New York Knicks' Salary Cap Space Offers No Guarantees

Donnie Walsh accomplished his main objective.

He put the Knicks in a position to sign a couple of premier free agents after trading away players for nothing last year.

Walsh did it again yesterday by trading most of his players to Houston in order to clear more cap space for next season. The Knicks acquired Tracy McGrady from the Rockets because his contract expires after this season, not because he is a player they can build around.

It's all well and good that the Knicks are doing this, but what if the premier free agents are not coming to New York this summer? Then what?

Everyone thinks all the stars with join the Knicks, but they shouldn't be sure about that.

Other teams such as the Bulls, Clippers, and the Heat are doing the same thing in clearing up cap space to get these guys.

Let's be honest—those teams provide opportunities to win right away, unlike the Knicks.

LeBron James will start the movement. No other stars will sign unless James makes his decision.

The Cavaliers did their part in convincing James to stay after acquiring Antawn Jamison and Sebastian Telfair Wednesday evening. That may be enough to catapult the Cavs to the NBA Finals this year.

Put it this way: That team is much better now than they were Tuesday.

This basketball junkie doubted the Cavaliers' chances of advancing far in the Eastern Conference with King James' supporting cast not being anything special, but it's different now. James has a new sidekick that can score 25 points and play efficient defense.

If the Cavaliers win the championship or lose in Game Seven of the NBA Finals, James is staying in Cleveland.

That could be bad news for the Knicks. Why would Bosh, Wade, and other superstars want to come to New York if James stays put?

If anything, those guys might join James in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers have a decent shot of winning a championship, and that should give the Knicks a reason to start worrying about other fallback options.

Look for the Bulls to get an impact player this summer. The Bulls have the supporting cast for either Bosh or Wade to win a championship, again, unlike the Knicks.

There is a good possibility this is going to be a failure for the Knicks when all is said and done.

New York has nothing to offer. The owner of this team is dumb to begin with. Walsh showed he is past his prime when it comes to finding talent, and Mike D'Antoni is a terrible head coach.

Quite frankly, it would be foolish for all those guys to come here. Their situation now is much better than it would be here in New York.

The Knicks can talk all they want about how they will be active in 2010, but it will mean nothing actually happens.

Role players or players past their prime need not apply. If the Knicks sign a guy with a lot of mileage over the years, then their strategy was a failure.

There is a good chance Walsh and D'Antoni would be looking for jobs after next season if this does not work.

The pressure will be enormous to get this done. 

It's one thing to put the team in a position to get these guys, but it's another thing to get them signed on the dotted line.

Walsh will need all the good fortune in New York for the latter to happen.