The New York Knicks signed Derrick Williams with the idea that he would be a starter. The power forward inked a deal worth two years and $10 million which now makes him the highest-paid reserve on the team. Williams did not intend on being a reserve and Phil Jackson did not believe he would be either until Kristaps Porzingis shocked the world. Now sitting on the bench, Williams is not happy.
After putting up big numbers in the season opener, Williams has been incredibly quiet. The power forward has barely spent time on the court while shooting just 7-for-47 in a stretch of time. The lack of minutes has Williams understandable upset saying he has no idea why he was demoted.
"I want to get out there and play. That's the reason I'm here," Williams said, via the New York Post. "I don't really know what happened (Wednesday) though. Like I said, you can't really control that. That's up to the coaching staff. At the same time it does get frustrating when I know I can help. We have more games, man. We got to sacrifice a little bit. We went on a little win streak. So you don't want to complain when you're winning. It just makes you look like a bad individual."
The demotion of Williams follows the demotion of Kyle O'Quinn while Lance Thomas and Lou Amundson get more minutes. The same thing is happening to Jerian Grant as Langston Galloway is favored with the reserves. At the start of the season, many believed Grant should have been the starting point guard with Jose Calderon disappointing since his arrival in New York. However, Calderon and Arron Afflalo are playing well together and it is Grant looking more like the disappointment. According to head coach Derek Fisher, the point guard is struggling with rookie issues as more minutes go to Galloway.
"I think it's early for (him to be hitting) a wall. It's just a lot coming at him," Fisher said, via the Post. "The guard position is possibly the toughest position to play in this league. And being consistent every night is a hard thing to do. ...This is what comes with being in this league. It doesn't always go well for you."
When it comes to the mid-season trade deadline, the Knicks will be shoppers in hopes of preparing for another big free agency run in 2016. Williams along with O'Quinn appear to be the favored assets. However, if Grant improves, Galloway could be thrown in as well considering he might not be a long-term favorite and his contract is easy to move.