At the start of the offseason, New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson told season ticket holders that the team desperately needed an elite defender, someone who could fill the shoes of Tyson Chandler. At the time he was hoping that player would be either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor, but after landing the No.4 pick in the draft that is not possible. Now, Jackson is looking more into the free agent market for that position and is narrowing down to Greg Monroe as a potential target.
According to Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times, the Knicks are expected to put an offer on the table for Monroe who is likely to leave the Detroit Pistons after the team denied him a max contract last season. The Knicks' interest in Monroe is certainly nothing new. The team has been linked to the center for some time now and is expected to meet him on a max contract offer. Monroe would be the ideal replacement to Chandler and the elite big man the franchise needs.
If Monroe is the intended target in free agency, the Knicks' draft plans could reflect that. According to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, Jackson is not patient when it comes to rebuilding and wants ready-made talent over players to develop. Signing Monroe could be a priority which might make a point guard the target with the No.4 draft pick. Either D'Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay will be an option at the spot and would pair well with Langston Galloway. The Knicks' point guard rotation would be young, but Galloway has already proven he can be successful in the team's offense and is an option to start immediately.
Carmelo Anthony told the New York Post earlier in the offseason that he was not keen on drafting a rookie point guard to start immediately. He believes the point guard position is a tougher transition from college to the NBA and he needs someone that can help right away. He voiced his support for Jose Calderon who is expected to be on the trade block this season. Anthony stressed that he is getting healthy and will have input into the free agent plans moving forward with New York. That means players like Rajon Rondo or Goran Dragic could be targets.
"That was kind of the talk of All-Star Weekend last year," Anthony said, via the Post. "I've had that experience maybe twice now, last year and then the one in L.A. a couple of years back right before I got to New York. Now it's my turn. Now it's my turn to extend the favor."
