10:06am: Gibson has worked out for seven teams, including the Wizards, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Berman adds that Tyson Chandler is among the free agent big men on the Knicks’ radar and that the team has had some internal discussions about bringing him back.
8:04am: The Knicks waived Taj Gibson back in November before his salary for the 2020/21 season could become fully guaranteed, but the two sides had mutual interest at that time in a possible reunion, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Although the Knicks didn’t re-sign Gibson during the offseason, they’ve continued to keep an eye on the veteran big man and have recently touched base with him, sources tell SNY. According to Begley, New York is one of a handful of clubs keeping Gibson on its radar, as he’s being monitored by “a few contenders.”
Gibson, 35, started 56 of the 62 games he played for the Knicks in 2019/20, averaging 6.1 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 16.5 minutes per contest.
According to Begley, some people within the organization like the idea of bringing Gibson back in part because he was viewed as a good mentor for young center Mitchell Robinson — if he returns this season, he could also be a positive influence on rookie Obi Toppin. Of course, Gibson also has a history with Tom Thibodeau, having played for the Knicks’ new head coach in Chicago and Minnesota.
Although the Knicks are off to a surprisingly strong start this season, their frontcourt depth chart is somewhat thin, particularly with Toppin, Nerlens Noel, and Omari Spellman all battling injuries. According to Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film School (Twitter link), the club is eyeing a few other big men in addition to Gibson and may meet with some.
New York currently has a full 15-man roster and would have to waive a player to make room for Gibson or another free agent. Spellman, whose rookie scale option for 2021/22 was turned down last month, would probably be the most obvious release candidate in that scenario.
Luke, those primitive per-game stats don’t say much about a player’s quality, especially if the player is a sub. Saying Gibson had a PER of 16 as a backup, is more informative. Or WS/48 or ORtg-DRtg. Basic stats are okay for starters but no decimal point is needed anyway… maybe for assists.
More modding of outrageous posts would cut down on the time it takes to follow this site, also helpful.
No one is stopping you from creating your own site if you have such a problem with the work these guys do. Or you could really put your money where your mouth is and cancel your premium subscription. How much do you pay again?
Maybe you think we don’t deserve any features or preferences, but you didn’t come out and say that, so I doubt you believe it yourself.
I don’t think there are one or two NBA stats that really give a full and accurate picture of a player’s value (PER, for instance, significantly favors big men like Gibson over guards). We dabble in net ratings and some other advanced stats now and then, by my general philosophy is that we’ll give you the basics and if you want to know more, it’s just a click away at Basketball-Reference. Given our focus on player movement, we’re more inclined to go into detail on salary cap stuff than on-court statistical analysis.
RPG favors big men too, but readers can take position into account.
Gibson’s stats can also be expressed 6-4-1 in 17′ pg, 62g, 16PER.
Considering how this yr is going. They need to find another body. Tyson hasn’t looked gd or in shape for yrs. Taj is solid cause he knows Thibs and is from NYC. You don’t want to overplay guys this yr. And you also want to give players plenty time off to heal.
Rivers was killing it yesterday. You could see he’s picked up moves from Har en. Kind of funny to watch. Did you know he was #1 recruit coming out of HS. He was the 10th pick in the draft. At his size he was more a combo guard. Bounced around and took longer to find his niche. He’s a solid backup. When he’s on he can put up points. I know Thibs was trying to build up Smith n Nttilikina. So they could be moved. IMO this why we signed Rivers. Injuries have slowed that plan down.