Without Curry Trade and Better Drafting, Knicks Would Be Great Team

I follow the NBA very closely and watch the Knicks all the time because they are my local team. Watching the Knicks over the past 6 or 7 years has been painful to say the least. Player moves since the Finals appearance against the Spurs have mostly been bad. I will focus on the moves since 2005 though and show the team they could have had. The only reason's to go to a game is to watch David Lee and Nate Robinson and dream about 2010.

And I will start with those two players who came to the team in the 2005 draft with picks number 21 and 30, but before that was the problem. They selected Channing Frye who played well at times and now is better with the Suns, but look at the two players they passed over, Andrew Bynum and Danny Granger. It's not like these were two unknown players. Bynum was a top 3 High School star from New Jersey and Danny Granger was a Top 5 scorer in the Nation for New Mexico. Also, in the second round instead of Dijon Thompson they could have taken Marcin Gortat or Amir Johnson, both would have helped more obviously then Thompson.

Now to the trade. It was Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis for the 2006 draft pick, a switch of 2007 draft picks, Tim Thomas, Mike Sweetney and Jermaine Jackson. Those three players were nothing to the Knicks in the Present and would be nothing now. This trade crushed the Knicks in two ways though. The draft picks and the contract which they are still under, and may stop them from getting 2 big free agents this summer. Curry has an 11 Million dollar option for next season and he will absolutely take that.

So lets get to those draft picks that were given to the Bulls. 2006 the number 2 pick was LaMarcus Aldridge, who would have been a great fit on the Knicks. They also could have taken Rudy Gay, Brandon Roy or Randy Foye or even traded down alittle for value if they didn't love those players. Then at 20 in that draft they took Renaldo Balkman over players like Rajon Rondo, Josh Boone, Jordan Farmar, Marcus Williams and Shannon Brown. Then at 29 they took the immortal Mardy Collins, it is difficult to know what late players will become but they passed on Paul Millsap, Daniel Gibson, Craig Smith and Leon Powe. I could have for sure told you at the time Leon Powe or Daniel Gibson were better players than Collins.

2007 they switched picks with the Bulls and ended with Wilson Chandler at the 23 pick, not a bad player. They could have had Joakim Noah, Al Thornton, Rodney Stuckey, Spencer Hawes or Thaddeus Young at 9.

Just to show more bad draft decisons 2008 they take Danilo Gallinari over Eric Gordon, D.J. Augustin, Brook Lopez, Brandon Rush, Jason Thompson and Anthony Randolph. Then this year they have Step Curry rpped away one spot ahead of their pick, but they could have traded up. Then they take Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings and Terrence Williams.

So for arguments sake this could be the Knicks team:

C-Andruw Bynum (Taken instead of Channing Frye 2005 Draft)

PF-David Lee

SF- Al Thornton (9th pick in 2007 draft)

SG- Brandon Roy (2nd pick in 2006 draft)

PG- Rajon Rondo (20th pick in 2006 draft)

Bench-

Marcin Gortat (2nd round pick 2005)

Leon Powe (29th pick 2006 draft)

Brandon Jennings

Nate Robinson

I know the picks would be different if the team was different but it's just to show how off the team has been and how could they could have been.

With more money in the books not only could they afford LeBron James and to resign all the yound talent, He would actually want to come to the team.