Alright, the rollercoaster ride that was the New York Knicks season is over. The Boston Celtics made sure that the Knicks didn’t even get a game, and walked off the court at Madison Square Garden with visions of an NBA Championship dancing in their head.
For the Knicks, the end is certainly a huge disappointment. While I don’t know many people who thought New York would win the series, everyone figured they would be good for a game or two. While they certainly had their chance to push the issue in games 1 and 2, it was not to be. Boston moves on, New York begins the long summer.
But, this shouldn’t really dampen what was a transcendent year for the Knickerbockers. For almost a decade, this team was a non-factor. There wasn’t a reason to go and cheer in MSG. Even going to boo was a futile point. The Knicks were just bad.
Now, there is hope.
Carmelo Anthony had two HUGE games in the series against the Celtics (games 2 and 4). Amare Stoudemire had a terrific game 1 and was injured from that point forward. Both are stars. Anthony is, in my opinion, one of the top five players in the league and Stoudemire might be one of the most skilled big men to ever play in the NBA. There is a foundation there for the next several years. There is a future.
Now, the question is, where do you go from here?
Well, considering the only players under contract for next year are Melo, Amare, Landry Fields, and Toney Douglas, there promises to be, yet again, more turnover.
The big question will be, do the Knicks bring back Chauncey Billups and pay him the $14.2 million, or let him walk and pay him $4 million? A few weeks ago, I would have said there is no question they will bring him back. However, after a couple of injuries and some less than stellar play down the stretch, you have to wonder if the Knicks will want to pay him $14 million, even if it is only one year.
Here is something to consider: if you operate under the assumption that the Knicks will not be in a great position to trade for a point guard this offseason (the only assets they have under contract is Landry Fields) then the only opportunity would come in free agency. A quick look at that crop isn’t very inspiring. In fact, there isn’t one free agent point guard that would peak the Knicks interest except for Rodney Stuckey, who the Pistons will almost surely look to keep (he’s a restricted free agent). However, the following year, the market would be flooded with potential point guards.
Forget the big two (Chris Paul and Doron Williams), here is a list of some other restricted and unrestricted point guards who are scheduled to hit free agency in 2012: Kirk Henrich, DJ Augustin, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton, Eric Gordon, Russell Westbrook, Jameer Nelson, Steve Nash, and Andre Miller (note: I didn’t mention Derek Rose because, well, let’s face it, he won’t be available).
Look at that list. Even if half those guys sign, even if the biggest names come off, there is a lot from which to choose. Heck, the Knicks could even look to bring back a guy like Felton, who thrived in New York, under the system, and could fit well in the system.
That’s why I think the Knicks bring back Billups. There isn’t anything out there in free agency this year that makes sense and 2012 offers the possibilities of either Paul or Williams, but even if they are not available, a lot of quality guys will be. Let Billups run the show, let Douglas get a good amount of playing time, and hope the old veteran stays healthy.
So, let’s say your starting lineup next year includes Amare, Melo, and Billups. That, to me, means the Knicks need to add a center and a shooting guard. I know some will say “what about Landry Fields?” I think Landry is the perfect sixth man. I think his most value is coming off the bench. I would rather see the Knicks get a shooting guard and let Fields come off the bench with the second unit, which would also include Douglas.
That means the Knicks must look at a big man and a shooting guard. Who should they target?
Here are a few names:
*Samuel Dalembert - Sam is a big body at 6’10” and 260 pounds. He isn’t a huge scorer but, let’s face it, the Knicks won’t need a huge scorer at center. They need a big man with some athleticism who can rebound, block shots, and play defense. That is Dalembert in a nutshell. He’s tough minded and ready to compete on the inside, and his presence would allow Stoudemire to move to his natural power forward position and freelance defensively.
*Nene Hillario - This would officially make the Knicks Denver East. Nene was a teammate of Melo and Chauncey with the Nuggets, and he is one of the most athletic, active big men in the league. Plus, at 29, he seems to be coming into his own. The problem: one would assume Nene will cost, and you wonder if the Knicks would be willing to anti up for Nene with the idea of signing Paul or Williams in 2012 ever present.
*Tyson Chandler - Somewhat like Nene, Chandler is one of the most athletic big men in the league, however, he doesn’t have the offensive moves Nene does. He’s a better defender and rebounded, though, and he would be a handful to deal with. Plus, in a Mike D’Antoni system, Chandler might become a more consistent offensive threat because he can get up and down so well. Like Nene, though, one assumes Chandler will come with a fairly sizeable price tag.
*Mike Dunleavy - I think Mike Dunleavy has always been expected to be too much. First, he isn’t a small forward. He’s a shooting guard with small forward size. At the three, he gets beat up and pushed around. At the two, he can be a mismatch. I’m not exactly sure if Indiana would want to part ways with him since the Pacers are excited with the team they have assembled, but I also think the Pacers could afford to let Dunleavy go, and the sharp shooter would provide D’Antoni with that three point two guard he loves.
*Nick Young - Young is young (like that?), athletic, and an unrestricted free agent on the Wizards. They might bring him back. They also might let him walk. If they do, the Knicks would be smart to explore him at the two.
*Sam Young - Another Young, just with less of a resume than Nick. I like Sam Young a lot. He’s a very good shooter, far more athletic than people give him credit for, and he played at Pittsburgh in college, so you know he’s tough. Young plays on a team that seems to have shooting guards all over the roster, so it might be that the Grizz decide not to pick up their team option. If not, he might be a steal for the Knicks.
Finally, the Knicks do actually have a draft pick in the first round this year. It’s hard to know who will be available at pick 17, but in looking at the early mock drafts (useless, I know, but it’s all I got to go on) there seems to be a crop of players that will be available around there. Of course, there’s a chance that the Bronx’s own, Kemba Walker drops to the Knicks, and that would be great for both parties, but that is highly unlikely. So, here are a few names the Knicks could consider: Markieff Morris, Tristan Thompson, Nolan Smith, Kenneth Faried, Chris Singleton, and Klay Thompson.
Of course, there is an outside chance one Jimmer Fredette falls to the Knicks, and then they would have a real choice to make, but I think that crop mentioned above would be what the Knicks are looking at.
Nothing in there would make you call the MSG box office for tickets to the finals, but as has been stated before, with Melo and Amare, what you’re looking for isn’t stars, you’re looking for real quality players and the Knicks could certainly find that out of such a crop.
So, if I had my way, what would the Knicks look like next years?
PG Chauncey Billups
SG Nick Young
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF Amare Stoudemire
C Nene Hillario
Second unit:
Toney Douglas
Landry Fields
Bill Walker
Kenneth Faried (draft)
Jared Jeffries
I actually like that team, right?
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