Donnie Walsh has done all in his power to have the Knicks to be a major player in this summer’s free agency. With players such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson and Amar’e Stoudamire potentially being available, the allure of New York might attract a few players. Or will it?
Picture Monica Bellucci. Imagine her as the hot woman that you have come to repeatedly try to catch in movies, interviews and celebrity shows. You have an attraction to her because in your heart and your mind, she is the marquee hot actress of the day. Now imagine the likes of Dennis Rodman, Tommy Lee, Screech Powers (his real name is Dustin Diamond, I know), Ric Flair, Mick Foley and Soulja’ Boy all getting a piece of Ms. Bellucci; would she still give you the same feeling as before? You might still be attracted to her, but in the back of your mind, she still hooked up with some screwed up dudes, and that would make you think twice, right? Well in a nutshell, that’s the New York Knicks.
The likes of Isiah Thomas, Stephon Marbury, Jerome James, Eddy Curry and Steve Francis (to name a few) have somewhat tarnished the image and prestige of a once proud franchise. Luckily for Knick fans, Donnie Walsh has done a great job of cleaning up the mess and putting the team in a position to land marquee free agents this offseason. However, what happens if New York fails to land LeBron James or Dwyane Wade? What if some of the lower tier free agents are unsure about the bright New York lights? Should it be prudent for them to possibly wait until next summer to land a few quality free agents? The idea is interesting, but who will be available next summer? Let’s have a look at the 2011 NBA free agents.
ATLANTA
Restricted
Al Horford
Unrestricted
Jamal Crawford
BOSTON
Restricted
None
Unrestricted
Glen Davis
Kendrick Perkins
CHARLOTTE
Restricted
Derrick Brown
Unrestricted
None
CHICAGO
Restricted
Joakim Noah
Unrestricted
None
CLEVELAND
Restricted
Daniel Green
Unrestricted
Jamario Moon
Anthony Parker
Delonte West
DALLAS
Restricted
None
Unrestricted
Caron Butler
Erick Dampier
Dirk Nowitzki (has option to become free agent this summer)
DeShawn Stevenson
DENVER
Restricted
Aaron Afflalo
Unrestricted
Carmelo Anthony (Early Termination Option)
Nene HIlario (Early Termination Option)
Kenyon Martin (has option to become free agent this summer)
J.R. Smith
DETROIT
Restricted
Jonas Jerebko
DaJuan Summers
Rodney Stuckey
Unrestricted
Tayshaun Prince
Chris Wilcox (has option to become free agent this summer)
GOLDEN STATE
Retsricted
Reggie Williams
Brandan Wright
Unrestricted
Ronny Turiaf
Kelenna Azubuike
Vladimir Radmanovic (has option to become free agent this summer)
Anthony Morrow
HOUSTON
Restricted
Aaron Brooks
Mike Harris
Hilton Armstrong
Unrestricted
Shane Battier
Jared Jeffries
Yao Ming (has option to become free agent this summer)
INDIANA
Restricted
None
Unrestricted
Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Jeff Foster
T.J. Ford (has option to become free agent this summer)
Solomon Jones
Josh McRoberts
Troy Murphy
L.A. CLIPPERS
Restricted
Mardy Collins
Unrestricted
None
L.A. LAKERS
Restricted
None
Unrestricted
Sasha Vujacic
MEMPHIS
Restricted
Mike Conley
Marc Gasol
Hamed Haddadi
Sam Young (Team Option)
Rudy Gay
Unrestricted
Zach Randolph
MIAMI
Restricted
Daquean Cook
Unrestricted
None
MILWAUKEE
Restricted
Darnell Jackson
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Unrestricted
Charlie Bell (Early Termination Option)
Dan Gadzuric
Michael Redd (has option to become free agent this summer)
John Salmons (has option to become free agent this summer)
MINNESOTA
Restricted
Corey Brewer
Unrestricted
Ryan Hollins (Player Option)
NEW JERSEY
Restricted
Yi Jianlian
Unrestricted
Keyon Dooling
Kris Humphries (has option to become free agent this summer)
NEW ORLEANS
Restricted
Marcus Thornton
Julian Wright
Unrestricted
Morris Peterson
David West (Early Termination Option)
Peja Stojakovic
Darius Songaila (has option to become free agent this summer)
NEW YORK
Restricted
Wilson Chandler
Unrestricted
Eddy Curry (has option to become free agent this summer)
OKLAHOMA CITY
Restricted
Kevin Durant
Jeff Green
Unrestricted
Nick Collison
Nenad Krstic (has option to become free agent this summer)
ORLANDO
Restricted
None
Unrestricted
Mickel Pietrus (Player Option)
PHILADELPHIA
Restricted
Jason Smith
Thaddeus Young
Unrestricted
Samuel Dalembert
Jason Kapono
Willie Green
PHOENIX
Restricted
Goran Dragic (team option)
Jared Dudley
Unrestricted
Leando Barobsa (Player Option)
Jason Richardson
Amar’e Stoudemire (has option to become free agent this summer)
Grant Hill (has option to become free agent this summer)
Channing Frye (has option to become free agent this summer)
PORTLAND
Restricted
Dante Cunningham
Greg Oden
Unrestricted
None
SACRAMENTO
Restricted
Spencer Hawes
Unrestricted
None
SAN ANTONIO
Restricted
Alonzo Gee
Malik Hairston
Curtis Jerrelis
Garrett Temple
Unrestricted
Tim Duncan
Tony Parker
TORONTO
Restricted
Marco Belinelli
Sonny Weems
Unrestricted
Marcus Banks
Reggie Evans
Chris Bosh (has option to become free agent this summer)
UTAH
Restricted
Sundiata Gaines
Othyrus Jeffers
Unrestricted
Andrei Kirilenko
Mehmet Okur
WASHINGTON
Restricted
Al Thornton
Nick Young
Unrestricted
None
Do any of the names listed above sound like franchise players? Can you see any one of these potential free agents making the Knicks a perennial playoff team? Not at all. So the time is now for the Knicks. But what options will they have if LeBron and Wade turn them down?
