Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. In other words:
AGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Zach Randolph! HE was GONE. It was OVER. A mulligan, a reprieve, an indulgence without the need to invoke Pope Urban the bleeping Second!!!
AND THEY TURNED IT DOWN!!!
To re-state:
AGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought we were past this point with this team. I really thought these days were over. I thought there was a direction—a plan—after Isiah. I was wrong. I was stupid. This franchise was put on the planet to torture me. There is no other explanation.
I find myself full of questions.
They will never—and, to borrow from Chris Rock, they tell you never to say never but I'm saying NEVER—ever ever ever win ANYTHING between now and the time Zach Randolph's contract expires.
So why the attachment to him? How does keeping him aboard further any of the long-term goals that the Knicks claim are a part of their plan? What "more" do we think we're getting for him? MORE than $10 million of cap relief?
We're sure as hell not getting a superstar for an underachieving malcontent with no mobility and a penchant for holding the ball for 15 seconds before he can muster up a 20 footer.
And, outside of a superstar, there is NOTHING that counts more than $10 million of cap relief in today's NBA—especially cap relief for the summer of LeBron (and Wade and Bosh). When will the Knicks learn these things?
Need I go on?
Is this even worth the energy it's taking me to type these words? Is there any reason or logic underlying anything that happens in the Knicks' front office? How long has Donnie Walsh been in the league? Can he not see how valuable dumping Randolph's contract would be? Do they grind up stupid pills to spike the mashed potatoes in the Madison Square Garden cafeteria?
Where are we finding minutes for Gallinari, Lee, Chandler, and Curry (the supposed centerpieces of their future front line) with Randolph requiring 35 per game? Why would you put a guy out on the floor that is both too small AND too slow to play the 4, when you have promising young talent oozing from every pore in your frontcourt?
Why are we looking to get rid of David Lee as bait for someone to take Randolph when we won't accept a trade that gets rid of Randolph without losing Lee? Doesn't the Lee inclusion imply that Randolph's value to the team is less than zero? Has anyone in the Knicks' front office ever taken a math class?
This is a team that does not deserve fans. We're too good for them. We are TOO GOOD for THEM. We put up with a decade of Ewing-era heartbreak at the hands of Jordan and Reggie and Hakeem. We put up with seven years of Layden and Isiah's BS.
And now, with some light finally at the end of the tunnel, we do what GM after GM have always claimed New Yorkers weren't willing to do. We accepted the fact that the Knicks—the beloved, sanctified Knicks. The ONLY team that can claim New York's entire population as a fan base—were going to blow it all up and rebuild.
We WANTED THAT.
We were THRILLED that they finally saw THAT.
How is this THAT?
This is not THAT. Instead, this is a big, fat, loogie in the eye of everybody who thought, "OK, they'll suck for a few years. I can deal with that."
The New York Knicks are a disgrace.
You didn't need to be told that. But you do need to accept that. If you loved Charles Oakley, if the phrase "The Dunk" makes you think of John Starks, if you tell people in bars that the continuation call on L.J. was justified, then congratulations. You have inherited a disgrace. A disgrace that doesn't respect you enough to tell you where it's going and doesn't know how to run itself.
And next year, on opening night, your power forward will be Zach Randolph. For $16 million a year.
And two years later, on opening night, you will not be watching LeBron James play.
Unless, that is, we open against the Nets.
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3 months ago
Why didn't you wait to hear more about this before writing this inane article? Walsh is right to play hardball and not just give away a guy who averaged 18 and 10 last season. He has value beyond just being a salary to dump. Apparently, the talks are ongoing and the sticking point was that Walsh asked for Gordon in return. Anyway, for you to go off like this when you know nothing about any of the details is just stupid and a waste of time--especially when the story hasn;t ended and talks continue.
3 months ago
Also, this Lebron in 2010 stuff is getting out of hand. It is all specualtion and hypotheticals, and it is stupid to demand that the team to make every move from now until then with "Lebron 2010" stamped on their foreheads. Please Kevin--and the rest of my fellow Knick fans--settle down a bit and give Walsh a chance to maneuver. There is no reason to simply dump Randolph for nothing, or next to nothing, on the very first offer.
