Because there isn’t too much talent out there, and because the Knicks already have 2 star talents in Amar’e and Melo, it would seem that the Knicks will draft based on need.  What are the Knicks needs?  Rebounding. More rebounding. A center who can rebound and defend.  A backup PF who can spell Amar’e.  A point guard capable of running the offense in Chauncey’s absence and eventual departure.  Some spot up shooters who can knock down the three and spread the floor for our all-star tandem.

Considering how difficult it is to fill the center position and the inflated salaries big men consequently get signed to, I’m hoping the Knicks use their 17th pick on size.

Nikola Vucevic is a legit center. He pulled down 10+ rebounds, most on the defensive end.  He can shoot the outside shot. He’s not much of a banger (doesn’t draw many fouls), and doesn’t block a lot of shots, but he plays with a high basketball IQ, is a physical specimen and seems to have inherited the professional ballers mindset (his father played for 24 seasons!).

Kenneth Faried measures as a PF, but is deceptively long and would know what his role is: rebound and defend. I don’t think people question his rebounding at the next level, but can he defend centers and strong PF’s?  Amar’e is sick of playing center, but if Faried can take some of the tougher defensive assignments he might be a great front court partner.  I think D’Antoni would find a way to make it work.

Markeiff Morris seems to be more PF than center and doesn’t have the size issues that Faried does.  He also rebounded at a good rate and shot excellently from 3 point college range.  He seems an excellent fit to me despite not being a center.  He certainly adds some much needed front court depth.

Donatas Motiejunas is a wildcard.  Yes he measures big, and brings shooting and a silky offensive game to the Knicks, but his rebounding and defense are poor.  There is a lot of potential there, but can the Knicks live with his deficiencies?

And if the Knicks draft a point guard for the future or a shooter?

Jimmer. I know… He’s another offensive player who doesn’t play D and we don’t need that. But, I’d take him because he’s so offensively dynamic.  A Jimmer pick and roll would be deadly.  He’d be able to spread the floor when he doesn’t have the ball.  He’s too good offensively to pass up.

Iman Shumpert. The anti Jimmer.  Not a good shooter, but super athletic in the mold of Russell Westbrook.  But, the Knicks would be drafting him as much for his much heralded defensive tenacity.  At 17 I think he’s a reach, but it wouldn’t give me a heart attack if we draft him.

Darius Morris. A pure point guard.  Apparently the most improved player in college last season.  He had the best assist per 40 minute numbers of all the prospective point guards, but can’t/doesn’t shoot.  Not being sold as a dynamic guy, but he can pass.  Again, a reach at 17.

The hope is that the Knicks will be able to buy another pick or two later in the draft.  And maybe that’s when you get your guard.  There are a ton of interesting prospects that should be available early in the second round including: Josh Selby (Monta Ellis like?), Norris Cole, Shelvin Mack, Nolan Smith, Andrew Goldelock (“Jimmer range”).  Let’s hope someone owes Donnie a favor!

So with that, what does Walsh do? Who does he keep from this roster? Let’s go over it, player by player.

Amar’e Stoudemire (PF),
Carmelo Anthony (SF),
Chauncey Billups (PG) — Here’s your core. All will be here obviously. —STAY

Roster guys with contracts or player options:

Ronny Turiaf (C) — He has a player option for $4 million. I can’t imagine there is a market for him, so he’ll be around.  Ronny seemed to lose a lot of his spunk after the trade. I don’t konw if it was losing his buddies (Gallo and Timo) or that he’s an injury magnet, but despite some frustration with him he can be a big man contributor. —STAYS

Toney Douglas (SG) — After the Celtics series, can it be any more clear that Toney is not a point guard?  Aside from the fact that he can dribble the ball over half-court, he’s just not someone who can get the ball into tight spots.  I’ve kinda given up on ever transforming him into a point, but maybe Chauncey’s tutoring will have a greater impact than I imagine it could be.  —STAYS

Renaldo Balkman (SF/PF) — He’s an energy guy who can rebound, so part of me couldn’t understand why he didn’t get any run.  But, there are better options on the team.  He seems like dead weight, but has 2 more years at $1.6 per.  I’m thinking he’s a buyout candidate.  Heck the Knicks gave him away once already.  Maybe buyouts will be easier in the new CBA.  Here’s hoping.  —GONER

The team option guys:

Billy Walker (SG/SF) — After an underwhelming season where he was stuck behind Landry Fields at the two, he finally showed some extra effort and intensity in the playoff series.  With a team option at 1 mil, and the need to round out the roster, Walker probably returns.  —STAYS

