Published: April 10, 2009
Depending on whom you ask, there were a few words that kept popping up when discussing the New York Knicks.
Playoffs, lottery, rebuilding and a few others kept popping up in the preseason.
Either way you look at it, there were opinions on the Knicks coming into the year. And some might say at least they were being talked about.
Considering they play on the world’s largest stage, they didn’t really disappoint.
You want drama? How about the Stephon Marbury saga.
How about a little comedy? Remember Nate Robinson and Will Ferrel?
You need a hero? Enter Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni.
The villain? In a way, Isaiah Thomas still haunts the building and franchise.
The Knicks truly had it all. At least until they were officially knocked out of playoff contention last weekend after a 102-95 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
The Knicks truly did have the aspirations of playing in late April.
D’Antoni let that be known after the loss when he spoke to the media.
“I don’t know, I was pretty disappointed that we didn’t do it to be honest with you,” D’Antoni told reporters in New York. “I just thought too many games would come down to where we could take control of it, 15 or 16 games less than five points, and we just never came up with the big play or the big stops and tonight was just another night.”
Indeed, the loss against the Raptors was another case that the Knicks are still a few pieces away from being a playoff team under D’Antoni.
With only a few days left in the regular season, the Knicks now must shift their focus to next season.
Larry Hughes, Jared Jeffries, Chris Duhon, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler are all back next year unless a trade sends them away.
Eddy Curry, Al Harrington and Quentin Richardson have player options to exercise and I’d like to imagine they will do so.
Up in the air will be what the Knicks do with Nate Robinson and David Lee. By now, we all know the Knicks are clearing cap space and the fact that both players will demand hefty contracts can hinder any such plan for cap relief.
The contracts of Chris Wilcox (6.75M) and Stephon Marbury (18.6M) will be gone and I’m sure the Knicks will look to get relief of Cuttino Mobley’s contract.
Assuming the Knicks keep Lee or Robinson, that is a solid core of returning players to work with as they will then turn their attention to June and the NBA Draft.
Maybe it’ll be 1985 all over again and the Knicks grab the first overall pick and change the face of their franchise. Admit it, Blake Griffin would look pretty good in orange and blue.
If not, there are a handful of guys that can help the team moving forward. Draft boards have the Knicks taking a guard. Duke’s Gerald Henderson and Memphis’ Tyreke Evans have popped up on a few.
Those plans might change if they let Lee walk and they suddenly need help in the frontcourt. A player like Louisville’s Earl Clark or Arizona’s Jordan Hill could work well in D’Antoni’s system.
Of course, the draft is, well, a lottery and the Knicks could be picking anywhere from first to 14th. So speculation like this is really just that – speculation.
No matter what happens, Knicks fans have to trust Walsh and D’Antoni moving forward. These two have a plan and at some point this plan will come to fruition.
There is going to be a time when the Garden is packed in mid-April and the Garden faithfuls are trying to push their Knicks to a playoff win.
Until then, all we can do is talk.
