New York Knicks Rumors: Why Signing Richard Hamilton Would Be A Good Idea
The New York Knicks franchise is in a state of transition and are still looking for more ways to make their team more competitive for a potential lengthy playoff run. There is a lot of buzz going around in New York for who is the true best team in New York between the Knicks and the much improved Brooklyn Nets.
The Knicks do have a better bench which sets them over the top above Brooklyn. Depth is the one thing that gives the Knicks the chance to beat any team in the league on any given night. The only thing that the Knicks could do to put themselves in even better condition to win is to either sign or make a trade for a veteran guard to come off the bench behind Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert.
A way to make certain that they are indeed the better team in New York, the Knicks should consider signing verteran free agent guard Richard Hamilton to a short-term deal. According to Sam Amico, Hamilton has been drawing interest from both the Houston Rockets and the Knicks.
"Rockets, Knicks among teams that may have interest in veteran SG Richard Hamilton, NBA sources say. Hamilton likely looking at vet minimum $ — Sam Amico (@SamAmicoFSO)"
Apr 12, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Chicago Bulls guard Richard Hamilton (32) caries the ball against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Chicago 97-88. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Realistically, Hamilton is not worth much more than the minimum salary at this point in his career at the age of 35. He also has not played much since being traded to Chicago from Detroit for the 2011-12 season. Since being traded to the Bulls, Hamilton has only played in 78 games in two complete seasons which basically means he has missed a whole season due to injuries and level of play.
In the right system and if given the correct amount of minutes, Hamilton could contribute a lot not only to the Knicks, but to whichever team he decides to sign to. Hamilton is the perfect jump shooter that can hit the open shots that he will recieve obviously because of all of the attention that Carmelo Anthony recieves day in and day out.
Hamilton is a 34 percent three-point shooter in his 14-year NBA career and is has shot 45 percent from the field which is quite impressive and consistent especially for such a long career.
He also is a smart player who has a high basketball IQ and could provide New York with a veteran leader on the floor that they have seem to of been lacking.
Based on that fact, Hamilton is more than affordable for New York and would be a good investement come playoff time.
The Knicks do currently have roughly three shooting guards on their roster with Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, and Tim Hardaway Jr., but Hardaway could more than likely begin the season in the D-League anyway so why not sign Hamilton until Hardaway is ready to be in the lineup?
Many people may think that it would not be a good idea to sign Hamilton, but in reality Hamilton’s movement without the ball in his hands could prove beneficial to the overall effectiveness of the offense.
Finally, Hamilton and Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson have history from their days with the Pistons. The two won a title together in 2004. Hamilton was the leading scorer and Woodson was the defensive specialist of the coaching staff. For a player in the twilight of his career, having some familiarity and comfortability could be attractive.
The Knicks should try hard to acquire the services of Hamilton. They have one contract left to hand out and can only offer him the veterans minimum contract, which is all he should be signing for at this point anyway.