Knickerbockers fans, hang your heads and groan. Not for the 04-05 season, but for the 05-06 and probably 06-07 as well. Struggling and caught in the NBA bear trap called "Salary Cap Hell", the organization is in trouble and there isn't a feasible solution to their fiscal predicament in the foreseeable future.

The problem began in 2000 when they opted to trade Patrick Ewing in the final year of his contract. Overlooking the sentimental aspect and acknowledging that loyalty doesn't exist in professional sports (it becomes extinct after 5th grade when you no longer pick teams based on friendship), the decision to trade Ewing wasn't a bad one. He was 37 years old, struggled with knee problems, and statistically had been on a gradual decline for five seasons. It had also been rumored that Ewing didn't want to re-sign and would have gone elsewhere after the deal was up. The Knicks had two options (1) wait a year and allow the contract to expire then look to replace him or (2) trade him to get something in return immediately. The belief (myth) is that New Yorkers aren't patient enough to watch their teams rebuild and struggle during the reconstruction process. Because of this, they chose the quick fix. Though debatable, I wouldn't consider that decision a mistake. The blunder was in trading a still effective player for Glen Rice (averaged 12 ppg for the Knicks), Travis Knight (1.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per game), and Luc Longley (2.0 points and 2.6 boards in 25 games before retiring due to back injuries). This move ended the Ewing epoch and ushered in the "High Priced Garbage" era. Since then, we have seen the aquisitions of Shandon Anderson, Howard Eisley, Antonio McDyess (the Knicks packaged the 7th pick in 2002 in for him and Amare Stoudamire was drafted 9th - but atleast he's playing well for the Pistons now), Penny Hardaway, Keith Van Horn, Tim Thomas, Otella Harrington, Clarence Weatherspoon, and others. All overpaid, over-the-hill, overrated underacheivers who naturally didn't live up to the billing and certainly not the lucrative contracts. The poster child, Allan Houston made $17.5M last season and played in just 20 games. Wait - save your smirk and sigh for this: He's owed almost $40M over the next two seasons and because of his contract and health, cannot be traded.

Last season, the Knicks had 4 players in the top 20 NBA salaries. Where else but sports can one fail miserably at his or her occupation and still see 6-figures per check? How does a team spend $103,100,000 (more than double the set salary limit) and only win 33 of 82 games? Take a look at the roster:

Stephon Marbury is the Knicks best player and team Captain No. 2. Marbury has played in the post season only twice (lost both series) and for his career, his teams have a combined 379-494 record with him. Still, he is an elite point guard, atleast statistically. He may not be "the best" but he deserves to be in the discussion. At his position, only Allen Iverson, Gilbert Arenas, and Dwayne Wade averaged more than his 21.7 points per game and only Steve Nash had more than his 668 assists. Also, in NBA history, Marbury and Oscar Robertson are the only players to have career averages over 20 points and 8 assists. His offensive contributions can't be discounted, but his defense was awful this season (in contrast to last year) and helped cost the team a number of games. It seemed as if any point guard with decent quickness was guaranteed 20+ points and a 50% shooting percentage against him (ask Tyronn Lue and Carlos Arroyo). 2004-2005 Salary: $14,625,000

Jamal Crawford is the most physically talented player on the roster, easily the most articulate, but probably the dumbest. For as many Ohs and Ahs he garners with the Hot Sauce-esque moves, he gets moans and grunts from his Hot Sauce-esque shot selection. There is no excuse (no valid one) for a guy with his ability being a career 39% shooter. Even Iverson and Antoine Walker have managed to stay above 40%. Crawford jacks up countless wild, off balance, and flat-out stupid shots. At times he seems like a guy who has never played the sport before but was somehow blessed with the ability to dribble and jump. His defense.... <- There's a blank space because it doesn't exist. $5,800,000

Tim Thomas can run, jump high, dribble, shoot well, and post up; but he's still not a good player. He possesses all the talent and skill a scout would look for but it has never materialized. He does a lot of things well, but never consistently and a lot of things poorly (turnovers, mediocre rebounding, and bad defense) consistently. $12,900,000

