2) Portland trades Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones to New York for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. Portland also trades the rights to the 53rd pick (Demetris Nichols) to New York for a 2008 second round pick.

There were two parts to this deal between these two franchises trying to turn around their luck of late. Both teams looked past the talent level in order to remove enormous headaches in attempt to gain some control over the locker room while tinkering with the chemistry of each squad.

Judging by the explosion of cheers from the Knick fans in attendance at the WaMu Theater on Draft Night 2007, it is apparent what they think of Isiah’s latest move. It is obvious that the focus of this deal for the Knicks was to rid themselves of the selfish shell-of-his-former-self Steve Francis and his bloated contract (2 yrs/$34M). While 28 of the other 29 General Managers in the league saw this as an impossible task, lucky for Isiah, he called the right one. While it may seem like the Blazers and GM Kevin Pritchard are ‘unintelligent’ for taking the overpaid Francis, it was also their primary concern to unload the troubled Zach Randolph along with his laundry list of previous crime, hoodlum-esque actions, and his long term loaded contract (4 yrs/$61M).

The cap relief the Blazers will see from ridding themselves of Randolph will not show for the next two years, but in the summer of 2009, when Francis and Raef LaFrentz and their combined $30M come off the books, the Blazers will be in perfect position to start locking up the future stars of tomorrow – Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden – to long-term deals that will keep them on top for years to come. The Blazers are expected to buy out the contract of Steve Francis in order to preserve the chemistry of their budding team and avoid constant bickering from the often difficult combo guard.

Along with The Franchise, Portland also received the former Knick power forward, Channing Frye, who brings with him a sweet mid-range jumper and a ton of upside. However, Frye was falling out of favor in New York as critics were concerned his defense was particularly shoddy and his toughness resembled that of a Fainting Goat. Frye will continue to work hard and provide the Blazers with yet another great character guy and a strong big man shooting option off the bench for years to come.

As for the Knicks end of the deal, they were able to obtain the player with the most talent in the deal. Coming off a career high 23.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in Portland, it is strongly believed that Zach Randolph could become a dominant force in the East. With Eddy Curry already manning the post, this acquisition guarantees that the Knicks have a formidable presence down low for all 48 minutes of every game.

When both Curry and Randolph are on the floor, Randolph will draw defenders to him and help reduce the abusive double- and triple-teams Curry faced last season. Randolph also has the ability to step out, face his man, and is equipped with both quick deceptive moves off the dribble as well as a sweet mid-range jump shot. While his off-court antics have demonstrated his immaturity and reason to believe he disrupts team chemistry, it cannot be denied that he is a strong force in the paint. Both he and Curry were amonst the leaders in drawing fouls last season. Also, Randolph’s 10.1 rebounds per game last year will help the Knicks down low since, outside of the scrappy David Lee, they did not have a big man average over 7.0 rebounds per game.

Along with Randolph came two expiring contracts in Fred Jones (1 yr/$3.3M) and Dan Dickau (1 yr/$2.8M), both of whom are expected to be dangled throughout the season for another big splash move that can put them in contention for the Eastern Conference crown.

The second round acquisition of Demetris Nichols could prove to be a steal at the 53rd overall selection for the Knicks since it only cost them a future second rounder. Nichols was deadly from downtown in his workouts and particularly in the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp, where he shot 9 of 13 from three-point land. The Orlando Camp is also the place where Isiah tabbed the unheralded, yet surprisingly effective, fan favorite and defensive menace Renaldo Balkman, a year ago.

Since the Knicks ultimately gained four major assets while completing a major addition by subtraction with the riddance of The Franchise, they are obviously the ones sitting pretty at this time…that is, until Isiah is awoken in the middle of the night by the NYPD with Randolph in the slammer for another dance with the demons of the night.

Winner: New York Knicks

Question: why did Portland trade us Nichols for a future second round pick instead of keeping him themselves?

Good press. Its pleasant on the eyes.

Makes sense.