Day: January 27, 2015

The Knicks have agreed to a two-year contract with point guard Langston Galloway.

Ian Begley has the details at ESPN:

The Knicks have agreed to a contract with point guard Langston Galloway for the remainder of this season and the 2015-16 season, league sources told ESPNNewYork.com.

Galloway’s second 10-day contract with the Knicks expired earlier Tuesday, so he had been free to sign with any team.

His contract for the 2015-16 season contains a partial guarantee, according to league sources. Galloway has impressed the Knicks’ coaches since being signed to his first 10-day contract Jan. 7.

The stumbling block as to this deal getting done was that Phil Jackson didn’t want to commit any of his upcoming cap space unless he had to. A cap hold is $500,000. A fully guaranteed second-year contract is $800,000. So that’s just $300,000, but I guess Jackson believed that $300,000 might turn out to be very valuable. So my guess is that the partial guarantee for next season is $500,000.

I saw someone note that the Knicks are in danger now of losing Galloway after next season, but I don’t think that’s much of a worry. The Knicks will have a lot of cap space, so if Galloway somehow develops into a star (which seems unlikely), they’ll be able to keep him. I don’t see Galloway getting even a MLE offer next season. Galloway is a bright spot on this team, but he’s more of a back-of-the-team player on a better team. Still worth a roster spot, of course, but I wouldn’t worry too much about losing him in two years. I’d be irked about losing him this year over $300,000, but that’s about it. And there, Jackson called Galloway’s bluff (that Galloway would just try to sign somewhere else) and got the deal he wanted. So good for Phil there.

Along those lines, though, many of us were presuming that the Knicks would pick up Quincy Acy’s relatively cheap qualifying offer for next season ($1,181,348), but I would imagine that the odds are better than not that Acy does not get an offer now. Jackson seems to be valuing cap space over pretty much anyone not named Melo on this roster (it is also why Prigioni will likely be traded this season, as well) so I suspect Acy’s days with the Knicks will be over after this season.

[New York Daily News] Both Nets and Knicks cancel games due to blizzard (Tue, 27 Jan 2015 01:20:55 GMT)

There will be plenty of snowballs in the city on Monday night, but there will not be any basketball.

[New York Times] Clippers Ride Crawford’s Shooting to 102-98 Win Over Nuggets (Tue, 27 Jan 2015 08:30:27 GMT)

Jamal Crawford never stews over statistics. As a prolific scorer, he knows he’s usually one shot away from triggering an offensive outburst.

[New York Times] Prince Helps Celtics Edge Jazz 99-90 (Tue, 27 Jan 2015 05:11:52 GMT)

Tayshaun Prince scored 19 points, and the Boston Celtics held off the Utah Jazz for a 99-90 victory on Monday night.

[New York Times] N.B.A. Roundup: Storm Shelves Home Games for the Knicks and the Nets (Tue, 27 Jan 2015 04:20:32 GMT)

The Knicks’ game against Sacramento was rescheduled for March 3. The Nets’ game against Portland was postponed until April 6.

[New York Times] Westbrook, Ibaka Help Thunder Beat Timberwolves 92-84 (Tue, 27 Jan 2015 03:53:49 GMT)

Russell Westbrook scored 18 points, Serge Ibaka added 13 points and a season-high 19 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 92-84 on Monday night without the injured Kevin Durant.

[New York Times] Davis’ Dunks Aplenty Lead Pelicans Past 76ers, 99-74 (Tue, 27 Jan 2015 03:45:08 GMT)

Anthony Davis had 32 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots, and the New Orleans Pelicans stretched their season-long winning streak to four games with a 99-74 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

[New York Times] Double-Doubles by Randolph, Gasol Lead Grizzlies Over Magic (Tue, 27 Jan 2015 03:42:04 GMT)

Zach Randolph had 24 points and 10 rebounds, Marc Gasol added 16 points and 10 boards, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Orlando Magic 103-94 on Monday night.

[New York Times] Knicks 113, Magic 106: In Unraveling Season, the Knicks String Together Reasons for Hope (Tue, 27 Jan 2015 02:14:29 GMT)

The Knicks become the owners of a three-game winning streak by knocking off the Magic at Madison Square Garden.

[New York Times] Thunder F Durant Out vs Wolves With Sprained Toe (Tue, 27 Jan 2015 01:00:11 GMT)

Kevin Durant is sitting out the Thunder’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night with a sprained big toe on his left foot.

[New York Times] Hornets’ Walker to Have Knee Surgery (Tue, 27 Jan 2015 00:06:39 GMT)

Charlotte said that Kemba Walker would have the torn lateral meniscus in his left knee repaired and that a timeline for his recovery would be determined after the operation.