Maxey: It's Time To Trade David Lee
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By Wendell Maxey Jr.
for HOOPSWORLD.com
May 1, 2007, 18:22


The New York Knicks locker room looked rough to say the least with a week left in the regular season and tip-off at Continental Airlines Arena about an hour away. Seventy-eight games in the books and half the roster on the mend, one couldn't help but think past the New Jersey Nets and towards what next year could bring.

This isn't how Isiah Thomas envisioned his backcourt when he started the season. Playoff promises morphed into wounded players plight before his eyes.

Steve Francis laid on the trainer's table getting his right knee massaged while Stephon Marbury lounged on a table to Francis' right with his cell in hand, patiently waiting his turn for treatment.

Feet away, Quentin Richardson sat sporting a black pinstriped suit sans jacket thumbing buttons on his Blackberry. He was probably texting someone about his jacked-up back. Jamal Crawford, nearly healed, opted for a courtside chat with reporters complete with a Knicks' team official meticulously documenting each word in an issued held hand device provided for such paranoid occasions.

Handle with care. Slightly damaged. Whatever label you slap on it, few imagined the Knicks baron playoff dreams would play out like this, David Lee included.

Lee stood flanked by a handful of beat writers in the corner of the locker room wondering what's next for the super sophomore. He thought the same himself as he rambled about taking time to heal, not rushing things, and what the offseason would bring.

A mysterious mismanaged calf injury had kept the teams leading rebounder thinking hard. Ironing out the shady details of the ailment was the norm and a never-ending topic of conversation mixed with the usual conspiracy theory.

He returned in a meaningless game against the Portland Trailblazers stating before hand he wanted to be there for his team and it was his decision to play against doctor's wishing otherwise.

It had been eleven games since Lee was last on the court. And in an embarrassing loss to the Blazers, this year's Rookie-Sophomore game MVP wasn't exactly valuable or even much of a player. All year he averaged a double-double. But on a rainy night in late March at the Garden Lee managed to go scoreless with 5 rebounds in 10 minutes.

It would be another six games before Lee was back on the court for the Knicks this time playing 20 minutes in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves where he finished with 6 points, 8 rebounds, and looked gimpy running up and down the court.

Suddenly the story changed. Gone were the cliché's of being there for the team. They were replaced by following doctor's orders.

The next night would be the last game of the season in which Lee appeared. It was early April and Eddy Curry hit a memorable three-pointer in front of the Knicks bench to send the game into overtime in Milwaukee where New York eventually won. David watched from the bench after logging only two minutes and twenty-four seconds and committing a pair of turnovers.

Lee's season, which started and played out like a dream early on, finished in a painful sweaty nightmare. Speculation surrounded his injury, the timing of it, his questionable return, and how the Knicks handled the situation. Some believe Lee's crown had grown to big and tarnished around his teammates. Others say Thomas favored playing prized rookie Renaldo Balkman instead of Lee when times got hard on the boulevard. Truth is trapped somewhere in the middle.

That is the lasting memory, regardless of the Knicks' fan favorites accolades.Now Lee finds himself truly on the outside looking in.

According to a source close to the Knicks for over the last decade, Isiah Thomas may consider packaging Lee in a move to lure a true low post defender and scoring threat to play alongside Thomas' franchise cornerstone, Eddy Curry.

Lee becomes expendable considering what Balkman was able to contribute in limited minutes with intense energy that Thomas absolutely loves: 68 games averaging 4.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game. Those stats are parallel to what Lee did his rookie year. And Lee's success this season merely rose as the minutes on the court did as well. More important is what the dreadlocked wonder supplied nightly. It's called intangibles. They don't show up in the final boxscore but they register in the minds of the Garden faithful who still give Charles Oakley standing ovations when he's in the building for the exact some reason.

Knicks' fans eat Balkman up.

Yes, Lee is cast out of a similar mold. But considering trade value and stockpiling at the forward position in New York, Lee becomes a pawn in the Knicks offseason trading game.

Last week after the Indiana Pacers said good-bye to Rick Carlisle, the Indianapolis Star's Mike Wells wrote how Jermaine O'Neal is willing to be dealt since the franchise is obviously rebuilding. A trade scenario involving the Knicks' Jamal Crawford, Channing Frye, and Jared Jeffries was pitched in the article. The dollars work. But for Larry Bird to be truly interested in abetting Isiah Thomas, with whom a feud reportedly runs deep, the players must make sense.

David Lee included in a deal for O'Neal would surely be appetizing to the Pacers' team president, regardless of the combination Thomas puts together involving other Knicks players.

