New York Knicks Offseason: Trade Amar’e Stoudemire? Sign Steve Nash?
There’s been no bigger NBA moment than seconds before tip-off of Game 7 of the 1970 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York NY Knicks. Injured Knicks captain Willis Reed hobbled onto the court to play in a game he was supposed to miss.
Never mind that Reed scored only four points. After he limped onto the court in the world’s most famous arena, the Knicks won 113-99.
New York is a basketball city and the Knicks are a storied NBA franchise. Yet they haven’t won a championship since 1973.
The Knicks are a mess and one that won’t be easy to clean up. The parts just don’t fit well together.
The biggest part came at a huge expense. The Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony last year, along with Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Shelden Williams and Renaldo Blackman, none of whom are still with the team.
The Knicks gave up Wilson Chandler (a future All-Star), Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, their 2014 first-round pick and second-round picks from Golden State in 2012 and 2013. Oh, and they threw in $3 million.
This year, the Knicks brought in Tyson Chandler to join Carmelo and Amar’e Stoudemire in the frontcourt. A formidable frontcourt at that. On paper. On the court, not so much.
Carmelo is an isolation guy. Give him the ball and get out of the way. Stoudemire is a pick-and-roll guy. With Chandler there also, it’s all clogged up. It’s as if the Knicks acquired players who are good and never thought through the chemistry on the court.
What to do about it now? Well, trades are not easy in the NBA with the salary cap. You have to bring back salaries within a certain percentage of the salaries you trade away.
Does it seem obvious to trade Stoudemire? Sure, it does. The only problem is that Stoudemire is not going anywhere. He’s still owed $83 million over the next four years and that isn’t insured because of his multiple knee surgeries. No one can afford him.
Trade Carmelo? I don’t see how you can do that after giving up so much for him just last year. By the way, it would have been smarter to wait and sign him as a free agent. I know Denver wanted something for him, but Carmelo could have refused to sign a new contract wherever he was traded, then signed with the Knicks in the offseason.
What do the Knicks do now? The move begging to be made is to bring Phoenix point guard Steve Nash to the Garden. He would steady the Knicks and give them the ball-handler they need to run the offense.
What about Linsanity, you ask? He could play shooting guard and would mesh well alongside Nash. What better way could there be to develop Lin?
The other question is whether to give interim coach Mike Woodson the permanent job. He deserves the chance because of the defensive improvement he’s brought to the team. Last year, the Knicks were 21st in the league in defensive efficiency, which is measured by points per 100 possessions. This year, the Knicks ranked fifth.
I said this mess won’t be easy to clean up. But it can be done. The question becomes, will it? It might if owner James Dolan stays out of the way and, for Pete’s sake, doesn’t bring back Isiah Thomas.
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New York Knicks Offseason: Trade Amar’e Stoudemire? Sign Steve Nash?
There’s been no bigger NBA moment than seconds before tip-off of Game 7 of the 1970 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York NY Knicks. Injured Knicks captain Willis Reed hobbled onto the court to play in a game he was supposed to miss.
Never mind that Reed scored only four points. After he limped onto the court in the world’s most famous arena, the Knicks won 113-99.
New York is a basketball city and the Knicks are a storied NBA franchise. Yet they haven’t won a championship since 1973.
The Knicks are a mess and one that won’t be easy to clean up. The parts just don’t fit well together.
The biggest part came at a huge expense. The Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony last year, along with Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Shelden Williams and Renaldo Blackman, none of whom are still with the team.
The Knicks gave up Wilson Chandler (a future All-Star), Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, their 2014 first-round pick and second-round picks from Golden State in 2012 and 2013. Oh, and they threw in $3 million.
This year, the Knicks brought in Tyson Chandler to join Carmelo and Amar’e Stoudemire in the frontcourt. A formidable frontcourt at that. On paper. On the court, not so much.
Carmelo is an isolation guy. Give him the ball and get out of the way. Stoudemire is a pick-and-roll guy. With Chandler there also, it’s all clogged up. It’s as if the Knicks acquired players who are good and never thought through the chemistry on the court.
