The Knicks have seemingly given up on the next 2 years and are focused solely on 2010 when King James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and a bunch of other big time players become free agents...let me rephrase that. The Knicks are not pursuing a championship for the next 2 seasons, but they will win some games.
The team made big moves in getting rid of Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins, while getting back Cuttino Mobley (famous for being Steve Francis' running mate for years in Houston), Tim Thomas, and Al Harrington. Harrington is a perfect fit for D'Antoni's offense, we can slide him in at center and really spread the floor. Tim Thomas is another big who can play outside, defense is not on the minds of either of these guys much. Mobley should give the bench an offensive, and again defense is not his strong suit. The moves were not made with defense or team chemistry in mind, these were made for one reason....TO BRING LEBRON JAMES TO NEW YORK.
To make matter even more interesting, Stephon Marbury refused to play when told by his head coach that there were 35 minutes of playing time available against Milwaukee, a game the Knicks ended up losing. Marbury hasn't played a single minute this season so I thought he would jump at the chance to get on the court, put all the pettiness aside and just play some basketball, even if only for 1 game. But this is Marbury, not Starbury, who is still missing. This just accentuates D'Antoni's point that there is no room for Marbury's selfish attitude on this team, he refused to help them because there was nothing in it for him. What happened to team first?
Mabury should be the next to go, but now that Denver has Chauncey Billups and Manu Ginnobli is coming back to the Spurs, plus Roger Mason, Jr is playing very well (this was never a viable option from what I could see), there is nowhere for him to go. D'Antoni seems to have no problem with letting him ride the bench all season. Stephon's contract expires at seasons end so that gives the Knicks even more cap room for 2009 and 2010.
I don't know if I fully agree with planning something 2 years in advance, what if Lebron decides to stay in Cleveland, Wade loves Miami too much, and Bosh just can't get enough of that fresh Canada air? This reminds me of 2 instances, when the Knicks came close to signing Michael Jordan in 1995-6 I think, but ended up with the great Allan Houston as a consolation prize; that sure turned out nice. Also, when the Orlando Magic brought in Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady in 2000 to guarantee themselves at least a playoff birth every season. They put all of their eggs in these 2 baskets as they couldn't really afford any other good players. As we all know, Hill ended up getting hurt and McGrady could never get the team out of the 1st round the few times they got in. But again, the Knicks will win some games, and they did trade for guys the at least fit into D'Antoni's system so it won't be a total wash, I'll just be happier when I actually see a big name free agent sign on the dotted line. I can't blame the Knicks for trying, just look at this list of free agents for the 2010 season:
A Level
Amare Stoudamire
LeBron James
Dwayne Wade
Chris Bosh
Dirk Nowitzki
Josh Howard
Michael Redd
Tyson Chandler
Steve Nash
Carlos Boozer
Chris Paul
B Level
Ben Wallace
Larry Hughes
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Anderson Varejao
Al Harrington
Darko Milicic
Udonis Haslem
Jamal Crawford
Eddy Curry
Amir Johnson
Derek Fisher
Raja Bell
T.J. Ford
Travis Outlaw
Bruce Bowen
Earl Watson
Luke Ridnour
Matt Harpring
Quentin Richardson
Damien Wilkins
Memet Okur
Hedo Turkoglu
Not bad pickins' if your trying to get ahead quickly. I'm not a pessimist, I've just through hell with the Knicks for years, for I'm trying to be cautious with my optimism. Here is the starting lineup I would like to see after the smoke clears:
2010 New York Knicks
PG-Earl Watson
SG-Wilson Chandler
SF-Lebron James
PF-Chris Bosh
C-Al Harrington (great fit for the D'Antoni system, and opens the lane for James)
Now we just have to wait 2 years, should be fun in the meantime though with all the scoring that'll be going on with this new squad. As long as the team is competitive...right?
5 comments:
Yeah, Marbury does need to be the next to go.
I remember when the Bulls made moves a few years back, and putting them in position to make a run at Tim Duncan. And we know how that turned out!
However, the crop of players that will be available is deeper, so this bodes well for those teams wanting to turn the corner again quickly.
Nice job Rad!
Thanks Dave,
I'm hoping this all works out, I forgot all about the Tim Duncan going to Chicago rumors...but that can't happen again can it?
O.K. I know nothing about the NBA these days. But Buster Olney wrote today that LeBron, who is not yet a Knick, could be influential in bringing CC to the Yankees because they were friends in Cleveland. I say it's a stretch and Olney was just looking for something to write about. Am I wrong?
I like the idea that the Knicks are cleaning house and it's refreshing watching a competent coach and GM work.We Knick fans haven't gotten a break since the Ewing lottery.D'Antonni's system and the BiG Apple stage will provide a major attraction for many stars.In the meantime, they're playing hard and fun to watch.
Jane--it's a stretch, the Yanks have a better chance of your working the phones and warning CC of the alleged perils of Cali life--good luck with that.
I agree Mark, they are much more fun to watch than last year. And Lord know we need a break. I like the direction their going so far.
Jane - It's a reach but I definitely won't shoot it down. I think it might work the other way around though, once CC comes to the Yanks he can convince Lebron to jump onboard.
Thanks for the comments guys.
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