I like the Knicks. Really. But I don't understand the logic behind signing all these undersized PF's. Isiah got my respect by getting Marbury, but then he just went downhill. The one big man the Knicks had, Nazi Mohammed, you gave away to the now Championship bound Spurs. Now you're stuck with Kurt Thomas, Mo Taylor, Malik Rose, Junkyard Dog, and Sweetney (hope I didn't leave out anybody). Somebody tell Isiah that these guys all play the same position. Not to mention the horrific contracts they all have. The person I really feel for is Marbury, he deserves a better nucleus of talent around him. I think he can be truly as effective as Nash, but Isiah keeps screwing up the team. When will Isiah get it together?
I see the logic in Isiah getting all of these power forwards. Yes, the Marbury deal was something I liked from Isiah (would?ve liked to keep Lampe though), but still overall it was a good deal. While Nazr Mohammed definitely got better from last season, he was in no way in indispensable to the team. Their 21-33 record before they traded him should explain that to you. Aguirre did help him out plenty, but whether we had him or not, our record would have been pretty much the same. I am one of the few people who supported the deal Isiah made at the trade deadline and I?ll briefly explain to you why. First of all, the Knicks acquired to first round draft picks from the Spurs in 2005 and 2006. Although they got the 30th pick this year and their second pick in 2006 will most likely be late again next year, with the depth of the draft and the r?sum? Isiah Thomas has in drafting players, it was a very good deal. Let?s say this year the Knicks land Andray Blatche. If he works out with Aguirre and plays to his full potential, than there should be no doubt in anyone?s mind he will be a very good player in the league and quite possibly even a superstar. His upside is unquestionably better than Mohammed?s so if he lands in New York this June, they will have a nice project that can help them for many years. Malik Rose does have a big contract, but he is better than Mohammed right now and despite being undersized (although he can get away with it in the East), he gives the Knicks depth, adds championship experience to their roster, and much more energy and consistency than Mohammed has ever given us. Maurice Taylor to me was kind of like a no-brainer. We traded him for Moochie Norris and Vin Baker and in addition, we got a second round pick from them as well. Baker gave us absolutely nothing. He just simply collected dust on the bench and was a non-factor in every single game the Knicks played this season. Moochie Norris was similar however not as extreme as Baker. He was a nice cheerleader on the bench and brought some energy here and there, but overall he didn?t give the Knicks much. Mo? Taylor gave the Knicks instant offense off the bench and reliable offense in the post. He isn?t as terrible a rebounder as everyone suggested and if he gives us 20 strong minutes a game, he will most definitely be a candidate for 6th man of the year. Another great thing about Taylor is his contract. It is somewhat hefty, but it expires the same time as Allan Houston?s contract and around that time, the Knicks for once in a long time will have some flexibility in the cap just in time when there are some great free agents around. In total, the Knicks will lose 30 million dollars in cap in 2007 and even if they don?t wait for the summer, the can save their expiring contracts for the deadline where anything can happen i.e. Baron Davis to the Warriors or Chris Webber to the Sixers. They get better now and better financially in the future. Overall I think their trade at the deadline wasn?t too bad as many suggested and I?m struggling to find the flaws in it. It was a great move for the Knicks in my opinion and even though they have that power forward glut, some of them like double-double machine Kurt Thomas are bound to be traded this summer. Of course their decisions at the draft, free agency and other offseason moves will have to be taken into consideration, but they have all of the materials to be great if Isiah does the right moves from here on in.
