OT - Celtics board challenge: How would YOU fix the Knicks?

[SuperDeluxe]

The Knicks truly are a train wreck.

As others have said it's really a shame too. Just like the C's, the league is better when the Knicks are good.

The scary part is that if someone more competent than Isaiah took over they could turn it around fairly quickly. Next year they will have two expiring contracts in Marbury and Rose. Plus there are a number of players with options who could in theory bolt.

Plus they could easily land the top pick in the upcoming draft.

It's just too bad that they traded for so many players with questionable attitudes. You can have one bad apple on a team but when you have a bunch...it's trouble.

I had been thinking of starting this thread for a couple of days, and the quote above (from another thread) basically did the groundwork for me.

If James Dolan were to fire Isiah Thomas and made you the new GM of the Knicks, what would you do to fix the club? Your ideas have to make sense, and not be like The Isiah Thomas 25 Year Rebuilding Plan (the song is lame but the title is appropriate).

Note: this is a challenge, not a thread to make fun of the Knicks.

[Youth4Glory]

Fire Isiah Thomas. Hire a dietician, get Randolph, Jerome James and Curry eating right. Trade Nate Robinson and Q rich for Kyle Lowry & Mike Miller. Cut Wilson Chandler. Trade Jared Jeffries & Mardy Collins for Mickael Pietrus. Send Randolph Morris to D-league. Trade Starbury & Malik Rose, 2nd rd pick for Ridnour & Wally. Let Wally expire.
Continue to suck, and build through the draft. Look to trade J James, for financial relief. Make trades that bring in financial relief, while holding onto David Lee, Ridnour, Crawford. Curry & Randolph are somewhat untradeable.

Hire a defensive minded, no bs coach, proven coach.
New Roster
PG Ridnour
SG Crawford
SF Miller
PF Randolph
C Curry

Bench:
PG Lowry
SG:Fred Jones, Wally
SF: Pietrus
PF: Lee, Balkman
C:James, Morris

[GregB]

Fire Isiah Thomas.

Someone didnt read the thread.

Anyways, I would come in with the realization that moving all those bad contracts would be nearly impossible.

So, I would aim to clear all major salary of bad players by 09/10 or 10/11. In the meantime I would try and acquire as many picks/young players while clearing attempting to clear any guys that might have some trade value. I would spend most of my time and money on scouting. Wait patiently and hope to make a big trade for an actual player worthy of his max contract or clear enough cap space to sign someone in FA. Pretty much what DA did.

As much as I hate the Knicks. That would be a decent job. It would be nice not having to worry about going over the luxury tax. If someone actually knew what they were doing. They could have a dominant team with that kind of payroll.

[Ed Pinkney]

Trade Marbury, Randolph, Curry, Jerome James for whatever I can get as soon as possible. Only for draft picks and expiring deals. Offer buyouts for ones I can't trade. Not try too hard to win many games this season and next season to try to secure at least one really high draft pick.

Clear as much cap room and go after LeBron, Wade, Anthony. Make sure I only bring in good character guys so the fans actually like the team.

Find a coach who is also well liked and has good character. Can't think of too many names that would work though.

[Maple Green]

IMO, trade the malingering players with fat contracts and prepare for young players for free agency. Leave the the young and promising players, like Lee, Balkman etc.

[Darth Celtic]

diesel fuel + fertilizer +msg = fixed....

(diesel fuel and certain liquid fert makes a bomb btw)

[Youth4Glory]

Isiah take a page from Jim Jones and convince everyone to drink the purple flavor aid

[BrokenLeftyJumper]

First off, the goal to be truly competitive has to be 2009-10. Getting the Knicks considerably better by next year is pretty much impossible. Too many bad contracts and what not.

The basic philosophy should be trade everything of value on the team to get rid of the bad contracts. Use your lotto pick this season as well as David Lee and any other young player with value to try to get rid of Curry, Randolph, Richardson, etc. I think Marbury is basically untradable and he expires in 09 anyways.

#1. Use your pick this year to get some other team to take Zach Randolph and Richardson.

Forget this years draft, I know the Knicks need to get young, but past Rose or Beasley I don't think there is a franchise guy in this draft. One young guy is not gonna turn this thing around. The Knicks are more capable of building through free agency, so use the pick to entice some other team to take back the contracts of Randolph and Richardson. Look to acquire expirings.