Kurt Thomas is the Knicks third Captain (so many Skippers but the ship is still sinking) and one of the most overrated underrated players in the NBA. Fans and experts often say that he doesn't get the recognition deserved and announcers praise his defensive effort. Thomas does try, but its results that count in the pros. Undersized at his positions (center or power forward) and lacking athletic ability, Thomas can't post up and he struggles to defend the post against bigger big men. He is credited as the Knicks best defender, but that's more an indictment of his teammates. Being the least foolish fool doesn't make one a genius. $5,884,500

Michael Sweetney - Is he a starter? He's in the starting lineup but Herb Williams isn't consistent with his minutes, even when he isn't in foul trouble. At 6'8" (ignore the beefiness), he's an undersized PF, but is still the team's most effective player in the paint. The 9th overall pick in 2003, he might be the only good decision Scott Layden ever made. $1,980,000

Allan Houston (Captain #1) was signed to a $100,400,000 contract in 2001 and though not the reason, is one of the biggest contributors to the team's current cap situation. He wasn't worth that much when he signed the deal and certainly isn't now, with his ailing knees that have caused him to miss 94 games the past 2 seasons. Because of this, the Knicks are stuck with him for another 2 years. $17,531,250

Anfernee Hardaway signed his huge contract when he was still "Penny" but age and leg injuries limited his time and effectiveness with the Phoenix Suns and the deal proved cumbersome. The Suns, however, were able to dump him on the Knicks in the Marbury deal. Not much talent was sent to them, but in exchange for Marbury, they were able to get expiring contracts and rid themselves of two big, long-term deals which eventually lead to the aquisitions of Steve Nash and Quentin Richardson. Hardaway was plagued by injuries last season and played in just 37 games, averaging 7.3 points per game. At this stage, he doesn't contribute much offensively and struggles to defend quicker guards and forwards. $14,625,000

Malik Rose was acquired at the trading deadline for Nazr Mohammad. He's undersized and doesn't have much talent, but he plays hard and is a good defensive player. Ideally he's not a starter but a good 6th or 7th man. Still, he's owed almost $20M over the next 3 seasons. $5,462,500

Maurice Taylor was also picked up at the deadline in a deal for a first round pick from the Rockets. He's a good offensive post player, but struggles on defense and is a poor rebounder considering his size and talent. He's owed nearly $19M the next 2 years. $8,450,000

Jerome Williams is a quality role player and brings the intangibles that all teams look for. He hustles, plays strong defense, forces turnovers, and is a good locker room presense. Not good enough to start, but he adds elements that a winning team needs. However, he's paid like a starter and is due over $19M for the next 3 seasons. $5,600,000

The rest of the roster is comprised of Trevor Ariza, Bruno Sundov, and former CBA players Jackie Butler and Jermaie Jackson, who each made under $1M this season.

"Officially", the season ended on April 20th,

[size=1][Edited by - Jimbo

Continued...

but it ended officially in January during the team's 2-18 stupor. Despite the standings and the mirage created by the weak Eastern Conference and its even weaker Atlantic Division which lead some to believe that the Knicks weren't yet "mathematically eliminated", it was over. The only equation that mattered was Losing + more losing = the only 8th seed they'll see will be from a watermelon in Carribbean on their early vacation. Knowledgeable fans knew that the next relevant televised event involving the Knicks would be on May 24th; when the raffle barrell reveals which putrid piece of [mess] team will pick where in the top 14. Unfortunately for the Knicks, they finished the season going 3-2 in their final 5 meaningful meaningless games. Needing a couple more Ls to help them finish with worse records than the Bucks and Raptors and position themselves for a higher draft pick, they started playing half decent. You know things are bad when the team can't even lose in the clutch. Most likely, the Knicks will end up with the 8th pick in what doesn't appear to be a deep draft.

