Ray Allen May Join New York Knicks in 2016-17 NBA Season: Will Ten-Time All-Star Work Well With Carmelo Anthony & Derrick Rose?
News about Ray Allen staging an NBA comeback has been circulating for several weeks now. Aside from the possibility of reuniting with his former teams such as the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks, the 41-year-old shooting guard might also end up playing with the New York Knicks in the 2016-17 season.
Signing With The Knicks
Allen told Hartford Courant that he is seriously considered returning to the NBA court. The ten-time NBA All-Star, who has been identified as one of the greatest three-point shooters in the league's history revealed that he is in talks with the Celtics and the Bucks for his possible return.
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The free agent also revealed that Spike Lee, director of his 1998 film and longtime fan of the Knicks, has been trying to recruit him. Although there was no confirmation yet if the franchise is indeed interested of signing him, Allen said that Lee has been convincing him to ink a deal with the team.
Allen, who was last seen playing for the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA finals stated that he will retire if he cannot find a good deal.
Will The Knicks Sign Allen?
Ian Begley of ESPN wrote that the Knicks will have to face some difficult decisions if they will sign Allen. Under the NBA rules, the team should have a maximum of 15 players who will be paid with guaranteed money and there is only one slot left.
Begley commented that inking a guaranteed deal with Allen would hurt young players like Ron Baker, Chasson Randle and J.P. Tokoto who all have partially guaranteed deals. He explained that signing Allen would make it hard for them to make the 15-man roster for the 2016-17 NBA season and the only solution is to waive one player with a guaranteed deal.
Playing With The Knicks Star Players
Begley said that it is still unclear as to how much Allen could contribute to the team. After sitting out, he has always been in good shape. The NBA star would be a good addition to the Knicks star players that include Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose.
However, according to Vijay Vemu of Hoops Habit, Anthony and Rose might encounter some difficulties in playing alongside with Allen. "Having a guy like Allen would cause some problems for defenses in terms of collapsing in the paint and rotation," he explained.
Moreover, given the fact that the Knicks already have Anthony, Rose, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee, Vemu said that Allen's age will make him to be relegated to a bench role where his minutes per game will be limited. Vemu added that having Allen on board along with his impressive NBA record would be a great asset in court and in the locker room.
