Hey you. Yes, you. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and go to your happy place if you need to. Whatever it takes to get relaxed. I'll wait.
...
Good? Good. You'll need to stay relaxed, because we're back to waiting now. The Knicks, it seems, are done making deals. Let's recap what went down.
The Knicks were part of a three-way trade with the Rockets and Kings.
Leaving the Knicks in this deal are Jordan Hill, Larry Hughes, and Jared Jeffries. The Knicks also grant Houston the option to swap picks in 2011 (unless New York wins the lottery), and a top-five protected pick in 2012.
Joining the Knicks are Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez.
The Knicks also made a trade with the Celtics.
Leaving the Knicks are Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry.
Joining the Knicks are Eddie House, Bill Walker, and J.R. Giddens.
Oh yeah, and there was that trade with the Timberwolves.
Darko's gone. That's pretty much how that turned out.
After the jump, let's talk.
- I'll get the Nate deal out of the way, because I think it's the simplest. It's a lateral move. Nate Robinson was a career Knick and a fan favorite, but likely wasn't going to be signed this summer. Perhaps because Mike D'Antoni isn't a fan of Robinson's, or perhaps just for the hell of it, the Knicks bring in three living, breathing players who should at least keep things interesting. You're probably familiar with House. Giddens and Walker are a couple of interesting youngster guards(well, they're both quite old for "youngsters", but still). Many of us, particularly those of us who were enamored with Robinson, are disappointed that Donnie Walsh didn't at least get a draft pick in return. Other than that, though, this is pretty much a wash. House, Giddens, and Walker are all worth auditions, and maybe one of them might stick around for cheap next season. Probably not, though.
- Onto to the T-Mac deal (which, sadly, I can't call the "Brian Cook Deal" anymore). Let's start with personnel. Tracy McGrady is by no means the superstar that he once was, but he is by all accounts a cool guy who very much wants to play for the Knicks. These are good things. He is fragile and overpaid, but his contract is expiring. There is a possibility that the Knicks look into keeping McGrady around next year, but he certainly won't be a major target.
Sergio Rodriguez is a compelling young point guard who can run, pass, and handle the ball very nicely. His shot is questionable, but he's got some cojones and floor general chops. Sergio also runs funny and has a crazy hairline, so I'm obviously on board. As with every other player acquired, Rodriguez's contract expires this summer.
- Any and all of these guys could get real minutes. Rodriguez and/or McGrady might very well start at some point.
- Losing Hill and essentially handing over two draft picks is pretty disappointing. For a moment there, it sounded like it would only be one or the other. Jordan's a fine person and a talented player, and I expect great things from him in Houston. We wish him the very best. At the same time, it seems as if Donnie Walsh was deep enough into a very widely-publicized deal that he felt it best to pull the trigger rather than abort it because of details. Ultimately, Walsh got the extra cap space he desired, which is reportedly enough for the Knicks to sign two maximum free agents. That was his plan all along, and he stuck to it.
- On that note, this is a gamble and a waiting game. The Knicks will try and woo LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and dozens of other free agents of varying prices and skill levels this summer. Donnie Walsh will enter this summer with four players definitely under contract, so there's a lot of work to be done. Having a team with over 30 million dollars of cap space and a few precocious neophytes (Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Toney Douglas) should be very, very exciting. The appeal of the Knicks versus that of other teams isn't really worth debating right now. Maybe not ever. Whatever happens will happen. Stay positive.
- Speaking of staying positive, remember that the Knicks have a major asset for the summer and next season in Eddy Curry's expiring contract. That's another $11 million off the books in the summer of '11, or a very nice trade piece. Whatever Walsh pleases. See what Daryl Morey did with his expiring deal? On a smaller scale, the Knicks might be able to do the same next year.
- The Knicks won't be on any of those mock drafts for a couple years, which kind of hurts. At the same time, Donnie Walsh might snake his way into each of the next 3 drafts with trades and/or stacks of cash. Don't take DraftExpress out of your bookmarks just yet.
- Regarding Morey, the Rockets come out looking awesome in this deal. We won't know exactly how awesome they look for months and years, though.
- Al Harrington is still a Knick, in case you missed that. That might be a little awkward.
- We've got a lot of nicknaming to do. I'll hold off until we actually get to see each of these guys ball a little in orange and blue.
There's quite a bit left to talk about. We'll need to give Nate, Jared, Marcus, Darko and Jordan (mostly Nate) a proper farewell, discuss the incoming players in more depth, and talk about the rotation for the rest of the season. After that, the summer will come and we'll discuss free agency. There will be much to discuss.
Thanks to all of you who kept up with the news and sat through my late night meltdowns. I am very, very happy this is over and we can get back to watching basketball. And waiting. Plenty of waiting.