Landry Fields (SG/SF) — It felt like 2 completely different campaigns for Fields.  He completely exceeded expectations in pre-trade, and then looked like a timid, confused rookie afterwards.  Did he hit the rookie wall?  Was he put in a position he wasn’t comfortable with?  Probably both, but I have confidence he’ll work on having a quicker shot release and work on his dribble and come back strong.  With an $800k team option, the Knicks still have a bargain. —STAYS

Andy Rautins (PG/SG) — We didn’t learn anything about the guy this season.  He has an $800 team option that probably gets picked up, considering the roster spots available.  Hey, he’s big, can play in the half court, and maybe shows he can hit the open 3. —STAYS

The restricted guys and now free agents:

Shawne Williams (SF/PF) — What a surprise this guy was.  Showed he could defend well, and do other things besides shoot the three. —STAYS

Sheldon Williams (PF/C) — Fell squarely into the “why isn’t D’Antoni playing this guy?” category. Seemed to do okay when given the chance (against Dwight Howard,etc), but wasn’t given a chance when it mattered in the playoffs. —GONER

Anthony Carter (PG) — He showed he could be a capable backup in short spurts. Unfortunately, he got asked to do too much.  It’d be tempting to keep him as a security blanket, but his vet min will be relatively costly, and the reality is he’s never hit the outside shot in his career and that makes him expendable. —GONER

Roger Mason (SG/PG) — Had his chance. —GONER

Jared Jeffries (position unknown) — He is such a strange player, and was forced to do too much in the playoffs. But, he’s a professional and D’Antoni finds a way to use him in creative ways. —STAYS

Derek Brown (SG) — I think he has something, but I’m guessing he wants to be somewhere else where he feels he’ll be given a chance. —GONER

So here’s what the depth chart looks like:

PG: Billups / Douglas / Rautins
SG: Fields / Walker
SF: Carmelo / Shawne W
PF: Amare / Jeffries
C: Turiaf

How does the roster get rounded out?

The Knicks have the 17th draft pick — Will Jimmer (PG) or Faried (rebounding) be there for the taking?

Is Jerome Jordan brought into the fold?  He seemed competent and would answer some of the big man depth issues.

Are there any international free agents out there?

As for the foiled last possession, my initial reaction was “What’s Jeffries doing out there?!” And, really, maybe D’Antoni shouldn’t have had Jared on the floor coming out of a timeout with 13 seconds left, down one. But, what other options did he have? Amare was injured. Turiaf was clearly hobbled by some sort of leg or knee injury. Shelden Williams hadn’t played all game. Billy Walker was 0-11. Landry Fields did not look up to the task earlier in the game. Perhaps Shawne Williams should’ve been out there — and to me, he was the only real option — but, Jeffries had done a great job with tipping the ball out on rebounds, etc and had actually played a competent offensive game to that point. It’s unfortunate. I just think Jared was caught in a tough position with a great defender in KG bearing down on him.

A few things seem to be working for the Knicks.  First off Carmelo is starting to look like the guy we thought/hoped he’d be.  He stopped forcing shots.  He made much quicker decisions — pass or shoot, but don’t hold on to it too long.  D’Antoni also did a good job of adjusting the offense so as not to crowd Carmelo when he is isolated.  He’s running into the help defense a lot less than he was in those first 18 games.  Additionally, he is shooting more 3′s and making them at a great percentage (mid 40%) which seems to be opening up the rest of his game.  Quite simply, Carmelo is showing he can score and will score from everywhere on the court.  And, let’s not forget that Carmelo has been clutch, hitting difficult winning shots and go-ahead shots — shots that none of our departed Knicks would hit or could create for themselves.

The other things that pulled the Knicks out of their funk?  Chauncey recovered from his injury and stopped looking like he’s 50 years old.  He regained some defensive ability, turned the ball over less, and hit some shots. We also saw the role players finally understanding their new roles, and a big part of the new role for the supporting cast is to bust their tails on defense.  Guys like Billy Walker and Shawne Williams are both playing the best defense I’ve seen them play.  Additionally, D’Antoni is also getting contributions from guys that he was unwilling to give much of a chance: Sheldon Williams and Anthony Carter.  Both of those guys are defending their positions well and playing within their offensive abilities.

