A Year On – Should the Knicks be regretting trading for Carmelo Anthony?

Almost a year ago the New York Knicks traded for superstar forward Carmelo Anthony, in a move that was heralded as bringing the Knicks back to relevancy.

Almost a year on, the Knicks haven’t really made any progress – they made the playoffs last year but were swept by the Celtics, and currently sit at 6-10 this season.

While Melo’s individual stats are healthy (he’s averaging 25.7 ppg so far this season), what New York had to give up to get Anthony is affecting them this season. In the trade with Denver, the Knicks sent solid role players like Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton and Timofey Mozgov to the Nuggets – when they could have got Melo last summer in free agency.

While Denver have flourished since the ‘Melo trade with their team-first mentality (12-5 this season and second place in the West), the Knicks have struggled, primarily because of their lack of squad depth and complete allergy towards defence.

Tyson Chandler was signed in free agency to combat this, but one player can’t solve the problems of an entire team and change the whole team mentality – especially when you have Melo and Amar’e Stoudemire at the forward spots who offer you no defence at all.

Everyone knows that to win a championship in the NBA you have to be great defensively, particularly to prevail in the playoffs. And let’s face it, the Knicks can’t defend. And when you’ve got the Bulls, Heat and the Celtics to get past in the East, you need to be able to defend.

So what can the Knicks do? They haven’t got the cap room to spend big on a free agent this summer, seeing as they overpaid to bring Tyson Chandler to the Big Apple, what with Melo and Stoudemire on max-deals. They need defence…

One solution is Dwight Howard. Orlando look like they are going to play the waiting game and take their chances in the Howard sweepstakes this summer, so a sign-in-trade with the Magic this summer would be brilliant for the Knicks. Trading Stoudemire for Howard would be a significant upgrade for the Knicks and give Orlando something back in return. Howard brings defensive and offensive prowess, which would allow Chandler to play power forward, and offset Melo’s lack of defence at the 3.

I know the Knicks were grateful that Amar’e chose them in the summer of 2010, when every other prized free agent rejected them. But the likelihood is that a frontcourt with Melo and Amar’e isn’t going to deliver you a championship, and either a new coach needs to come in that preaches defence, or you need to trade away one of those pieces.

Throw in a veteran desperate for a ring (I’m thinking Steve Nash), when his contract in Phoenix expires this summer, and a Howard-Chandler-Anthony-Fields-Nash could equal success for the Knicks.

What do you think – how can the Knicks take the next step and find success in the East?

 

How will Donnie Walsh’s departure affect the Knicks?

The New York Knicks, awful for so long, have just begun on the path back to responsibility, and what do they do – get rid of Donnie Walsh. The man behind getting rid of all the bad contracts and dealing with the aftermath of the Isiah reign is gone. But what does this mean for the Knicks?

Donnie Walsh has gone because he reportedly couldn’t come to agreements over his future with the team. The president of basketball operations faced off with owner James Dolan and lost the battle. Walsh wanted total control over trades and team affairs, Dolan said no. Walsh wanted a shorter deal, Dolan wanted him to stay on for longer. The list goes on.

Donnie Walsh was the man responsible for reversing all the bad deals of the Isiah Thomas reign as Knicks president, and had to cut the bloated payroll of the team, with several players on “franchise-crippling” contracts – the likes of Jerome James, Jared Jeffries, Stephon Marbury and Zach Randolph were all traded. In two years, Walsh was able to clear cap space to sign free agent Amar’e Stoudemire to a max-$100m deal, add Carmelo Anthony this year and the Knicks have a future.

Part of the reason Walsh wanted more control was because he was upset over the Melo trade in February. Walsh wanted to wait until the summer when Carmelo was a free agent, Dolan didn’t – and sent basically the whole team over to Denver for Melo and Chauncey Billups.

After Walsh’s departure, what does the future hold for the Knicks? I’m not going to speculate on their next GM, but look at the Knicks’ potential over the next few years.

