Jimmer Fredette arrived to the New York Knicks on a 10-day contract filled with optimism. The shooting guard was a star in the D-League and was called up hoping to make a different in the Knicks' backcourt. That has yet to happen despite the 3-point shot he hit in his debut. With his contract expiring, head coach Kurt Rambis is not certain an extension is coming.
Fredette's contract is set to expire on Thursday, meaning his last chance to get time on court will be Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. The shooting guard has only been put in for garbage minutes. He appeared in last Monday's game against Toronto, but has not played in the last three games due to a lack of defense. Rambis is not certain what the future holds for Fredette.
"Management is collecting [names], that's what they're doing," Rambis said. "[They're] talking about guys, thinking about guys, not only for this season [but] bringing guys in they might want to hold onto and bring them to summer league next year and work out during the summer. There are a lot of names floating around out there.''
Fredette was signed to help the Knicks' struggling backcourt. Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant and Langston Galloway have all had issues with consistency this season, and Fredette was supposed to fix that. However, Rambis made it clear he had no plans on playing Fredette over someone else that has been with the team all season. As a result, the guard has barely gotten on the court and could be headed back to the D-League.
"He's not going to displace someone who's played all year and has worked hard in practice,'' Rambis said. "He's got to be keyed in to where everyone's supposed to be. I'm not sure he's there yet."
The Knicks need change, and Rambis is doing his best to try and bring it. Despite all of the losses, the team still has a chance at making the playoffs. If New York can make a small run in the next few weeks, it could sneak into the standings, but Rambis stressed everyone must help out if that is going to happen. The Knicks are coming off a loss to the Miami Heat when fans in Madison Square Garden began cheering for the other team. Rambis hopes those frustrations turn into motivation soon.
"We're all frustrated," Rambis said. "If you're a competitive athlete, I don't know how you can lose games at any point in time and be OK with it. So nobody in this organization is OK with where we're at."