The coaching situation doesn't look good either. Isiah Thomas' first choice, Larry Brown, doesn't plan on leaving Detroit and may not even coach next season due to health concerns. Phil Jackson, despite the rumors, will not coach here and is most likely only using the Knicks to help drive up the asking price for his real suitors. Returning to New York to coach the team he rode the bench for in the 70s isn't worth sub .500 records and the possible tarnishing of his reputation. Jackson is all about championships (he needs one more for a record 10th) and all the "Zen magic" in the world wouldn't get the Knicks to a title. Flip Saunders seems like a reasonable option and he's Marbury's choice, but the organization hasn't shown much interest in him. P.J. Carlesimo has also been mentioned, but he hasn't coached since 2000 and has a .452 career winning percentage (.250 in the post season). And not that the choking incident should matter, but Carlesimo is most famous for being Latrell Sprewell's stranglee.

Financially handcuffed and blindfolded by ignorance (James Dolan), the Knicks' silver lining looks more gray and bleak than shiny. The way the salary cap is designed, a team exceeding the threshold isn't allowed to spend more than the mid-level exemption on free agents. Although the Knicks are a wealthy organization with money to burn (they're good at that), they can't pursue the top players avaialbe because no superstar who can count or has an agent who graduated kindergarten would turn down a contract in excess of $100M elsewhere to come play for a bad team for $5.2M. Even if its in Madison Square Garden.

That leaves only the draft as a means by which the Knicks can improve immediately. Unlike years past, under Scott Layden, fans now at least have reason to be hopeful about the draft because Isiah Thomas, though not the smartest GM, has an eye for talent. In addition to their lottery pick, they will have the 30th (included in the deal for Malik Rose) and 54th selections. Although top talent isn't often found beyond the first 15 picks and second rounders rarely make the active roster, it is possible to find quality. Tony Parker and Jamaal Tinsely were late first rounders and stars such as Gilbert Arenas, Manu Ginobili, and Carlos Boozer were all taken in the 2nd round.

With the 8th (probably) and 30th picks, the Knicks should look to draft a center, athletic power forward, or a small forward/shooting guard who plays defesne. The players that will probably be on the board that deserve consideration are Chris Taft (6-10/260), Charlie Villanueva (6-11/240), Hakim Warrick (6-9/220), Wayne Simien (6-9/255), Joey Graham (6-7/225), and Channing Frye (6-11/248).

The biggest trading chips that Thomas possesses are Tim Thomas and Penny Hardaway because of their big money contracts which expire at the end of next season. Teams are almost always looking to clear cap space and the quickest way to do so is by taking on a big contract for one year and having the dollar amount be wiped off the cap at the end of the season. However, in order to trade players, the combined contracts being moved must almost be identical. This means that if the Knicks trade Thomas and Hardaway's combined $29M, they would have to take on as much salary and most likely the deals would be for longer than a year. The positive: the players they bring in could be an upgrade. The negative: the team will still be mediocre and could just be paying more for basically the same results. The other option is to wait until both deals expire and for the next 2 seasons look to create cap space in order make a run at free agents who could make a difference. If the Knicks were able to cut salary for a couple years, Rashard Lewis, Chris Bosh, and Antawn Jamison would be purchasable in 2007. However, this would go against what the Garden has shown to be its philosophy. Most likely, they will continue to up the payroll by adding more Howard Eisleys and Shandon Andersons and Luc Longleys while LeBron James, Peja Stojakovic, Al Harrington, Yao Ming, Ben Wallace, Michael Finley, and Amare Stoudamire (free agents after '06) sign or re-sign elsewhere.

But hey, while you're hanging your head, try to console yourself with this: At least you get to see one of the most storied franchises in the NBA and watch them play in the world's most famous arena!

the article seems like a collection of things people have been saying here for a long time.

Bonn, I think I've seen that screen name before. Do you post somewhere else?

Whatup Allanfan. Guess who!

Posted by JimboJones:

Bonn, I think I've seen that screen name before. Do you post somewhere else?

Whatup Allanfan. Guess who!

Beats the hell outta me. It had to have been under a different name, b/c I don't remember JimboJones.

Bonn, thanks for the corrections. That's where I know you from (MSG).

Al, its Strider.

good article, nice sum-up of what has happened

was it for the Draft City "team needs" submission thing?