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!!

From all accounts, the Nuggets new ownership is making a serious mess of this situation and are a big reason for the hold up on the deal.  Additionally, Carmelo certainly doesn’t seem happy about what is going on and hasn’t signed off on a Nets trade (or else it probably would’ve happened months ago).  Additionally, as brought up in Chris Sheridan’s excellent breakdown, it’s clear Carmelo’s new agents want this trade to go down.  After all they stand to lose money, too, if the new CBA negatively impacts how much Melo can get in a new contract.

But despite all of this, no one seems to have confidence in the fact that Carmelo will okay a trade to the Nets.  And, certainly, Carmelo can’t appreciate his reputation being sullied by all of these details being made public.  It might be putting pressure on him, but it also might make him all the more resolved to get what he wants: New York.

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.

Think about it.  If Carmelo makes it abundantly clear to the rest of the league that he wants to be a Knick, what other team would trade for him now just to lose him during free agency this summer?  Only a team that is willing to take the risk that they can convince him otherwise—that they have a superior roster to the Knicks.  Perhaps the Bulls can do that.  Maybe Orlando.  Maybe the Nets.  But really, this could be a one team race to obtain Melo if New York is where he wants to be.

And, all indications are that Melo only has eyes for New York.  He just got married to his wife who’s in the entertainment industry and is from the city.  He has his own roots to city (born in Brooklyn), the state (went to Syracuse), and the east coast.  He has a great relationship with Mike D’Antoni where he featured as one of Team USA’s three best players.  His marketing opportunities would explode as a Knick.  He knows the Knicks will spare no expense (which is more than you can say for the Bulls and Orlando).  And, his chances to win a championship might be best in NY.  Here is the Knicks roster if a Gallo/Curry trade goes down:

PG: Felton / Douglas
SG: Azubuike / Walker / Rautins
SF: Carmelo / Chandler / Fields
PF: Amare / Randolph
C: Turiaf / Mozgov / Jordan

That’s solid.  That can compete with any team including the Heat.

It should be noted, I’d really, really, really be bummed to trade Danilo.  I truly believe he has borderline all-star potential and is a great fit for SSOL, especially with his stroke.  But, you’ve gotta give something up to get something.  I’d add Walker and/or Chandler, too if it would sweeten the pot.  I’d be very reluctant to give up Randolph, though, since he’s so multidimensional which might be just as important as outside shooting to D’Antoni.

The Knicks truly have the upper hand in this situation.  Carmelo wants New York.  Denver doesn’t want to end up in Cleveland’s situation.  The longer this goes on, the less Denver will be able to get back.  At the trade deadline, a team surging for a playoff spot or a team thinking this is their one shot to put them over the top, might pull the trigger on renting Melo.  But how much would they really give up?

Strangely enough, during the season, as early as January, I actually thought Lebron would end up in Miami.  Tip of the hat to me!  But, I must admit by the end of the season I finally started to believe New York might be the place if it wasn’t Cleveland. I probably changed my mind daily on what would happen.

Personally, I struggled all season with the idea that Lebron on my Knicks was a good thing.  Yeah, he’s an once in a generation player.  But the fame-whoring, self-marketing, sideline dancing, the nail-biting…  I just don’t think I’d have an easy time rooting for him with my heart.

Instead James, Wade and Bosh have created a team that fans will love to hate.  Almost like the Dallas Cowboys.  It’ll give people a rooting interest, even if it’s just to root against something.  It will give us the most hated team in the NBA since the Riley-era Knicks.  How ironic.

Fortunately, and I sincerely mean it, Lebron isn’t on my Knicks.  With the signing of Amar’e and unforeseen Randolph acquisition, Donnie Walsh was masterful in recreating this team and giving us a season to look forward to.  I rate the summer an A- instead of an A+ only because there wasn’t a PG on the market who is truly perfect for Seven Seconds or Less.

