I'd be okay with that as an interim solution. By no means is that a final roster, but making the playoffs would be nice
2010: The Arn Tellem All-Stars?
Feb 27th, 2010
by Jon.A few weeks ago in this space I debated the merits of Joe Johnson and asked, if the Knicks missed out on the big three free agents, whether or not fans could get comfortable with the concept of Johnson as the centerpiece of the Knicks’ summer. The answers were decidedly mixed.
But after witnessing what went on at the trade deadline last week I’ve realized that, while I was likely focusing on the right player as the centerpiece of the Knicks’ plan B (or perhaps even plan A – more on that below) I may have been asking the wrong question.
The Knicks paid a steep price to acquire Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez at last Thursday’s trade deadline, but even that exorbitant outlay might not have been enough had superagent Arn Tellem not imposed his considerable will and influence on the process. The Rockets and Kings had a trade in place that worked under the cap and didn’t force Houston to absorb any long-term contracts beyond Kevin Martin’s, but it didn’t include the Knicks. Yet Tellem, of Wasserman Media Group, had already decided that T-Mac was going to be a Knick and that was all there was to it. And so, lo and behold, the Knicks were brought back into the deal and T-Mac landed in New York (along with fellow Wasserman client Sergio Rodriguez, who was previously destined for Houston but Tellem had re-routed to NYC instead).
On the surface it would seem odd that Tellem was so adamant that McGrady end up with the Knicks. The team has been the dictionary definition of dysfunction for years and this season really hasn’t been all that different from the past 7 or 8. But Donnie Walsh is something of a godfather to many NBA types, Arn Tellem (and David Stern) included. When Tellem needs advice, he calls Donnie. And so it seems when Tellem needed to provide his marquee client with a soft landing, he called his godfather.
And this isn’t just a one time thing. Danilo Gallinari is a Tellem client, as is the player the Knicks really wanted in the 2008 draft, Russell Westbrook, and the player they would have selected if Gallo was off the board, DJ Augustin. Prior to the 2009 draft, Walsh was often said to be highest on Tyreke Evans, another Tellem client. And during this season, when the aforementioned Augustin struggled with his role with the Bobcats and was rumored to be on the trading block, the Knicks were frequently mentioned as a likely destination for the second year guard.
Even more tellingly, prior to his tenure with the Knicks, Walsh always employed Tellem clients as centerpieces of his Pacers teams, from Reggie Miller to Mark Jackson to Jalen Rose to Jermaine O’Neal to Mike Dunleavy Jr. The two have a long history of building title contenders together.
As it stands the Knicks presently have three Wasserman clients on the roster: Gallinari, and now McGrady and Rodriguez. But after this summer that number could go up dramatically. Which brings me back around to the point of this post.
I think it goes without saying that the Knicks’ dream scenario would be for Lebron James to sign on the dotted line and bring along with him whoever it was that he wanted to play with for the next few years. But even if that’s the dream scenario, it might not be “plan A”, so to speak. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to discover that, though he hoped, Walsh never really thought he could recruit any one of the big three to play in New York, but instead had been focused on an entirely different group of players, more obtainable players, that he wanted to bring into the fold. And that group of players are all represented by Arn Tellem.
That’s right. Beyond the big three, Tellem represents a significant collection of the best available talent this summer. The list includes the fourth best player in this class, Joe Johnson, who we’ve already addressed at length, but it also includes a number of quality veterans like McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal and Mike Miller. On paper, all four players would make tons of sense for the Knicks and it wouldn’t suprise me at all to discover, should the Knicks strike out with the big 3, that Donnie Walsh was intent on signing all of them.
So, assuming that what I’ve described above might be an accurate depiction of what’s going on here (a nervy assumption, I realize), here are what I think are the right questions:
If the Knicks are unable to sign Lebron, Wade or Bosh, could fans get comfortable with the idea of a roster dominated by the clients of superagent Arn Tellem? And if Lebron is unobtainable, would fans be happy rooting for a team assembled around a core with Joe Johnson at its center, but also including veterans like McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal and perhaps Mike Miller?
It’s something to start considering because I think this could very well be the outcome of summer 2010. And it may have been Donnie Walsh’s “plan A” all along.
2/27/2010 1:58 PM
