Written by Ray Vann, July 4, 2016, at 10:05 p.m.
The New York Knicks have had quite the past couple of days, picking up Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Courtney Lee in quick succession. The momentum only continued on Monday, with point guard Brandon Jennings agreeing to a contract. That means he is on deck should anything happen to Rose during the course of the season.
Brandon Jennings Signs On to Back Up the Jackson Five
The legendary Phil Jackson promised New York fans that he was going to create a team that was going to be a contender in the upcoming 2016-17 season, and by the looks of his work thus far he is not going to disappoint.
With a starting group of those aforementioned new pickups adding to the already present talent of Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingas, this might finally be the year that the Knicks make it to the championship.
At the very least, fans at the Mecca can hope to have a shot at the playoffs, and perhaps have a few less nights of the head-slamming disappointment that has seemingly become a normal part of life during the season.
Jennings, for his part, is a native of Compton, California who decided to skip playing in college for the opportunity to sign on with Lottomatica Roma in Italy, becoming the first American to play professionally in Europe straight from high school.
He went on to be the number 10 draft pick for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2009 and quickly showcased his skills, with 55 points in just his seventh regular-season game. During his four seasons in Milwaukee, Jennings averaged between 15.5 and 19.1 points in his four seasons before being traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2013.
With the Pistons, Jennings saw only more success, averaging 15.4 points and 6.6 assists. The good times, unfortunately, didn’t last for the young rising star, and a torn Achilles sidelined the athlete in January 2015. After nearly a year on the disabled list, Jennings returned to the Pistons, only to be traded off to the Magic this past February.
While there, his scoring has been decidedly lackluster, and in the few games he was able to play he averaged a mere 6.9 points per game, a far cry from the numbers he was putting up just a few years before. However, should Jennings need to step up in the event of an injury to Rose, Phil Jackson believes that he sees the potential hidden away, and seems confident he can step up to the plate.
Sources close to the deal say that Jennings signed on for a one year, five million dollar contract. In order to afford this deal, the Knicks may need to pull their 2.8 million dollar offer to Langston Galloway and renounce their 5.5 million dollar cap hold on Derrick Williams.
This may be something of a risky gamble, considering that a torn Achilles heel is an injury that has been known to cause some severe damage to an athlete’s career. Jennings himself hoped to dispel these fears, tweeting, “imma say this one last time. I’m 100% healthy. And I love the game. I don’t know why the perception of me is I don’t like basketball.’’
Only time can tell if the decision will pay off, but as it stands now, it looks like the upcoming season will be nothing short of electric, and I for one can’t wait to see how the players will work together, both on and off the court.
