Knicks Rumors: 3 Steps That New York Must Take to Land Chris Paul

The Knicks need Chris Paul more than he needs them.

That’s why New York needs to make sure it takes the proper steps to ensure he signs with the Knicks and doesn’t go elsewhere.

It’s not going to be easy and it’s not going to be fun for Knicks fans this season as they watch Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire have no real chance to contend in the playoffs, just like last year.

But it will all be worth it if they acquire Paul.

Here is what they need to do this season in order to get him.

1. Do Not Sign Any Players to More Than a One-Year Deal.

This is simple. The Knicks need as much salary cap space as possible to give CP3 a lucrative deal when they acquire him, most likely via a sign-and-trade.

The only players under contract next year will be Anthony, Stoudemire, Renaldo Balkman, Tony Douglas and more than likely Iman Shumpert. They need to keep it that way.

There is absolutely no reason the team should acquire any players they are guaranteeing money to for more than the 2011-2012 season.

2. Showcase Iman Shumpert and Landry Fields.

If the Knicks want to pull off that sign-and-trade, they need Shumpert to show a lot of promise and live up to his No. 17 selection in this year’s draft. He has the potential to be a star in this league if he plays well and New York needs to make sure he flashes some of that ability this season.

They also need Fields to step his game up after he fell apart halfway through his rookie season. The dude was looking like a Rookie of the Year candidate early in the season but fell into a slump.

These two guys, plus Chauncey Billups’ expiring contract, are going to be the key components in any deal for Paul.

3. Play Well as a Team. 

The final way to convince the Hornets superstar to jump to the Big Apple is solid team play. Even though they don’t have anyone of note besides ‘Melo and Stat, the Knickerbockers need to look like a club on the rise again this season.

It would make the idea of playing there very intriguing to Paul and he would do everything in his power to make a deal happen. That’s the ideal situation.

Even if the Knicks do all three of these things right, it isn’t a guarantee that they’ll land the star PG, but it gives them their best chance.