3 months ago
Keep in mind also, that the Clippers could be forced into a more desperate situation over the next few days if the other players they are pursuing become unavailable. This thing could turn into a huge coup for Walsh if he can capitalize on Clippers desperation and not only dump Randolph nd his salry, but also capture something of value in return--such as Gordon--who the Clippers have thus far refused to offer. In any case, Walsh looks to be showing his colors as a solid tactician here.
3 months ago
I thought the overstated tone of this article was pretty obviously intentional but I stand by the main point. When every rumor had indicated that they were trying to use Lee as the carrot for someone to take Randolph off of their hands - and every indication from every credible reporter suggests that they've been trying to dump Randolph - it seems shocking that they would reject a salary dump that didn't require them to give up anything else. The Clippers are reeling right now after Brand's departure and this looked like a classic rebound move for them. Outside of this specific situation, I can't imagine any team being willing to take him on and everything I've read from Chad Ford, SI's Rumor Nation, etc. supports that belief. LeBron or no LeBron, I think the argument that cap room will get them closer to where they want to be than anything that Randolph will do on the court is pretty hard to dispute.
3 months ago
This article is a nonsensical ramble. The author has no idea what is going on and why certain decisions are being made. As bad as one might think Randolph is, he was a 20/10 guy in the western conference. 20/10 guys don't just grow on trees. You don't give them away for nothing.
Even though I myself am a New Yorker, I think New Yorkers have too little patience.
Walsh hasn't even gotten started yet and we see stuff like this.
Unreal.
- tbb
from 3 months ago
you have obviously never seen randolph play what this article tries to do is try to explain somthing that is to hideous for words. I dont care what Walsh does as long as he gets rid of Z-Ro, you cannot field a winning team with him on the roster. I dont really care about the summer of lebron, all thats going to happen is that either the fans will be so pissed abou not getting lebron that they call for walsh's head or they get lebron only to be even more pissed because he cant bring them a ring because there is no team around him. Back to randolph, his me first attitude, and stats over winning view of playing is just a poison to any team he is on. i dont care what the knicks do i dont care about lebron or anybody else the knicks get because no matter who they have the knicks will not win with Z-Ro
2 months ago
Walsh is playin his cards correctly here. Hardball with clips is smart.. keep in mind, only about 25% of the teams in the NBA are really in the Lebron Sweapstakes, and those teams don't seem to be thinking of clearning space for that year. If you win the NBA title in 2008-2009, they still call you NBA champs!
Anyway.. If they don't dump Zach this summer, they still have the next tradedealine, and next summer, and the next trade deadline, each time with Randolphs contract looking less and less bad.
Randolph will play well in the new system as a 5, where rebounding, and scoring against centers, will come easy to him. And not being able to block a shot won't matter too much. Whatever value he has right now, it will be higher come the trade deadline for sure. Of course, so will Eric Gordon's value.
I'd like to See Zach and Nate Robinson for Gordon and the Clippers #1 pick in 2010. (I'd take it or 2009 if they insisted.) Nate is ready to be a big time contributer, and in the west, having a guy with the capability of guarding super quick points like Tony Parker and Chris Paul is critical, and nate can fill that roll on defense. Meanwhile, Baron D has the bulk to cover 2;s when needed. Plus they still have Mobley. Knicks get Gordon who fits them, and won't need to be extended till after the summer of 2010, and they get that #1 pick, which is always a nice idea. Giving the 2010 pic gives the clips a year to adjust, to let Thorton become better, and for Nate to develope a little more. Not sure, but the Clips likely throw Tim thomas in to just reduce their Salary situation.
from 2 months ago
Your point about having more time to trade him is well-taken, but I just think your expectations on what they can get back for him are way too high. The trade you've proposed would be tremendous for the Knicks, of course, but I don't see any way the clippers would do it. They'd be trading away Gordon who is one of their two promising young players (Thornton being the other), giving away what will likely be a lottery pick (as Baron failed to make the playoffs with a better surrounding cast in GState last year), and losing a huge amount of cap space that they could save and make a max offer next summer for a better forward than Randolph (like Marion, Boozer, Odom, 'Sheed...or wait two years and offer it to Chris Bosh). They would get getback a guy who doesn't make them good enough to contend in the West and kills their cap for the next few years, and a guard in Nate who is not as promising in the long term as the guard they're giving up (Gordon).
