New York Knicks

The biggest joke of this NBA season is how many teams are desperately trying to clear salary cap space for this all-time great free agent class, when this is what they should be doing every year.  Teams should either be contending for a championship, growing into a contender, or clearing the books and restocking their rosters—that’s it.  None of this being competitive (which means being good enough to contend for the second round of the playoffs) or drawing fans crap.  As a fan, I don’t ask that my team contend every year, but just that the roster be composed only of players who I can imagine playing a significant role on a championship team—including the inexpensive ninth guy in the rotation—or guys with contracts short enough to not get in the way of building a contender.  So Knicks fans, chill the f#ck out and be content that your team is doing a terrific job of clearing the books and restocking the roster with talent.

Granted, when I say restocking the roster with talent, I’m talking about one or two guys.  Provided continued health, Danilo Gallinari looks like a real keeper.  Being a 6’10” deadeye shooter gives you a ten year NBA career.  Add Gallinari’s ball handling and passing skills and you’ve got significant upside.  I like Tony Douglas too, at least for the duration of his rookie contract.  He has Rodney Stuckey’s body—they’re the same height when you account for Stuckey’s massive head—and seem to have similar physical skills, but their games are polar.  Douglas can shoot, but doesn’t go to the rim; Stuckey drives but is a terrible shooter.  I’m always skeptical of the prospects of guys who don’t get in the paint, but Douglas a few years on a cheap contract to develop cajones.

After those two guys they’re a mess, but (critically) a mess of short contracts.  David Lee’s situation is the only legitimate conundrum they have on the roster, and it will take a delicate touch to handle.  But it can’t be resolved until the summerfest is underway.  Right now, watching the Knicks consists of rooting for their young players to develop and hoping they realize that Wilson Chandler has peaked.  Well, that may not be the case, but it’s painful to watch a guy play with such alpha confidence in his own very modest abilities.  He can’t dribble or shoot, so dribble and shoot he does.  I don’t see anything there, but maybe I’m wrong (I’m not.)  At least he’s only on a rookie contract.

Even Eddy Curry is only an issue because instead of having tons of cap room this summer, the Knicks wish they could have tons and tons of cap room.  What can you do?  They’re trying like crazy to trade him (and I can only imagine it happening after the season, unless they give away Lee,) but regardless, he’s only on the books for one more year.  If LeBron and co. weren’t on the market, Knicks fans wouldn’t care about one more year of the Knicks effectively having a 14-man roster.  For a team that screwed up on historic levels, hiring not one, but two of the worst GMs in the last twenty years, consecutively, that they’re so well positioned for the future should have every Knicks fan in happy hysterics.

[As for LeBron, the idea that the Knicks don’t have enough talent to woo him is just silly.  I don't mean it's likely they sign him; I'm just saying that any of the teams that will have enough cap room to sign LeBron would easily have a combination of talent and cap space (so they can get other pieces apart from LeBron) to be at least darkhorse contenders next year and serious contenders the year after.

And regarding including Lee in a trade to get Curry's contract off the books this year, I'd do it in a second.  Millions of people would decry the horror of it, sure, but I don't see the Knicks building a strong future with Gallinari and Lee at the PF and C, or as SF and PF.  Nor would second choice Chris Bosh work with either of them.  All three are power forwards.  How much do you want to pay a guy to play out of position?]

[NOTE II: My friend wrote me last night about the post: "The big worry with Gallinari isn't talent- it's the track record of guys with back problems at 20. It isn't good, frankly. Let's see him get through an 82-game schedule before we even begin to worry about upside."  Well, two thoughts, I don't know the extent of the injury, the damage, the healing, the prognosis, umm...nothing.  I read what was to read on it, but yeah, but I don't know if this was an isolated injury or if there are no such things as isolated back injuries.  No idea whatsoever.  I will say though, I think my friend is right about something important: Knicks fans do have something to worry about after all!]