What to do about it now? Well, trades are not easy in the NBA with the salary cap. You have to bring back salaries within a certain percentage of the salaries you trade away.
Does it seem obvious to trade Stoudemire? Sure, it does. The only problem is that Stoudemire is not going anywhere. He’s still owed $83 million over the next four years and that isn’t insured because of his multiple knee surgeries. No one can afford him.
Trade Carmelo? I don’t see how you can do that after giving up so much for him just last year. By the way, it would have been smarter to wait and sign him as a free agent. I know Denver wanted something for him, but Carmelo could have refused to sign a new contract wherever he was traded, then signed with the Knicks in the offseason.
What do the Knicks do now? The move begging to be made is to bring Phoenix point guard Steve Nash to the Garden. He would steady the Knicks and give them the ball-handler they need to run the offense.
What about Linsanity, you ask? He could play shooting guard and would mesh well alongside Nash. What better way could there be to develop Lin?
The other question is whether to give interim coach Mike Woodson the permanent job. He deserves the chance because of the defensive improvement he’s brought to the team. Last year, the Knicks were 21st in the league in defensive efficiency, which is measured by points per 100 possessions. This year, the Knicks ranked fifth.
I said this mess won’t be easy to clean up. But it can be done. The question becomes, will it? It might if owner James Dolan stays out of the way and, for Pete’s sake, doesn’t bring back Isiah Thomas.
Follow on Twitter@sprtsramblngman
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Locking Up Jeremy Lin to Long-Term Deal Would Be Death Knell for NY Knicks
Now that the New York Knicks are eliminated from the NBA playoffs, all eyes are turned to the offseason, especially as it relates to what the franchise will do about the impending free agency of point guard Jeremy Lin.
However, as good as a story as Lin has been, the Knicks must think towards the future before offering Lin a long-term deal, as it could wind up being crippling down the road.
Before you go nuts, I’m not talking about the future of Lin as a player, but the future shape it will put the franchise in financially.
Interim head coach Mike Woodson was adamant on Thursday that the Knicks would bring Lin back next season, but also stopped way short of saying he would be the starter.
Lin, on the other hand, sounded not so sure about a return to the Big Apple as he told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:
“Nothing is set in stone. That’s what I’ve learned,” Lin said Thursday. “We talked about (my free agency). I love the Knicks and the organization. But at the same time, it’s a business. Me, personally, I think it would be great if I come back. But crazy things happen and I don’t really know what’s going to happen.”
Lin was brilliant in his 25-game stretch as a starter, averaging 18.2 points, 7.7 assists and 2.0 steals, while shooting nearly 45 percent from the floor. But Lin also averaged 4.7 turnovers in those 25 games, and that is very concerning.
As a player, the bottom line is that he’s unproven. The Knicks still don’t know what they really have in Lin right now, but that’s besides the point.
The point is, a long-term contract without Lin’s full Bird rights could be crippling.
The Knicks are over the cap and can only give Lin the mid-level exception (about $5 million), which would leave them with little else to persuade a veteran point guard and other depth pieces.
Under the Gilbert Arenas Provision in the new CBA, no team can offer more than the MLE to a player like Lin for the first year of the contract, one that the Knicks have the right to match.
But consider the fact that any contract that Lin receives, whether it be from the Knicks or any other franchise, will be back-loaded with a majority of the money coming in the second and third years of the deal.
Just take a look at where the Knicks sit for the next two years, assuming the cap remains a flat $58 million.
2012-13
Carmelo Anthony: $20.46 million
Tyson Chandler: $13.6 million
Amar’e Stoudemire: $19.95 million
Iman Shumpert: $1.68 million
Josh Harrellson: $768K
Jerome Jordan: $768K
That’s over $56 million tied into six players, and without Lin’s full Bird rights, all of his contract money counts against the cap.
Now let’s take a look a year later and see what kind of bad financial shape the Knicks will be in by adding another long-term deal.
2013-14
Anthony: $22.4 million
Chandler: $14.1 million
Stoudemire: $21.68 million
Shumpert: $1.78 million (team option that is certain to be picked up)
That’s over $59 million tied into four players.
