Jrue Holiday to the Knicks?
Yes there are reports that Jrue Holiday has a very good relationship with the Pelicans front office and they may come to an agreement quickly but other reports state that he would like to play with his brother Justin. Justin played for the Knicks last year and they hold his rights with the ability to pay him up to $8.1 million. So why not Jrue Holiday to the Knicks?
Holiday last year averaged 15.4PPG and 7.3APG, very similar to Teague but overall a better player. But the biggest difference is on defense. According to Bleacher Report, Holiday was the best PG defender in the league last year, better than CP3.
Defensive Real Plus/Minus: 0.96 (No. 81)
Defensive Points Saved: 21.17 (No. 92)
Field-Goal Percentage Differential: minus-5.9 (No. 7)
On/Off Differential: minus-4.5 (No. 37)
"He's a physical defender, creates a lot of steals by being in the guards," Terrence Jones told in late February. "He definitely reacts to all my calls, when it comes to my communicating on the pick-and-rolls, correct almost every time. It makes it real easy when a guy is pressuring the ball like he does."
The defense is the biggest selling point. The Knicks need more 2-way players. With Holiday you get an elite play-maker with the ability to play hard-nose defense on opposing guards. In the NBA, PG is the most talented position, having a PG that can defend some of the best in the East like John Wall, Kyrie Irving and IT2 is very important.
Jrue Holiday is looking for a max deal. Thats going to be costly for the Knicks but worth it. The Pelicans can offer more money but the Knicks hold their own card as they have Justin Holiday's rights and can pay him more than other teams. If the Holiday brothers want to play together the Knicks make a ton of sense. A few bonuses is that playing for the Knicks is a much easier path to the playoffs and you also get to play in a bigger market with more opportunities off the court.
