Season Recap #7: New York Knicks

If you drafted Danilo Gallinari last year, you were handsomely rewarded.

After advising everyone not to sleep on “The Rooster” in his Knicks Team Preview, Tom Lorenzo is back for a Season Recap and a look at their potential offseason moves.

by Tom Lorenzo

LAST SEASON (You say tomato, I say tomato):

If you ask most Knicks fans, and probably those within the team’s front office, they’ll tell you that last season had nothing to do with last season and everything to do with next season. Stay with me here. The Knicks were in the business of doing two things in 2009-10: develop their young players and shed some of those atrocious contracts in order to make a few blockbuster moves this summer. As far as they’re concerned they went 2-0 last season.

NBA fans who reside outside of the general Tri-State area will assess the Knicks’ season much differently. Much more, how do you say, conventionally. The Knicks finished the 2009-10 campaign 29-52. That was a 3-game drop-off from the prior season, in which they won 32 games and finished 5th in the division. Strangely enough, the Knicks were able to finish 3rd in the Atlantic Division with just 29 wins — many thanks to the Nets and 76ers. As one would imagine the play on the court was consistent with their record. The Knicks declined in both Offensive Rating (-0.5) and Defensive Rating (+0.8). Still, they stayed true to the D’Antoni style of ball, posting a 107.6 O-Rating, which was the team’s second highest mark since Pat Riley’s final season with the orange and blue.

Overall, it was a bit of a mixed-bag for fantasy owners who rostered one of the 20 pros they shuffled through their lineup during the season. The story actually reads a bit like a teleplay. Mike D’Antoni had run-ins with Nate Robinson (traded), Larry Hughes (traded), Jordan Hill (traded), Darko Milicic (banished to live with Chad Ford in Hawaii), and Eddy Curry (heavy). David Lee was their best player and a Top 10 fantasy baller, yet is not on their immediate radar for next season. Tracy McGrady was added mid-season, played great for about 20 minutes, then tired out and yet still insisted that he’s a star player in this league. Wilson Chandler, whom the Knicks had high hopes for at one point, regressed.

Again, the Knicks season came down to the fact that they were able to shed enough cap space to sign two max players in the summer of 2010 and the realization that they actually have something in Danilo Gallinari and Toney Douglas. Consider it a win for a team with a losing record. The only problem is, it’s put-up or shut-up time for Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni. They need to deliver. Knicks fans were more than happy to trade the past two seasons in exchange for a promise of greener pastures.

WHAT WENT RIGHT (David Lee & Danilo Gallinari, aka Double-D):

Lee may be the toughest top-tier fantasy player to put a real value on. Last season he was terrific, finishing in the Top 10 overall, posting a career-high 20.3 points and tying a career-best with 11.7 rebounds per game. As one can imagine by looking at those numbers, Lee was a double-double machine. He went for 52 double-doubles, which was good for 4th in the league. To add to his value, Lee dished a career-best 3.2 assists, stole 1.1 balls, and shot 54.5% from the floor and 81.2% from the line.

The story surrounding Lee tends to be: we know he’s good, but is he really THIS good? A product of the system, right? Well, he did finish 11th in the league in court time playing just over 3,000 minutes. The excessive use of Lee made for one of my favorite soundbites of the season. While mic’d up, Coach D’Antoni told an exhausted Lee during a hard-fought game against the Rockets that he had to keep him on the court because he “has no one else.” And by that he meant, you’re all I have. Period. Not just in the middle, but period. But think about this — is David Lee the best player on any team other than the Knicks? Detroit? Washington (sans Gilbert Arenas)? Houston (sans Yao Ming)? Minnesota? Who else? There aren’t many options out there. At least not many “perfect” options. Most scenarios will send Lee to a team which won’t require him to be the top offensive force, so his prospect of scoring 20+ points again next season doesn’t look so good.