To start, Amar’e was the cream of the free agent, big man crop.  The only true max contract big man out there.  No available player (Lebron and Wade aside) puts fear into the minds of opposing defenses the way Amare does.  I know there are health concerns, but I truly think they are overblown since none of the injuries are recurring.  And, I know Amar’e will miss Steve Nash, but it can be said that Nash will miss Amar’e, too.  In Amar’e, the Knicks finally have one of the top ten players in the league.

Additionally, Amar’e is one of the few players out there confident enough to crave the New York spotlight and the responsibility of being a team leader.  After being considered the second best player on the Suns, he has a big chip on his shoulder and wants to prove he’s in the same class as Lebron or Wade.  He actually wants the challenge of New York and as a fan you have to love it.  Amar’e promises to be the most popular and spectacular Knick since Latrell Sprewell.

Or, maybe he won’t because it doesn’t get more exciting than Anthony Randolph.  When it was finally becoming clear the Knicks probably weren’t getting Lebron, Walsh pulled of the best Knicks trade since Charles Oakley for Marcus Camby.  Instead of losing Lee for nothing in free agency, he pulled of a coup and managed a sign and trade to land Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azuibuke, and Ronny Turiaf (as well as two second round picks).

Physically, Randolph is like a longer version of Kevin Durant. He has the blocking ability of Marcus Camby and potentially the all around game of Scottie Pippen.  Or maybe Kevin Garnett with a handle.  He’s just freaky.  If he can manage to become a consistent outside threat and keep his head screwed on straight, he will be a perennial all-star.

Azuibuke and Turiaf are also welcome addtions.  Buke shoots an excellent percentage from three and plays excellent defense.  Turiaf bring a lot of spirit, defense, and blocking and is a legit center who can play alongside Amar’e.  All three ex-Warriors will give the Knicks much needed scrappiness and defense.

Then Walsh addressed the Knicks lack of point guard depth by signing Ray Felton.  I’m slightly dubious on this signing, worrying about the fit for this team as well as his ability to run D’Antoni’s offense, but I can’t deny that it was a necessary move and huge upgrade over Duhon.  Felton has a reputation for being a great team leader and used to push the ball at UNC.  Charlotte seemed to stifle his game, but he blossomed in his contract year, and was clearly the best free agent guard available.  He and Toney Douglas should be a more than capable point guard tandem, though I worry that neither will excel at the pick and roll with Amar’e.

To round out free agency, the Knicks signed Russian international Timofey Mozgov, a hulking 7 foot center.  Not much is known about him, but there was some considerable buzz about him from overseas scouts.  Most didn’t realize Mozgov wanted to come to the states, and the Knicks seemingly swept in to sign him before anyone else had a chance.  Kudos to Walsh for keeping an eye on the overseas players.  I’m not expecting much from Mozgov except for some put backs and fouls, but if he can do that for 12 minutes a night and play some tough defense, he’ll prove to be a worthy signing.

Finally, the Knicks draft can’t be ignored.  Andy Rautins and Landry Fields were universally panned as draft picks.  But, the Knicks sensibly got guys who fit this team, instead of reaching for fools gold.  The Fields pick in particular got killed, but Fields excelled in summer league and is already making Walsh look smart.  Rautins didn’t find his shot during summer league, but promises to be a three point threat once he gets in the flow of the NBA game and used to the three point line.  Additionally, Walsh picked up Jerome Jordan, a solid if underwhelming 7-footer who should give the Knicks additional presence in the paint moving forward.  It has to be said that Walsh picked up three guys in the second round who could be limited contributors this season.

Baring injuries, here’s how I see the Knicks depth chart this season (with average minutes in parenthesis):

PG: Felton (34) / Douglas (14) / Rautins (-)
SG: Azuibuke (24) / Chandler (14) / Douglas (10) / Walker (-)
SF: Gallo (32) / Chandler (10) / Randolph (6) / Fields (-)
PF: Amare (38) / Randolph (10)
C: Turiaf (24) / Randolph (16) / Mozgov (8) / Jordan (-) / Curry (-)

Knicks get Joe Johnson and Chris Bosh (sign/trade): My thought being the Knicks will make JJ feel like a priority going to him first, making him feel like a star, like the guy they want the most.  There will also be a comfort level with Coach D.  As for Bosh, they’ll also make him feel like he’s the man, telling him “You don’t need to be Lebron or DWade’s sidekick.  As the main attraction on the Knicks your marketability and star appeal in the league will rival that of Wade and Lebron.”

