NBA Offseason: New York Knicks

Making All the Wrong Moves

I haven't really liked anything this team has done this offseason. As someone that has been following this team for a long time, I'm starting to think they might have to go in a different direction. If there's anything I've learned about that basketball team in Canada is that you NEVER trade for one of their best players. They might seem like great players, but they never are (Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter & Chris Bosh (TMac & Vinsanity weren't winners and Bosh is a role player)).

Outside of that trade they brought back Pablo Prigioni and J.R. Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. in the first round. One of the main reasons I loved the Hardaway Jr. pick was because I couldn't stand to watch the Knicks get destroyed by another Hardaway.

As for Prigioni and Smith, I was really hoping some other team would overpay for Smith and Prigioni would end up back in Europe. Prigioni doesn't do enough and to be honest he's too old! Smith is a bad version of Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks don't need two guys hogging the ball for the majority of the game.

The Trade:

New York Knicks Receive:

Andrea Bargnani

Toronto Raptors Receive:

Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, Quentin Richardson

Knicks 1st round pick in 2016, Knicks 2nd round picks in 2014 and 2017

I am praying that by 2016 the Knicks are still contending, otherwise they just threw away a key piece in rebuilding by giving away another first round pick. The two second round picks I'm not really worried about as most teams are just drafting foreign players that never come over to the NBA with those picks.

I didn't think the Knicks could have made a worse move than this. Why couldn't they offer Amare Stoudemire in this deal if they were going to make it. Andrea Bargnani just isn't that good and he never should have been drafted number one. He's a small forward in a center's body who's almost as afraid of rebounding as J.R. Smith is of passing. The only positive from this trade is that MSG will likely cut to his girlfriend in every game and at least that's something to look forward to (if you don't believe me look her up).

Losing Novak and Camby aren't going to really affect this Knicks team. Novak was used sparingly towards the end of the season and Camby saw less court time than Aaron Hernandez (too soon?).

Either way the Knicks finally have a jump shooter that they aren't afraid to start and give minutes to so I can't be too aggravated about it. 

This Season:

Potential Knicks Starting Lineup:

Point Guard: Raymond Felton

Shooting Guard: Iman Shumpert

Small Forward: Carmelo Anthony

Power Forward: Andrea Bargnani

Center: Tyson Chandler

Key Bench Players:

Guard: Pablo Prigioni

Guard: J.R. Smith

Guard: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Forward: Amare Stoudemire

Forward: Kenyon Martin/Elton Brand

The Knicks are bringing back the highest paid frontcourt in basketball for another shot at the title and part of that frontcourt is costing them way too much. Remember when Amare Stoudemire was one of the best players in the NBA during the 2010-2011 season with the Knicks before they traded for Carmelo? It seems like a decade ago. 

Stoudemire has spent way too much time on the DNP portion of the box score and not enough time carrying some of the load for the Knicks. If the Knicks are going to have a shot at this years championship it's going to be because of him. Yes, the Knicks season is riding on Amare Stoudemire's knees. When he's healthy he can be a 20 and 8 guy and the Knicks could really use that. I'd even settle for 15 and 6 as long as he played a little defense here and there. If they can use him off the bench similar to how they use Smith at the guard position then I think they can really contend with Miami for the East this year.

I don't want to spend too much time talking about Carmelo as I think he did everything he possibly could last year, but I would like him to not look as lost out there on defense. If he's covering a guy that's running around screens constantly it's like watching Wile E. Coyote try to get the Road Runner.

Raymond Felton has to take control of the Knicks more often as the team's point guard. Too much of the time he allows Smith and Anthony to control the ball and that's when the Knicks end up wasting 15 seconds for one of those two guys to shoot. Felton is a really good point guard that is very good at running the pick and roll and the Knicks should try to do that more often next year. Every time him and Chandler run it I just start expecting the alley oop.

The Knicks will finish in the top four of the East this year, I'm just not sure how high or low they'll end up. They still need to grab another big with either Kenyon Martin returning or them bringing in Elton Brand. I'm not huge on either move as both have had injury problems, but both of those guys bring rebounding and defense which is something the Knicks don't have much of outside of Chandler and Shumpert. If they aren't able to grab one of those two then they are going to have some major problems in the front court and I don't want them to end up signing another old guy who's knees will be done by the all-star break.

Any Future:

Three years from now this team might look completely different. If the Knicks don't win by then they might rid the team of everyone and try again or have to start completely fresh. New York hasn't really went in the rebuilding mode since they drafted Patrick Ewing almost 30 years ago so rebuilding is probably not going to happen.

The Knicks current players are only going to get older and the only two guys I see on this team in five years are Tim Hardaway Jr. and Iman Shumpert. Having only two current players that young scares me as a Knicks fan as I have no idea what to expect from this team. Trading away first round pick after first round pick is also not going to help them. Bargnani is relatively young compared to the rest of the team, but if the Knicks aren't winning he'll likely be the scapegoat.

The only things Knicks fans can really look forward to in the future is just how big this hair might actually get...

Other NBA Offseason Posts:

Boston Celtics