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MS
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Joined: 7/28/2004
Member: #724
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Donnie Walsh is nothing if not patient, and today his patience was rewarded. The New York Knicks' team president traded guard Jamal Crawford to the Golden State Warriors for forward Al Harrington, and in doing so pretty much rolled out the welcome mat for LeBron James in 2010.
The key numbers in this deal are 3 and 2: the three years left on Crawford's contract (including this season) against the two remaining on Harrington's. Because of that difference, New York just created an additional $10 million in cap room in the summer of 2010, a period they've targeted for taking a major dive into the free-agent market -- and the summer when, coincidentally, Cleveland star and noted Yankees fan LeBron James can become a free agent, along with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire, among others.
The Knicks now have just $40.9 million in committed salaries for 2010-11. That number would likely give them enough room to make a maximum offer for the Global Icon, but with only five players on the roster, which might not be realistic. A high first-round pick in 2009 would cut deeply into that number, as would re-signing David Lee or Nate Robinson, or any other contract they gave out that was for more than the minimum. (Glass half-full department: Knicks fans needn't worry about a high pick in 2010 hurting their cap -- Isiah Thomas already took care of that by trading it away.)
-CAN WE NEVER GIVE THIS ASSHOLE CREDIT FOR ANYTHING PLEASE, NOTHING ABOUT WILSON CHANDLER, 3 PICKS
So, more realistically, then, this deal puts Walsh one deal away from being in position to nab James while still hanging on to some of his more desirable assets -- assets which would make the Big Apple a far more palatable destination for James.
Of course, there are any number of cap-reducing deals Walsh could have made in the past few months. One key difference with this trade is that it doesn't hurt his basketball team in the short term.
Crawford is a force as a scorer, but indifferent at best at the defensive end and a fairly low-percentage marksman -- a career 40.3 percent shooter who tends to fall in love with his long-range jumper at the expense of more makeable shots.
The Knicks replace him with the type of small-ball power forward that coach Mike D'Antoni loves. Harrington has shot 35.8 percent for his career on 3-pointers, and he averaged a point every two minutes last season -- just like Crawford. He has adequate size for a power forward, though he's a middling-at-best athlete who rebounds poorly and rarely blocks shots. But with rookie Danilo Gallinari now expected to be out for a big chunk of the season with back problems, New York needed another quality frontcourt player.
Presumably New York will move Wilson Chandler to small forward and Quentin Richardson to the 2, allowing D'Antoni to utilize the same eight-man rotation he's kept to so far this season. Or one tweak might be to open up some more backcourt minutes for Anthony Roberson or Mardy Collins at the expense of Richardson, who is a bit slow and heavy to see regular duty at shooting guard.
For Golden State, this deal is all about immediate improvement. Harrington had been banished to the inactive list -- something Knicks fans might be a bit familiar with -- after demanding a trade early in the year. From that perspective, the Warriors are essentially getting Crawford for free.
With point guard Monta Ellis injured and reserves C.J. Watson, DeMarcus Nelson and Marcus Williams all found wanting, the Warriors were desperate for somebody who could bring the ball upcourt, initiate offense and occasionally ignite the transition game. While Crawford isn't anyone's idea of a true point guard, he'll be a vast improvement on what's passed for point guard play in the Bay Area thus far.
Golden State will play small and push the tempo with Crawford, Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette and either Anthony Morrow or Kelenna Azubuike on the outside, while rising star Andris Biedrins mans the middle. Once Ellis comes back around midseason, the Warriors will likely move Crawford to the 2 and bring youngsters Morrow and Azubuike off the bench.
The cap implications aren't as important for Golden State -- the Warriors had already forfeited any shot at serious cap space in 2010 with last week's ridiculous three-year, $27 million extension to Stephen Jackson. But in a weakened West, they now seem set to take aim at the playoff spot that eluded them in the final week a season ago.
So in a nutshell, the Warriors improved their present without severely impacting their future, while the Knicks improved their future without severely impacting their present. All the attention will be on the latter aspect because of the implications for the Great LeBron Sweepstakes. But don't underestimate the former -- the path to a spot in the West's top eight just got measurably tougher, so fans in places like Dallas and Denver should care about this trade just as much as those in Cleveland.
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11/21/2008 3:11 PM
