Mike Brown sees three NBA players fighting for what figures to be one job. That’s good for the Knicks’ training camp. It’s less encouraging for the two centers who could end up looking for work.
James Wiseman, Drew Eubanks and Tony Bradley are competing for the third center spot behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond. Brown doesn’t sound particularly eager to send any of them packing.
“They should all be on a roster this year,” Brown said Monday, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “There’s no experiments in my opinion. These guys are all legitimate NBA players.”
All three are on Exhibit 9 contracts, which would become standard, non-guaranteed minimum deals if they make the opening-night roster. New York has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, so technically, there’s room to keep two.
The payroll is another matter. Keeping two would push the Knicks above the second tax apron, something owner James Dolan has said they won’t do. That makes this, in all likelihood, a three-man race for one opening.
“They’re all great guys and in some way, shape or form, I can see each of them contributing this way or that way and it’s not gonna be an easy decision,” Brown said.
Brown also praised the group’s different strengths, making clear his enthusiasm wasn’t simply about talent.
The Knicks don’t need any of these three to carry their frontcourt. They need someone who can help when called upon. Brown believes all three qualify. Picking one is the problem.
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