So what happens to Lee if he goes to Chicago and plays with D-Rose and Noah? What happens if he goes to New Orleans via trade (for Emeka Okafor and Darren Collison?) and shares duties in the paint with David West? He is and will stil be a fantastic fantasy basketball player, regardless. But not likely a 1st rounder. Not unless he stays in New York and they fail to bring in anyone other than Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay. If that’s the case, Lee and his new-found jumper will certainly once again be a force to be reckoned with.

Those who read my Knicks season preview probably know where I’m going with this one, but let’s talk Danilo Gallinari! Heading into the season I was pretty sure that Gallinari was one of the more undervalued players in the game. And, to be honest, my adoration for Gallo was not only because of his size, skill set, and faux-hawk, but it was simply situational. The Knicks were desperate to show LeBron James, D-Wade, and to a lesser extent their fans that they had a premier talent already on the roster. It seemed unlikely that D’Antoni and Walsh would hold Gallo back. They needed him to develop so that they had something to show for yet another lost season.

It’s difficult to compare Gallo’s rookie and sophomore seasons, since he played just 412 total minutes as a rookie. What we gathered from his first season in the NBA was that he could shoot the three-ball (44.4%), hit his free throws (96.3%), and for a 21-year-old his back was already a concern. Still, the sample size was not large enough to conclude all that much. We hadn’t even seen him play 500 minutes.

In ‘09-10, Gallo was given a chance to prove himself right out of the gate. Three games into the season he was already in the starting lineup. His first game as a starter? He scored 30 points and hit 8 treys in 41 minutes. From that moment on he was on everyone’s radar. Gallo remained in the starting lineup for most of the season (74 games) and finished his sophomore campaign second in the league in threes made (186) and threes attempted (488). But we already knew that he could shoot the rock. How about his defense?

Well, for someone who was often compared to Dirk Nowitzki he showed some of that same Euro-grit that Dirk showed early on in his career. Gallo showed a bit of that 2+ defense, meaning he has the ability to provide a “2+” when you add blocks and steals: he finished the year averaging .9 steals and .7 blocks per game. His defense on paper wasn’t stellar, but as I mentioned he showed a bit more grit on the court than many thought. He’s not just a “soft” 3-point shooter a la Peja Stojakovic. His ceiling on defense is a young Dirk (just over a block and a steal per), but when he’s making 200+ treys in his prime (a number Dirk could never touch), look out!

The regression in Gallo’s game came from the free-throw line. He made just 81.8 percent of his free throws. Blech! Of course, when you go 26-of-27 in your rookie season you raise expectations. No, I did not think he was going to shoot 96% from the line this season, but 88-91% seemed likely. He went through a rough stretch in February where he shot 67.6% from the line. I mean, come on! He’s a better shooter than that. I would not be surprised to see him shoot in the mid-80’s next season. Honestly, I’m not sure what to make of his misses this past season. The case can be made that ‘09-10 was actually his rookie season and in February he had hit the “rookie wall.” It seems like a fair point. The good news is that there was no underlying injury that was hampering Gallo. He did have a sore right forearm in February, but it wasn’t deemed serious. In the end, he was an undrafted talent in many leagues (mine excluded!) who finished in the Top 25 by season’s end. Not bad for a Rooster.

DISAPPOINTMENTS (Wilson Chandler, Nate Robinson, Chris Duhon, et. al.):

I’ll start at the top with Wilson Chandler, a player who was expected to grow into a vital piece for the Knicks. Though in the end, all he did was remove the words “growth” and “expectation” from the Wilson Chandler name-association game. OK, let’s get the new developments out of the way. The NY Post’s Marc Berman reported on May 20th that Chandler had played two months of the season with a broken nose, wearing NO protective mask. That, added to his groin injury and eventual ankle surgery, and you have what we in the business like to call a hard-luck season.

The problem I had with Chandler’s season was that he did not improve in any aspect of his game, save for his FG%. Other than that, it was a struggle for him to even match his ‘08-09 numbers. It’s quite disappointing, especially considering that the Knicks hadn’t brought in any talent in the offseason to compete with Chandler for touches. With that said, he didn’t take advantage of essentially being the go-to guy for the Knicks when the season began. David Lee had yet to establish his offensive game and Gallo had no presence yet, period. Chandler got the call, but never answered it. 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists makes him draftable, yet underwhelming.

