New York Knicks Must Upgrade at Center Before 2012-13 to Compete for NBA Title
With Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony as the linchpins of the team, the New York Knicks would be making a major mistake if the club doesn't pursue a legitimate starting center to pair with their stars.
The last time the team had a productive starting center to brag about, Eddy Curry was still in shape and was making waves in the 2006-07 season by averaging 19.5 points per game.
Needless to say, the Knicks clearly need to broach the issue and find a logical solution.
The club relied on various starting lineups throughout last season and even featured an undersized Ronny Turiaf as the starting man in the middle at times.
Moving forward, the Knicks are hoping to get a fair amount of production from 2010 second-round draft pick Jerome Jordan, who was acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks in a draft-day trade. However, Jordan has spent the early part of his professional basketball tenure overseas working to develop his game.
Although the Knicks have about $60 million in payroll currently heading into next season, the team should have the ability to make some minor adjustments to the roster before the next campaign kicks off.
Additionally, the team has just $41 million committed beyond next year, and despite forthcoming restrictions to the current salary structure in the league, the Knicks will undoubtedly have the ability to bring in a major piece to the current picture.
While many have linked the club to Chris Paul in an effort for the Knicks to build a Big Three of their own, the opportunity to upgrade the starting center spot remains a realistic one for the team.
Should the Knicks be serious about the pursuit of CP3, New York has to be focused on a value piece in the middle that could help both now and into the future, as the team's most successful seasons with Anthony and Stoudemire will likely lie beyond 2012.
The Knicks have already been connected to the NBA's oldest player in Kurt Thomas, and if the team really plans to make him its starting center, that would be an incredibly short-sighted move.
There are no quick fixes and stopgaps on the path to a championship, and with the Knicks bringing in Anthony last season despite a monstrous price, it is fairly clear that the team is angling toward bringing a title back to Madison Square Garden.
It may be an uphill battle for the Knicks to emerge from the Eastern Conference with Miami, Chicago and Boston perched atop the standings, but it's going to take more than just three players (no matter how talented) to make a commitment to winning over an extended period of time.
For that reason, it's imperative that the Knicks pursue a serious upgrade in the middle.
New York would be wise to target a center with potential to grow with the team and remain in the fold at a reasonable rate, and I previously suggested that Aaron Gray could be a nice fit in a potentially star-studded lineup.
Some names to keep in consideration include Gray, Kwame Brown and Spencer Hawes, as guys like Tyson Chandler, Nene and even Samuel Dalembert will more than likely prove to be far too expensive for a team that's giving heavy consideration toward bringing in a max-contract player for the 2012-13 campaign.
It should be interesting to see how New York's free-agent shopping list shakes out in the post-Donnie Walsh era, but for a team that has become accustomed to shopping in the bargain bin, there are plenty of logical options that may be on the clearance rack.