The Knicks have two superstars in Melo and Amar’e, Billups is a solid contributor and has one year left on his deal. The ultimate dream for the Knicks: get a top free agent in 2012 and pair either Dwight Howard or Chris Paul to create a New York Big Three.

The problem with the Knicks though, and one which will definitely hinder them in the playoffs against the likes of the Heat, Celtics, Magic, Bulls and even the Hawks, is their lack of defence. Mike D’Antoni is not a defensive coach, and it’s well known defence wins championships.

A Dwight Howard next to Stoudemire would work, to combat Amar’e’s complete lack of defense and allergy to rebounding, but sign a max-level free agent and the Knicks have no money to do anything else. What they need is a team, a center who can protect the paint and rebound, a PG to replace Billups in a year’s time, a few defensive wings would be a good addition. Basically, a whole team apart from Anthony and Stoudemire.

Tyson Chandler would be nice at center, but he’s going to cost quite a bit and would require a multi-year deal, which would upset the Knicks’ chances to get a premier free agent in 2012.

As long as the new GM of New York can follow in Walsh’s footsteps and continue to build a team around their two superstars, then the Knicks can challenge the Heat and Bulls for supremacy in the East. If Isiah comes back and signs the likes of Adam Morrison, Yi Jianlian and Mike Bibby to huge multi-year deals, then that’s three years completely wasted.

What do you think of Donnie Walsh’s departure from the Knicks? Let me know and comment below…

Does Carmelo’s arrival make the Knicks a championship contender?

It’s finally happened, and about time! Carmelo Anthony has finally been granted his wish and been traded to the New York Knicks in a blockbuster three-team trade this week. But how could can it make the Knicks – are they know championship contenders?

Melo got his wish and was traded to the Knicks, along with team-mates Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Balkman, Anthony Carter and Shelden Williams. The Denver Nuggets get Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov in return, as well as a few draft picks and cash. Corey Brewer also moves to the Knicks from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Eddy Curry’s expiring contract and Anthony Randolph.

I like this deal for both sides. Denver get something back for Melo in the form of Chandler (a good sixth man), three-point shooting in Gallinari, a good point guard and valuable trade chip in Felton and frontcourt depth in Mozgov.

The Knicks get their wish of a superstar next to Amar’e Stoudemire. Carmelo is one of the best offensive players in the NBA and Chauncey Billups is a veteran point guard that knows how to win and even though not as good as he once was, Billups is at least a good trade asset that the Knicks can use to bait the New Orleans Hornets for if they want to entice Chris Paul to the Big Apple in the summer.

Melo’s arrival is NYC gives the Knicks a buzz and a genuine hope in the city that they haven’t had since the Patrick Ewing days. But can the Knicks contend for a championship in the near future?

The answer is no. At least until they get a few more pieces. Carmelo and Stoudemire are nice, but they are not exactly the most defensive-minded players. And as you know, defence wins championships. A starting lineup of Billups, rookie Landry Fields, Carmelo, Amar’e and Ronny Turiaf is not good enough to get out of what is a stacked Eastern Conference, with the likes of Boston, Miami, Orlando, Chicago and Atlanta.

If the Knicks can add some decent pieces in free agency in the summer, a bit more frontcourt depth and a Tyson Chandler-type center to play next to Stoudemire, as well as a few decent role players, then they can challenge the East’s elite. For this season though, I see the Knicks’ ceiling as around fifth place in the East, at a Chicago Bulls/Atlanta Hawks level, in the second tier of the East.

But this trade has definitely got New York going in the right direction, and gives Knicks fans a sense of optimism after years of suffering.

Why Amar’e Stoudemire is the clear choice for MVP

The New York Knicks have struggled for the years, we all know that. But now they are heading in the right direction thanks to the arrival of one man: Amar’e Stoudemire. One who should be rewarded with MVP honours when the season draws to a close.

