Why the New York Knicks' Roster Will Haunt Them in LeBradeAPalooza 2010

A few years ago, my dad (or more likely, mum) decided it was time to revamp our backyard.  The first task was to re-plant some of the gum trees we had put in the year before on the other side, with the goal of creating a backyard cricket pitch flanked on either side by trees.

After spending a long, hot day in the Sydney summer sun, eventually we managed to re-plant the trees where we had four on either side of the backyard, along with planting some seeds around the old and new trees.

As time passed, however, I noticed that the seeds we planted around the un-replanted trees eventually grew into flowers within a few weeks, whereas we had to wait until next March for the seeds around the re-planted trees to bloom as flowers.

Not being able to understand how this happened, I simply concluded that it had to have something to do with the up-rooted trees and how it takes time for the ground around them to return to a state where it can support the growth of more plants.

Like so many metaphors, this translates into life and sports. We can see it happening to the New York Knicks right now, where Donnie Walsh has literally up-rooted his entire team in a quest to load the squad with expiring contracts for the free agent silly season of 2010, which I have tagged “LeBradeAPalooza 2010.” (If anyone can figure out a way to include Bosh, Amare and Joe Johnson in a one word description as well, I’d appreciate it).

The Knicks, despite what they and their fans seem to think, are not the only team with a legitimate chance at the big name free agents this off-season. They may have dug the biggest hole for the tree, but the Nets, Bulls, Heat and Clippers (among others) have all been pulling out their shovels as well.

And unlike the Knicks, all four of those teams already come with flowers around the side.

Part of the reason the Knicks were effectively forced to blow up their team was the legacy of the Isiah Thomas era, where draft picks were traded away for has-beens or never-wases with massive contracts. Or Isiah simply throwing money around like the proverbial sailor in a brothel.

When Donnie Walsh came in, he essentially had no choice but to chop off a lot of bad contracts. However, this has had the unintended effect of leaving the Knicks with virtually no core and almost totally dependent on LeBradeAPalooza. (I love saying that. Come on. Say it to yourself. You’ll love it as well).

Think about it. Even if the Nets don’t score this year, they have Devin Harris (an All-Star), Brook Lopez (a future All-Star), a few good young wing players and a top four draft pick. The Bulls have Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng—maybe not a championship roster, but a team which will only get better with time. Even the Clippers have Baron Davis, Blake Griffin, and a rejuvenated Chris Kaman.

The Knicks? Their best player of the past two years (David Lee) is pissed off at his treatment by the NY brass (with good reason) and is most likely out the door at the end of the year. That leaves them with a 6’10” jump shooter who plays no defense (Danilo Gallinari), a point guard best suited to a backup role (Toney Douglas), and a couple of low-paid scrubs. Do LeBron or Wade (or Bosh, Amare or Johnson) really want to join a team where Gallinari is the second (or even third) option on offense?

This lack of a core will come back to bite the Knicks on the behind when they pursue any big free agents. If Wade leaves Miami, it’ll solely be because he wants to be on a team that can win titles—honestly, I’d take Beasley and Jermaine O’Neal’s corpse over Gallinari and Douglas if I were Wade and had no other options.

LeBron, for the first time, has a decent supporting cast this year with Mo and Jamison—even if they can’t snare a ring this year, why would he leave that? Especially when Cleveland can offer him the most money.

I’ll admit it—part of the reason I believe this is because I can’t stand the thought of LeBron or Wade playing for the Knicks. No fanbase (apart from the Lakers’) irritates me as much as Knicks fans do, with their bizarre combination of entitlement and self-pity. However, I’m not just an anti-Knicks ranter—anyone who thinks about it can see where I’m coming from.

I suggest the NYPD prepare for riots in Manhattan and give Donnie Walsh some police protection. Come the beginning of the 2010-11 season when the Knicks are running out a starting five of Douglas, Rudy Gay, Gallinari, Boozer and Brad Miller while LeBron stays in Cleveland, Wade in Miami with Amare as his new sidekick, Bosh is wearing a Bulls jersey and Joe Johnson is promising to bring respectability to the Clippers, he’s gonna be needing it.