Maybe try Randolph, Qrich and the pick for Brand and Cassell at the deadline. A deal like this clears around 25 mil in cap space before 2009-10.


#2. Ship Eddy Curry out along with David Lee.

Some team will bite on Eddy Curry. His contract isn't absolutely untradeable and if you package him with a good young player like David Lee, you might be able to get rid of Curry's contract. Be willing to take just expirings back.

Try Curry, Lee, and Robinson to Atlanta for expirings (AJ, Wright, and Lue) at this years deadline.

#3. Sign nobody to anything past a one year deal this off-season.

[Spin Move]

1st off, Keep Marbury next year he is a huge expring, tell him to stay away from teh team but he can have his paycheck, next year he turns into an asset


I would keep Randoplph and see if I could move Eddie Curry for an Atheltic wing, Maybe to Atlanta for Marvin Williams or Josh Childress. i would trade for a good defensive point gaurd Earl Watson if possible.

Things on their roster worth Keeping, Lee, Collins, Balkman, Randolph, 1 of crawford or Q rich. (Q rich is the better defender of the 2 but more injury prone)

NY Trades
Outgoing Players
Quentin Richardson To Denver who needs 3 point shooting
6-6 SG / SF from DePaul
7.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.9 apg in 27.8 minutes
Eddy Curry To Atlanta who has horford which is the right type of player to put next to Curry
6-11 C from Thornwood (HS)
13.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.6 apg in 26.6 minutes

NY Recives
Josh Childress
6-8 SG / SF from Stanford
12.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.4 apg in 30.2 minutes
Speedy Claxton
5-11 PG from Hofstra
No games yet played in 2007/08
Steven Hunter
7-0 C from DePaul
2.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.0 apg in 8.3 minutes
Eduardo Najera
6-8 SF from Oklahoma
6.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.1 apg in 22.0 minutes

Knicks are headed for a top 5 pick so tehy can get a good pg in the draft next year

Which leaves them

PG (Draft picks, Rose, Mayo or Collison or Gorden)/Robinson
SG: Jamal Craword/Collins
SF: Josh Childress/Chandler
PF:Zack Randolph/Balkman
C: David Lee/Stephen Hunter/James

Trade Marbury for the best all start available next season and you have a playoff team with a new coach who is willing to instill some D.

[Tricky Ricky]

I would fire Isiah

[Tenbomber]

I'd jack up the Knick's team offices and move them to another more deserving city... far away from the pressures of the Big Apple..... where the fans would actually root for any sort of improvement rather then routinely boo their own team's eforts....

Then I'd set about building a winner with character players who play with heart every night and actually earn their NBA keep!.... and I'd kick the trash talkers and the trouble makers to the curb....Suspend their sorry a$$es till the player unions had a fit and then let the union take the heat!!!....Why make excuses for poor play and poor effort?

[grantlongforpresident]

Step 1) Fire Isiah

Step 2) Blow it up.

Step 3) Rebuild through the draft.

[elrod enchilada]

No shortcuts. That is what killed Thomas and the guy before him...lack of vision and partience.

The Knicks under no circumstances on earth can win an NBA title or even contend befroe 2011. So plan for 2011-12 and beyond.

That means try to unload the big contracts, but do not trade expiring contracts for more overpriced stiffs. Just let the contracts expire.

Get high lotto picks in 08 and 09. Isiah traded the 2010 pick.

Sign no free agents past 2011. No more James or Jeffries type deals.

Get a teaching coach and a GM who can recognize talent and has a plan.
By 2011 have a nucleus of maybe four-seven young talents and lots of cap space. There will always be great players willing to go to NY.

[gocelts]

Im probably in the minority in this but I would definety keep Thomas, Simply becuase that team is such a mess, i dont think any coach would make a difference. As letting these contacts "run their course" is the best plan to fix the team, i would still trade as many players as I could, for equal length contacts or shorter in order shorten the process and not let the fan base suffer.

I would clearly focus on the draft this year (probably taking a center or Point) and tank the next year too.... then fire Isiah and bring in someone new...possibly Ewing?

[freakon0mics]

This is a good thread.

