The Knicks have added another first-round big-man lottery bust to join Andrea Bargnani at training camp.
The Knicks announced Tuesday they have signed 6-foot-11 center Cole Aldrich, the former Kansas star drafted 11th in the opening round of the 2010 NBA Draft. Aldrich signed a non-guaranteed contract, but could have a shot at stealing the 15th roster spot.
Aldrich has played 89 games in three seasons with the Thunder, Rockets and Kings. Last season he averaged 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 8.6 minutes over 45 games, split between the Rockets and Kings. Houston traded Aldrich at February’s trade deadline, along with Toney Douglas and Patrick Patterson, to Sacramento for prospect Thomas Robinson.
The scouting report on Aldrich is mixed. The consensus is he still could be an NBA reserve because he moves decently for a big man, is fairly athletic and can finish around the basket with tip-ins and a little jump hook. But his skills are limited, and he’s not strong enough to be a banger or strong rebounder. He has shot higher than 50 percent every season, however, plays hard and coaches like him.
Aldrich, a key member of Kansas’ 2008 national championship team, was originally selected by the Hornets, but had his draft rights traded to Oklahoma City.
The Knicks roster is now at 19, and it is expected to stay that way. They will have to pare it to 15 by the Oct. 30 season-opener against the Bucks.
Training camp opens Monday as Aldrich and veteran power forwards Ike Diogu and Josh Powell vie for the 15th and final roster spot if coach Mike Woodson chooses to go with a big.
The absence of young power forward Jeremy Tyler — who could be sidelined until November after foot surgery — has created a vacuum for bigs off the bench early in the season, especially because of Amar’e Stoudemire’s fragile knees and Bargnani recovering from pneumonia he contracted during Team Italy’s training camp.
According to Raymond Felton, the Knicks don’t appear to want to play Stoudemire much at all in preseason, which will lead to Aldrich getting a long look.