| New Day Coming For The Knicks Authored by Patrick J. Austin - March 27, 2008 - 1:21 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Breaking Down The 2nd Round After a somewhat surprising first round of the 2008 NBA playoffs, we find ourselves with even better match-ups in the Round of Eight.
Prospect Report: Brook Lopez Of StanfordFor a team looking for a well-developed offensive game at center, Brook Lopez is the 2008 Draft’s best option.
| |
Fortunately, the wave of mediocrity brought about by Hurricane Zeke is coming to a close with the recent wooing, and “eventual” hire of Donnie Walsh as the President of Basketball Operations for the Knickerbockers. I guess someone finally threw a rock at James Dolan’s head and it knocked some sense into him. This hire signifies that change is on the horizon, both in the front office and soon-to-be on the court (once this painful season ends). Walsh is one of the best executives in professional basketball and he will immediately provide credibility and panache to the executive side of the New York Knick operations.
Given my propensity to fix the Knicks via the Trade Board, I cannot resist giving Walsh a few suggestions that could help bring about positive change within the organization. These are just my humble ideas; take them as you will…
1.) Be honest with Knick fans
Walsh needs to be upfront and honest with Knick fans. He needs to tell them that they are indeed in a rebuilding process and it may take a few years to right the ship. The notion that New York and the general fan base demand immediate success is wrong. The fans are smarter than that and they’d fully support a rebuild if it meant the franchise would eventually return to prosperity.
2.) Hire Mark Jackson as head coach
Jackson is not only a fan favorite in New York, but also possesses a great mind for basketball. His 17-year career as a floor general displays the proper attributes to handle the X’s and O’s aspect of coaching and commanding respect from his players He is a risky pick given his inexperience, but he could turn into a new Avery Johnson. The rumor mill mentioned names such as Scott Skiles and Rick Carlisle as potential candidates. I don’t think a disciplinarian in the mold of Larry Brown is what the Knicks need. Both Skiles and Carlisle have track records of disenfranchising players and staff with their temperamental personalities. The Knicks need someone the players not only respect, but feel will lead them in the right direction. Jackson can be that coach.
3.) Bring Greg Anthony in Assistant General Manager
Given Walsh’s advanced age, it would be best for the franchise to hire a young executive and groom him to take over in three years. Greg Anthony would be perfect. Just like Jackson, Anthony is well-liked and respected in New York and appears to have the mindset of a quality executive. Learning under the wise Walsh would enable Anthony to take over and be effective right after Walsh steps away from the spotlight.
4.) Keep the lottery pick
No one knows what pick the Knicks will have come draft day. They are currently slated to select fifth, just out of the top-four spots. Obviously, with the draft lottery anything can happen and the Knicks do have a chance at nabbing the top pick. But even if the Knicks don’t get the No.1 pick, or heck, even if they wind up remaining at No.5, they need to keep the pick. Fans need to have a young player to pin their hopes to. This draft is shaping up to have a wide variety of talent and the Knicks could certainly acquire a high-potential prospect at the 5 spot. What I cannot endorse is trading the pick for a veteran. This strategy has backfired for the Knicks in years past (i.e. Antonio McDyess, dealing away their ‘06 pick for Eddy Curry, which turned into Tryus Thomas etc.).
5.) Keep Stephon Marbury’s expiring contract until next season’s trade deadline
Some have argued that dealing Marbury’s contract in the off-season would be best, simply to get rid of Marbury, but I disagree. The Knicks can get maximum value for Marbury at the trade deadline next season. As we all saw with the Pau Gasol trade, expiring contracts become extremely valuable and a major commodity at the deadline when downtrodden teams look to rebuild. Who knows, maybe the Suns could have a terrible start to the season and Robert “penny pincher” Sarver becomes so cost-conscious that he’d be willing to swap Nash for Marbury. Hey, anything can happen. Of course, a more realistic acquisition would be someone like Michael Redd or Vince Carter.
6.) Trade Zach Randolph or Eddy Curry
Randolph and Curry are overpaid and plagued by a bad attitude (Randolph) and poor work ethic (Curry). The hope was that with their powers combined, they’d form a super frontline capable of taking down any big man in the league; reminiscent of the David Robinson-Tim Duncan combo. Obviously, this did not pan out. Walsh needs to correct the mistakes of the past by trading away at least one of the not-so-dynamic duo. In exchange, he needs to get a big guy who will play defense, plain and simple. A perfect deal would be swapping Eddy Curry for Samuel Dalembert (maybe with a young player like Chandler or Robinson thrown in). It would take some savvy maneuvering on Walsh’s part, but that deal is certainly within the realm of possibility. A more realistic scenario would be swapping Randolph for Kenyon Martin.
7.) Buyout Jerome James
Even though he is only signed to the MLE, James exemplifies the excess run amuck in the Zeke-era of Knicks history. It’s time to give James his walking papers. He is utterly useless to the franchise and only serves as an example of why you shouldn’t give a big contract to someone who only played well during a contract season.
If these moves are made, the Knicks will be on track to return to success and reclaim their spot as one of the best franchises in the NBA.
If you’d like to comment on this article, e-mail Patrick at pja123@hotmail.com |