Great question. Since New York will have a lot of cap room to spare this offseason, one option that they might be able to look at is the possibility of trading for a good/great player that’s trapped on a bad team. Have a look at the players that fit this description:
-Danny Granger
-Gilbert Arenas
-David West
-Chris Paul
-Al Jefferson
-Monta Ellis
-Andris Biedrins
-Chris Kaman
–Baron Davis
-Corey Maggette
-Devin Harris
-Andre Iguodala
-Shane Battier
-Kevin Love
-Brook Lopez
-Carl Landry
Not a bad list at all. Chris Paul and David West are probably off limits for now because the only reason they failed to make the playoffs this year is because Paul missed a big chunk of games due to injury. The rest of the players on the list can probably be had for the right price. Let’s go through some hypothetical scenarios for the Knicks:
-So let’s say the Knicks go after a point guard (Gilbert Arenas, Baron Davis, Devin Harris or Chris Paul); then they can go after a big man (Boozer, Stoudemire or Bosh) and then compliment all of that with a solid wing player (Rudy Gay or Joe Johnson). Those three players just ate up the Knicks cap room but the roster still includes Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Toney Douglas .
-In addition, Donnie Walsh can probably sell Kurt Thomas on the idea of signing for half of the midlevel exception (you always need an enforcer).
-Once he’s done with signing Thomas, he can go after Matt Barnes for the remainder of the midlevel (Barnes has the option to become a free agent this year, and considering that he would be making $1.6 million next season if he keeps his current contract with the Magic, I think he makes the decision to become a free agent to double his salary).
-Now have a look at the rest of the players that the Knicks can target (they could actually sign all of them) for the league minimum: Shaun Livingston, Tim Thomas and Raja Bell.
-Remember Eddy Curry’s contract? Well Walsh could trade it to get some additional cap space; although that might prove to be hard. If unsuccessful in doing so, the Knicks could trade Curry to Charlotte for Boris Diaw (thus giving Bobcats salary cap relief).
In case you hadn’t noticed, we just built the Suns of the Eastern Conference with Mike D’Antoni coaching the team. Keep in mind, this is the worst case scenario for the Knickerbockers. Indeed, this summer’s free agency might play itself out differently; there is still the possibility that New York might get either LeBron or Wade. However, in the event that such is not possible, I still think that this is a fairly decent contingency plan. What do you think?
Feel free to share your opinions in the comments section.
NBA BOXSCORE: A quick look at the NBA.
Points: Congratulations to the Cleveland Cavaliers for clinching home court throughout the playoffs.
Rebounds: After losing to the Knicks on Tuesday night, the Celtics rebounded with a win in Toronto on Wednesday night that propelled them into the #3 seed (Atlanta lost in Detroit).
Assists: The Chris Bosh injury might have actually given the Chicago Bulls a shot at the playoffs. Can the Bulls capitalize though?
Steals: 1. Spurs are on the verge of being able to keep Manu Ginobili off the free agent market by giving him a three year extension. 2. Utah Jazz got a gift on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant was fouled at the end of overtime but the refs swallowed their whistle and allowed the Jazz to walk away victorious.
Blocks: Coach K is not going anywhere near the swamps of New Jersey.
Turnovers: Does Kevin Garnett’s tough guy act even work anymore? It seems as though he actually fires up his opponents now. Just something to pay attention to.
Photo by: AP/Kathy Kmonicek
From: ESPN
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