Chris Paul Moving On Up to MSG?

By Canbek Alakay

This must be karma for the LeBron James debacle; Chris Paul has said he wants out of New Orleans, and he's given the Hornets a list of teams. Who's at the top you ask? The New York Knickerbockers. I was so excited when I heard that, not only did he want to leave New Orleans, but his top priority was to join New York, I misspelled Turiaf's name in a recent tweet involving a possible trade for the leagues best young point guard. Using ESPN's handy Trade Machine, I've crafted a trade that would work for both sides.

New York receives: Chris Paul (2 years, $31.8 million) and Emeka Okafor (4 years, $52.1 million)

New Orleans receives: Eddy Curry (1 year, $11 million), Ronny Turiaf (1 year, $4,000,000) Danilo Gallinari (1 year, $3.3 million), Wilson Chandler (1 year, $2.1 million) and Toney Douglas (1.1 million)

The Hornets will be looking for cap relief more than anything else, having signed several veterans to overpriced contracts over the years (Stojakovic ($14.2 million, expiring), Okafor (see above), and Posey ($13.5 million over the next two years). This deal clears Okafor's huge contract and also gets rid of Paul's nearly $17 million per year off the books. They would receive five expiring contracts, one of which (Curry), could be a valuable piece in a future trade with another team looking for cap relief.

The Knicks lose two of my favorite current players, Gallinari and Chandler, but that's the price you have to pay if you want to build a winning team. There aren't many guys like Gallinari, someone who could average 50-40-90 (FG%-3P%-FT%). However, it doesn't hurt as much because the Knicks also traded for Anthony Randolph recently, who will fill in for Gallo's absence quite well. Azubuike could also come in for Chandler and produce (Azubuike's 2009 PER was six points higher than Chandler's).

In the end, the Knicks starting lineup would be Paul and Azubuike in the backcourt, with Randolph, Amar'e, and Okafor in the frontcourt. Those five alone could get at least a six seed in the East. Add in role players such as Bill Walker and Raymond Felton off the bench, and you have a team that could very well challenge the top four in the East (Heat, Celtics, Magic, and Hawks). New Orleans, on the other hand, receive the Peja they wanted to sign in Gallinari, a very good sixth man type in Wilson Chandler, as well as a lot of cap relief. If they waive or trade Curry's contract, they could very well save up to $70 million over the next four years, $70 million which could go to the best free agents of 2011 and 2012.

If this deal ends up happening, it could very well sway Carmelo Anthony into possibly joining the Knicks next year. Everyone would forget about Miami's big three and focus on the real "Big Three" in the Big Apple: Paul, Melo and Amar'e, hopefully coming to MSG in 2011.

The Aftermath of the LeBronathon

By Canbek Alakay

If you're a Knicks fan, you've got to be feeling down. It wasn't bad enough that he decided to go to a different team, or that he forgot to mention New York in his ridiculous decision special, but taking Bosh with him to join Wade in South Beach? That's like losing your girlfriend to some new guy, and then finding out that they were in cahoots six months before your breakup.

You've probably read a thousand articles about it already, either praising or condemning the self proclaimed "King" for his actions. This isn't one of those. Instead, I'd like to discuss where the Knicks go from here, and what they can do to relive the brighter days of Willis, Clyde, Bernard, and Ewing.

First of all, let's take a look at what the Knicks have done up to now. The club signed Amar'e Stoudamire to a five year, $100 million deal. I was a bit apprehensive of the move at first considering the fact that we just invested $100 million dollars into a big who isn't very much interested in rebounding or defending. Then I remember, thanks to D'Antoni's D'Inflation, he averaged 26-9 in 2004-05. Granted, he was playing with Steve Nash, but still, if we can get something like 22-10 or 24-9, then I'll be satisfied.

Next up is Raymond Felton. I've never been a fan of Felton to be honest, and I didn't like this move. However, he is an upgrade over Duhon. I believe he will most likely be used next year as a possible trade chip, coupled with Curry, for the Chris Paul deal that has me salivating. Just CP3 and Amar'e alone would be ridiculous. The fact that we have room for a max next year - a class that will likely include Carmelo, Yao and Tony Parker - is even more ridiculous. There's a good chance that this time next year, the Knicks will have their own big three.

The latest free agent addition is Timofey Mozgov, a 7'1'' center from Russia. Mozgov fills a big need at the five spot that desperately needs someone who is willing to bang down low and compensate for Amar'e. I'm not a Russian league expert, but most European centers haven't been built in the Russell mould, so I'm a little skeptical. However, on the other hand, most European centers are also very good three-point shooters, so I'm expecting him to fit D'Antoni's system like a glove.