Speaking of players not answering the call, you can go as far as saying that Nate Robinson not only didn’t answer it, but he likely didn’t even own a phone. What happened to Nate? The Knicks couldn’t have gotten rid of him fast enough. It was no secret that he and D’Antoni had an unstable relationship. There were moments when you thought that D’Antoni had lost his focus during games because he was mapping out the best way to rid himself of Nate. There was a stretch in December when he sat Robinson for 14 straight games, only having to play him on January 1st because the Knicks were shorthanded. Of course, Nate exploded for 41 points on 18-of-24 shooting that night. Here we go again!

No matter, there still was no salvaging their relationship. And because of the nature of their relationship, Nate’s season turned into a lost one where he went from providing little value on the Knicks to providing no value whatsoever with the Celtics — OK, unless you want to count Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. You can easily put Nate among the most disappointing players in the game — and there’s no one to blame but Nate. If he were able to just keep his mouth shut and play basketball he would have been OK. Now think of the millions of dollars he’s lost thanks to his underwhelming ‘09-10 season. I don’t see many scenarios this summer where he maintains some positive draft value. I’m not discounting him altogether, but Nate has done one heck of a job shutting himself out of the fantasy draft conversation.

The third of the somewhat tumultuous trio was Chris Duhon. He was easily one of, if not the worst offensive player in the game last season. It took him nearly 3 months to get his FG% above 30%. He finished the season at 37.3%, averaging a mere 7.4 points. In late February he lost his starting gig and found himself picking up quite a few DNP-CD’s during March. You can’t blame D’Antoni for opting to go in another direction. Not only was Duhon struggling from the floor, but he wasn’t even distributing the ball well. It had become evident that Duhon was a product of the system. A system that was no longer working for him. Owning Duhon was like owning a one-cat player who isn’t giving you much in his creme-de-la-cat.

There were plenty of other disappointing Knicks, but I’ll address them under more suitable headers.

LOOKING AHEAD (Toney Douglas & Bill Walker can play):

It’s always a pleasant surprise when a rookie whom you drafted later on in the first round outperforms the rookie that you took in the lottery. Such was the case with Toney Douglas (#29) and Jordan Hill (#8). Granted, the Knicks made a HUGE mistake by taking Hill at No. 8 in the first place, and they eventually came to terms with that mistake by using him as bait to rid themselves of Jared Jeffries. Inside the Knicks front office there was talk that Hill was nothing more than a rotation player, 3rd or 4th guy off the bench. Hey, how’s Brandon Jennings doing? Nevermind…

Douglas, on the other hand, added value to the team. He became a wanted man thanks to his play on the court. He also had a bit of luck on his side. There’s nothing like getting drafted to a team that has Chris Duhon and Nate Robinson as the only other point guards on the roster. Though up until early March, Douglas was not much of a factor on the court. It took the realization that mid-season acquisition Sergio Rodriguez was not the answer either, and on March 13th Douglas was inserted into the starting lineup. As a starter, Douglas was quite effective:

12 games, 14.5 points, 3.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.3 threes, 47.8% FG, 42.4% 3P

Finding numbers like that in mid-March brings an instant smile to any fantasy owner. Douglas was always touted as an explosive scorer, someone who can hit the three, and an excellent defender. Though he was never looked at as a guy who can run an offense — he’s a 2-guard in a point guards body. Essentially, he’s a more mature and less emotional version of Nate Robinson (yes, with better size). He replaced Robinson as the spark-plug scorer off the bench, but much like lil’ Nate he’s not the answer for the Knicks search for a starting point guard. But, truth be told, as of now he’s the second most valuable Knick (behind Gallo). However, unless he changes his name to “Tony Parker” he’s probably not going to start for the Knicks.

