New York Knicks not willing to match Toronto Raptors offer for Landry Fields – NBA Update
Landry Fields will be representing the Toronto Raptors in his third professional year after New York Knicks denied to match up the offer which would have seen him make $5 million in the first two seasons and $9 million in the final
year of his contract.
The Knicks decision of not matching the offer does not come as much of a surprise as they did not see fit to pay such a hefty price for a player whose performances have not improved but rather declined. Landry had an extraordinary
rookie season with the Big Apple franchise but failed to live up to his bidding by putting in a mediocre sophomore season.
In the first season, he was able to put hold up an average of 9.7 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting the ball 49% from the field. However his averages suffered a huge dip in the following season as he could only manage 8.8
points and 4.2 rebounds, and injuries also started to take their toll.
Regardless of the poor showing during the last season, his new coach Dwane Casey does not seem too bothered about it. According to Casey, the major blame lied with the minimal on court time Landry received;
“I know his numbers last year (8.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 46% shooting, 25.6% from three vs. 9.7, 6.4, 49.7%, 39.3%) weren’t indicative of his ability to shoot the ball,” said Casey.
“Anytime you’ve got Carmelo (Anthony) he’s going to get the bulk of those minutes. J.R. Smith came in and was another factor. His role changed and I think that was a big thing with the way his numbers went down.”
Casey believes in Landry’s ability as a shooter and feels that it is something which does not just go away from any player all of a sudden. He has high hopes for the third year man in the coming season and expects him to fit in
quickly.
However, the fact remains, that the Raptors are taking a significant risk with the contract and if Fields fails to live up to his expectations, his trade value will be almost non-existent.
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