<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">For the last seven years, I've spent every February day before the trade deadline with my cell phone surgically attached to my ear, listening for the hottest rumors. Freed from that obligation this year, I've been able to take a step back and gain a different perspective on what's going on around the league. Usually, I'm obsessed with what's going to happen. This year, I'm obsessed with what should happen. Every year, some teams are so good, they aren't going to make any major changes to their team (though you may see minor deals like the Pistons picking up an extra backup point guard). And every year, there are teams that are so bad they're just hanging out, waiting for contracts to expire and the lottery balls to bounce their way. But there are always 10 or so teams that are caught somewhere in the middle. To borrow from my main man, Bono, they're running to stand still. They aren't good enough to contend or bad enough to overhaul the roster. Those teams need to change what they're doing. Now. Here are five teams and 10 big trades that I believe should be made before the deadline. Most of the teams listed here won't pull the trigger. But they'll regret that decision after an early April exit, with only a middling lottery pick to give fans hope that things will be better next year. New York Knicks No surprise here. From what we hear, Isiah Thomas is thinking about trading the whole roster -- then trading the guys he just traded for all over again. Just kidding. But the Knicks are terrible -- no joke. Larry Brown has been an awful fit. The team is going nowhere. They won't have cap room until who knows when. The Bulls have their picks the next two years. What's a GM with a $120 million payroll to do? Isiah has two options. One is to try to use the expiring contract of Penny Hardaway along with one of his rookies, like Nate Robinson or David Lee, in an attempt to add a legit star to the roster. Option No. 1: New York sends Hardaway, Jamal Crawford, Robinson and Trevor Ariza to Seattle. Seattle sends Ray Allen, Danny Fortson and Vitaly Potapenko to New York. ? See this trade in the ESPN Trade Machine. This deal gives the Knicks a major upgrade at the two -- an All-Star shooter to replace Allan Houston and balance out the Knicks' offense. Fortson and Potapenko have terrible contracts. But let's face it, when has that ever discouraged the Knicks? Seattle would be tempted because of the cap relief they'd get with Hardaway's expiring contract (they'd be about $17 million under the cap this summer). Crawford isn't the player that Allen is, but he has some local appeal. Robinson would be a big hit in Seattle (where the Sonics are taking a huge hit in attendance at the moment) and Ariza is a nice young player to develop behind Rashard Lewis. The Knicks' other option is to stick to the rebuilding mode, hang on tight to the young kids and try to swap expiring contracts and veterans for young players and picks. This is actually harder to do because the Knicks don't really have any players (other the aforementioned young players) that anyone really covets. The upside? If Isiah goes this route, maybe Larry Brown will just up and quit. Option No. 2: New York sends Hardaway to Portland. Portland sends Travis Outlaw, Theo Ratliff and Ruben Patterson to New York. ? See this trade in the ESPN Trade Machine. Think of this as a Penny for Outlaw trade straight up. The Knicks swallow a couple of ugly salaries to get their hands on a young player with upside that plays a position they need. While Outlaw looked great in the summer leagues, he hasn't exactly shined in Portland. If the Blazers are serious about keeping Darius Miles around, there isn't really a place for Outlaw. Meanwhile, the Blazers get roughly $8 million under the cap this summer. In this case, the Knicks' core would be Channing Frye, Outlaw, Eddy Curry and Nate Robinson. They would still need to fill in pieces, but this is how the Knicks need to go about rebuilding, if they are committed to it. Quit turning those expiring contracts into veterans with bad contracts, and start turning them into young prospects. With Jalen Rose and Mo Taylor set to come off the books again next year, the Knicks will need to try to make the same play in February 2007. Minnesota Timberwolves The Wolves have already made a couple of big moves this year, but neither is paying off. The Sam Cassell-for-Marko Jaric trade has backfired big time. And the Wolves haven't been appreciably better since they swapped Wally Szczerbiak and Michael Olowokandi for Ricky Davis, Mark Blount and Marcus Banks. So, what to do? The Wolves also have a couple of options. One is to try to leverage their remaining assets to bring one more talented veteran onto the team. Kevin McHale believes they are one piece away. Can a combo of Jaric and Eddie Griffin get them what they want? Option No. 1: Minnesota sends Jaric, Rashad McCants, Trenton Hassell and Griffin to New York. New York sends Stephon Marbury to Minnesota. ? See this trade in the ESPN Trade Machine. Option No. 2: Minnesota sends Jaric, McCants, Mark Madsen and Griffin to Orlando. Orlando sends Steve Francis to Minnesota. ? See this trade in the ESPN Trade Machine. Option No. 1 is a great trade for Minnesota if they can get it. Marbury thrived in Minnesota last time he was there and might be the piece that could put them in the playoffs. Where Marbury and Garnett would take them from there is anyone's guess, given the lack of playoff experience for both players. But would New York do this? I'm not sure what this would give them, other than a couple of nice young prospects in McCants and Griffin. Larry Brown would hate Jaric. And I have a hard time believing he'd like McCants or Griffin much either. That means he'd spend all of his time playing Hassell. That's just what New York fans are looking for. The Wolves could offer this same deal to Orlando for Francis. It works under the cap and Orlando may have more incentive to take it. Jaric would be a good fit in the backcourt with Jameer Nelson. Jaric would provide size and defense, unlike Nelson. McCants and Griffin are nice young players and Madsen would probably be a nice tutor for Darko on the front line. But is Francis a fit in Minnesota? Maybe. I think he's kind of a poor man's Marbury. Given that I'm no fan of Marbury, you get the picture. The third option is what I call the nuclear option, because it calls for the Timberwolves to trade Kevin Garnett. This has been talked about for years. The problem for Minnesota has been that it has never been in their best interest to pull the trigger on such a trade.</div> ESPN
I think this guy is pulling these trades out of his ass. I mean they dont seem like beneficial trades cause the Knicks arent getting much in either. Minnesota isnt going to ship McCants and I thought the Knicks wanted Steve Francis?