For the longest time, Bill Walker lived in the shadows of his close friends (former high school teammate O.J. Mayo and former college teammate Michael Beasley). Now, playing in the world’s largest market he’s gone and made a name for himself. Averaging 15.3 points, 2.9 treys, and 4.4 rebounds on 91.3% FT, 44.2% 3P, and 45.9% FG in 8 April games will do that for you. As a Knick he showed some of that Vince Carter explosiveness he was originally known for and 3-point range that made him a valuable commodity for the Knicks.

However, Walker is somewhat limited in what he can do. Since rupturing his ACL in 2006 he hasn’t been the same. Though that doesn’t mean he’s not valuable. He showed that he can play after he was traded to the Knicks, which we weren’t sure about when he was on Boston. I can see the Knicks picking up his option this summer (only $854K), since they have to fill at least another 8 or so roster spots. He’s a nice piece, but if the Knicks add the players that they want to this summer, Walker likely won’t be on fantasy radars come draft time.

THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE (Al Harrington):

It’s hard to find any beef in Al Harrington’s game because he played up to our expectations. His numbers dropped off a little from 2008-09, but I think we all expected that. The 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds. 1.9 threes, and 0.9 steals were about where most thought Harrington would finish. He even managed to play 72 games, just one fewer than ‘08-09. Really, again, I have no beef with his season. He was good, not great. And for that I think he “went right.”

MIDSEASON ACQUISITIONS (T-Mac & S-Rod weren’t very G-Ood.):

As mentioned earlier, Tracy McGrady joined the Knicks on February 20th as part of an exchange between the Knicks and the Rockets. At the time the move was made, all I could do was stand & applaud Walsh for his brilliance. I was at the Knicks game on the 20th when T-Mac made his debut against the Thunder and I will tell you that the energy in the Garden was through the roof. Every time he touched the ball during warmups in the layup line he received an ovation. And when he was announced as a starter the place exploded. From a monetary standpoint this move was indeed brilliant. Already, fans were rocking McGrady Knicks jersey’s and in a win-win move they had enough cap space, thanks to the trade, to sign two max-contracts this summer. Though, much to the credit of the savvy Knicks fans the honeymoon period did not last long.

In his Knick debut he scored 26 points against the Thunder and received a James-like ovation. If only the season could have ended at that moment for T-Mac. More and more it became clear that he was unable to suit up and play for more than 25 minutes per game. And he still considers himself a superstar? On the season, McGrady averaged 8.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. For every 24-point performance there was an 0-for-7 shooting night (3/19 against the 76ers). And for every game he went out there and played 32 minutes (3/5, Raptors), he followed that up with a 23-minute, 1-of-6 shooting game (3/6, Nets), then by a DNP (3/8, Hawks). He couldn’t be trusted. And as we fantasy owners know, trust is key.

After the Knicks welcomed in Spanish White Chocolate, one thing become very clear: if this guy can’t play in D’Antoni’s system then he has no place in the NBA. It was a valid point because Sergio Rodriguez had often complained about being restrained and not having many opportunities to play his game. D’Antoni’s system allowed just that. The conclusion? He should go back to Europe. At least I don’t see him playing a significant role in the league going forward. The problem with Rodriguez is that he has the tools to be a fine playmaker (career 8.0 assists per 36 minutes), yet he often times falls in love with his jumper. This was especially true in New York where he took a career-high 6.0 shots per game, including 1.8 threes per 36.

The 27 games he played with the Knicks, offensive-wise, were a bit of an anomaly. He shot 49.1% from the field, yet prior to being a Knick he was hovering just above 40% on his career. He’s not one to be relied upon as a jump-shooter. Over the previous two seasons he was shooting just 28% on jumpers between 16-23 feet. Again, since he’s not a great shooter or defender, he needs to make his living distributing the ball. And somebody needs to make him aware of that. Just don’t look at me. I’m not one for confrontation.

