Felton to the Knicks

@ least we don’t have 2 deal wit duhon anymore

it’s says 7mill a year, what does this mean for money towards next year, it is an upgrade but if this is for more than 1 year than why give up on getting TP or another top PG.

not to keep getting on the knicks, but raymond felton is a decent starting pg, but as long as he is your pg, you should probably be looking for another pg. He is not a difference maker or the guy you want to lock up long term.

If you compare next year’s Knicks to this past year’s, we’ve virtually upgraded man for man. I loved David Lee, and I hate to see him go, but I think this is best for the long run. He would have been too expensive, and may not have much upside anymore. Anthony Randolph could turn into a great player, and he plays defense. His rookie salary gives us great flexibility and control. I would have loved to keep Duhon (but not for $4 million) to back up and mentor Douglas, but I just don’t think Douglas is ready to take over the reins. Let’s look at individual guys. I tried to put it in approximate order of value for next year of new players.

1. Stoudemire > Lee and may be a 4 starting at the 5 once again
2. Randolph > Harrington and is versatile 4 who makes mistakes in his area of expertise. Difference is it’s defense for Randolph. Actually, it could be Randolph starting at the 5 for us, if he’s not backing up the 4. I’d rather leave Stoudemire at the 4 where he’s best.
3. Felton > Duhon + Rodriguez
4. ‘Buike > House
5. Turiaf > Bender
6. Jordan >
7. Rautins > Giddens (?)
8. Fields >

I left McGrady and Barron off the list because the Knicks could still try to re-sign them. I think both would be good moves unless D’Antoni doesn’t want McGrady back for some reason. I thought I read something like that last year. I think Barron would come back if the team wanted him; he had a nice stretch for the Knicks and fit in well in the system.

Now let’s look at the confirmed returning Knicks:
1. Curry (I listed him first because we made such a large investment in him). He can only be better. If he doesn’t play at all, we broke even here.
2. Gallinari (I think he has surpassed Chandler). Should be better. Big focus on defense toward end of season. Developing body. Growing confidence. Further removed from back problem.
3. Chandler. Had a couple surgeries that should improve his health and performance. Still a bit young and developing a very nice game. Spent time at the 2 and 4 last year so is growing more comfortable with need for versatility.
4. Douglas. Entering second year on a team that should have some sanity associated with it. Needed to develop his game and is doing just that. Great PG/SG option off the bench and spot starter. Good future.
5. Walker. Big surprise last year (at least to me and maybe the Celtics). If he is past his injury concerns, the only way is up. Played with great confidence and now brings that to training camp to prepare for a whole year of being in the regular rotation. Seemed to play really well in the fast-paced system and great finisher around the rim.

If the Knicks do re-sign McGrady and/or Barron, both should also be better than last year’s versions. McGrady needed time to heal and now he’s had it. He’s still a great leader. If he would show that by stating that he’s willing to accept any role, including a backup and sometimes out of the lineup role, he could be really valuable on a young team. He might end up starting a lot of games anyway, but he can’t demand it. And Barron is still developing his game and his confidence and his stretch with the Knicks had to help that. He could compete for the starting 5 spot.

I see this:
PG Felton/Douglas, then Rautins
SG Chandler/Walker, then Rautins
SF Gallinari/’Buike, then Fields
PF/C Stoudemire/Randolph/Turiaf, then Jordan (Chandler and Gallinari may help out here, too)

That’s a nice 9-man rotation, with the 3 draft picks in reserve. Wait, I forgot Curry.

i could see Chandler being traded for a shooting guard

idea

Eddy Curry and Chandler for J Rich

Curry and Chandler for Hamilton and Maxiell

I like it… Raymond Felton will be the starting PG… While the Knicks didn’t get LeBron, you have to admire Donnie Walsh’s effort to unload those awful contracts out of New York.. It’s time for a fresh start and hopefully, when they do have draft picks in 2013, they’ll be able to forget about the decade 2000…