| The Anatomy Of The New York Roster Authored by Christopher Reina - November 8, 2007 - 2:58 pm
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“This is probably the most fun I’ve had in a long time in a basketball game,” said Eddy Curry following the Knicks’ win on Tuesday versus Denver in a game that had the energy and intensity of the playoffs.
It has been a very long and a very windy road and the road still needs roughly 40 more wins this season and we have seen similar euphoria before, but the Knicks do indeed have a roster that is a legitimate, no-spin, playoff team. Nobody believes they are a guaranteed playoff team, let alone a real Finals contender, but they are unanimously a highly talented team who should make the playoffs.
The roster Thomas inherited from Scott Layden on December 22nd, 2003 was old, expensive and severely lacking in talent.
They were 10-18 and had just gone 0-5 on a West Coast road trip.
This is what their roster looked like:
- Antonio McDyess: He has been a 20 minute-per-night player for the Pistons since 2004.
- Allan Houston: He played 50 games that and only 20 the next and hasn’t played an NBA game since, despite his comeback attempt in October.
- Keith Van Horn: He played sparingly for two more seasons and last played in Game 6 of the 2006 Finals with Dallas.
- Dikembe Mutombo: He continues to be Yao Ming’s backup, playing less than 17 minutes per game.
- Howard Eisley: Last played with the Clippers during the 2005-2006 season.
- Shandon Anderson: Last played for Miami during the 2005-2006 season.
- Charlie Ward: Last played for Houston during the 2004-2005 season.
- Kurt Thomas: He was rarely used by Phoenix and traded to Seattle during the offseason in an 'Isiah' type of deal where Sam Presti received multiple picks for taking on the salary.
- Michael Doleac: He won a ring with Miami in 2006 and was recently traded to Minnesota.
- Clarence Weatherspoon: Baby Barkley last played for Houston during the 2004-2005 season.
- Othella Harrington: Harrington is currently on Charlotte's roster after two seasons in Chicago.
How did Isiah turn this roster into the one we see today?
It surely wasn’t by getting under the cap – only Jerome James, Jared Jeffries and Randolph Morris were signed via free agency.
It wasn’t by playing poorly (aka: lottery tank job) and receiving high draft picks. Sure, they have played poorly and owned the second overall pick in 2006 and the ninth overall in 2007, but those went to Chicago.
Isiah has made just two draft picks using the Knicks’ own selections (Channing Frye and Trevor Ariza) and neither player is on their roster.
The Knicks have been built by a huge series of trades, where they have taken on other club’s cap responsibilities, high-risk talent and by amassing draft picks in those trades along the way.
Here is the anatomy of the Knicks:
- Keith Van Horn and Michael Doleac are dealt to Milwaukee and became Tim Thomas and Nazr Mohammed.
- Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Antonio McDyess, Maciej Lampe, the pick that became Kirk Snyder and another 1st rounder (most likely 2010) then became Stephon Marbury and Anfernee Hardaway.
- Frank Williams, Othella Harrington, Dikembe Mutombo and Cezary Trybanski became Jamal Crawford and Jerome Williams.
- Mohammed and Jamison Brewer are dealt to the Spurs for Malik Rose and the pick that became David Lee and the pick that became Mardy Collins.
- Kurt Thomas and Dijon Thompson became Quentin Richardson and Nate Robinson.
- Tim Thomas is traded to the Bulls along with Mike Sweetney, Jermaine Jackson, the pick that became Tyrus Thomas and the pick that became Joakim Noah for Eddy Curry, Antonio Davis (who months later became Jalen Rose and the pick that became Renaldo Balkman) and the pick that became Wilson Chandler.
- Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza became Steve Francis, who, along with Channing Frye became Zach Randolph, Fred Jones, Dan Dickau (who became Jared Jordan for a few weeks) and Demetris Nichols (who has since signed with Cleveland and was the subject of fan uproar when he was released).
- Moochie Norris, Vin Baker and the pick that became Steve Novak became Maurice Taylor, who was eventually bought out and is the only move that really didn't accomplish anything.
It has been expensive and they have been ridiculed for it by an excessively cap-conscious NBA, but rebuilding is a four-letter word in New York and with Cablevision resources on hand, it is difficult to imagine how Isiah could have done much better. |