Basically, a long-term contract to Lin that pays him big money almost assures the fact that the Knicks will be unable to add the depth they need to compete.
If they can bring him back cheaply, then great, but if it costs a lot of money, then New York could be in trouble for the next few years.
Lin said it best when he stated that the NBA was a business, and no one understands that better than he does, since he lived most of his NBA career off of 10-day contracts.
They can’t have it both ways, and in a business, sometimes tough decisions need to be made.
No one wants to see Lin in a Knicks uniform more than I do, but is it worth the expense of a large cap hit for a guard that, like it or not, is still unproven?
Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald has a tough decision on his hands.
Does he sign Lin and put the Knicks in a bad cap spot for the next few years, or does he let him walk and use the MLE on a more experienced point guard, angering the Knicks’ fanbase in the process?
At the end of the day, though, it is a business and business decisions must be made.
We will just have to wait and see what direction the Knicks’ franchise will be headed.
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Mike Woodson, up for Knicks job, told to change agents
Interim New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson, hoping for the fulltime gig, was told to change agents.
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Amare Stoudemire: Heat Get Last Laugh over Embarrassing NY Knicks Squad
The Miami Heat swept away the ailing Knicks, but not before Amar’e Stoudemire was clowned out of the building.
Let’s forget for a moment that the first round is taking longer than most presidential terms because of some memorable moments that should last us well after the NBA Finals.
One such moment took place at the tail end of Game 5 between the Knicks and the Heat. While it may have been viewed by most as a closeout game, I saw it as the Heat putting the Knicks out of their misery.
Let’s get real. We all knew this series was over a long time ago. Amare Stoudemire’s brief boxing match with a fire extinguisher casing was just the turning point.
Stoudemire was able to lend one more joke to the pile that has been mounting in his area. With minutes to go in the game, Shane Battier fell to the court after drawing contact with Stoudemire.
The Knicks forward charged through Battier and then pretended to help him up. Next came the classic psyche-out where Stoudemire took back his hand.
Five-year-olds around the world rejoiced.
Sure that would have been a petulant way for a disgraced athlete to leave the season, but there was one more turn of the dial.
The Heat PA announcer chimed in with a petty joke of his own. It was a wonderful couple minutes of small-minded glory, and we all benefit from the spoils.
Here is video of the PA announcer taking a turn as stand-up comedian, issuing that Stoudemire had been “extinguished form the game.”
The team and announcer, Michael Baiamonte, have now officially apologized to Stoudemire in a statement released on Thursday, via ESPN. The Knicks star doesn’t seem to be all that bothered by any of it though.
Funny, considering his team was just dismissed with ease, he became a joke after an ill-advised punch and then had salt poured on the wound just as he said his fond farewells for the season.
I guess the bigger theme might be to leave Shane Battier alone, because he seems to have loud friends at the scorer’s table.
Follow me on Twitter and we can fight about it.
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Jeremy Lin ‘absolutely’ in Knicks’ plans
Interim New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson predicted emergent point guard Jeremy Liin will “absolutely” be in the team’s plans next season.
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Are the Knicks Forced to Trade Amar’e in the Offseason?
The on-court incompatibilities of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire need no introduction at this point. The Knicks have played a season in experimental design, and though their involuntary toggling of variables due to numerous injuries, it’s become fairly clear that Anthony and Stoudemire are a problematic fit in terms of offensive flow and defensive coverage. They’re the two classified “stars,” deigned to eventually take New York to the promised land, and yet they’ve thus far failed to mesh in any way that would suggest long-term success.
With that in mind, it’s worth considering if this core—of Anthony, Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler—should be broken up in anticipation of further troubles. Yet within that very notion is a certain subtext; Anthony appears untouchable for some reason, and Chandler is the key behind the Knicks’ defensive renaissance. That makes the underwhelming Stoudemire the natural target for trade rumors, with one substantial caveat.
Due to Stoudemire’s contract and injuries, he’s practically untradeable at this point.
Thus sets the stage for a quandary in the big apple: How can the Knicks go about trading the untradeable or fixing the seemingly unfixable?