Now the Knicks face the Celtics in the first round.  While the Knicks have fixed a lot of their chemistry issues and there is optimism abound, the C’s still look to be a disgruntled, broken team — the trade of Kendrick Perkins, and Shaq’s subsequent injury woes adversely affecting the chemistry, urgency and intensity of the team.  Or at least that’s the way it seems.  We saw how dangerous they were last year after a mediocre season.  As a veteran team, clearly they know when to turn it on and they save themselves for the playoffs.  But, things are clearly not right in Boston.  And, with Carmelo playing like a top 3 player who can potentially take over a playoff series, the Knicks have a punchers chance at an upset.  Here’s hoping.

What Knicks fans are left with is something resembling a pickup basketball team with two great offensive players and some other much less talented guys reduced to passing them the ball and watching.  The lack of chemistry is startling.  Before the trade the offense flowed fairly organically.  Now numbers (7 and 1) are being called and all offensive cohesion has been lost.  D’Antoni handed over the offense to Billups to run something he and Carmelo are comfortable with, yet Melo and Billups say they still aren’t comfortable running the offense.  Huh?!

The defense is equally, if not more, offensive.  Amare gets one foul and stops playing with any defensive aggression.  Carmelo only seems to put effort into his defense when he’s playing someone he deems on his level (Lebron, Pierce, etc).  And the gaping hole in the paint still hasn’t been resolved (sorry, Jared Jeffries).

All the while, fans are being told to relax, take some Prozac and be assured that things will work out.  The message being conveyed by the coach and team amount to this: “Hey, we know this team is horrible to watch.  We know it’s only been 18 games (actually that’s almost a quarter of the season), but hang on! Keep wasting your time, keep paying astronomical prices to watch incredibly frustrating, terrible basketball.  It’ll all be worth it when we, at best, make it to the second round of the playoffs!! (uh, basically, not much better than what the team’s ceiling was pre-trade.)  Besides, you’ve only been stuck watching horrible crap for the last decade, all while being fed false promises and potential over and over and over again.  And on second thought, maybe you should just wait until next year… Sound good?”

The qualifying and excuses coming from D’Antoni on down AND the pouting and whining from Melo has been absolutely nauseating.  It’s time to pull it together.  Immediately.  Knicks fans have been subject to enough abuse.

There’s no talk about how the Knicks struggled all season in fourth quarters, but now have one of the most clutch players in the league in Melo, and a steady closer in Billups whose free throw ability may as well make him basketball’s equivalent of Mariano Rivera.   Add that to Amare who was leading the league in 4th quarter scoring this season, and the Knicks should have the ability to close out a lot of close games that they couldn’t before.  There’s also little talk about how Carmelo will open up the floor for Amare (and the rest of the Knicks) and make scoring a lot easier for the team.  Before teams double and tripled on Amare and forced the rest of the inconsistent Knicks cast to beat them.  Can’t do that anymore.

Anyway, as a Knicks fan, there a lot of reason to love this trade.  A lot of reason to be a happy camper, even if there isn’t much love from ESPN, TNT and the rest of the national media.  But, in case you need reassurance about the trade, go on and read Bill Simmons write up on the trade deadline.  Only love for the Knicks and what they did.  Celebrate!!

But inconsistency was expected.  When you are starting two rookies on some nights (Fields and Mozgov), and/or two young players (Chandler and Gallo) who still have a difficult time asserting themselves in games, AND you can’t rebound and give other teams numerous second chances, our sense of how good this team really is blows wildly between pessimism and optimism.

During the latest downturn it’s easy to feel like Gallo, Chandler and Fields are worth giving up for that one legit superstar in Melo — a player who can take over games when it’s on the line.  But Donnie is a big picture kind of guy.  He has patience.  He’s seen players slowly and gradually improve.  He has a better sense than any of us what Gallo’s ceiling is, what Fields potential is, etc.  But, after 10 years of Knicks frustration and a unpredictable team owner, can Donnie afford to not strike a deal, even if it means selling the farm?

Amar’e really is good enough to carry a team. At the beginning of the season, Amar’e was extremely turnover prone and being asked to run isolation plays that seemed to expose his flaws.  He was missing free throws.  He simply seemed out of rhythm and perhaps not ready for the role he was being thrust in.  But, as the season has gone on, he’s learned when not to force the issue, his post moves and abilities are coming along rapidly, he’s hitting big late game free throws (and threes), and he’s even making big defensive plays.  He’s a willing leader and team spokesman, and he has an unwavering confidence that the rest of the team is riding on.

