The Knicks Fix

The Knicks won't be represented by any current players at the NBA's upcoming All-Star Weekend later this month, but at least there will be one positive Knick-related story to emerge in New Orleans.

On Feb. 15, the Friday before the weekend festivities, the NBA will announce the finalists for the 2008 Hall of Fame class. This is the first year Patrick Ewing is eligible for the Hall of Fame and you have to believe a man on the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list should be a first-ballot inductee.

Hakeen Olajuwon and Pat Riley (as a coach) are also first-timers. Those two should be with Patrick this September in Springfield, Mass. Quite fitting Patrick and Hakeem would go in together, considering their battles both in college and the NBA. And Riley coached Ewing in his most memorable season as a Knick, though they lost to Olajuwon's Rockets in an epic seven-game series.

I have to add that Bernard King remains on the ballot, as well. We tried to make a case for him last season, but he was still shut out.

The Hall of Fame class will be announced in April at the Final Four.

And just to prove BK was once down with the best in the NBA...check out this vintage commercial (and note two Knick coaches in the mix).

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Put away the ESPN Trade Machine for now. All reports say Shaq is headed to Phoenix in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Hey, Shaq to New York makes zero sense, especially financially, so let's not even go there. Isiah Thomas has known Shawn Marion has been available since training camp, when Marion first started leaking hints that he was going to opt out. You have to hope the Knicks stayed in touch on that topic. But, really, what do the Knicks have that the Suns would want in exchange for Marion?

Please, don't say Renaldo Balkman. Please, don't.

The immediate rush to judgement is this is a curious move by the Suns, who are a run-and-gun team. How could fat, old Shaq keep up? Look at it this way: Mike D'Antoni is conceeding that you can't win in the playoffs going 100 percent with the helter-skelter style. They need a halfcourt game and Shaq gives them the inside-out presence that they need. He has two months to get himself into proper shape and I wouldn't expect the Suns to play him 40 minutes a night. He can give you 20 now and work his way up. But don't think for a second that having him and Amare down low doesn't immediately improve their interior defense. And Steve Nash will find a way to get Shaq easy buckets.

I also like this move to Miami for cap-space reasons but also for style purposes. First of all, you can move Marion to his natural 3 spot and have he and D-Wade play off each other. The Heat are 10 games out of a playoff spot, so I'm not saying this will produce immediate dividends. But the Heat will be fun to watch in a second half that was otherwise not worth watching.

This offseason will be interesting. The Heat are very small all of a sudden, so they need size. Perhaps a call to the Knicks about Eddy Curry? Sure he can't rebound, but that's what they have Udonis Haslem for. And Udonis can hit the 15-footer and defend, as well. Curry's contract is also affordable for the Heat, who will have tons of cap space next season (they have $32 million in contracts for 2008-09 after removing Shaq's $20 mil, but not including Marion's $17.1 million player option).

What would the Knicks take back from Miami? Not much if you want after this season. But if you make a deal before the trade deadline, you could move Curry for Jason Williams' expiring contract straight up. That would save the Knicks $9.7 million next season and $10.5m and $11.2m in the following two seasons, respectively.

While we say all this, let me remind you of what Isiah said last week: "I'm not looking to move anybody."

I asked him specifically about a lot of the rumors that were building up around the league about players being available. In that time we've seen Jason Kidd demand a trade, Shaq and Marion on the verge of being traded and Pau Gasol being dealt in a blockbuster that has made an impact on the power structure in the West.

“I think it will be like every other year," Isiah said at the time. "Everybody always talks, but it’s difficult to make trades. I don’t expect there to be a lot of movement, but you never know. There are a lot of teams that are probably looking to improve themselves, but I don’t know if they’re willing to give up a lot.”

He's either gun-shy at this point after so many failed deals, not allowed to make any more trades by order of the owner or, perhaps, the only player anyone in the NBA wants right now is one of the few untouchables: David Lee.

P.S. - All of you Ron Artest fans, wonder if Chris Mullin is mulling it over. Imagine Stephen Jackson and Ron-Ron as teammates again. Golden State would be a wild card in every sense of the word. But, once again, I wouldn't want to play them in the first round.

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Back-atchas:

@Pete: We'll be hearing enough about the potential of the Boston-LA scenario for the NBA Finals. I wonder if Detroit will be sick of hearing about it like they were in 1989. I wonder if the NBA will take all steps to ensure it happens, considering the ratings tailspin the Finals have had even with LeBron James there last season.

@MattB: Great point. If there was ever an opportune time to fire Isiah and avoid a lot of attention, it was Tuesday. In fact, I woke up ready to spend a nice off-day with my daughter (her school was closed) preparing for the phone call from 212, saying I should get to the Garden by noon for an announcement. Mayor Bloomberg could give the key to the city to Tom Coughlin, then ask him to keep the door locked so Isiah and Co. can't get back in.

@david: I totally understand your frustration. Hope you return once things brighten up. You've always been an intelligent and balanced poster. We miss your input.

@godot: The Knicks could sure use some of the discipline Knight has coached over the years. Could you imagine Knight dealing with Jerome James on the first day of training camp? As for your other questions, I've tried to pinpoint the coaching philosophy on the blog this season, but to be quite honest with you, it seems like they go with whatever works tonight. We're not permitted to watch practice, so I can't tell you what goes on in there. I can only take their word for it that they're working hard and there is accountability and intensity. But the way they play certainly doesn't show evidence of getting good results out of good practices. I don't think Isiah believes in the D-League, otherwise, why not send Chandler and Morris there to play? The D-League has been a good place for young players to get minutes and confidence in their game. What good is it to have them in street clothes or riding the bench every night? And, going back to the practice issue, what kind of habits are they forming in practice?
And I never said I disliked Frye, I just didn't think he fit with the Knicks as a starting PF. He's a mid-range shooter and a very good one. But he doesn't rebound, doesn't defend and doesn't really do much else. Nice kid, I guess, but for a lottery pick he's not starting material in the NBA.

@Marzak: Yeah, I goofed on the numbers left on Jerome James' contract. I included this season in my math. As if two years at $12.8 million for a player who can't even get himself into playing shape is any more attractive to any sane GM. Thanks for playing, too.