Friday, July 15, 2005
Rebuidling
Are the Knicks going to rebuild? No I don't mean get younger and I don't mean move past Allan Houston. I mean rebuild like the Bulls and the Lakers. It means losing games you should win and it means mistakes being made in the name of experience.
I am not so sure. This draft class appears strong, but remember John Wallace, Walter McCarty and Dontae Jones? That draft looked good too and was not a harbinger of a rebuilding phase.
As a Hoya, I have a sweet spot for Mike Sweetney. Even so, if you are rebuilding, he should not be on the trading block. He is young and cheap. He may never be a star, but he should contribute to a winning team. Quentin is a positive step, but not a magic bullet.
What about Marbury? He cost several picks which would be useful if you are rebuilding and, though not old, he is both high mileage and really suited to the game you don't want to play in the future. But then again, what can you get for him? Surely not the picks you spent.
This coming year will be Isiah's most important. He has to lead the team in a direction. That direction will be with the team for a long time to come. What will he do in January when the Knicks are winning 40% of their games, QR is shooting 30 times a game, Crawford is running while Marbuty is walking, the kids are making mistakes left and right? What about when Ray Allen is available for a sign and trade? Time will tell, but I think we'll see that we're not rebuilding, but trading lots of young possibility for aging and expensive players.
Oh yea, in all of this, did we really spend all that money on a 7 footer to set picks for QR? I know about the Kings series, but c'mon.
I am not so sure. This draft class appears strong, but remember John Wallace, Walter McCarty and Dontae Jones? That draft looked good too and was not a harbinger of a rebuilding phase.
As a Hoya, I have a sweet spot for Mike Sweetney. Even so, if you are rebuilding, he should not be on the trading block. He is young and cheap. He may never be a star, but he should contribute to a winning team. Quentin is a positive step, but not a magic bullet.
What about Marbury? He cost several picks which would be useful if you are rebuilding and, though not old, he is both high mileage and really suited to the game you don't want to play in the future. But then again, what can you get for him? Surely not the picks you spent.
This coming year will be Isiah's most important. He has to lead the team in a direction. That direction will be with the team for a long time to come. What will he do in January when the Knicks are winning 40% of their games, QR is shooting 30 times a game, Crawford is running while Marbuty is walking, the kids are making mistakes left and right? What about when Ray Allen is available for a sign and trade? Time will tell, but I think we'll see that we're not rebuilding, but trading lots of young possibility for aging and expensive players.
Oh yea, in all of this, did we really spend all that money on a 7 footer to set picks for QR? I know about the Kings series, but c'mon.