WORST OF THE WORST (Eddy gets heavy and Larry gets scary):

Where do I begin when it comes to Eddy Curry? He has become a league-wide joke. What hurts his case the most is that he has the tools to be one of the top big men in the league. He’s just so darn lazy. I mean, REALLY lazy. This past season he played in just 7 games and a grand total of 10 over the past two seasons, earning over $20 million (with another $11 million coming in 2010-11). This is absolutely an NBA nightmare, and while the Knicks and the New York media continue to spin Curry’s imminent return to the basketball court, I’m not touching him with a 10-foot pole.

Larry Hughes has been consistent with one thing: his attitude. He spent 31 games with the Knicks this past season, shooting 36.6% from the floor on 9 attempts per game, and 28.9% from 3-point land. Clink! Clank! On paper, 9.6 points, 1.3 steals, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists don’t look all that bad, but remember that Hughes was once one of the game’s top thieves (2.9 steals in ‘04-05) and someone who at one point in his career could drop 18-20 points per game. And to think, things actually got worse once he joined the Bobcats on March 20th (32.7% from the field, 8.1 points, less than a steal per game).

FORGET ABOUT ‘EM (Darko, Barron, Bender, Giddens, House, Landry):

Darko played just 8 games withe Knicks and easily could have joined the worst of the worst, yet in his defense he played fairly well in Minny (25 mpg, 8.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, .8 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 24 games). Still, I think he’s going to opt to return overseas.

Earl Barron wasn’t all that bad when he played (7 games, 33 minutes, 11.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 44.1% FG, .6 steals, and .6 blocks), though I suppose it’s easier to perform in garbage games, right? He declined a non-guaranteed contract from the Knicks, thinking he’s going to get paid elsewhere this summer. Good luck with that, Mr. Barron. Until we see you put up numbers in a significant game it’s probably not in our best interest to bite.

Jonathan Bender was OK as well, though he looked and played “old.” To be fair, he had been out of the league since 2006. In his two starts as a Knick he went for 4 points and 2 rebounds per game. His best game of the season was January 11 against the Thunder (16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 threes). Other than that he stayed true to his 4-point, 2-rebound season average.

J.R. Giddens played 11 games with the Knicks: 4.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists + steals + blocks combined, no threes, no good. He provide little else other than the occasional spark.

Eddie House had some heroic moments for the Knicks (24 points, 4 treys in debut on Feb. 20 against the Thunder), but generally, his play was inconsistent. He was, of course, good for one thing — threes and the occasional steal. Overall, he didn’t really provide all that much value, and now he’s likely to sign elsewhere.

Marcus Landry played 17 games with the Knicks before being moved to Boston (one game). He averaged 6 minutes, 2.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, and no defense. Carl’s brother is an easy guy to root for, but impossible to own.

5 KEY QUESTIONS:

1. Who will they pursue this summer on the free-agent market?
With the 2010 salary cap projected to be at $56.1 million, the Knicks have enough money (approx. $34 million) to sign two max-salary free agents and still have some money left over. Of course, the top prize of the free-agent class is LeBron James. For years the Knicks have coveted (and courted) King James to play in New York. The tagline always goes: Imagine what his legacy would be if he brought an NBA title to the Garden…

All-in-all, New York is one of the three leading candidates for LeBron’s services next year. But he’s not the only player they’re after. The Knicks will make a play to sign some sort of combination between James, D-Wade, Bosh, Amar’e, and Dirk. If they strike out they’ll head down a tier and look at guys like Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer and Rudy Gay. Even then, this summer will be deemed a failure.

Knicks fans have been promised the moon, the stars, and the sky. They were told to be patient and to wait out the two years it will take to place a giant band-aid over the Isiah Thomas disaster. They were told that if Donnie Walsh was able to move either Jared Jeffries (done!) or Eddy Curry, then two-max contract players would be handed over to them on a silver platter. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Well, the wait is over. And as I said earlier, it’s put-up or shut-up time.

The Knicks have also been rumored to be in the hunt for Spurs point guard Tony Parker this summer. They’d love to get a point guard in place with a winning mentality. Parker fits the bill, obviously. Though it all may end up being wishful thinking. There are a few other options they might want to explore via free agency should any deal for Parker not come to fruition. At the top of the list would be Raymond Felton, who likely will command more money than the Knicks are willing to offer. It’s a good summer to be Ray Felton. He is hands down the best point guard available on the market — good or bad.

