First of all, farewell to David Lee. The Warriors are getting a hell of an athlete in this deal, and it really pains me to see Dave go. Lee will get an appropriate send-off in the near future. For now, let's take a quick look at the guys the Knicks acquired in this deal.
Anthony Randolph might be my favorite player in the entire NBA. He's certainly in the top-five. Randolph is a 6'10''-ish whippet of a big man who can fly. Like fly fly. In the air. That means, dunks, blocked shots, and sleeping in treetop nests. All good things. He's also a left-hander with a developing mid-range game who turns 21 next week. Also good. The bad news is that some frustrating combination of injuries and supposed character issues have relegated Randolph to Don Nelson's doghouse for much of his tenure in Golden State. Hopefully, he'll earn an advocate in Mike D'Antoni. Welcome, Anthony.
Ronny Turiaf is probably the most familiar of the three. You likely remember him from his time with the Lakers, his college years as a Gonzaga Bulldog, or if you were really paying attention, his recent stint with Golden State. Ronny hails from the nation of Martinique and has had open heart surgery. He's also an enormous gentleman who blocks shots and can hit the midrange J. Oh, and he also just got his degree from Gonzaga (look at that photo!) and his happy all the time. Put shortly, Ronny Turiaf is a badass. Welcome, Ronny.
Kelenna Azubuike (learn to spell that right) is a shooting guard who can shoot and defend pretty sharply. He kind of looks like the dinosaur from the movie Dinosaur. Azubuike suffered a torn patella early last season that required surgery in November. I see nothing to suggest that he won't be ready for training camp. Welcome, Kelenna.
Other things:
- All three players were born overseas. Randolph was born on a military base in Germany, while Azubuike originally hails from England. Cool.
- Myles Mills of TKB says that David Aldridge says that the Knicks will also receive a second round pick. That would, I guess, be the "others" mentioned earlier. Cool.
- I am THRILLED about the three players the Knicks just acquired. Fingers crossed that injury concerns can be avoided.
- Donnie Walsh isn't done by any means. The Knicks could still use some backcourt help, particularly at the point guard spot. What remains to be seen is how the remaining cap space (Can anybody tell me exactly how much that is?) is used, and what current Knicks will be shopped as trade assets. The next order of business is probably to move Eddy Curry's contract, but that could wait a while.
For now? Get some rest. The Knicks are in good hands and are back at it after missing out on LeBron James. The next stop for P&T is LAS VEGAS.