At the time of writing, the Knicks are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 22-15 record. At this time of the season, they would usually have a losing record and be heading straight for the Lottery. But with the arrival of Amar’e the Knicks have been transformed and are looking like a good bet for the playoffs.

Don’t get me wrong: just because Amar’e is on their team, the Knicks are not going to win a championship this season, or next season for that fact (unless they can somehow get ‘Melo and prise Chris Paul away from the Hornets this summer). The Celtics, Heat, Magic and the Bulls are much stronger than the Knicks at the moment and will ensure that their hopes of a championship are just a dream at the moment.

Lets get back to Stoudemire. The former Phoenix Suns forward has averaged 26.2 points and 9 rebounds this season, which is good enough for second place in scoring behind Kevin Durant. But the MVP race is not about the best player, it’s about the Most Valuable Player. And that’s what Stoudemire is.

If you look at the Knicks supporting cast compared to the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs and Heat, there’s no comparison. Yes, the Knicks upgraded last summer with Ray Felton, Turiaf, Anthony Randolph and Landry Fields (who in my opinion was a steal and has been the surprise performer from this year’s rookie class), but the addition of Stoudemire has taken the Knicks to the next level.

When Amar’e signed for the Knicks last summer on a 5-year, $100m dollar contract, I thought it was a lot for a player that played zero-defence and only looked good in Phoenix because of Steve Nash. I guess I was wrong…

Amar’e to the Knicks? Bad move…

The long awaited free agency period of 2010 is underway, with a host of top free agents available and a host of teams with enough cap room to sign the likes of Lebron, D-Wade and Chris Bosh. So far in free agency we have seen most stars stay put and sign with their current teams: Paul Pierce stayed in Boston, Dirk remained in Dallas and Rudy Gay inked a massive 5 year, $82 million to remain with the Memphis Grizzlies.

One in-demand free agent is Phoenix Suns forward Amar’e Stoudemire, who is reportedly set to sign a 5 year, $100 million deal with the New York Knicks and be reunited with old coach Mike D’Antoni. The Knicks, who can afford to offer two max contracts, are also in the mix for other elite free agents such as Lebron, Wade and Bosh, who they pitched to last weekend.

Amar’e is one of the best power forwards in the NBA at the moment, but isn’t $20 million a year a lot of money to pay a guy who doesn’t play any D, doesn’t rebound or block shots? Yes it is, but the Knicks are desperate. Since Donnie Walsh took over as President of Basketball Operations two years ago, their goal has been to attract a star in free agency this year, even if it means stinking for two years, it will all be worth it. If they can’t get a Lebron or a Wade (and I don’t think they will), they need to get someone that can appease the fans and give them the hope that they have been lacking for years. But is Stoudemire that guy?

I am a fan of Stoudemire and he can thrive in D’Antoni’s up-tempo system, just like he did in Phoenix. But he isn’t a number one guy and will need another star, as well as a defensive presence in the frontcourt to rebound and block shots, to find success in New York. And with Joe Johnson heading back to Atlanta and Rudy Gay staying in Memphis, what will happen if Lebron and Wade reject them and head elsewhere?

The answer: I don’t think much will change in New York. With a lineup of Amar’e, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and a few rookies, they won’t be setting the Eastern Conference alight. There have been rumours floating around that the Knicks could do a sign and trade with the Warriors and the T-Wolves, where the Knicks get Monta Ellis, the T-Wolves get David Lee and the Warriors get Al Jefferson. This would be a great move for the Knicks, they would get a scoring combo-guard that could be an All-Star in their system and rid themselves of someone (Lee), who they are reportedly not going to sign anyway.

What obviously attracts Stoudemire to New York is the money, considering he turned down a $96 million deal from Phoenix last week. But if he wants to win championships more than a bucketload of money, Amar’e doesn’t go to New York, he hops onto the coatails of wherever Lebron or Wade ends up this offseason.