This trade would likely make them better this season, i'll give you that, but still not good enough to have any chance of winning the West -- in the long run, I think it would make them much worse.
2 months ago
OK guys -- if the headline of this article didn't set off red flags that it was going to be an intentional overstatement...then I don't know. Clearly my actual opinion of the situation is more measured. As for the idea that Randolph should fetch more than a salary dump, however...I mean...please. Where does he fit into any long-term plan the Knicks should have?
"Impatient" was the exact wrong word to use towards this article because the entire point is that they shouldn't be making decisions that value short-term gains over long-term benefits.
What do you see this team winning with more than 25% of its salary cap committed to Z-Bo? You can't just say "He's a 20-10 guy and that's a good thing." Look at how he impacts the team and make a judgment on how much of your available resources should be committed for that impact. Here's how I see it:
Randolph is a completely one-dimensional player who shot 45% last year as a power forward. He has no ball handling skills, doesn't have consistent three point range, doesn't create for anyone else, doesn't play defense, is too small to keep good centers off the glass, doesn't run the floor, and -- to top it off -- acts like an entitled jerk. He has a nice one-on-one post game, but he's not even aggressive enough with that, even though he's far too shot-happy overall. He could, at best, be the third best guy on a really good team, and that team would need to have a very specific group of teammates that covered up his many deficencies (Sound like anyone else we've ever seen? Maybe someone who we're trying to pay off just to take his shoot-first point guard butt out of the Garden?).
And Randolph, with all his flaws, currently makes $17 million of a $59 million cap. That's a little more than 28% of available resources -- aside from the cap exceptions -- for a guy who's never gonn give you the production to justify that. Who in God's name is going to take on that package and give away anything else of value? (This seems like a good place to note that Portland was willing to trade randolph for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. In other words....cap relief. And their GM (Pritchard) is regarded as one of the best in the game.)
I'm all for Walsh playing hardball and the stories today made it seem like the negotiations still have a pulse. But if they actually walk away from the trade because they think that Zach Randolph gives this team a better chance of competing than a TON of cap relief, I think that it will just be next in a long line of moves that the Knicks and there fans have spent almost a decade regretting.
2 months ago
And Gene, exactly when has Z-bo said anything that makes you think he is a stats first guy? Of have you just heard so many reporters say things like this that you believe it. He said all the right things last year, never complained, got less shots last year then he did in portland too. He has 2 of the three tools a big needs, he can score, and he can board(lazy players don't board, so he must not be lazy!) Curry only has 1 tool, but no one wants to ditch him... and he makes almost 5 mill less than z-bo.
Zach Randolph has never committed a crime, and merely made a few poor choices when he was between 20 and 23 years old. Who hasn't. I don't think he is part of the future, but I can see a number of teams who could use him and would give up stuff to get him, unless the Knicks are stupid enough to give him away for free!
Imagine him with Dwight Howard! He would have fit well in Phila, or in Chicago still. We will see who is asking about him soon enough!
from 2 months ago
I remember an article in the Times about Randolph getting busted in HS for selling a stolen gun. He also has a DUI. So he HAS committed a crime.
But that's really not the major point here.
The bigger issue is that the guy was sent out of Portland for nothing in a clear attempt to clean up their cap and remove him as an influence from the clubhouse. Which is where the Knicks' heads should be regarding him now.
2 months ago
idiots randolph is a ball hogging machine. how can curry and randolph play togther . they ball hog the ball like crazy maniacs. they never kick the ball out and they just chuck the ball up. and why woud u pay hobos this much money. the knicsk are a disgrace and need to rebuild there team in 2 yrs before 2010.
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