Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks have announced their latest free agent signing: Mindaugas Kuzminskas.
It’s no secret: The New York Knicks made huge splashes this offseason.They traded for 2011 NBA MVP point guard Derrick Rose with the Chicago Bulls. They signed another former Bull in center Joakim Noah. They also signed shooting guard Courtney Lee and another point guard in Brandon Jennings to back up Rose.
Then, they re-signed Lance Thomas as well as one of their draft picks last year in Willy Hernangomez.
Finally, the Knicks have officially announced the signing of Lithuanian forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas.
Not a lot of fans heard about him, so here is some of his bio:
- He is 26 years old and is 6-9, 215 lbs.
- He’s averaged 8.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 221 career games in seven season with Lithuania and Spain. He is a four-time
- Lithuanian All-Star and a three-time Lithuanian National champion.
- Last season, Kuzminskas averaged 12.0 points, on 48.6-percent shooting and 3.4 rebounds in 23 games for Malaga, Spain.
From the highlights above, it seems like he does everything fairly well. He can drive to the lane, shoot from the perimeter, post up, rebound and block shots. He seems like a relentless, tough player.
He’s a talented offensive player who leaves much to be desired on the defensive end of the floor.
Whether he can make a big splash like last season’s rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis did, remains to be seen and like KP, MK needs to put on more weight to hang in there with the big bodies, the NBA has.
So how much he will make an impact in the NBA, we just gotta give him a chance. Hey you never know. No one thought Porzingis would develop into a real solid player with star potential.
If Kuzminskas can be anything close to decent, it would be one heck of a signing for the Knicks.
