| Isiah's Plan For The Knicks Authored by Tommy Dee - May 10, 2007 - 1:53 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Final Thoughts On The 2008 NBA Draft This year's draft was decidedly more calm and casual than the Oden/Durant showdown, which made for a more candid and personal experience.
Grading The Deal: Baron Joins The Clips'It was savage' but as quickly as Baron became Mr. Warrior, he now is on his way to L.A. to become Mr. Clipper.
 |
Oh Danny Boy
Danny Granger, who has just three years of NBA experience under his belt, will undoubtedly be the man in Indiana beginning this summer.
|
 |
$10 Million For Five Players?
The Orlando Magic will be limited by the NBA's Luxury Tax in terms of filling the remaining spots on their roster. It is also possible it could cost them Keyon Dooling or Maurice Evans.
|
 |
Raptorland’s New Carnivore
The Raptors are bringing in a player who will have an immediate impact (unlike Hibbert or whomever the Raptors would’ve drafted at 17), plays a position of need (unlike Ford,) and carries a reputation of intimidation (unlike Nesterovic).
|
|
More from RealGM's Columnists
|
| |
Isiah Thomas has full control of the team now and can make another splash in the draft this summer.
What struck me right away was that Dolan's "significant progress" wasn't defined. What did it mean? Considering that the team played in a very weak Atlantic Division and a top-heavy Eastern Conference, the Knicks had to be able to win more than 23 games if they just seemed interested, which was something they failed to do in the second half of last season under Larry Brown. I mean, all they had to do was go 12-29 in the first half of the season to be ahead of pace of last year's win total. The team managed that and a little more, but they are again on the outside looking in as we come closer to playoff time.
Truth be told, Isiah Thomas is as savvy as it gets. You can't become one of the greatest players in NBA history without being able to slither, and he's slithered this year as if he had gotten into the lane drawing Tree Rollins before dishing to John Salley or Rick Mahorn for a dunk.
Remember when the Knicks started the season with a 2-6 record? Isiah responded, "Wait until we're healthy and 100%." The team was missing Isiah's key offseason acquisition, Jared Jeffries, whom Isiah overpaid to be the team's all-around defensive stopper. As it turns out, Jeffries has been a disappointment to say the least and hasn't come close to earning his lofty $30 million paycheck.
Steve Francis has also been injured. You remember Francis don't you? He was supposed to pair in the backcourt with Stephon Marbury, and the duo was supposed to remind us of Walt Frazier and Earl the Pearl Monroe. However, when the oft-injured Francis did make it onto the floor, the on-court chemistry between Francis and Marbury more closely resembled Joe Frazier and Marilyn Monroe. If you listen to Isiah, he will make it seem like it was Brown who desperately wanted Francis, but any successful businessman will tell you that your credibility has to take a shot if you blame things on the people you fire. Brown is no longer here, so it's time to get over him. He's not the reason this organization has struggled as a whole since making the playoffs at the turn of the millennium.
So where do we go from here? The team is likely not making the playoffs this season and yet another draft approaches where we will hear Isiah, fresh from his contract extension, tell us that they will add to the core of young players. This core includes Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford, and David Lee, with Renaldo Balkman soon to be a staple in the rotation.
Curry has had a nice year by averaging close to 20 points a game on 60% shooting from the floor. However, it is his obvious weaknesses that have me questioning how much he can really improve. His inability to pass in general, but more importantly, out of a double or triple team could be a roadblock for the team's offense. When you watch him post recently, he hurries shots as a means of trying to beat the double teams from coming.
Great post players in the past will tell you to kick the ball back out, then reestablish position or go to another spot on the floor to get the ball back later in the possession. This accomplishes two things important to a successful half court offense -- first, the ball movement causes the defense to have to adjust. More importantly, it forces the defense to have to play hard for 18-20 seconds each time down the court, which will wear them out over the course of the game.
The Knicks' problem is that when Curry gives it up early, he rarely reestablishes position to give himself a chance to get the ball back. Thus, when the shot clock runs down, the team is forced to take a much lower percentage shot than the short shot Curry gets around the hoop. Fixing this problem could help Curry's woeful all-around production if you consider that for the second consecutive year, Curry will post more turnovers (268) than assists (63), steals (30), and blocks (39) combined (a total of 132). How is it possible that such a dominant low post scorer could be ranked 250th in fantasy production according to Yahoo.com?
As for Crawford, I love his heart and energy; I really do, but he's what we call on the playground "a nut." Once he gets the ball, no one else is going to touch it. You know when he's going to shoot and you may as well get back on defense. While he and Curry have some nice chemistry with the alley-oops and entry passes, it is more often than not that Crawford's passes come after good defenses stop his penetration and he is forced to make a last-second decision. His game is not designed for a half-court offense. Will that improve? It's hard to tell.
Rather than get into all the other deficiencies, Isiah has a real opportunity to set the organization up for the next decade by freeing up some money after the 2008-09 season when LeBron James becomes a free agent. Hey, Isiah should at least try. Since the team still has untradeable contracts in Jerome James, Quentin Richardson (thanks to lingering back problems), and Jeffries, Isiah needs to rid himself of the $5 million team option that they would owe Channing Frye and Nate Robinson after next season. Therefore, it makes sense to trade Frye and Robinson for draft picks in this draft -- which is a very deep one -- so that the team can add to its young core while subtracting salary at the same time.
Frye has been a disappointment after being drafted in the top 10 two seasons ago, but still has some value to a Western Conference team. With the emergence of Lee and Balkman, Frye seems lost at times and the time is now for Isiah to take a hit in trading Frye. Considering that teams such as the Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, and the Phoenix Suns would be a logical fit, it would make sense that Isiah make a deal for any one of those teams' picks and perhaps a second rounder.
Meanwhile, Seattle seems to be a logical place for Robinson and the Sonics have two picks in the second round at numbers 31 and 38. Isiah could turn those picks into valuable role players that could give the Knicks what they have been missing.
Dealing Frye and Robinson will open up cap space and play to Isiah's strength -- talent evaluation. If Balkman can become an instant impact player, why can't Isiah find two more for a quarter of the money? This would allow Lee to step into the starting lineup and give the team three more hard-working young players for fans to fall in love with.
Injuries or not, this team has proven that it needs to get better if they want to get to .500, but that improvement has to come from Curry and Crawford, period. Isiah needs to put the heat on those two to carry the franchise, but it would help if he also surrounded them with better defenders, three-point shooters, and a good shot blocker -- three areas that can be addressed in this year's draft. |
