Knicks missed the big one, but still making some strides

On Nov. 21, 2008, Knicks president Donnie Walsh engineered a pair of trades with the Clippers and Warriors, sending his team's two leading scorers, Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford, to the West Coast. The two trades made a bad team worse, yet Knicks' fans celebrated more than they had in nearly a decade because of a player that wasn't involved at all in the transactions.

Four days later, the Cleveland Cavaliers visited New York, and the LeBron James frenzy hit a fever pitch that didn't die until last Thursday.

In the end, Knicks fans didn't quite get what they wanted. But the team didn't strike out in free agency 2010, either. What the Knicks came away with in the aftermath of "The Decision" is probably the best team they've had in the last 10 years.

The Knicks' no-LeBron strategy had two elements. First, before James made his decision, they added an All-Star big man in Amar'e Stoudemire. Given his injury concerns and poor defense, the Knicks overpaid for Stoudemire. But for a team that hasn't won a playoff game in nine years, that's the price to pay for getting back to legitimacy.

The second part of the Knicks' strategy was to remain flexible. Beyond Stoudemire and the expiring contract of Eddy Curry, the Knicks' payroll is nothing but reasonable deals. New point guard Raymond Felton will get paid close to $8 million per year, but just the first two years of his contract are guaranteed.

The three players the Knicks acquired from Golden State in a sign-and-trade deal for David Lee will be paid a total of just $9.3 million next season and $7.3 million in 2011-12.

With Curry, Wilson Chandler and Kelenna Azubuike in the final year of their deals, the Knicks will have $16.5 million coming off their books next summer. Depending on the details of the next collective bargaining agreement, that could allow them to add more pieces to the puzzle.

Maybe Carmelo Anthony becomes a free agent in a year. Maybe Chris Paul becomes available via trade. Either way, the Knicks will be ready to pounce on the opportunity to add another star next to Stoudemire.

No matter what happens, the Knicks are finally ready to move forward after six straight seasons of 33 wins or fewer.

"We have to manage our cap now so that if an opportunity is there, we can do it," Walsh said Monday. "But I'm not looking to move these [new] guys in cap-room deals as of right now at all.

"I think the team fits together. I think we've got personalities that want to be good teammates. I'm pleased with what I see so far."

On the court, the key to the Knicks' summer may be Felton. Not only is point guard the most important position on a team coached by the free-wheeling Mike D'Antoni, but a point guard who can make plays is critical to Stoudemire's success. Felton isn't Steve Nash or Chris Paul, but he has the speed and talent to push the offense to a level it has yet to reach in D'Antoni's two years in New York.

Only five teams have scored more points than the Knicks over the last two seasons, but New York was just the 17th most efficient offense in 2008-09 and the 15th last season. As horrible as the Knicks are on defense, that's not nearly good enough to be competitive.

The Knicks still aren't going to be very good defensively, but with the added toughness that Azubuike and Ronny Turiaf bring, they should be improved. And with Felton, Stoudemire and the continued development of Danilo Gallinari, they have a good shot at being a top 10 offensive team.

That could very well translate into the franchise's first playoff berth since 2004. A 6 or 7 seed is not what Knicks fans have been dreaming of the last two years. But it's a start. And with all the financial flexibility, Walsh will be ready to take off from there.

John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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