign houston for goodness sake and we’ll be better off!
Good read, Chris.
It wasn’t a good move, but it’s kind of indifferent to me. Curry back tonight
i agree with both of u…and i agree about jerome james too but with his salary walsh will never cut him. i just feel that if they can finally clear mobleys roster spot and cut roberson then they can sign ewing jr (who probably won’t contribute much more except for his name but hey, he works hard too right) and more importantly try and work a 2-1 with marbury.
Personally, I dont mind Roberson. I know most people dislike him because he basically took Ewing jr’s spot, and hasnt been consistent. I understand he is getting payed to play, and should be hitting his shots. However, what do you expect from a guy who gets spot minutes once every two weeks. Lets face it, Roberson is not here to play significant minutes. There are guys like this on ever team. They are known as the 12th/15 man, however you want to look at it. Yes, if we had a more seasoned guard, I am sure he would be more of a part of the rotation than Roberson.
Despite taking up a roster spot, Anthony only benefits the team in my opinion. First off, during time outs, you see this guy running out to congratulate his teammates, check to see if an injured teammate is alright, and cheers on the team in close games. As far as im concerned, he is a great guy to have as far as team chemistry goes.
Yes I would rather see a guy that D’Antoni would trust to play more minutes, but Roberson put on a show in summer league, and Walsh thought he would be a perfect fit for this team, a shooter. He did show some signs of being decent in the one game this year where he got significant minutes (19 points on 50% shooting, with 4 assists, and 3 steals).
As of now, you call Roberson a bust, but I still see some potential in him. He’s still young, can shoot the ball (just hasn’t with the Knicks), and has shown signs of being a decent defender. If the time comes that we can use him as a chip to acquire another player, then by all means, do it. I just think it’s unfair for some people to continually criticize him, when he is not here to play significant minutes, and really hasnt.
The Knicks signed the wrong player this summer league. They should’ve signed Von Wafer. He’s playing well for the Rockets right now.