Off-Season Game Plan: Knicks
So disastrous was Larry Brown's first season in Gotham that the latest reports have the Knicks discussing the idea of buying Larry out of the final four years of his deal. So much for the dream job.
Yes, under normal circumstances a coach with four years remaining on a five-year, $50-million contract wouldn't be going anywhere since the cost would be too prohibitive. In New York, though, they apparently don't know the meaning of the phrase "too expensive".
For the purposes of this column, let's just assume that things work out somehow and Brown stays, presumably so he and GM Isiah Thomas can continue to undermine each other's authority and effectiveness in the organization. Thing is, Isiah doesn't need any help in that regard. He's plenty ineffective in his own right.
While he's become a laughingstock as a GM, Thomas is certainly a willing trader, so there's no reason to think that the Knicks will be standing pat this off-season. Changes to the roster give the fans hope and, as long as the New York faithful are willing to keep shelling out to see the Knicks, the trades will keep coming.
Strangely enough, despite winning only 23 games in 2005-2006, the Knicks actually have talented players, which should give them some flexibility to maneuver. Unfortunately, for all their talent, the Knicks are virtually bereft of capable defenders that can play major minutes. Any moves that the Knicks make in the off-season have to address that shortcoming -- find a couple of guys that can just play solid team basketbal -- but those aren't the kind of moves that attract interest in the Big Apple.
If the Knicks are going to make drastic changes -- and surely it appears they must -- Marbury, Francis, Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor could all be the first parts of the housecleaning but, make no mistake, no one on this roster is untouchable.
So, what kind of deals could the Knicks try? Marbury could be offered to the Timberwolves or Trail Blazers -- teams desperate enough to take a chance -- so long as the Knicks aren't expecting blue-chip talent in return. Francis is in the same boat, though who knows what kind of value he has anymore. As hard as it would be to swallow, the Knicks would probably be better off long-term if they could just manage some sort of salary dump transactions involving those two.
Rose and Taylor, both of whom are entering the final year of their contracts, could be useful trading chips, though neither would command a great deal in return. They might serve as pieces to include with a draft pick or one of their younger players in a bigger deal.
For what it's worth, the Knicks will probably try to land any possible marquee name via trade: Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Kenyon Martin, Zach Randolph, maybe even Allen Iverson (just to torture Brown a little more) could attract interest from the Knicks, though Isiah will have to summon his greatest creativity to make any of those deals happen. For some reason, a Martin-for-Francis swap (with additional pieces thrown in) seems like a possibility.
If we know anything, though, it's that the Knicks won't be afraid to take on a cap-crippling contract in order to land a big name, and the summer just won't be the same if the Knicks don't do it again.
GM/COACH
Isiah Thomas/Larry Brown
CENTERS
Returning: Eddy Curry, Jerome James. Free Agents: Jackie Butler (RFA)
FORWARDS
Returning: Channing Frye, Quentin Richardson, David Lee, Jalen Rose, Maurice Taylor, Malik Rose. Free Agents: Qyntel Woods (UFA)
GUARDS
Returning: Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson. Free Agents: None
DRAFT
20th - Shawne Williams, Aaron Gray, Richard Roby. 29th - Josh Boone, Saer Sene, Hassan Adams
FREE AGENCY
Payroll: $133M
TRADE MARKET
Marbury (three years, $60M), J. Rose (one year, $16.9M), Taylor (one year, $9.75M), Richardson (four years, $33.7M), Crawford (five years, $43M), M.Rose (two years, $13.6M)
