Who Should the Knicks Sign Now That Obi Toppin is Gone?
ClutchPoints/Angelo Guinhawa
There’s a lot of speculation going on about the Knicks franchise right now. After the trade of Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers, the question lingers on who will fill his role. Will it be a combination of Rj Barrett and Josh Hart? Or will it be someone new that the Knicks should revive?
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Christian Wood
The entire NBA is really confused about what happened to Wood. He should have been the main defender on the Dallas Mavericks and was supposed to be an upcoming star in this league. I think if used effectively in a starting role, he could average 20 points per game (PPG) and 10 rebounds per game (RPG).
First, the Mavs made the move to get Wood, then they started him for a little while and it seemed pretty positive. He was scoring and defending to the best of his ability, however, soon enough he was moved to the bench and eventually out of the lineup completely. Executives around the league have said that Wood is a very good player with a really bad attitude, and I don’t really think that’s fair.
We have seen so many people in the league who are aggressive towards one another. The league right now is arguably a lot softer than it used to be. Not to say that Wood was aggressive because honestly, I don’t think he was, but it speaks volumes because some of these "aggressive" players had really good careers. Kevin Garnett, Damascus Cousins, Latrell Sprewell, and even Larry Bird had really long and successful careers. The fact that Wood has not been picked up is pretty scary, but would the Knicks be interested? Yes! Of course, they should be interested! They just traded Obi Toppin for a really cheap price, and he was a pretty good backup power forward. The Knicks need someone to sit behind Julius Randle and still be able to be successful defensively.
Creator: Lachlan Cunningham | Credit: Getty Images
Kelly Oubre JR
At the beginning of Oubre’s career, I honestly thought he would be a special type of player. You can see it now, he has games where he puts up 20-35 points, then five points the next game. Everyone can see the flashes of greatness that Oubre has. However, he has not lived up to his potential just yet. But, to be completely honest, I’m not sure he ever will.
However, that doesn’t mean the Knicks shouldn’t pick him up. They have an open roster spot with Obi gone and need a good player to fill that role. I like Oubre’s game, and I feel like he can match really well for the Knicks and give them a little more of an offensive boost, which they desperately need. To be frank with all the Knicks fans out there, including me, the Knicks got worse when they lost Obi, and they need a good player to fill his role. Is that Oubre? I don’t see why not, but there are a lot of players to choose from.
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Blake Griffin (Veteran Leadership Role)
This is strictly going to be a veteran move for the Knicks. Griffin is nowhere near the player he used to be, and unfortunately, the fault for that goes to Detroit. The Knicks need veteran leadership, and the scuffle of Obi Toppin and Tom Thibodeau only solidified the need for a veteran. Griffin didn’t provide much last year while playing for the Celtics, and if the Knicks were to bring him on, it would be a one-year deal. Most likely, he wouldn’t play and would act as a player-coach, developing players like Jericho Simms and Mitchell Robinson. The only problem with those two players is that they are young and inexperienced. If Griffin were the mentor of those two on a daily basis, the sky is the limit, and an even better frontcourt than the season before. With Sims' height, the sky is the limit, and with Robinson's offensive rebounding ability, he’s only going to get better.
