Believe it or not, there are positives in the New York Knicks not acquiring point guard Ricky Rubio. Pay attention, here they are …
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the New York Knicks were ready to pull the trigger on a Derrick Rose for Ricky Rubio swap. Ultimately, the Wolves ended up backing out of the deal at the last minute.Knicks fans are upset at this news, and rightfully so. Instead of acquiring a pass-first point guard in Rubio, the Knicks will continue to employ a shooting guard disguised as a point-guard who is simply interested in that next contract.
This will, undoubtedly, hurt their young stud forward.
Rose’s 4.5 assists per game average ranks 38th in the NBA compared to Rubio’s 8.4 mark, which ranks fifth.
This move (or lack thereof) is certainly negative for a franchise in desperate need of a primary ball handler who can create for others. However, there are still positives to look forward to.
Here are the three top positives to the Knicks missing out on Ricky Rubio:
Cap Space
Derrick Rose is set to be a free agent this summer. According to Spotrac, the Knicks are going to have up to $24,722,267 in cap space to spend. This is enough for one max player, but more likely, a combination of solid role players to compliment Kristaps Porzings and Carmelo Anthony (if he is not dealt).
Ricky Rubio is set to make around 14 million dollars the next two seasons.
A large expiring contract like Rose is worth a ton. Ricky Rubio may be a better player than Derrick Rose at this stage of his career, but the Knicks do have a valid argument that Rose’s expiring deal is worth more than Rubio’s play.
Without adding Rubio’s contract the Knicks can add a couple of solid pieces or one max-level player. The prospect of guys like Chris Paul joining the Knicks are virtually impossible, and adding a player as talented as Jrue Holiday is improbable, but being able to add quality pieces like Tony Allen to sure up their defense or a spot-up shooter like Kyle Korver is a prominent idea.
Tank Season
Rubio leads Rose in most key advanced metrics. His 0.3 BPM, or Box Plus/Minus, is greater than Rose’s -2.3 BMP. The Timberwolves guard also sports a great VORP or Value Over Replacement Player, 0.9 compared to -0.1. Lastly, Rubio’s win share is much greater than Rose’s, at 3.7 vs. Rose’s 1.7.
The one advanced metric that Rose has over Rubio is PER, or Player Efficiency Rating, which Rose leads 16.4 to Rubio’s 15.2.
So what does this tell us? Well, Rubio is a much better player than Rose. So why is it a good thing the Knicks didn’t acquire Rubio if he is better? Simple. Rubio would only help the Knicks in taking the eight seed in the East.
A date with LeBron James and the Cavs does not help this franchise. Rose’s poor play will increase the Knicks’ chances of moving up the draft board even higher. Currently, the Knicks stand at 8th in the lottery. The Magic, at four, have only two more wins than the Knicks.
One of the reasons the Knicks are content with keeping Rose is because of the point guard-heavy upcoming draft.
Washington’s Markelle Fultz and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball are within the Knicks’ grasp if they can continue to lose. Rose gives them the best shot at doing this.
Knicks avoid getting screwed
To put it simply: the Knicks are bad at trading.
Oftentimes, the Knicks throw in pieces they shouldn’t when finalizing trades. In recent memory, the Knicks gave up a first-round pick for Andrea Bargnani. I will repeat this. The Knicks gave up a first-round pick for Andrea Bargnani.
This team never wins the deal. Ever.
Seeing them miss out on a trade is far superior than seeing them get fleeced by the Wolves. At times the best trade is the one you don’t make, especially for a franchise that just can not get a proper return.
For the first time in a long time the Knicks still have all of their picks. They have not been moved. This is a blessing.
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