After Felton there are two options who I expect the Knicks to pursue. Both Luke Ridnour and Steve Blake had been a part of various trade rumors involving the Knicks over the years. Not since 2004 (Charlie Ward) have the Knicks had a legitimate point guard (sorry, Steph!). Ridnour and Blake are both limited in what they can do, but each is capable of running an offense. Ridnour would be the more ideal option. He boasts a career 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio and is a slightly better defender than Blake. True, Blake is a better 3-point shooter, but the function of their 2010-11 point guard will be to run the offense, not stretch the floor. At this point, if you’re banking on building your foundation around Gallo and two max-contract free agents then you can bring in either player and have them split the time at point with Toney Douglas. Earl Watson will be another name you’ll hear rumored to be joining the Knicks. And if they start getting desperate they might look at guys like Jamaal Tinsley or Jason Williams, with Derek Fisher being an absolute long shot.

As for big men, I fully expect the Knicks to focus on getting a big-name power forward and filling in the center position with a cheap veteran. Someone like Brad Miller, who I don’t particularly think will be a great fit, but he’s a big body nonetheless. They can also look at a reinvigorated Ben Wallace on a one-year deal. Or, dare I say, talk someone like Jermaine O’Neal into taking a huge pay cut in order to chase a ring. As for bigs with upside, they can explore going for a feisty, energy big like Louis Amundson or take a shot on a developing big like Amir Johnson. I don’t see the Knicks making a big splash and signing someone like Brendan Haywood or chasing a restricted free agent like Luis Scola. They’ll use their money elsewhere. But that’s not to say they can’t fill out their center position with a quality big or two. They’ll just have to go bargain hunting, with, ideally, a focus on defense.

2. What about the draft?
As if Knicks fans needed one more reason to be reminded of the Isiah-Marbury years, Utah owns the rights to the Knicks first rounder (pick No. 9). So no 1st round pick for the Knickerbockers in this draft, but they’re thinking of acquiring one, and they do have two 2nd round draft picks (No. 38 and No. 39, from the Nuggets). It looks like they could use some of that Isiah Thomas second-round magic! The picks are fairly useful, though, in this case. I know we’re talking about two second rounders, but the Knicks have an entire roster to fill out. Other than adding another wing player, the Knicks have needs across the board.

Jarvis Varnardo would be a nice second-round grab for the Knicks. In his senior season at Mississippi St., Varnardo led the nation in blocks averaging 4.7 per game, and his 564 career blocks are the most in NCAA history! He fits for two reasons. First, his shot-blocking would help a Knicks team that finished 29th in the league in blocks. He is long, athletic, and he can fly up and down the court. He lacks a real offensive game outside of 10 feet from the basket, but with the Knicks expecting to address their offense via free agency, his defense will surely be a welcome addition.

A great stat courtesy of Andrew Feingold is that opposing power forwards had a PER of 19.4 and opposing centers had a PER of 20.5 when they faced the Knicks. When you consider that only 27 players achieved a PER of 20+ in 2009-10, it shows how opposing big men feasted on the Knicks undersized frontline. Adding a shot-blocker like Varnado or Larry Sanders (VCU) will help out quite a bit.

Greivis Vasquez is another player the Knicks should look at in the second round. He’s starting to get some late-first round buzz, but he’s certainly not a lock to be gone when the Knicks pick at No. 38. His emotion on the court and personality off the court would be an instant hit in New York. He does, of course, have some weaknesses (frame, jumper, limited upside), but he’s got a great motor (my inner Jay Bilas!), he’s not afraid of the the big stage, and he can really attack the rim. Vasquez strikes me as a guy who would be a fan favorite in New York.