For me, it has to start at the top. Isiah must go. Then I would hire someone that is willing to wait awhile. I agree with Elrod. The Knicks aren't going to be a contender for awhile. I'm saying that basically because its going to be hard to trade any of the Knicks players. They basically have no trading chips so its going to be hard just to find teams willing to take them. The Knicks need to keep their draft picks and hopefully draft a couple of players in the next year or two that can contribute down the line. By 2009-2010, some of the contracts will be expired and the Knicks can probably land a big free agent. From there on, the Knicks can be competitors and not slouches no more.

[phoolishly_insane]

Step 1..... Keep Isiah.

Step 2..... Sign David Lee to $100 million contract.

Step 3..... Sign Nate Robinson to $101 million contract.

Step 4..... Hire Tim Floyd as Head Coach.

Step 5..... Keep trading their draft picks.

Step 6..... Resign extension to Marbury for another $100 million for 4 years.

Step 7.....Use Isiah as a Part-time Mascot.

[Taget]

What I'd do is rebuild through the draft and clear draft space. Draft space in Boston is useless (we'll put aside luxury cap issues for now) since despite our rich history free agents don't want to come to a cold weather city like Boston. However NYC is different since it's an entertainment capital and it has Madison Square Garden. IF they had space they'd be able to attract free agents in the same manner as Orlando, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

Steps I'd take.

1) Fire Isiah as GM. Don't think I even need to say why. But I'll throw out this one thing. Until he made himself coach he undermined every coach he's hired. He's force his own assistants on them. He's undermined them in the press. He's refused to back them up with the players. Try to get Jerry Colangelo. Give him full management control.

Would it be too much to ask for Isiah to be fired in the same classless way he fired ex-Celtic Don Cheney.

2) Clear out all large salaries, bad attitudes, and deadweight. Malik, Marbury, Jerome James, Curry, Randolph, Q, Jeffries. Gone. Buy they out, trade them. Only exception I'd make is Jamal Crawford. Not because I think he's that great of a player but because he has a good atttitude, good leaership abilities and will be a good mentor for the young guys.

3) Fire Isiah as coach. In Indiana he showed he wasn't that bad of a coach. Though I'd venture to say he isn't that good of one either. But he's clearly lost his team. And the only coach who has ever survived that is Mitchell in Toronto. And I still think it was a foolish risk keeping him.

Need a developmental coach. Perhaps Mike Dunleavy if the Clips let him go at the end of the season.

4) Play the young guys and establish their worth. You not only find out what Lee, Robinson, Chandler can do with minutes but you increase their worth and you increase their trade value.

5) Dive deep in the draft. Gather talent and hopefully find that one franchise player (Lebron, Paul, Howard) who you can build around.

6) Maximize available cap space to try to attract a superstar who wants to play in New York. Would Kobe go to New York? Not for the MLE. Get cap space. Unlike Atlanta or Minnesota they can actually attract people IF they can offer real money.

7) Have patience. The team will bite for awhile.


Or you could do what Isiah probably would do. Trade Lee, Marbury's contract, and the lottery pick to Chicago in a sign & trade for Ben Gordon. And then trade whatever few desirable assets are left to get Artest for some badly needed drama.

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

Step 1..... Keep Isiah.

Step 2..... Sign David Lee to $100 million contract.

Step 3..... Sign Nate Robinson to $101 million contract.

Step 4..... Hire Tim Floyd as Head Coach.

Step 5..... Keep trading their draft picks.

Step 6..... Resign extension to Marbury for another $100 million for 4 years.

Step 7.....Use Isiah as a Part-time Mascot.

Change step 5 to - trade 3 first round picks to the Celtics (2008, 2010, and 2012), all unprotected, in exchange for the option of swapping first round picks in 2009.

[alwayslovetheceltics]

the bitches are right where they should be. they have been a disgrace to the NBA.

other than wishing bodily harm on Q Bitch, I hope everything else stays the same.



**** side note: the bitches did the single worst most despicable thing I have ever heard in all of sports this year. When Marbury's father was initially hospitalized, instead of telling Marbury immediately, they told him after the game.

Instead of sharig his father's last few moments on this great Earth, Marbury finished a meaningless basketball game********

for that, the bitches will always deserve to suck and have isiah as a gm.

[cfan79]

the bitches are right where they should be. they have been a disgrace to the NBA.

I agree 100%, I can't stand New York sports teams. Every last one of them. Why ponder trying to fix something I hate?