Knicks Trade Rumors: Serge Ibaka Could Be The Answer To New York's Woes
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Dec 23, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Serge Ibaka (7) reacts and celebrates against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 109-90. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Orlando Magic are looking for a scorer and the New York Knicks need to solidify the defense. Could a trade for Serge Ibaka save the season?
The New York Knicks are drifting closer to the edge of obscurity with every passing game. Postseason dreams have flirted with becoming nightmares and the future of the organization is up in the air.
As the Knicks search for answers and ponder the possibility of trading Carmelo Anthony, the right trade to make may not include him at all.
New York’s offense has been respectable at 105.0 points per 100 possessions, but its defense has been atrocious. Thus, it may be time to look outside of the organization for players who can anchor the defense.
That blessing may be found in Florida, as Marc Stein of ESPN reports that the Orlando Magic are actively pursuing a trade for a scorer.
Orlando, according to league sources, remains focused on acquiring a proven scorer on the wing before the Feb. 23 trade deadline if the ever-elusive right deal presents itself.
According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, the Magic are willing to trade Serge Ibaka to find that elusive scoring threat.
League sources told Sporting News that the Magic have picked up their attempts to move Ibaka ahead of next month’s trade deadline, eager to ensure that they come away with some return for a player who does not figure to be in Orlando long.
Though it’s a surprising development, it makes sense when one considers the fact that Orlando traded a considerable amount of talent for Ibaka and it still isn’t winning.
Orlando may be looking for a wing scorer, but Derrick Rose could be an ideal addition to the Magic’s puttering offense. He’d be able to collapse defenses with his penetrating ability, and head coach Frank Vogel is familiar with how Rose operates from his days in the Central Division.
It would be risky for both sides to give up on their respective experiments, but both could benefit from the trade.
If the two sides were to agree to a deal, the trade would look something like this:
The question is: what would the pros and cons be of making this high-profile move?
Dec 16, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Serge Ibaka (7) reacts to scoring a basket while being fouled by Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (not pictured) during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Pro: Solidifying The Defense
Serge Ibaka may not have a Defensive Player of the Year award, but it would be easy to argue that he should. He’s led the NBA in blocks per game in two different seasons, has received three All-Defensive First Team selections, and was the anchor for a perennial contender.
The New York Knicks would have to address the surplus of big men if this trade were to be made, but Ibaka could be the answer to New York’s defensive questions.
Ibaka has a career average of 2.4 blocks per game and ranks No. 13 in the NBA in that regard in 2016-17. He routinely ranks amongst the league’s elite in defensive field goal percentage at the rim and is one of the most feared interior defenders in the association.
Ibaka’s defensive impact is down in 2016-17, but the working theory around the NBA is that he’s lost some motivation due to a feeling of being unwanted over the past two seasons.
In New York, Ibaka would have a chance to re-establish himself as an elite defender in a major market. With the lower and upper body strength to defend bruising low-post scorers at both interior positions, Ibaka would alleviate pressure from Kristaps Porzingis.
Everyone wants a scorer, but the one and only way for New York to turn this season around is to improve on defense.
Jan 31, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; New York Knicks center Kyle O’Quinn (9) reacts as he dunks during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center. Washington Wizards defeated New York Knicks 117-101. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Con: Logjam Down Low
Kristaps Porzingis would be guaranteed his 33.4 minutes per game and Serge Ibaka would likely receive a solid 30-plus. The development of Willy Hernangomez would also be a priority, thus ensuring him between 15 and 22 minutes per game.
Joakim Noah is signed to a four-year deal worth $72 million, however, and Kyle O’Quinn has been far too solid to exclude.
Hernangomez and O’Quinn have played well enough to warrant the belief that they represent the future at center. They’ve produced individually, impacted the team in a positive manner, and seem to have strong chemistry with the starters.
Between their immediate contributions, as well as Hernangomez’s upside and O’Quinn’s locker room value, it’ll be important to provide that duo with playing time.
