The Knicks don’t really have a true center on the roster behind Tyson Chandler. Kenyon Martin has filled the role, but he’s a tough four, not a five.
So New York has taken a chance, signing the potentially interesting but more often frustrating Jeremy Tyler, the team announced. Reportedly first year is mostly guaranteed, not the second year of the deal, but this is about trying to develop a big rather than just buying one.
Tyler, 6'10", had played on the Knicks Summer League team in Las Vegas and was solid — 12.8 points shooting 56.3 percent, plus pulling down 6.4 rebounds a game. Before that he played with the Warriors and Hawks. What the guy can do is rebound and rebound well. It’s a good skill to excel at.
You may remember Tyler as the promising San Diego player who shunned college and after his junior year went to play overseas —Maccabi Haifa (Israel) and Tokyo Apache (Japan). He was drafted in the second round but the only time he has seen extended action was a couple seasons ago when the Warriors were tanking… er, getting all their young players experience.
This is not a game changer by any stretch, it could be a while before Mike Woodson gets desperate enough to give him minutes, but Tyler has shown flashes so maybe he can be molded into someone that helps the team down the line.