Raptors get David Lee.  Lee gets to control his own destiny a little bit in a sign and trade.  But, I worry that OKC swoops in to make Lee an offer to derail a sign and trade.  Additionally, does Lee want to be in Toronto?  Maybe some sort of super complex 3 team sign and trade happens.

Miami gets Wade and Amare.  Why would Wade leave Miami?  I mean really?  And Amare would add a great inside outside touch.  He’ll think, “if Wade won it with Shaq downlow he can win it with me down low, too.”  Besides the Miami lifestyle will hold a ton of appeal over Amare.

Cleveland gets Lebron. Lebron overplays his hand with all teams, stalls too much and the pieces start to fall before he can control them.  Additionally, he realizes that he and his peeps run the org.  Realizes he’s less of a bad guy if he stays in Cleveland.  Realizes he can’t live in the Jordan shadow and isn’t a good fit with the Chicago roster.  Realizes being in Newark for 2 years isn’t ideal.  Realizes he doesn’t want to share the credit and legacy with Wade.

Chicago gets Boozer. They add the low post scoring they actually really need and fits.

New Jersey gets no one (for now). No one is willing to wait around 2 to 3 years of a 5 year contract to play in Brooklyn.  They’ll have too much trouble getting the first chip to fall in place.  BUT, they’ll probably make it happen at some point either by trade, signing, or in a sign and trade for someone cool since they won’t be encumbered by the salary cap.

As for Lebron, I think the Knicks do have the best shot at landing him if it’s not Cleveland.  I just think the Knicks are going to move hard and fast on Joe Johnson and make him an offer immediately to get something no matter what.

Lebron has been expected to be a one man show.  And despite all the cliched calls from fans and media that “it’s all about team”, clearly that doesn’t apply to Lebron.  Everyone wanted Lebron to prove he could do it all by himself.  Jordan was long considered a one man show who had to learn how to play team ball.  But, in reality, Lebron has never had 2 teammates half as good as Pippen and Rodman.  Or a coach as good as the often ridiculed Phil Jackson.  Lebron’s teams have simply leaned on him too much and taken all their cues from him.

Fans expected Lebron to simply be able to will his team to a championship.  Just like Jordan did.  Just like Isiah.  Just like Magic or Larry.  But it’s ridiculous.  Basketball has proven time and again to be a team game.  You can say that Hakeem has probably won it all with the least.  But, even he had a team that rose to the occasion.  A team perfectly built to complement Hakeem with are barrage of 3 pointers and great defense.  And, just think how preposterously clutch and nasty Sam Cassell was.  That team had verve.

This Cavs team, Verajao aside, had nothing of the sort.  Shaq was simply old and slow, not to mention withdrawn and distant.  Jamison was destroyed by KG and never gelled with teammates.  Mo Williams had some offensive moments but was destroyed by Rondo.  What was Lebron supposed to do with this cast of characters?

Plain and simple: No one-man-show can do it against what has to be considered the best defensive team in the league for three years running.  Jordan, Kobe, Magic, Larry… none of these guys with this Cavs cast would’ve got by this Celtics team.  It reminds me of a young Jordan being unable to get by the Pistons.

And, it’s not just about this season.  For seven years Lebron hasn’t had a strong enough cast of characters around him.  Nor has he had a cast properly built around him.

So why should he NOT leave Cleveland?!

I’m finally coming around to the fact that Lebron to NY has a real chance of happening.  Forget the latest hot talk about Chicago being the new front runner to land Lebron.  The Jordan shadow is way too strong.  And, really, Chicago just isn’t as exciting as NY from a lifestyle, celebrity and potential money making perspective. And, about all of this Callipari talk, give me a break.