That would work out well if it were a four-man rotation, but Noah is the X-Factor here. He’s making $18 million per season, and while basketball decisions shouldn’t be based on salary, there are still three more seasons on his deal.
Troubling as this all may be, when a team has a chance to land a talent like Ibaka, you do it and worry about the rotation later.
Jan 27, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Orlando Magic forward Serge Ibaka (7) shoots against Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8) in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Pro: Offensive Spacing
Serge Ibaka played for the Spanish national team at the 2012 London Olympics and came back with an outstanding midrange game. He’s since expanded his range to beyond the arc, where he’s both productive and efficient.
By acquiring Ibaka, the New York Knicks would create an interior duo that consists of two elite shot-blockers who can both shoot from anywhere on the court.
One of the primary issues with the Knicks’ offense in 2016-17 has been poor spacing. There are shooters all around, but Joakim Noah’s offensive appeal is his ability to facilitate from the high post and he doesn’t receive enough touches to do so.
Thus, teams play off of Noah and collapse on slashers due to his ineffectiveness as a shooter.
With Ibaka and Kristaps Porzingis on the floor, the Knicks would create one of the best interior duos in the NBA. Both can anchor the defensive interior with their mere presence and shot-blocking abilities, and both can space the floor and shoot the lights out.
Ibaka has made 73 3-point field goals on 38.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc in 2016-17, and Porzingis checks in at 80 on 38.1 percent shooting.
Jan 27, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose (25) drives against Charlotte Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (14) and Charlotte Hornets center Roy Hibbert (55) and Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker (15) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Con: Abandoning The Project
It stands to reason that the only way the Orlando Magic would accept a trade including Serge Ibaka is if Derrick Rose were involved. Orlando may ask for other pieces, but Rose has shown brief flashes of stardom in 2016-17 and is on an expiring contract.
Rose has been one of the most scrutinized players on the Knicks, but it would be tough to abandon this experiment before it’s seen all the way through.
Rose was brought to New York with the intention of seeing how much progress he could make by year’s end. He’s already rediscovered his explosiveness and is one of the best finishers in the NBA.
Rose has even shown signs of life with his midrange game, although he still can’t knock down a jump shot with any form of consistency.
By abandoning the Rose project, the Knicks would effectively be starting over at point guard. That may transpire during free agency, but it would entail New York signing a new player and having a full training camp and preseason to develop chemistry.
Re-signing Ibaka and finding the room to sign a point guard could be tough for the Knicks to accomplish during the summer of 2017.
Jan 16, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Joakim Noah (13) reacts after the Atlanta Hawks defeated the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Hawks won 108-107. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Pro: Helping Joakim Noah
This may be an unorthodox reason, but Joakim Noah still has game left in him. That much is clear in the fact that he’s averaging 14.2 rebounds, 5.7 offensive rebounds, and 3.7 assists per 36 minutes, and is struggling in uncharacteristic ways.
For instance: Noah had a career free throw percentage of .716 entering 2015-16, but has accumulated a mark of .455 over the past two seasons.
The fact that Noah’s free throw shooting has declined so severely is a sign of how shaken his confidence is.
New York is locked into a four-year contract with Noah. It can either hope for brief glimpses of glory or give him more than just the offseason to rediscover his confidence and reinvent his game.
By trading for Serge Ibaka, the Knicks would allow Noah to take time off and focus on finding his place within the system.
The best approach may be to simply play Willy Hernangomez and Kyle O’Quinn, but neither have proven capable of helping the Knicks make the playoffs this year. By adding Ibaka, the Knicks’ postseason odds would immediately improve.
Noah needs to take a step back, evaluate his game, and determine how he can best help the Knicks. He has the work ethic to make the necessary changes once he gains perspective.
If New York’s goal is to make the playoffs this season, then Ibaka could be the rational trade target.
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