This season hasn’t exactly gone as planned, huh, Mr. Knicks Fan?
You’ve got players who are chock-full of talent (but who lack everything else), a coach who dreams of Motown in his sleep and a general manager without a plan — or a clue.
So how do you fix the New York Knicks?
First, forget the salary cap. Owner James Dolan doesn’t mind spending so it’s just a matter of getting his money’s worth.
Next, if Isiah Thomas is set on a lineup featuring Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry, then he better start looking for complementary players.
The Knicks currently have “Starbury-clones.” Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and Steve Francis are all undersized guards who like to settle for jumpers. Insert Jalen Rose, Quentin Richardson and Qyntel Woods, and you’ve got three swingmen occupying one role.
Up front, Curry looks increasingly confused with each game. He’s an offensive foul magnet and has never averaged more than six rebounds per game. For a center of his caliber, that’s disgusting. Jerome “Big Snacks” James, who signed a $30 million contract this past offseason, is even worse, averaging a career-best 4.2 rebounds in 2002-03.
Since Curry isn’t a traditional center, the power forward needs to be a garbage man, someone who makes the hustle plays and blocks shots, plays defense and rebounds the ball. Denver’s Reggie Evans fits this description very well, and when healthy, teammate Kenyon Martin is even better, averaging 7.5 rebounds for his career while bringing that enforcer-like attitude that N.Y. has lacked since Charles Oakley was traded.
A long, defensive-minded player should occupy the small forward position. Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince and San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen are the prototypes, but they aren’t available. Minnesota’s Trenton Hassell would fit the role nicely, despite his six-year, $26 million contract. Golden State’s Mickael Pietrus would probably be an even better fit since he’s an explosive scorer and a quality defender. The kicker: he only makes $7.8 million over four years.
At the two, the Knicks need a pure shooter. Richardson was supposed to spread the floor and punish teams double-teaming Curry, but he’s a volume shooter. If he doesn’t get the number of shots he had in Phoenix, he’ll struggle. Atlanta’s Joe Johnson, who is averaging 19.5 points per game, would be a better fit with Marbury, but his five-year, $70 million contract is unattractive. Toronto’s Morris Peterson, who averages 14.6 points per game, or Phoenix’s Raja Bell, who is a reliable defender and ranks sixth in three-point percentage (43 percent), are more realistic options.
Crawford is a great sixth-man, but New York needs a classical point guard to come off the bench. Charlotte’s Brevin Knight or Seattle’s Earl Watson would be perfect. And with this lineup, rookie Channing Frye would be the first forward off the bench. Frye shoots lights out, but like Curry, needs to improve his rebounding and defense. The other rookie forward, David Lee, is the classic energizer off the pine, and Rose would provide relief at the three, two or point. Rounding out the team would be a “non-Big Snacks” center. Atlanta’s Zaza Pachulia, Dallas’ DeSagana Diop or Seattle’s Danny Fortson would provide Curry with solid relief.
So there you go, Zeke. If you want to avoid being burned at the stake in front of 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, I suggest you hop to it.
You’ve got a lot of work to do.