Knicks’ Reliables, Expendables

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

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The Knicks long ago became something of a surreal story, and for their fans the present can be too hard to contemplate at times. So let’s cut them a break today and let them bask in the glory of a rare win on Wednesday night.

Instead, how about we look into the future? As in, when this mess is all over, who stays? The Knicks have looked so irredeemable that the impulse for whoever replaces Isiah Thomas to simply waive all 15 players and start over fresh must be strong.

However, that obviously isn’t the best way to go. So instead, let’s play pretend. Suppose somebody intelligent took charge of the Knicks and was given the monumental task of rebuilding the franchise. Whoever inherits the job will begin with Thomas’s roster, whether he likes it or not. Thus, the first task is to go up and down the roster and determine which pieces can be salvaged and which must be sold for scrap.

Completely Irredeemable

Jerome James: The first thing the new general manager does should be to cut James. Don’t even order new business cards or get a cup of coffee; just start off by making the symbolic gesture of dumping the most preposterous gaffe of the Thomas era. James is utterly devoid of value and more than happy to spend the next two and a half years at the buffet table collecting his $6 million a year. Give him his golden parachute and hit the eject button, already.

Stephon Marbury: He’s a lightning rod for the Knicks’ woes, and one whose contract makes him untradeable (he’s owed $20 million next year). The best thing at this point would be to buy out his contract and hope he can salvage his career someplace else. Not all the criticism he’s taken has been deserved, but at this point the baggage is stacked higher than the luggage carousel will be at LaGuardia this weekend. It’s time to move on.

Eddy Curry: A one-dimensional, sporadically motivated center who is paid like a franchise player and has an uninsurable contract, Curry’s obviously difficult to trade. But the Knicks must bite the bullet and take back pennies on the dollar here. Or even pesos. If you presume that you can only keep one of Curry and Randolph, then he’s the one that has to go. It’s time to stop pretending it was worth giving up two lottery picks and admit failure here.

Jared Jeffries: You can’t have 17 small forwards. Jeffries is the worst of them, has the worst contract, and as a small-town guy, he is arguably the least suited to New York. He’d probably require a buyout because there’s no market for him in a trade, but starting over requires a housecleaning, and this is part of the process.

Keep Until Something Better Comes Along

Jamal Crawford: He’s a fairly productive player, but the problem is that he’s been infected with the Knicks’ high-flash, low-effectiveness approach, and I’m not sure he can change his stripes. His contract isn’t great either. That means the first team that asks nicely should be able to get him in a trade. In the meantime the Knicks should be able to salvage some productivity from him.

Malik Rose: He’s worth keeping until his contract expires at the end of next season, because he’s a hardworking veteran who defends and can show some of the other guys how to be a pro — especially once the Knicks jettison the many terrible counter-examples from the locker room. Also, his expiring deal might net something more juicy this summer or at the 2009 trade deadline.

Quentin Richardson: He can’t exactly be “in their plans” when he’s playing this badly, but as with Rose he’s a pro who will set the right example, and his contract makes him all but impossible to trade.

Fred Jones: He’s done nothing to disgrace himself, but he has an expiring deal and there’s not any compelling reason to invite him back.

Mardy Collins, Randolph Morris, and Wilson Chandler: I throw all three of these guys in the same boat, because the Knicks need to figure out what they have in them before they decide how to proceed. If Isiah is fired during the season (we can still hope, can’t we?), one thing his coaching successor needs to do is get these three on the court and figure out if they can play. If so, they’re inexpensive building blocks for the next couple of years (presuming Morris can be re-signed at a reasonable price). If not, we can stop wasting our time and clear some roster space. Right now, there isn’t enough information to make a decision one way or the other.

Probably Keepers, But …

Zach Randolph: His contract is horrible, his attitude questionable, his defense nonexistent. Yet Randolph has one advantage over his teammates — he is genuinely, monstrously talented. Not in the “you could imagine him being a star” way that Isiah’s other acquisitions were, either — this guy has been there and done that. If they get Curry out of his way, you’ll see what a beast Randolph can be in the low post. If they get a defensive-minded center around him you’ll stop fretting so much about the D. And if they get some better role models on the team, he might even join in with the program. If Randolph has issues with the law again or won’t buy into the new program, then it’s time to re-evaluate. But for the moment, one has to look at him more as part of the solution than as part of the problem.

Nate Robinson: Nobody is quite sure what to do with a 5-foot-9-inch shooting guard, but here’s a suggestion: Put him in with the second unit, give him the green light, and let the chips fall where they may. That should be another of the new coach’s year-end projects — figuring out the best use for Robinson’s odd skill set. His immaturity and shot selection are issues, yes, but as with Randolph he might benefit from having some better apples around him once the housecleaning starts.

Definite Keepers

Renaldo Balkman: He hasn’t been quite the energizer he was a year ago, but Balkman is one of the Knicks’ two definite keepers. (Yes, there are only two. Sigh.) He’s the only Knick who can be a defensive disrupter with steals and blocked shots, and he could be an ace stopper down the road. And offensively, he doesn’t need shots, which is great — the Knicks need more guys like this.

David Lee: The perfect complement for the shot-happy Randolph is the high-energy Lee, who will happily crash the boards and clean up whatever’s left. He’s probably better-suited to playing off the bench than starting, and the ultimate plan should be to get a defensive-minded center as the starter. But either way, there’s a darned good reason he’s a crowd favorite. And he’s gotta be in the long-term plans.

jhollinger@nysun.com


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