Luckily, the Knicks picked up a bruiser who isn't afraid to hound his man and try to swat his shot on every possession. The Knicks sign-and-traded David Lee for Ronny Turiaf, along with Kelenna Azubuike and my favorite addition this summer, Anthony Randolph. Randolph is an excellent forward prospect. He creates mismatches at the three with his length, and is able to blow by many big fours with his excellent speed. He's a liability when it comes to defending big men, however, because he lacks elite strength. I expect to see Randolph get minutes at the three backing up Gallo this season, and possibly shift to the four when Amar'e needs a breather.

I've been a big admirer of Azubuike since his jump from the D-League to the NBA. His ability to play the two and the three affords us flexibility when we go big or small. He's an excellent role player and 9th man who you find on championship-calibre teams. Turiaf is another good addition because he can provide a spark off the bench and is a good defender. I expect him to either start or split minutes with Mozgov.

Sure, you might say we missed out on the two top players in the league, but hey, I'm an optimist. I feel good about what we've ended up with, and the moves we're making. We picked up an upgrade or a good role player in all five positions. However, we still need to make a few more moves because we're extremely thin at the guard position. I would have liked to see us bring back Nate, but I'll be satisfied if we find a good backup or two in the summer league.

Donnie, you gave us hope when you took over. Now it's time for you to deliver.

Gallo and Wil come up big in meaningless win

By Donny Shabtai
Not surprising to any real Knicks fan, last night the Knickerbockers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 99-98. Anyone who watches the Knicks knows that can be competitive for a stretch. With the losses piling up, most recently to the WNBA team that plays in Jersey, the Knicks came out ready to prove they're not as bad as their record says they are. Gallo was hot from the start, dunking on the first play of the game. After what seemed like forever (21 straight games without hitting 20 points) the Rooster finally busted out of his hen for an enormous 27 points, on 9-14 shooting overall, going 4-5 from downtown and 5-6 from the charity stripe, two spots which should be layups for Danilo, though he's been struggling from there lately.
All season long Knicks commentators Mike Breen and Clyde (as well as everyone else in the five boroughs) that Gallo needs to be more aggressive and assert himself on the offensive end. All too often Gallo puts himself in a corner and waits for the ball. Monday against the Hawks, the Rooster was coming to the ball, putting himself in position to get off his gorgeous shot.

Toney "Money" Douglas has been seeing more time on the court and has been making it count. His defensive tenacity has proven to be valuable for the offensive minded Knicks. Although he had a great game, his turnover at the end of fourth quarter could have been disastrous had Wil-the-Thrill not been there to save his butt. Don't know what I'm talking about? Take a look.

Where is Lee going to be next year?

By: Donny Shabtai

Every Knicks fan is well aware about the big time free agents who will be available this summer. 'Bron. Wade. Bosh. Joe Johnson. Over two years ago with an enormous amount of foresight, Knicks president Donnie Walsh started cleaning house so that the Knicks can be players during this summers much anticipated free agency. The Knicks plan, which they completed with the Jeffries trade this past month, was to have enough cap space two offer two different players max contracts (17 million apiece). Bron and Wade. Bron and Bosh. Joe Johnson and Amare. The speculation is endless. However, with the recent rise in David Lee's game, one has to wonder if it's worth offering one player a max contract, and a modest contract (10 mil or so) to Lee. With the leftover money the Knicks can sign a decent center (think Brendan Haywood) which would allow Lee to move to power forward, his natural position. The money can be saved for the next summer, when Eddy Curry's fat contract comes off the books, and the Knicks will find themselves in position to offer another player a max contract (two summers free agency is almost as enticing as this years).
To Lee's credit, he has improved his game by leaps and bounds year after year. He started out as a rugged rebounder, then learned to finish with both hands around the rim, and ultimately became a reliable mid range shooter. In the last three years his scoring average went from 10.8 to 16.2 to 20.2. What makes you think he is going to stop improving his game? He runs the pick and roll as well as any big man in the league, and if he was able to run it with the new no. 6, would be an unstoppable force.
Yes, I know he is not as good as Chris Bosh. However, Lee has been here for five horrific years, and has hustled every play in that span. He is the captain of the team. When his grandfather died a few months ago, Lee rented his own private plan to make sure that he got to the game in time, all because he is the captain. This is a guy who wants to be here, and we should want him to stay.
What do you think? Is it worth signing one star and David Lee? What are your thoughts? Leave a comment!