Jeremy Tyler was originally signed to a partially-guaranteed deal by the Knicks at the beginning of August, following a strong showing at Las Vegas Summer League where he averaged 12.8 points on 56.8 percent shooting, to go along with 6.4 rebounds per contest.
But a foot fracture less than a month later which required surgery and had a timetable of 8-10 weeks for recovery helped New York’s decision to waive him before the season started.
With the team struggling and in need of some active and energetic bodies, the Knicks are reportedly considering re-signing the 6'10" big man to get an immediate boost to the roster.
From Marc Berman of the New York Post:The Knicks are plotting an entrance strategy for 6-foot-10 big man Jeremy Tyler, hoping he can give them a youthful spark.
Knicks brass has seriously discussed re-signing Tyler this week to bolster their frontcourt, according to an NBA source. That would take advantage of the four-day break, after Saturday’s 115-100 loss in Toronto, by incorporating him in practice. ...
“Nothing’s set in stone,’’ the NBA source said.
The decision to sign Tyler now or wait a couple of weeks will be based at least partly on finances. If the Knicks bring in Tyler now, his contract becomes fully guaranteed for the remainder of the season on Jan. 10. If they wait until Jan. 5, the team will be eligible to sign Tyler to up to two 10-day contracts, before making their final decision and being on the hook for a contract for the rest of the year.
It might depend on how long Carmelo Anthony is out. He’s missed three games with an ankle injury, and while Mike Woodson is hopeful that Anthony will be back in time to make the team’s three-game road trip to Texas on Thursday, there’s been no timetable set and there’s no guarantee that will take place.
An interesting wrinkle in the addition of Tyler is that the Knicks will need to cut someone to add him to the roster. Chris Smith would appear to be the likeliest candidate, except for the fact that he happens to be J.R.'s brother. That might not matter at this point, however, considering that Chris is playing the D-League anyway, and is already guaranteed to be paid the entirety of his $490,180 salary for this season.
The Knicks are at least considering cutting Smith instead of Cole Aldrich, reports Ian Begley of ESPN New York.