If the Knicks can get Bosh with Lebron, they’d be looking pretty nasty.  Here is your 2010 super-optimistic Knicks depth chart:

PG: LeBron James / Toney Douglas / Sergio Rodriguez (??)
SG: Wilson Chandler / Billy Walker
SF: Danilo Gallinari /
PF: Chris Bosh / Jarvis Varnado (with the 38th pick)
C: Eddy Curry (who magically gets healthy since he’s playing for a contract, the Knicks won’t suck and Lebron is here) / Earl Barron / Artsiom Parakhouski (with the 39th pick)

That’s 11 dudes, with my draft selections, and including Sergio Rodriguez who I’m not too high on keeping.  So here are some potential low cost free agents to round it out:

SF, PF, C:  Tim Thomas – I know that’s weird, but he’s versatile, smart, played well for D’antoni and can probably be had for the minimum.
C, PF: Louis Amundson – Phoenix is going to break the bank to keep Amare, and they have Robin Lopez who starts.  He’d be a nice Verajao-like piece and I have a hard time imagining him get anything more than mid-level money.
PG: Luke Ridnour – Can shoot, and push the pace.  Alongside LBJ his small size and lack of athleticism wouldn’t be exploited.
SG: Kyle Korver – For one obvious reason.  3pt % this year .536.

Here are the other prospective free agents: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FreeAgents-10-11

Pretty impressive.  It all starts to feel possible.

I think the scariest scenario is still the Nets winning the draft and getting John Wall.  With the new Russian billionaire owner (who’d love to open up the Russian market to Lebron and teach him the ways of a billionaire), actually being in the NY market, a ton of cap space, a studly young center, and a tradeable asset in Devin Harris, New Jersey is potentially more attractive than anywhere else.  But, here’s hoping the Nets don’t land the top pick.

The owners and Stern have put out an extremely aggressive proposal to reign in cost and change how league conducts business. To sum it up:

The owners want to take a far greater percentage of the basketball-related income. They want to pay millions less for maximum deals and shorten contracts. Most of all, they want a hard salary cap and assurances that protect themselves against a diminished economy and, well, themselves. Everything is hurtling toward a 2011 lockout, a negotiation that’ll likely feel far more like a standoff.

And from the agent/player perspective, a great quote that sums up the Knicks fan experience the past few years:

I have so much respect for David Stern, and I know he wants to create the most competitive environment possible for the fans, but the current system is broken,” agent Mark Bartelstein said. “The luxury-tax concept is anti-competitive. We’ve created a system where in the midst of trying to sell tickets in the summer, we have teams admitting to their fans, ‘We’re not trying to win this year. …We’re waiting for 2010 or some year beyond.

Basically, if you remember the 2004 NHL lockout or even the 1998-1999 NBA half-season lockout, you’ve gotta be thinking to yourself, “we’re not going to have a 2011-2012 season.”

Here is my immediate concern for the Knicks: Because the NBA ownership is looking to cut the max length of contracts to 4 years and also looking to cut contracts dollars by around 30 percent, will max guys like Lebron, Wade and Bosh have even greater incentive to go where they can get the most money and most years right now?  Or, in other words, do these guys STAY with their teams because their current teams have the added advantage of being able to offer an extra year and a 15% premium over any other suitor?  In light of one year’s lost salary and possibly reduced future salaries, I think so.

All of which means the Knicks may go bust this summer.  While teams are crying that the current labor agreement is financially unsustainable (not sure how much I believe it), most of those same teams have already locked in their stars and assets beyond the 2011 season.  Clearly, they are trying to stay competitive, but chances are they’re paying now knowing that a 2011 lockout will probably cut salaries and do a lot to make team ownership profitable again. Meanwhile, Donnie has been trying to turn team Titanic around, shedding the team of all its assets for the opportunity to land Lebron and a friend.  IF Donnie comes up empty in free-agency this summer, not only will the past 2 years of being a Knicks fan become completely pointless, the future may be even worse.

