The New York Knicks are heading into a season they feel can end with a championship run and after making a number of solid moves in the offseason, including signing Metta World Peace and trading for Andrea Bargnani, the team has added more depth for training camp, signing Cole Aldrich to play for a spot.
According to ESPN.com and Pro Basketball Talk, Aldrich signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Knicks and he will get an invitation to play in training camp, but nothing more than that. Aldrich definitely has the chance to make the roster if he plays well, as the Knicks could use more depth behind Tyson Chandler and with Jeremy Tyler injured and out for a couple months from a foot issue, he could be the perfect player to slide in and take his spot.
Aldrich has potential to be productive, but so far in his career he has averaged two points and two rebounds in 89 career games and now he will get the chance to stick with the Knicks. Aldrich has moved around quite a bit the past few seasons, playing in Oklahoma City during the 2011-12 season before getting traded to the Rockets in the James Harden deal. As Pro Basketball Talk points out, he was then moved to the Kings in the Thomas Robinson trade, where he played in 15 games and averaged a career high 11 minutes per contest and 3.3 points per game. While that obviously isn't massive production, Aldrich has good size and ability for an end of bench player and he has a 54 percent career field goal percentage.
The Knicks have a number of players coming into camp, including Josh Powell, Aldrich and Ike Diogu among others and Aldrich will have the chance to prove why he should be on the roster. Aldrich was a top 10 pick by the Pelicans/Hornets before being moved, but clearly he never quite panned out and now the Knicks will have themselves a center with a heap of potential and he could be a serviceable backup for Chandler.
ESPN.com writes that in 89 games he has averaged just seven minutes per contest, but with the age of the Knicks and the way Chandler broke down last season, there's no reason why having a young center on the roster is a bad thing. ESPN.com reports that the Knicks have 10 players signed and "agreed to sign" heading into camp and while they have room for one other player in camp, it will make things tough when they have to get down to 15.
Marcus Camby is gone after the Raptors trade for Bargnani and Aldrich could be an option to take over that backup center spot. At just 25-years-old he is still young and raw and with Mike Woodson preaching defense and Carmelo leading the offense, there could be a role for Aldrich to play.
