Taking a look at the New York Knicks current roster looks like a mess. The Knicks traded the fan’s favorite player, David Lee, for Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf, and Kelenna Azubuike. So they traded the fan favorite for two backups and an undersized Center.
Turiaf was a good piece on the Lakers when he was there, but he only averaged 21 minutes a game on the Warriors last year. Turiaf will battle Earl Barron for the starting position, and also lose a few minutes to Eddie Curry every night. Kelenna Azubuike is a backup player on the Knicks, but he’ll get some extra minutes playing the 2 in addition to the 3. There’s no way the Knicks play Azubuike over Gallinari because that would admit he is a bust. Azubuike comes off the books next year along with Curry, so this could be the start of clearing out players to make room for Melo and the rest of the free agency class of 2011. He could start at the 2 if McGrady doesn’t come back, but I don’t see the Heat welcoming McGrady to their party. I think McGrady’s best playing time, and the chance to play in New York will lead him to resign with the Knicks. He can re-sign for a year to show that his knee is fixed and have a full year and a half of being healthy. The Knicks play the uptempo game that will artificially boost up his numbers. If McGrady resigns with the team, he’ll add a marquee name even if he’s past his prime and it will help those Knicks Bobcats tickets sell a little faster.
The best piece of the trade is Anthony Randolph, who is supposed to be a Knicks GM Donnie Walsh favorite. Unfortunately, the Knicks gave $100 million to Amare, so Randolph can’t play very much. The Knicks could go small and try to play one of those players at the Center position, and D’Antoni will use some of those small lineups during the season. If the Knicks succeed, those Knicks Spurs tickets will be a harder to get next season. For the PG position, the Knicks lost Chris Duhon in free agency and gained Raymond Felton in free agency, pretty boring.