It’s tough to peg prospects in the second round, but some other guys they’ll look at are Derrick Caracter (good size, could tip to Eddy Curry status), Willie Warren (combo guard, less of a need), Jerome Jordan (great size, seems like a forever project) and then of course the International route is always in play. Though the most intriguing name may be Jordan Crawford. Yes, the same Jordan Crawford who posterized LeBron James last summer. The infamous “Nike tape.” I’m sure that would help in their pursuit for James!

3. Did the Knicks miss the boat on trading Wilson Chandler?
As I mentioned earlier, one of the bigger disappointments this season was Wilson Chandler. He showed little improvement this past season, had various injuries to contend with, and just this summer, was arrested for possession of marijuana. On the plus side for Chandler, he is a very talented wing and is only owed $5.1 million over the next two seasons. In sum, he’s an attractive trade piece. Well, at least he was at one point. Now I think his stock has taken bit of a hit. In fact, there is a thread on RealGM where a number of Knicks fans seem content with the idea of the Knicks moving Chandler to the Clippers for DeAndre Jordan, a 7-footer with boom-or-bust-ability. How the mighty have fallen.

It’s clear that this team belongs to Danilo Gallinari, Free Agent A, and Free Agent B. We’ll be hearing several trade rumors regarding Wilson Chandler this summer, but what can the Knicks get? More importantly, what could they have gotten for him? Or, dare I say, wouldn’t he have been enough to convince a contender to take on Eddy Curry’s contract? Now I think you’re looking at offers for players like Jordan and his ilk. Call me a product of the NY media, but it seems to me that a deal like that would have been laughable just three or four months ago.

4. The Knicks best asset: David Lee?
While he doesn’t seem to be in the Knicks plans for the future, free agent David Lee might just be the Knicks best trade chip. Many teams without cap space will explore the sign-and-trade route this summer, with Lee being one of the names most coveted. The options are actually endless. The most logical deal would be a sign-and-trade with the aforementioned Hornets, sending Lee to New Orleans in exchange for Okafor and Collison. The Knicks need the size of Okafor and would happily take Collison, one of the top rookies last season.

The other idea is to use Lee to entice free agents, such as Chris Bosh, to come to New York without losing any money. The Raptors can sign Bosh to the most lucrative contract, so the Knicks can work out a deal with the Raptors, having them sign Bosh to a max-contract, and sending them Lee. In the end, the Raptors get one of the top rebounders in the game for granting Bosh’s wish. Not a bad exchange, considering they’d get nothing in return if Bosh signed with the Knicks outright. This of course opens the door to several other options. How about Dallas taking Lee, if in fact they believe that Nowitzki wants to join forces with James or Wade in New York. And it also works in Lee’s favor. He can essentially get what he wants, in order to get the deal signed, sealed, and delivered.

5. Are the Knicks close to being the “second” team in New York?
If you live in the New York area then you know that the biggest NBA personality right now in New York is Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov. The Nets have $26.3 million in cap space, two All-Star caliber players (Lopez and Harris), some intriguing young prospects (C. Lee and T. Williams), and the third-overall pick in this summer’s draft. All the makings of a promising franchise.

The Nets will be competing with the Knicks for the services of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade this summer. Minority owner Jay-Z will join Prokhorov in selling the idea of playing for a Nets team — who will be moving to Brooklyn in two seasons — as the “real” New York franchise. It’s certainly possible that if you add LeBron or D-Wade to this young core, in two years they’ll have all the makings of a title contender. Madison Square Garden will always be the mecca, but if the Nets beat the Knicks to a title while in Brooklyn, they will have made the case for being New York’s team.

CRYSTAL BALL: I expect the Knicks to make some key moves this summer. LeBron is obviously their number one target. If I had to make a guess, I say that they get James AND Bosh. I can see them making a move for a point guard (Tony Parker) and of course a big man (does it have to be DeAndre Jordan?). After that they’ll fill the holes with their two second rounders and some vets looking to win a title. With that roster, the Knicks will be a title contender. Mark it down. We will be talking about the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals come playoff time. (If you want to know what I’ve been smoking, feel free to send me an e-mail!)