This team needs Turiaf in the lineup. Without him, the defense struggles immensely as both Amar’e and Chandler are forced to play and defend out of position.  On offense, Turiaf plays within the system and moves the ball really well.  He’s probably the smartest player on the team and brings much needed energy to the starting unit.

Gallo’s early struggles have helped him develop the rest of his game. Gallo hasn’t been inconsistent as much as just really bad for the first 8 or so games, and much, much better as the season has gone on.  Gallo finally heard the demands that he start taking the ball to the basket more, and to use his mid-range game.  As he’s done this he’s developed an incredible ability to draw fouls, rely less on the three, and become remarkably efficient on the offensive end.

Randolph looks like he’s never been coached. And maybe he never really has.  It’s just bizarre.  Hopefully he’ll get his chance and take advantage of whatever minutes come his way.  I think most, including myself, penciled in a bigger contribution from AR.

Felton isn’t who we want him to be, but you know, he’s actually pretty darn good. Yeah, he has a really difficult time threading passes in the pick and roll, and considering Amar’e is an incredible PnR finisher in traffic, it’s really troubling.  But Felton finally looks like a guy who is playing within himself and his strengths.  He’s been aggressive and brings effort every night.  He’s attacking and shooting well, and is proving to lead with his effort.

After sucking for the last decade, it’s been easy to talk smack about the Knicks. Admittedly, a lot of it is deserved—this team has stunk. But, so much of the dialogue has become lazy and convenient, perpetuating lazy and ignorant generalizations about the team, the coach and it’s players. You just have to wonder to yourself “Are these guys even paying attention?!” It’s become frustrating enough to start a new feature: “Say What?!”

The idea stemmed from a conversation with my brother. What got him/us going in this particular case was Charles Barkley going on record to say the Nets will be better than the Knicks. I mean come on, really Charles?! You think the Knicks are going to be that bad? Sure the Nets are improved, but not that improved. How soon into the season before Chuck is telling everyone “Don’t sleep on the Knicks” or something along those lines?

With that, It seemed like a great time to start a collection of both dubious and astonishingly insightful quotes about the Knicks. Hopefully, when the dialogue finally turns positive on the Knicks, we can remember who was getting it right and who was getting it wrong.

On drafting Landry Fields…

We’ll start by revisiting an easy topic: universally panned, second round draft pick, Landry Fields. Or, as he’s now known, our starting guard. I thought it would be nice to go down memory lane and revisit what was said then.

“Knicks take Landry Fields with their second pick. Fields wasn’t in my Top 100. First time a team drafts a player out of my Top 100 in yrs” [ Chad Ford ]

NEW YORK KNICKS GRADE: D
Round 1: None; Round 2: Andy Rautins (38), Landry Fields (39)
Analysis: The Knicks had a pretty weird draft. I can understand taking Rautins somewhat. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni loves shooters and Rautins is the J.J. Redick of the draft. But drafting Fields is puzzling. Yes, he’s a great athlete who was one of the best scorers in the Pac-10 last season. But he was not ranked in our top 100 and I couldn’t find another scout who had him in the top 60. Maybe the Knicks know something that we don’t, but with so much talent left on the board, it seems that New York may regret its decisions eventually. [ ESPN Insider - Chad Ford ]

A lots of draft gurus and scouts slept on Fields, but it was these quotes from Ford that led to the rest of the media absolutely killing the Knicks for their draft selections. Because of Ford, everyone became an expert on a player they hadn’t seen. Ironically, and to his credit, Ford might have been the only one to give Donnie the benefit of doubt.

But seeing how Fields is already showing to be a very capable contributor, you have to wonder what the hell was everyone talking about?! Next year at draft time, Ford and everyone else will be telling us how wonderful Donnie is the draft.

On trading for Carmelo Anthony…

When 90% of the voices out there are saying the Knicks HAVE to trade for Carmelo, I thought it’d be interesting to post what unexpected voice of reason, Bill Walton, has to say on the matter.

Michael Kay: Do you think Carmelo Anthony is a good fit with Stoudemire? Their styles?
Legend Bill Walton: No. Carmelo to me does not have what it takes to be the great player. He puts up nice numbers? He makes a great salary… media, publicity and all likes him. But, does he help you win the games? Does he make the squad better. Does he pull guys together. I mean, it hasn’t happened in Denver at all, and… I’m a big Amar’e Stoudemire fan. I will hold my tongue on Carmelo. [ Walton on ESPN radio, Oct 28, 2010]

Time will tell, but at least Walton is giving Knicks fans something to think about, instead of the same canned insight on Carmelo.