THE Knicks traded a collection of zeroes to acquire Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox Thursday. And the Knicks didn’t have to add to their payroll either. What gives? Hughes, 30, banished in Chicago, will play for his sixth team in 11 seasons. Wilcox was traded twice in three days.
“Wherever they’ve gone, initially they were brought in as starters, relied-upon key players,” one longtime scout said. “Wherever they’ve gone, they’ve always gone south.”
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It got so bad in Cleveland, there was a Web site, Heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com.
Honest.
Two top personnel men break down the two new Knicks and detail their warts:
Scout I on Hughes: “The good with Larry is he’s a guy, if given minutes and given a chance to play like a starter, he’s a volume scorer. If he gets hot, he can win you a game.
“He can also lose you a game, if he’s not hot. The biggest struggle he’s had from a consistency standpoint is staying healthy and giving consistent production every night. As far as personality-wise, he’s not a leader-type guy. …
“In Chicago, that was about them not liking him personally [more] than on the court. He’s not the easiest guy on the team from a maintenance standpoint. At the end of the day, here’s the thing with him: He has been on a lottery team and he’s been on a team that’s gone to The Finals with Cleveland. He’s been on both, and both types of teams have traded him. The only thing to gather from that is his issues have been more than just basketball issues.”
Scout II on Hughes: “I loved him in college. When he’s taking good shots, playing unselfishly, he can be [an] effective offensive player. He’s such a talented guy but he wants 20 every night. He’s a talented two-guard. Some nights [he] might be the best player on the court, but he’s not an unselfish, shot-selection type of guy. There’s a reason he’s been traded four, five times and basically for nothing.”
Scout I on Wilcox: “Wilcox is a guy who at best is going to be a Reggie Evans, Brandon Bass, Jason Maxiel type. What’s held him back is he’s an undersized power forward and you have got to give consistent effort.
“The only reason he’s moved so much is he’s not 6-10. If he’s 6-10 [which is his listed size], with his size, he can get away without the consistent effort. But at 6-8, he’s got to be consistently rebounding, blocking shots.
“There are nights when he doesn’t give you the effort and hustle and toughness every night. Offensively he’s not a guy you run plays for, but in coach [Mike] D’Antoni’s offense, he can benefit on dirty work, tip-ins, plays in the open floor, offensive rebounds, but again that’s predicated on his effort.”
Scout II on Wilcox: “Chris has been an enigma since the day he walked in. It’s due to his inconsistency, not using his athleticism as well as he can, for one quarter or one game.
“He’s … running, jumping, blocking shots. He’s worked on his offensive skills, but never got them down pat. He doesn’t work hard on his own, (he’s) not the first one into practice, last one to leave.”