Knicks make final roster cuts

On Friday, the New York Knicks trimmed down their roster to 15, letting go of 5 players in the process. The team's final preseason game had come to a close the previous day, and GM Phil Jackson knew that he had several tough decisions to make. 

Some of the players were expected to be let go, but others had put up a strong showing in the preseason exhibition games. The following players were left off the roster: Chasson Randle, J.P. Tokoto, Lou Amundson, Cleanthony Early, and Damien Inglis. 

Oct. 21, 2016 – NYK announced today that the team has waived Randle, Tokoto, Amundson, Early & Inglis. The roster now stands at 15 players.

— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) October 21, 2016

That leaves the final roster to include:

Guards: Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, Brandon Jennings, Sasha Vujacic, Justin Holiday, Ron Baker

Forwards: Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Lance Thomas, Maurice Ndour

Centers: Joakim Noah, Willy Hernangomez, Kyle O'Quinn, Marshall Plumlee

In this article, we'll take a closer look at the players that were let go.

Randle was cut by the Knicks on Friday

Chasson Randle, an undrafted free agent, joined the Knicks Summer League team in July, and officially signed a contract one month later. In the preseason, he averaged 7.7 PPG and shot almost 56% from three-point range. As Stanford University's all-time scorer, his name certainly carries some weight, and he is still young enough (23) to have a legitimate future in the NBA. 

Randle was by-far the biggest surprise when reviewing the list of players cut. The Knicks had a glaring need at the guard position and he had received high praise from head coach Jeff Hornacek. Unfortunately, his chances to make the final roster were negatively impacted following a fractured orbital bone around his left eye. Right now, Randle is a free agent, but it is expected that the Knicks speak to him about potentially joining the Westchester Knicks for the 2016-2017 season. 

J.P. Tokoto, a 23 year old guard out of North Carolina, was a second-round draft pick by Philadelphia last year. He did not make the team, and was later dealt to Oklahoma City's D-League affiliate. The Knicks signed him in August, but it was not expected that he would join the regular season squad.

Cleanthony Early has been with the Knicks since 2014, but hasn't seen consistent playing time due to a variety of reasons. The 25 year old missed most of the 2015-2016 year with a knee injury, and just recently signed back with the Knicks. In parts of two seasons, Early has put up 4.3 PPG while shooting just 26.3% from downtown. 

Damien Inglis was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2014 NBA Draft, but did not get regular minutes with the organization. After seeing time for the Westchester Knicks last year, the 21 year old joined the Pelicans for the 2016 Summer League. Shortly after, he inked a deal with the Knicks, presumably to return to their D-League squad since he did not make an appearance in the preseason games. 

- Tokoto, Early, and Ingli are expected to join the Westchester Knicks for the 2016-2017 season. 

Rounding out the group of cuts is veteran Lou Amundson. The 33 year old has seen playing time with a variety of NBA teams in his nine-year career, and joined the Knicks in the latter half of the 2014-2015 season. Last year, his playing time took a significant dip, racking up just 7.0 minutes per game. 

Amundson signed a guaranteed contract with the Knicks not too long ago, but it appears that the organization is content with letting him go. His roster spot and minutes will likely go to Marshall Plumlee, the undrafted free agent out of Duke University.

The Knicks will open their 2016-2017 season against the defending NBA Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Tuesday, October 25 at 7:30 pm.