When you're on deadline and you've got to bang out 600 words for a story about the Knicks, who win a game with a ridiculous record-setting 23-point overtime and have an altercation on their bench during a critical timeout and are the subject of some wild trade speculation...those are the two words that keep coming to mind.
Chaos reigns.
It reigns when Isiah Thomas before the game says getting under the cap is "not our goal"...
... when the Knick offense, which has so often struggled to find any fluidity, opens overtime with 11 straight points, all off of good ball movement and good shooting ...
... when you read an ESPN.com report that says the Knicks have been in talks about a three-team deal where Miami gets Eddy Curry, the Nets get Miami's expiring contracts in Jason Williams and Ricky Davis and the Knicks get Vince Carter and the $48.8 million left on his contract ...
Didn't I tell you to be very afraid?
But this trade rumor makes little sense and, as such, it likely won't happen. Aside from the contract issue, Vince Carter doesn't fill a need and, like Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson said earlier this season, I think VC is done. You're getting a 31-year-old with little-to-no fire left in his game and even less of the amazing athleticism he used to have. He takes some bad shots. And did I mention that he doesn't fill a need? This is usually the reason why you even consider taking on a big contract.
The Knicks greatest need, even Thomas has acknowledged this, is at the point guard position. Carter is a shooting guard, which is what Jamal Crawford is and what Fred Jones is and what Quentin Richardson is supposed to be and what Wilson Chandler is supposed to be one day. The Knicks are loaded with swingmen, especially if you include Renaldo Balkman and Jared Jeffries in discussion.
Thomas has been talking up the "small ball" game - his latest infatuation, no doubt. We started with New York being a guard town, which is why Stephon Marbury was here. Then he said the Big Man was the way to go and the offense went through Eddy Curry. Then it was the "power game" approach when Zach Randolph was added to the mix....
Again, I don't see this one happening. But just the fact that it was in discussion should be alarming.
As NYC suggested in his post, the saving grace -- and the move no one would argue with -- is if Isiah sent Curry to Miami and got back Jason Williams and his expiring. The Knicks would have a playmaking PG for the final 29 games of the season (ahem, playoff push) and then get that $8.9 mil off the payroll.
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* - Here's a YouTube video replay of the water fight Nate and Zach had on the bench. After the game, Isiah alluded to a "fiestiness" and "nastiness" that is developing with his team. He embraces the chaos.
Both players downplayed it after the game, but that was well after the game. The locker room wasn't opened to the media for over 20 minutes after the game ended, which is a violation of the NBA media policy. Zach said it was just heat of the moment. Nate said what mattered was the team won.
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* - @Trane: I'd hardly say Dolan took Grunwald with him to NoLa. Isiah spent the weekend in Chicago with his ailing mother, so Grunwald was dispatched to work the GM crowd.
* - Apologies for the lack of a PreGame post. Once again I experienced problems with the wireless at the Verizon Center. Their system doesn't work with Vista. Cue the neo-hippie Mac dude's passive-aggressive boasting that a Mac works anywhere. Go away.
Comments (8)
Alan,
Eddy only played 15 minutes last night. Did he get hurt? Did anyone talk about that after the game?
Chaos reigns.
I've noticed a lot of trade scenarios involving the Knicks has them taking on a huge, bad contract: VC, Kenyon Martin, Ben Wallace, and others. I suspect this stuff is being generated by the team looking to unload their guy on Zeke. Otherwise, these deals would be completed by now. If someone says they'll take Kenyon Martin, you don't quibble about details, you just pull the trigger.
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If they continue to win games by 23 point sets than I will allow Zach throw water on the whole team to get them to play better. In fact, I could help to my amazement.
Vince Carter I feel still has a lot of game left in him and is not done. Would I take VC over any of our forwards? With out a doubt. But, he has a huge contract and to top it off the management situation after the season is a question mark. I say Williams and his expiring contract can help us way more than getting "Airless Canada"in a losing effort with a multi year commitment.
Fixers, I found a cleaner version of the bench altercation and posted it. This shows a lot more than what I saw from my vantage point, which, at the Verizon Center, is a perch over the tunnel that leads to the locker room area. We are situation on an angle in the corner of the arena and while we can see the bench area, you don't see it face-on. @flybanjo: Curry isn't hurt, just isn't playing. Curry did spend a lot of time in the training room during the morning availability and also hid there during the pregame. He is being phased out just like Stephon Marbury was phased out. Chaos reigns, Fixers. Chaos reigns.
Thanks, Alan – I knew it was too good to be true. To assume that Dolan had learned something . . .
I can’t think of a trade that makes less sense for the Knicks than Vince Carter. Except if you’re Isiah Thomas and trying to save your job and hope Vince can help you win a few more games this year. Because it certainly isn’t a trade that looks ahead, to the future of the team. If it’s the wrong trade, giving up too much for the wrong player . . . and Isiah is still in charge of trades . . . Call the league. It’s as good as done.
The Knicks are now riding a two game streak - we should expect to hear from the turning the corner crowd soon.
I agree with AR - Carter isn't the answer. If the team philosophy has once again transformed - good bye power game - and small ball is the catch of the day, we need tough players. A small ball team is always undersized and needs to scrap and hustle to make up for it. Carter is soft as Charmin. In Toronto, he was known as Wince for his fragile body, lack of mental toughness and non-existent pain threshold. He is also a terrible defender. He is talented though.
Trane: Grunwald was not as bad in Toronto as Isiah has been in NY. He was thought to have been fleeced when he traded Damon Stoudamire to Portland for Kenny Anderson, but Stoudamire wanted out. He swung the Antawn Jamison/Vince Carter deal on draft day and made Vince the centerpiece.
When the Raptors made it to the second round of the 2001 playoffs (beating the Knicks in Round 1) and almost knocked off the eventual Eastern Conference champ Sixers in a great 7 game series, Grunwald (and a lot of fans) thought they were close to contention. So he made his big move – long term, cap killing deals for Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams and Jerome Williams, and signing the ghost of Olajuwon, all to keep Carter happy (VC then signed a max deal). Of course Vince became Wince, I think A. Williams spent the next few years on the disabled list, Olajuwon was done, etc., so who knows what could have happened. Grunwald was fired based on the results, but his replacement, Rob Babcock was realistically as out of his depth as Isiah.
So Grunwald has made some bad moves, but the difference between his bad moves and Isiah’s are that there is a logic to Grunwald’s. He doesn’t jump on any player that comes available, but tries to find pieces that fit into an improvement plan. The jury is still out on whether or not his judgment is good enough.
All of this should be revised if it turns out that he was responsible for the Zach trade, which is as destructive long and short term as anything Isiah has done here.
A trade for Carter will be the straw that breaks the camel's back for me. I'd never watch the Knicks again.