Keep or Cut: Here’s How the New York Knicks Must Handle Their Free Agents

Hope you fans didn’t grow too attached to the 2015-16 New York Knicks of 32-50 fame, because half the squad could be lost in free agency this summer.

The front office execs should hop on white horses and chase after a few of those players, bearing flowers, purring poetry, seducing them into re-signing. Others? It’s probably cool to start ignoring their text messages.

Who’s still hot and who’s not? Here’s a rundown of free agents the Knicks should let walk across a bridge and into the sunset. 

Lou Amundson

The Knicks defense sorely needed more spark during the second half of the 2015-16 season. That’s something Lou Amundson had provided in spades a season earlier, yet acting head coach Kurt Rambis nevertheless kept him on the bench collecting dust. 

There’s no reason to punish Sweet Lou with another year of irrelevance. It’s possible he would get more love from Jeff Hornacek—whom the Knicks are reportedly expected to hire as head coach, according to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck Wednesday, but with whom no contract has yet been made, according to the New York Post’s Marc Berman.

Yet Hornacek (or whoever) may still have the triangle offense foisted upon him, and while Amundson has two seasons of experience with the system, his ball-handling and passing skills have never been quite up to snuff. So it’s probably time to let the journeyman mosey to the next stop on the road.

Kevin Seraphin

A center doesn’t necessarily need to be a good ball-handler, but one dribble without a turnover shouldn’t be too much to ask of any NBA player.

It’s apparently too much to ask of Kevin Seraphin.

Plus, a man blessed with a 6’10”, 278-pound frame should be a formidable blockade on the interior, but Seraphin fails to take advantage of his mass on defense. Instead, he more often causes spacing troubles on offense.

Seraphin does sometimes make up for those spacing issues with effective pocket passes and a smooth mid-range jumper, but those aren’t attractive enough assets to tempt a team still pining for a strong backup 5.  

Cleanthony Early

Plagued not …

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