The Pacers get a young hardwood hustler who loves to clean the glass and comes complete with a Midwest work ethic. And the Knicks get Jermaine O'Neal.

It's that simple, something the Knicks season was far from.

Isiah Thomas repeatedly admitted up until exit interviews were held at the Knicks' practice facility how he likes the team assembled and how he doesn't see any changes occurring this offseason besides individual growth. As much as folks around Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs would like to believe Zeke, something has to give.

Starting with Steve Francis' buyout isn't a bad idea. Moving Nate Robinson and Channing Frye should be next. And believe it or not, David Lee's time in New York might as well be added to the long list of to-do's. Acquiring a player of Jermaine O'Neal' caliber comes along sparingly, much like the Knicks' playoff appearances.

That's a long time.

If the promise land is truly the destination for Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks, taking immediate self inventory and cleaning a corner of the house is necessary.

It just happens to be time to spring clean around David Lee's corner.

No disrespect but Hoopsworld is the equivalent to the Inquirer or Star magazine.

If Zeke trades DLee, Balkman or Collins there will be a coup d'État!

It's a risky move, albeit a one you have to consider.


For one, ALWAYS sell high.

Lee has the most trade value of anyone on the roster.


2, Even DPOY cands like Hakeem and Drob needed low post help.


But I don't think JO is the answer b/c there aren't enough points to go around down low.


Some realistic options:



JO
Rasheed Wallace
Udonis Haslem
Anderson Vareajo
Kendrick Perkins
Nene
Camby
Tyson Chandler
Chris Kaman (can play PF?)
Mikki Moore
Shawn Marion
Darko Milici
Joakim Noah
Al Horford
Tiago Splitter



[Edited by - bobs3304 on 05-02-2007 3:22 PM]

[Edited by - bobs3304 on 05-02-2007 3:23 PM]

Lee and spare parts for a healthy JO? I'd do it.

Probably it's a good way to move last white fans from the bulding when the arena set with hardwood to the arena when it is set with ice...
It is always easy to market Rap or Heavy metall that Jaz or Classic music.
Good money saving marketing strategy.

Posted by Andrew:

Lee and spare parts for a healthy JO? I'd do it.

That's what I'm saying.

Lee is my daddy and all but, that's what they make league pass for.

JO and curry down low makes for a very tough guard for every single team in the league.

Question for every team would be, who do you double?

Isiah is definately gonna need to sign a shooter if this goes down some kind of way.

Why not starphuch all the way and trade half the backcourt for ray Allen? Sign kapono or some other sniper?

JO
Balkman
Curry
Marbs
Ray Allen

Just silly isn't it?

Whatever. Whenever you have an opportunity to get the best player in a trade, you consider it. We kind of got bitten in the butt a little bit w/ the Francis/Ariza deal, and the Eddy Curry for Tim Thomas & Draft picks deal (when it turned out the draft picks were both lottery!).

In this case, David Lee is potentially damaged goods for the rest of his career. We won't know until he comes back next year. It doesn't matter what doctors say. Yeah, odds are he will be 100%, but with these microfractures, who knows. If he had a true break rather than just "bending" of his bone, maybe it'd have been easier to predict his recovery.

Jermaine O'Neal is a member of the Marcus Camby annual injury club. His body just isn't capable staying healthy for an entire season. However, when he is healthy, he's certainly a top 15-type of player in the NBA (at least, he puts up the numbers).

I'd prefer to aim a little higher and go for KG, but O'Neal would be plenty. He'll at least fill the shot blocking/defensive intimidator role... but he's got that "I am soft" Chris Webber expression on his face in crunch time. I can't stand that.

JO is tempting, but you have to factor in that he hasn't been past 70 games in the last 3 seasons. He's 29 an David is only 23. Sure Lee isn't the same level of player and isn't likely to be the same kind of player, but with Lee you know that you'll have a solid team player for a number of years to come. It's a big risk going after players like JO, that have injury history and Isiah's already been down that road. He has no reason to take that kind of chance anymore. IF he sticks with the kids he has more time to make it work, whereas if he makes a trade for a star like JO, the expectations for immediate success are MUCH higher.

To be honest JO is better much for Knicks and Lee is better much for Indiana for multiple reasons.
And this is sad as I will prefer the things to be all the way around.
The trade will naturally put all players in NY at the same page.
It will be a complete group of half-injured egos including IT (except his injury is of mental nature).
I would go for the trade just to clean up the picture. I like Lee as a player but sometimes you need to make an ultimate sacrifice to finish what is started and watch the FINAL result.

Indy go with Lee, Murphy and Dunlevy?
Wonder if they can lead the league in foul shots taken?