They need to let JR Smith go. Smith is an inefficient shooter who showed how badly he can kill a team in the playoffs. He won 6th man of the year, but it was the best season of his career which is not saying much considering he only shot 42% from the field. That type of shooting should not be acceptable from your second leading scorer. There is also a big possibility that Smith leaves in free agency for more money. If that happens they will need another guy off of the bench to score. Reggie Bullock should be their number one target in the draft. He is a good shooter and should fill in for Smith just fine. He should be able to shoot at a better rate than him and he should be a better long term option. There is nothing to go after in free agency at the shooting guard position. All-in-all they need to let Smith walk and replace in him in the draft, in order to improve.
Center:
Tyson Chandler will be 31 next season and he showed his age in the playoffs. I think he will bounce back next season from his terrible playoff performance, but it did show that nothing is certain and there always needs to be a backup plan. The Knicks don't have a real center behind him, Marcus Camby is no spring chicken and he could retire this offseason. Even if he doesn't retire, he is no longer effective enough to play a lot of minutes. If they decide to keep JR Smith, they should go after a center in the draft. Lucas Noguiera is a very athletic center to have coming off of the bench. There is not much else at this point in the draft at the center position, unless they want a very raw player. Free agency is another issue. They will likely use their MLE elsewhere, which means that they would have to find a good backup center for cheap and that is very tough to do. I do not expect them to pick up a center in free agency.
Point Guard:
Raymond Felton is the only legitimate starting point guard on this team. Jason Kidd will likely retire in the offseason. Pablo Prigioni was a rookie, but he is 35 years old, he will not last long. Felton is a decent starter, but he is not that great, he will need a legitimate backup for the future. They do not have a second round pick which hurts them in their pursuit for a point guard. Prigioni should be around for at least another year, so they can put this need off until next season.
Melo had one of the best seasons of his career last season, but he did not have any help. Amare Stoudemire was hurt for most of the season and did not make a single start. He and Melo have not meshed well as of yet and I think if Amare is back for next season, the Knicks will be worse off. Iman Shumpert should continue to improve, if he can continue to develop his jump shot, the Knicks will be in a good spot. They need to let JR Smith go, he loses more games than he wins for a team. I think this was a fluke season for the Knicks, when Amare comes back, he and Melo will not mesh and it will mess up the whole offense. They will not be able to trade him because of recent performances. Melo had a great month to end the season, but I am highly doubtful that he will be able to continue it for an entire season. I think the Knicks will finish around fourth or fifth in the conference because the Bulls and Pacers should jump them.
Center:
Tyson Chandler will be 31 next season and he showed his age in the playoffs. I think he will bounce back next season from his terrible playoff performance, but it did show that nothing is certain and there always needs to be a backup plan. The Knicks don't have a real center behind him, Marcus Camby is no spring chicken and he could retire this offseason. Even if he doesn't retire, he is no longer effective enough to play a lot of minutes. If they decide to keep JR Smith, they should go after a center in the draft. Lucas Noguiera is a very athletic center to have coming off of the bench. There is not much else at this point in the draft at the center position, unless they want a very raw player. Free agency is another issue. They will likely use their MLE elsewhere, which means that they would have to find a good backup center for cheap and that is very tough to do. I do not expect them to pick up a center in free agency.
Point Guard:
Raymond Felton is the only legitimate starting point guard on this team. Jason Kidd will likely retire in the offseason. Pablo Prigioni was a rookie, but he is 35 years old, he will not last long. Felton is a decent starter, but he is not that great, he will need a legitimate backup for the future. They do not have a second round pick which hurts them in their pursuit for a point guard. Prigioni should be around for at least another year, so they can put this need off until next season.
Melo had one of the best seasons of his career last season, but he did not have any help. Amare Stoudemire was hurt for most of the season and did not make a single start. He and Melo have not meshed well as of yet and I think if Amare is back for next season, the Knicks will be worse off. Iman Shumpert should continue to improve, if he can continue to develop his jump shot, the Knicks will be in a good spot. They need to let JR Smith go, he loses more games than he wins for a team. I think this was a fluke season for the Knicks, when Amare comes back, he and Melo will not mesh and it will mess up the whole offense. They will not be able to trade him because of recent performances. Melo had a great month to end the season, but I am highly doubtful that he will be able to continue it for an entire season. I think the Knicks will finish around fourth or fifth in the conference because the Bulls and Pacers should jump them.
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