The need for a point guard has been a constant theme around the Knicks since Chris Childs and Charlie Ward manned the position back in the Jeff Van Gundy days. Since then, the pivotal role has featured a revolving door of short-term suitors, including this year’s rotation of Jose Calderon, Langston Galloway, Sasha Vujacic and rookie Jerian Grant.
The Knicks are hoping Grant, a first-round pick from Notre Dame, might stabilize the position in the near future, if not sooner. But that could be wishful thinking as the 19th overall pick of 2015 still is trying to establish some consistency in the NBA. He might very well develop into the kind of point guard the Knicks can keep long-term though, but he has shown only glimpses of being that.
Galloway is the lunch-pail type, a gritty player with little flash, but plenty of hustle and a few highlights. That leaves 34-year-old veteran Calderon and 31-year-old journeyman Vujacic. Hence, the need for an upgrade if the Knicks are going to seriously entertain championship aspirations in the future.
If the Knicks don’t trade for the Hawks’ available guard Jeff Teague, Mike Conley, the ultra-smooth point-guard for the Grizzlies, would be a nice fit.
Conley hinted he’s open to listening to the Knicks when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
“I think everything will be on the table when the time comes,” Conley said before Friday night’s 91-85 win over the Knicks at the Garden. “I haven’t committed to anything.”
Conley, who had eight points in 31 minutes, may have been the prized free agent of the future, but the best point guard on the floor Friday night was Calderon, even though the Knicks suffered a frustrating defeat. With point-guard play taking plenty of heat during the Knicks’ slump of losing eight of their last nine games and 10 of their last 13, Calderon became an early target when he air-balled his first jump shot from the right wing. He missed so badly the crowd booed.
It didn’t help the Grizzlies had gotten off to a fast 10-0 start with Carmelo Anthony sidelined with a sore knee. But then Calderon caught fire and acted as though he wanted to upstage Conley. Playing his second game after missing four with a groin injury, Calderon made his next four jumpers and was the Knicks’ leader in points at halftime with 10.
“Without Melo, we needed everybody to more aggressive,” Calderon said. “I did that. I felt really good and tried to make plays for my teammates.”
He opened the third quarter by shaking past Conley for a driving lay-up. But the offensively-challenged Knicks still trailed 52-44. Calderon’s hot-shooting was evidence the Knicks’ struggles go beyond point-guard play. Anthony’s absence exposed the need for a second reliable scorer, a role Arron Afflalo is struggling to fulfill, having missed a potential game-tying jump shot with 8.9 seconds remaining. They also have lost their mojo at the Garden where they have lost five of their last six games.
On this night, you couldn’t blame Calderon, who scored a team-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting with five assists and eight rebounds. Late in thie third quarter, he buried a 3-pointer from the corner baseline to cut the Knicks’ deficit to 57-51. He then drove to the basket and drew a foul while making a layup.
Calderon buried a free-throw to inch the Knicks closer at 57-56, and soon tossed a nice lob to the rim that was caught by a leaping Kristaps Porzingis who converted the soft bank.
“I think guys feed off each other,” Knicks coach Derek Fisher said of Calderon, adding, “He came out and gave us a chance to win the game.”
On another night, Calderon would have played the hero. Instead, he watched another defeat as Afflalo had a potential game-tying jumper bounce into and out with eight seconds left.
“We were competing until the end,” Calderon said. “It’s tough.”