Or would it?  Realistically, the Knicks may be perfectly positioned for a true rebuilding effort in 2012 since the team won’t be saddled with any long-term salaries (Lebron and friend possibly aside).  The Knicks may actually be able to truly start from scratch with a boat load of unfulfilled cap space, a promising top 5 2011 draft pick, and young studs Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler.  Can you guys wait another 2 years?

Personally, I’m looking forward to a lockout for two reasons.  First, the league absolutely has to abolish the salary-matching aspect of trades.  This aspect of trading alone has made rebuilding the Knicks nearly impossible.  Teams should be able to conduct business and trades as they see fit (ie. If they want to salary dump, fine.  If they want to take on salary, fine.)  If a hard salary cap is implemented, there really would be no need to keep matching salaries as part of trades. Additionally, teams have to have the right to cut players (NFL style) and not have it count against the salary cap.  It’s already ridiculous enough that the Knicks have to pay Eddy Curry for what amounts to gross job negligence.  What’s crazier is that if we cut him his salary still counts against our salary cap.  This can’t happen in the future NBA.

Finally, what will the players do in the meantime?  During the 2004 NHL lockout, players signed to leagues around the globe, many back in their home countries.  Some, like Czech Jaromir Jagr, went on to play in Omsk, Russia off in Siberia.  Do the international leagues inevitably pickup the NBA’s players.  If you’re Danilo Gallinari, do you sign on with an Italian team for the year?

Lots of questions.  Thoughts?

NBA aims to crush union in labor battle { Yahoo }

Foyle says owner proposal goes too far

Anyway, I’ve just about finished Bill Simmons’ ‘Book of Basketball.’ I’m kind of at a loss about what to say about the book or say about him.

I’ll start by saying I’ve never really related to most of his writing (though I think his podcasts are outstanding). It wasn’t that his writing is long-winded, but that his articles just seem to ramble and ramble to the point of him becoming the guy who’s trying to prove how witty and encyclopedic he is.  A little exhausting and obnoxious and, frankly, boring.  He always seems just a tad too impressed with himself and his analogies. I tend to enjoy a little self-deprication from people who throw around a lot of opinions.  But, most damning for me about BS is that he seems to try a little too hard to put the ‘guy’ in Sports Guy.

But, reading Simmons on basketball has always been an entirely different experience for me.  It’s his one subject that I love diving into.  There is a depth to his passion, knowledge and giddiness about basketball that I truly can relate to. I don’t always agree with him, but I almost always feel like he gets it or at least has a substantial perspective. And, most importantly, he can find the humor and ridiculousness in sports.  There’s a lot to laugh at when you’re not taking it so seriously.  Reading Simmons on the NBA Draft or the playoffs is as good as it gets.  Writing from the fan perspective, he can take all sorts of enjoyable liberties that a columnist never could. Columnist have to write a lot of fluff, float a lot of rumors, bury a lot of real stories, make sure they don’t burn their bridges… As an essayist, Simmons can ‘just write’ and call it like he sees it. How many other basketball writers actually pull this off while being insightful, humorous and enjoyable?

If you think I’m overthinking Simmons, you should check out this running conversation about the Book of Basketball over at New York Magazine.  Some of it definitely comes off as unintentionally comical and misdirected over-intellectualizing of a writer who really doesn’t warrant much, if any, intellectualizing.  But, who am I kidding – I love over-intellectualizing stuff!!  If you’ve read the book, enjoyed the book, but it left you feeling a big ‘hmm…’, then the NYmag conversation has some salient writing on the subject.  Jonathan Letham might sum it up best:

If there’s a “Secret” to book writing, too, then which player is Simmons? A Vince Carter, who has the tools but doesn’t care? I don’t think so. A Patrick Ewing, laboring indignantly above his natural level? Nah. I think he’s—yes!—Allen Iverson, blessed with a crazy oversupply of Secret-defying capacities utterly irresistible to put into action and, for many, irresistible to behold—until the day comes when they suddenly rankle. No wonder Simmons burns his thesis to make room for Iverson—that was what Iverson would do if he were writing a book. It would make a highlight film, and then someone would point out that the team lost the game that the highlight came from.

Nicely done.