New York Knicks happy with replacement for Jeremy Lin as they look towards next season – NBA News
On Monday, New York Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald talked about the team’s decision to let their point guard, Jeremy Lin, go this summer for the first time.
Grunwald gave the simple reasoning that the Knicks were not willing to spend the type of money that Houston were offering him.
"Basically, it comes down to the fact that Houston made a commitment to him that we weren't prepared to make. But I'm very happy for Jeremy that things worked out for him personally and for his family and I wish him the best. I'm
more excited for our team, the team we assembled right now. We're very excited and optimistic about this coming year,” said Grunwald.
Lin signed a three year contract with the Rockets in free agency over the summer, a contract that will see him earning $25.1 million over the three years. The Knicks would have suffered a huge tax on their salary in the 2014-2015
season had they matched Houston’s offer, and hence decided to let Lin go. Instead, they acquired point guard Raymond Felton in a sign and trade with the Portland Trail Blazers and also added veteran point guard Jason Kidd into the mix.
Felton played for the Knicks in the 2010-2011 NBA season, averaging 17 points and 9 assists before being traded to the Denver Nuggets as part of the Carmelo Anthony trade. He did not play well last season with the Blazers, averaging
11.5 points and 6.5 assists per game.
“I was out of shape when we first went there. I'm in shape now, ready to go and I've got a big, big chip on my shoulder. So I look forward to this season and I'm definitely happy to be back in this New York Knicks jersey,” said
Felton on Monday at the team’s media day.
The Knicks have also added a lot of veterans to the roster in the offseason, including Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas, and are also inviting 38 year old Rasheed Wallace to training camp. This is in line with their philosophy of surrounding
the core of the team with veterans to give them experience.
Knicks head coach Mike Woodson is looking forward to next season, saying that the Knicks have the talent and potential to go all the way this time around.
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