Do Knicks Have A Plan B For 2010 Free Agency?

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Free Agents, SDC COMMENTARY

I think it is common knowledge that the New York Knicks are in a cash-rich position to seduce the upper-crust NBA free agents this coming summer, with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade within full view of team management. Whether the Knicks can actually afford two superstars is debatable, but that option is out there, depending on how many contracts they can rid themselves of. The question that begs to be asked is this: Does the team have a “Plan B” in the event that neither player can be signed in 2010?

Assuming that the team cannot sign James and/or Wade, they obviously would want to look to the second tier of players available, such as Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh and Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson. Let’s weigh the pros and cons of the aforementioned four players and their impact on the Knicks (kind of a ‘what if’ scenario):

LeBron James

Pros: Brings star power and legitimacy to the Knicks, not to mention 27.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 6.7 APG. He also would put some butts in the seats at Madison Square Garden, which would improve the team’s bottom line financially.

Cons: There’s been lots of talk about whether James would actually want to play for the Knicks, with arguments from both sides of the aisles. One thing to consider: LeBron, at this stage of his career, probably doe not want to play for a team that is clearly in rebuilding mode. Money isn’t the issue here, believe it or not. He’s already making $14 million+ for Cleveland, a team that unlike New York, has an upside – save for possibly the center position and the Delonte West situation.

Dwyane Wade

Pros: Like James, would bring more fans to MSG. The Knicks would have to clear out lots of dead contracts (Larry Hughes, you listening?) for this to become a reality. D-Wade is making about $14 million/season and would obviously command much more than that.

Cons: Let’s assume that the Doh-lans Dolans manage to find a way to mess up their embarrassment of riches (salary cap space). Hey it could happen. They will have to do a masterful selling job in luring Wade to the NYC as their current roster doesn’t exactly scream, “Raise the championship banner!” I’m pretty sure that Wade, like James, doesn’t want to be a part of an ever-rebuilding team at this juncture of his career. Let’s also consider the possibility that Miami Heat owner Mickey Arison puts on a full-court press and re-signs Wade.

Chris Bosh

Pros: He would bring a presence to the Knicks’ frontcourt and would be an excellent piece to add alongside David Lee (who the Knicks need to sign to a long-term deal). He would definitely be cheaper than James and Wade, which would give them flexibility in acquiring another top free agent in 2010.

Cons: Hard to say if Bosh wants to actually play in the Big Apple, despite the bigger contract that would be offered to him. Again, it goes back to whether he would want to play for a rebuilding squad. My best guess says that it isn’t likely at this point. But then again, who’s to say that Raptors management won’t just let Bosh walk?

Joe Johnson

Pros: He’s a pro’s pro. Let’s also factor in the mix that early in his career, he was under the tutelage of Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, so they have a history together. And he would be a definite upgrade to the guards languishing on the Knicks roster, not to mention that he would be cheaper, as well. Johnson is good as gone when the Hawks’ season is over, so you can safely assume that Johnson is in the Knicks’ crosshairs.

Cons: Not many, really. But you cannot help notice that the Knicks will have lots of suitors clamoring for Johnson’s services. Shooting guards of Johnson’s degree are hard to come by these days, so the Knicks will have their hands full trying to lure him to the NYC.

One thing is for certain: the Knicks cannot afford both James and Wade. However, they can afford either James or Wade and perhaps a Bosh or Johnson. But the team will have to clear up some dead contracts if they want to land any of the aforementioned players. It’s just that simple.

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Comments

2 Responses to “Do Knicks Have A Plan B For 2010 Free Agency?”

shon on November 12th, 2009 2:29 pm

lebron is not leaving cleveland. hes in a championship situation already and hes a hometown hero. hes not going anywhere.

wade is not leaving miami. hes won a title there, the team is playing well. its obvious that he needs more help, they have more than enough cap space to resign wade and bring in another impact player.

phoenix is playin great. amare loves playing w nash. barring some quick post season exit, if nash is there amare will b there.

the celtics will remain in tact. they are older players and their best shot of winning is together.

that leaves joe johnson, dirk, boozer and bosh. in my opinion the guy ny has to target the hardest is bosh. hes the youngest guy on this list and still has room for growth.

this team has alot of needs, they need a starting pg (raymond felton is the only significant pg available in 2010 and i dont know that hes the answer) they need perimeiter defense and they need interior defense. theyre also going to need to be ten guys deep to b competitive in the east. (cle, bos, orl, atl and was are all ten deep)
all this is to say donnie walsh better get to work now bc the team hes got out there aint gonna cut it for another season. the knicks have alot of work ahead of them and not alot of time to achieve their goals. this season is about developing the young guys. (gallo, chandler and douglas) get lee and al resigned and build around those five.
like i said earlier they are going to have to play d, and they are going to have to be deep (10) this means they need five more guys. they need some veterans to babysit gallo and chandler, they need a center, they need a pf (lee is better from the bench ex milsap) and they need a starting pg.
Duke on December 29th, 2009 9:36 am

Like the comment above says , knicks must build around there young players . resigning harignton and lee would be great , also knicks must look into rudy gay , marcus camby , and a productable sg in mike miller who can put up big numbers on the right team . knicks dont really need d-wade i mean look even with d-wade on heat they can barely win , what can he possibly do for a struggling knicks team . it would be better for knicks to use all that money and sign number of productive players then just to sign one d-wade or lebron . the most i think they can get when it comes to big time stars are amar’e, Bosh, boozer, and MAYBE Manu .