Duke Blue Devils: Thomas returns to Knicks
Former Duke Blue Devils forward Lance Thomas is set to return to the New York Knicks.
The Duke Blue Devils did not witness all of their potential free agents move to other teams. Some guys stayed put with their current franchises.
One of those guys was Lance Thomas. Thomas signed with the New York Knicks for four years for more than twenty-four million dollars. His yearly salary will start at $6.1 million next season and go up 7.5% per year after that according to reports by Ian Begley of ESPN.
Thomas was part of the Duke title team of 2010, but he was used as a power forward back then. Nowadays, Thomas has developed his shooting abilities and can back up either forward spot. His length has made him a good defender and he can guard several positions. This is even more important in the days of more perimeter oriented lineups.
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Thomas joins a Knicks team that will look a bunch different from the one played for last season. It is still Carmelo Anthony’s team run through the triangle. Yet the coach is Jeff Hornacek not Kurt Rambis. The point guard is suddenly Derrick Rose. The guy replacing Rose off the bench is Brandon Jennings. Those two are a big change from Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant.
Thomas will also have more skilled defenders to play with as well. Down low now lurks Joakim Noah. Assuming that he can be healthy, Noah will stop people who get by the perimeter. Courtney Lee is also now on this team to provide more perimeter pressure. Thomas fits well within this kind of group.
That could have Thomas poised to be on a playoff team, which is something the Knicks fans have wanted for some time now. His new teammates are all veterans and have to be hungry for success. Thomas should be able to feed off this too.