Be sure to sound off and let us know what you think in the comments below. If you like what you see, click here for more from Bleacher Report Productions.
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NBA Rumors: Knicks and More Teams That Must Make Offer to Steve Nash This Summer
Phoenix Suns PG Steve Nash is going to be one of the most coveted free agents on the open market this offseason.
Despite the fact that he is 38 years old, the future Hall of Famer is still one of the premier players at his position. That is statement is backed up by his eye-popping figures during the lockout-shortened season (62 GP, 31.6 MPG, 12.5 PPG, 10.7 APG, 3.0 RPG, 53.2% FG, 39.0% 3PT).
There are plenty of contenders who will gladly go to war with him as the starter because of his transcendent ability to find his teammates at impossible angles for wide-open shots.
He’s also completely capable of knocking down his own jumper from anywhere on the floor and still has a knack for getting to the rim when his passing lanes are taken away.
Here’s a look at some teams that should be making a big time offer when free agency starts.
New York Knicks
Just one day removed from a first-round playoff defeat, Amar’e Stoudemire is already publicly lobbying for the services of his former teammate.
According to Frank Isola and Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News:
“Everyone knows that Steve loves New York and that New York loves Steve,” Stoudemire said. “I love Steve. It would be great to have him here next year.”
While the Knicks employed a ton of different PGs this season (Mike Bibby, Baron Davis, Iman Shumpert, Toney Douglas, Jeremy Lin), none were truly effective, aside from a few weeks of Linsanity.
Nash and his ability to facilitate are sorely needed on a roster that features Carmelo Anthony and STAT. The offense gets far too stagnant at times with both players on the floor with an outmatched ball-handler trying to juggle their touches.
The two-time MVP would put winning and the open man ahead of stroking egos, and that would completely change the culture in the Big Apple.
Miami Heat
Based on the fact that Nash has seemingly accomplished everything possible in his illustrious career besides win a title, Miami might have the best shot of landing him.
The Heat are the clear favorites to win in 2012, and that status will not change anytime soon, not while LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are on the roster.
Outside of the “Three Kings,” the team still has plenty of room to upgrade. A quality starting center is its biggest priority, but sending Mario Chalmers to the bench as a backup PG would also be wise.
There is no better player within reach this summer than Nash, who would make this offense run like a well-oiled machine. The Heat already get out and run the floor with the best of them, it’s almost unfathomable what they could do with an all-time passer leading the break.
Portland Trail Blazers
You probably didn’t see this coming, but Portland is actually a great destination for the close-to-retirement point guard.
Isola and Armstrong brought up that the City of Roses hosts the closest NBA franchise (R.I.P. Seattle Supersonics) to Nash’s native Vancouver. They point out that he owns a piece of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC (an MLS team) and has numerous other business ventures in the area.
Nash has also just recently been named the Canadian men’s basketball team general manager.
Aside from his off-the-court ventures in the north, Portland is actually an extremely promising ball club. The Trail Blazers likely have two picks in the stacked 2012 draft lottery (unless the Nets’ No. 1 lands in the top three) and a legitimate star big man in LaMarcus Aldridge.
They would be willing to alter their style around Nash’s strengths and the run-and-gun could definitely work with all of the young pieces surrounding him.
If Nash wants to enjoy his last few NBA seasons with an upcoming team close to his homeland, Portland is the best choice.
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5 teams that will attempt to sign Jeremy Lin from the Knicks
Point guard Jeremy Lin has essentially become a restricted free agent now that the New York Knicks’ season is officially over but the Knicks may not have the money to sign him to a long term contract. The only good news for the Knicks is that under league rules, Lin can only sign for a maximum of $5 million per season over the next two seasons. That doesn’t prevent teams from offering Lin a longer contract paying him more after those first two seasons though. If the Knicks can’t compete with a team willing to sign him to a longer contract then that could be the end of the “Lin-sanity craze” in New York. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE »
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Heat look ahead; Knicks left to ponder
In a series that had promise, compelling story lines never materialized and the Heat predictably eliminated the Knicks 4-1.
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