Since Donnie Walsh has taken over the Knicks, he has said that it is all about getting under the cap and the free-agent class of 2010. As a Knick fan I bought it because of what had transpired in years past that put the franchise in the state that it was in when Walsh took over.
Let's revisit some of the moves and decisions made from years past:
Scott Layden and his decision to give large contracts to the like of aging stars Allan Houston and Larry Johnson crippled the Knicks in the long term as both players were being paid guranteed money long after they were done playing. Couple that with moves of trading Patrick Ewing for I don't even remember who, trading Glenn Rice for the hefty contracts of bum players like Howard Eisley and Shandon Anderson, drafting and then trading Nene for Antonio McDyess who did not play a game as a Knick, and much more. Now as bad as these moves were and as bad a flux the team was in, it was still fixable over a short period of time. Welcome Isaiah Thomas!!
Upon his arrival, he decided that it would be impossible to get under the cap, so he decided to take on as much cap as possible with the least amount of talent possible, while sacrificing future draft picks, a great plan to run a franchise into the ground, even one in New York. The disaster that was the Marbury trade that is still having lingering effects today as the lottery-bound Knicks do not have a first rounder in the coming draft. He took on contracts of Penny Hardaway and sacrificed unprotected first round picks that could have yielded a Brandon Roy or LaMarcus Aldridge (had Chicago with the Knicks picks taken them) for Eddie Curry. While buried in cap he decided to give Jared Jeffries a contract that doubled in value because of the luxury tax. He traded away the expiring contract of Hardaway and the young, talented Trevor Ariza for Steve Francis at the behest of then coach Larry Brown, another brilliant move. The signings of Jerome James and Jamal Crawford, trading for Zach Randolph, and never establishing a true team with any kind of chemistry or core. Enter Donnie Walsh.
His first move was hiring a player-friendly coach in Mike D'Antoni who is friends with just about every player in the NBA except for Stephon Marbury, whoops, I forgot that Marbury is not in the NBA at the current moment. Yet, for some reason that guys keeps yapping his gums about the Knicks, as if he did so much for the team while he was here. And hey Marbury I guess we all missed something, your so good that no team in the NBA wants you. In addition to the hiring of D'Antoni, whose system made Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph look like All-Star's and tradeable, Donnie Walsh has finally gotten the Knicks under the cap. They are now in a position to target free-agents who can come in and make an instant impact on the team.
The only thing they must do now is play all the young guys. Al Harrington, Larry Hughes, Chris Duhon, Nate Robinson, and/or David Lee are all likely not to be here next year, so why are they getting all of the minutes???? There is this season, and this season alone for LeBron, Wade, Bosh and all the others to see what kind of cast they will they have around them should they come to New York. The starting 5 should include Tony Douglas, Wilson Chandler, Gallo, and Jordan Hill, and they should all be 30-35 minutes a night. This is the year for them to learn and get better. There is no making the playoffs anyway so you might as well get the young guys on the floor as much as possible. That equation only changes if and when Eddie Curry gets back on the floor in hopes that a team like the Jazz, Nuggets, Toronto, or Dallas need a low post presence in their effort to make a run in the playoffs. If the Knicks can get Curry and/or Jeffries off the books, they are guranteed to land 2 free-agents in the summer. Perhaps you could then convince LeBron and Wade to both come here, or some combination of all the stars that will be testing the market.
Play the young guys and lets see what they have to offer. Douglas has impressed, Gallo has shown flashes, Hill the other night looked with the exception of the fouls, and Chandler needs to be on the floor much more if he is to have a breakout game soon. We know that its all about 2010 but you gotta make 2009 somewhat entertaining, this team is not even watchable right now.
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