Man, oh man! That came on suddenly. And it's not over, either. I'm going to operate under the assumption, though, that the Knicks are going to lose Chauncey Billups and Ronny Turiaf and acquire Tyson Chandler, because that appears to be inevitable. Any further trades or signings are more than my little frontal lobe can reason through right now. Things on my mind, all of which hinge on the aforementioned assumption (this is mostly just a new thread for y'all. Nothing I'm about to say is an entirely original thought):
- Woj is reporting that Chandler's deal will be for $58 million over four years. That's too much money, but if you're going to overpay, it's probably best to overpay someone who fills THE dire point of need. And that he does: interior defense and rebounding, y'all. (He also runs the floor and finishes competently enough, but that's just gravy.)
- Chandler has been generally more efficient when playing with Chris Paul or Jason Kidd as his point guard. His offensive numbers in particular (I'm looking at you, .697 TS% last season) are likely to drop off with whoever the Knicks start at point guard.
- And who's that going to be? Barring a signing of some sort, I'd probably just toss Iman Shumpert out there and see what happens. Then again, I am generally regarded as a delirious sociopath with no grip on reality and may or may not have tattooed an image of Iman Shumpert's face onto my own face.
- Either way, Chandler's offense needn't be much more than finishing when open. The Knicks aren't going to be running many plays for the guy.
- Chandler has an injury history, which is kind of frightening if you're into being frightened. Most recently, it's been his feets and backs. It would be good if he doesn't do any more injuring of himself, just like every other player. One can only hope.
- It's sounding more and more like Chauncey Billups is going to be amnestied. He's pretty pissed about that, which is understandable. On the Knicks' end, amnestying Chauncey after picking up his humongous option is pretty silly, but James Dolan shits money and he's free to do what he likes with his moneyshit. I'm not even remotely upset about the Knicks losing Chauncey, which I'd imagine separates me from some of you guys. I'd obviously be sad to see Turiaf go, but it sure seems worth it.
- Hey, Amar'e got taller! Twin towers, guys!
- Can't wear 6. Landry's got 6. Will he wear 3? I should really stop thinking about things like this until the signing is official.
- God DAMN that's a good frontcourt.
I'll be pretty pleased if this happens, guys, and it really sounds like it's going to. Missing out on Chris Paul would be rough, but missing out on a season of Chris Paul rumors is just about the best thing ever, for us and for the Knicks themselves. Take last year's team, subtract Chauncey Billups, add a top-notch interior defensive presence and a young, unproven, and incredibly exciting alternative to Chauncey Billups and...well, I'd really like that.