Blake Griffin is not the Knicks’ cup of tea at the moment.
While being bought out by the Pistons, The Post has learned the Knicks will pass on the former All-Star dunk master.
That says a lot about where they are now. Julius Randle, who commands the minutes at the power supply, was named ‘All-NBA player’ by coach Tom Thibodeau on Thursday. ‘
And there is no desire to put the fateful president of the team, Leon Rose, Obi Toppin, on the pines and stop his growth. In addition, Kevin Knox is waiting in the wings. That does not mean, however, that Rose will not investigate upgrading the talent level of the roster by the March 25 deadline to help a playoff push.
Rose, who was not in his usual garden seat on Thursday when the Knicks took on the Pistons in the final game before the All-Star Break, has a lot to weigh because he carries a bundle of assets.
Rose is playing with home money as the Knicks start shockingly 19-18 and sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Thibodeau has created a unit with excellent chemistry and camaraderie. Several players talked about how a close team became the team.
Rose is not sure he wants to tempt fate and talk to the locker room atmosphere, after adding Derrick Rose seamlessly at Super Bowl Sunday.
The Post reported on February 11 that the Knicks are monitoring the availability of superstar Bradley Beal and former All-Star Victor Oladipo. The Wizards are waving and Beal has expressed commitment to the team, so there is no chance they will make him available this season. And there has never been a legitimate report that the Bulls can move Zach LaVine, their first All-Star, who will only be a free agent in 2022.
However, Oladipo remains in the game for the Knicks as the Rockets are expected to swap him on the deadline while they move into oblivion. Oladipo will be a free agent in 2021 and apparently wants to sign with the Heat. It will hire Oladipo, as the Knicks will boost their effort to fuel a seven-year playoff drought.
Knicks general manager Scott Perry was an overall second-place finisher for Oladipo in 2013, and he was a proponent of a potential trade. But Perry is no longer the best decision maker. He has not been to the Garden for the past five games and has explored the end of the G-League’s bubble season.
Oladipo, who is recovering from knee surgery, recently missed four straight games with a foot problem and is struggling to shoot. But he scored 20 points and his three-point percentage is 36.2 percent. However, some scouts are still worried about his physical condition.
If swingman RJ Barrett continues to progress as a steady attacking force, the Knicks may consider Oladipo less necessary to improve the backcourt.
According to a source who was in contact with Knicks buyers, the franchise is still uncertain whether the team has a safe starting point guard.
As electric as rookie Immanuel Quickley was, they still think he could be a sixth-man stud or start as a ranger in the right position. He is not considered an elite playmaker.
That’s why the Knicks have always been keeping an eye on the Hornets ’Terry Rozier point guard and young playmaker Lonzo Ball (who would probably be more of a summer deal).
The Knicks are still adding a traditional centerpiece to the roster. The starter Mitchell Robinson will be out with a broken hand until maybe the end of March and Taj Gibson is out indefinitely with a badly sprained ankle.
The Knicks will have to cut a player, most likely Austin Rivers, who falls out of favor with Rose’s addition and has not adapted his new role as cheerleader.
Nerlens Noel was great at holding the center fort, which made the pinnacle of his performance against the Pistons on Thursday: 12 points, 5-for-5 from the field, 11 rebounds, four steals, two blocks.
Noel, however, has bad knees, and fewer minutes will be better for his long life. According to The Post, the Knicks ‘analyzed’ whether former All-Star center Andre Drummond would be a good chemical fit at Randle.
The Post also learns that the Knicks had internal talks about their former center, Kyle O’Quinn, a native of Queens. O’Quinn played sparingly for the 76ers last season, but switched to the free agency in November. O’Quinn joined a team in Fenerbahce, Turkey in January, making 21 of 26 shots in seven games.