A busy week here for the Knicks. Three trades in the span of 24 hours! Yours truly is here to give the Knicks a report card for each trade.
Trade 3:
Knicks recieve Brian Cardinal (reported to be immediately waived)
T-Wolves recieve Darko Milicic
Grade: DCDM (Don't care, doesn't matter)
This trade was essentially a savings trade for the Knicks. They save 1.8 million in luxury tax payments. The only good part of the trade is the fact that Darko is away from us. I always felt like he brought a negative vibe to the franchise, declaring he was going overseas after the season is over. I felt like saying that was very unprofessional. The move baffles me for the T-Wolves though. If Darko already declared he was going back Europe next season, what was the point in bringing him to a lottery team for the last half of a seaon and taking on the money? But then again, who knows why T-Wolves GM David Kahn does anything?
Trade 2:
Knicks recieve Eddie House, J.R. Giddens, Billy Walker and a conditional 2nd round draft pick
Celtics recieve Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry
Grade: B-
I would have been a lot happier with this deal if we recieved a first rounder like it was previously reported. I have mixed feelings about this one. First lets get something straight, don't expect J.R. Giddens to contribute much to the team. I thought the guy was a bust at the time the Celts drafted him. He hasn't shown me anything otherwise since. Billy Walker is a guy I actually like. He has freaky athleticism and he's a really feisty guy. He'll fit right in if you know what I mean Knicks fans. Plus he has a team option for 800,000. If he shows us something he may be someone we would want to keep around. Also, yes, I really liked Marcus Landry. I thought he worked hard every night. But the fact is he is a 15th man and thats pretty much what he is going to be for the rest of his career. So lets look at this at a one to one trade standpoint. The reason I am negative about this deal is because no one could electrify MSG like Nate. I will never forget the game I went to this season when New York was facing the Bobcats. Nate entered early in the fourth quarter when the team was down and slammed in a monster dunk. The crowd went wild and it started a run that won us the game. There are few players who can get a crowd pumped up quite like Nate. But at the same time D'Antoni's frustrations with Nate are well documented. The reality is that Nate was not going to be back with the team next year anyway. At least we got a combo guard in Eddie House who is a bonafide three point shooter. If House plays well for us this season he may be someone we would want to keep around next year. But I am still going to miss the little man.
I do not know the conditions around the 2nd round draft pick, only that we received one.
Trade 3:
Knicks recieve Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez
Rockets receive Kevin Martin, Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill, Hilton Armstrong, the right to switch draft picks with the Knicks in 2011, and the Knicks 2012 first round draft pick.
Kings receive Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey, and Larry Hughes
Grade: B+
Lets break this down by team, because this was a huge one.
The Knicks
This was an "all in" move for the Knicks, to say the least. Donnie Walsh looked Cavs GM, Danny Ferry straight in the eyes, pushed his chips in the middle, showed his cards, and said, "lets play." It was no secret that the team needed to get rid of Jared Jeffries contract, and the price Mr. Walsh had to pay was hefty. The team gave up their 2011 and 2012 draft picks essentially, (yes Knicks fans, I know we switch our picks in 2011, but if we end up with the 7th pick and the Rockets end up with the 24th, is it really that comforting?) as well as 8th overall pick Jordan Hill. But I think it was worth it. Because now I think this makes us the front runners in the LeBron sweepstakes.
So now that we have the financials out of the way, lets look at this from a basketball standpoint. I would be lying to you if I said I knew how much T-Mac really has left. I watched the video of one of his more recent games, and it seems like he can still put the ball in the hoop with ease. As expected with any player who has been in the league for twelve years, it seems like he lost some of his explosiveness, so don't expect any dunks like the one over Shawn Bradley anytime soon. As for Rodriguez, I don't know much about him, but I do know that D'Antoni likes him A LOT. I also know that we desperately need a point guard. (See Duhon and Chris.) So i'm really excited to see what he can do.
The Rockets
I don't know why everyone is so excited for the Rockets end of the deal. Yes, they gained two first rounders and Jordan Hill, and gained a nice rotation player in Jeffries, but I think that in a straight up deal of Kevin Martin and Carl Landry, I would rather have Landry. Kevin Martin has not been able to stay on the court much recently, and when he has, yes, hes a proven scorer. But where has that got the Kings? I want to see what "Mini-Mart" can do before saying this was a home run deal for the Rockets. Scoring in the playoffs is a huge difference from scoring in the regular season when your team is 18-32. They also lost a HUGE difference maker in Landry. The guy was the front-runner for sixth man of the year and they lost him. The team now has to find a replacement for all the things Landry gave them. I'm not saying this deal can't work for them, all i'm saying is don't call it a home run for them just yet.
The Kings
I actually love this trade for the Kings. As gifted a scorer as Mini-Mart was for the Kings, I think Tyreke Evans can replace the scoring Martin gave the team. The Tyreke Udrih combo proved to be a lot more efficient this season then Tyreke and Martin. And now you have the sixth man of the year candidate to strengthen your front court. I would watch out for the Kings next year, because they are going to be deadly. I can only hope that they do not buy out Larry Hughes so that he can sulk on their bench for the rest of the season when they realize that he is terrible. Have fun with him Sacramento.
Thats all for now Knicks fans. I'll be at the game tomorrow so I will tell you firsthand what I see from Tracy and Rodriquez. As always questions or comments, email me at nyec2010@yahoo.com.
Talk to you later.
