FanPost

Would getting Chris Paul this summer really be worth it?

I have to admit, I had a hard time falling asleep last night because of the Chris Paul trade rumors. The thought of CP3 and Amar’e Stoudamire running the pick and roll in Madison Square Garden this season… well, need I say more? But the more I run through all the trade scenarios and look at our current roster, the more I hope that Donnie Walsh exercises some real patience and restraint this summer unless we can put together a no-brainer deal on our terms. After almost a decade of wretched and capped-out Knicks teams, I would really, really like to see this new crew get some run before we blow the roster up again for the sake of a marquee name—even CP3.

I know, I know, but hear me out. The following are optimistic, but not unreasonable, next season stat lines for our current crew assuming people stay healthy, grow as players and gel as a team:

Felton: 16ppg, 8apg

No, he isn’t Chris Paul or Steve Nash, but he is perfectly capable distributor who can penetrate, run the pick and roll and excels at fast break situations. His defense is also solid. He is going to LOVE playing for D’Antoni, and with a p&r partner (Stat), a sniper on the wings (Gallo) and a greyhound to run with (Randolph) I don’t think those numbers are out of the question at all, especially if he can approximate his shooting %s from last year.

Gallo: 19ppg, 5rpg, 3 apg

The Cock will grow this season (pause). If he could put up 15ppg in (basically) his rookie year, he should flourish with all the open looks he’ll have courtesy of Stat’s inside game and Felton’s penetration. If he stays healthy, be more assertive and not just spot up, there’s no reason he can’t approach 20 ppg this year.

Randolph: 15ppg, 8rpg, 2bpg

I see a potential sixth man of the year in this kid. Youth, health, maturity are all question marks, but he is D’Antoni’s wet dream and I hope he sees 30+ minutes per game off the bench this year. His per-36 numbers from his first two years were around 18 and 11 or something obscene like that. My numbers assume no progress toward a more consistent mid-range jumper, but if he develops that too… look out.

Amar’e: 22ppg, 9rpg

Amar’s is Amar’e. It’s not like he’s some chump that Steve Nash magically turned into an All-NBA player. While he might miss Nash (just like Nash will miss him… something nobody ever seems to mention), Felton is a perfectly adequate PG and they should be just fine playing together. Most importantly, I think, is that Amar’e is too strong-willed a person to just fall flat after making himself the face of the new Knicks. The guy got dissed all summer for not being Chris Bosh. He’s going to come out with a chip on his shoulder, wanting to prove that he’s the best PF in the East.

That is a young, talented, cheap, exciting team—and I’m not even taking into account the contributions of TD, Chandler, Azubuike, Turiaf, Timo, Walker, Fields and Rautins. And it’s got plenty of room for more additions down the line. Maybe someone whose name rhymes with Sharmelo Blanthony? So…

  • Do you blow that up now in return for CP3? Do you take on Emeka Okafor, a thoroughly mediocre C with the worst contract in the NBA (yes, worse that Joe Johnson IMO—JJ is at least an all-star) and kiss your dreams of Carmelo goodbye? Because Okafor is essentially your 3rd max player, especially in the post-2011 CBA world where max deals and salary caps will almost certainly get smaller. And not even Khan is going to take Okafor off our hands. Is Paul, Stoudamire and Okafor a core that can contend with LeBron, Wade and Bosh?

  • If somehow the Hornets are willing to give up Paul without including Okafor, it’s going to involve getting a lot of young, cheap talent back. Are we ready to give up both Randolph and Gallo (who, in my scenario above, would account for 34ppg and 13rpg next year, at a total salary of $5mm at only 21 years old) when we have already upgraded at PG this offseason?

  • Do you roll the dice that Chris Paul is going to come back strong from major knee surgery (don’t compare him to Amar’e… his knee problems were four years ago) without having, you know, seen him play at all since his injury?

I don’t have good answers to any of these questions, which leads me to believe that patience would be our best virtue right now. New Orleans is in the driver’s seat at the moment on any potential Paul deal, and we just got done gutting our old roster for a chance at a fresh start. Tantalizing as he may be, I would rather the Knicks wait to see what we’re working with—at least until the trading deadline or Carmelo signs his extension, whichever comes first—before betting the farm all over again on pricey new acquisitions.