NBA TRADE DEADLINE: Nowhere to Go But Down
Donnie Walsh strolled into the Big Apple the man with a plan. He signed a few role players, picked up a big-time coach, drafted well, and…traded every first rounder the Knicks have between now a 2084, their lottery pick from last year in the infancy of his career, and their best defensive player for cap savings.
And you know what? Aside from the truly ridiculous surrender of first round picks, this is exactly what he was supposed to do.
I’m not saying I agree with Walsh’s plan of attack, because I’ve never thought the super-secret plan of luring LeBron to NYC would do anything aside from motivate the Cavaliers to keep him. James may love fame as much as he loves basketball, but he’s smart enough to know that his legacy rests in making the right choices in situations like these and grabbing as many rings as is humanly possible. That’s not something he’s going to get by moving to New York, regardless of how impressive David Lee has been this season, how much cap space their stocking, how nice of a player Danilo Gallinari has become, or how well Wilson Chandler or Toney Douglas could play alongside him. Every day brings LeBron closer and closer to re-signing with the Cavs, as Danny Ferry’s countless moves made to accommodate James and the team’s slow, but sure climb into the East’s elite give LeBron the whole package. He can win the championship, be a legend, and still be the hometown hero.
But our good friend Donnie? He has to make a run at LeBron. Just like he has to make a run at Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Walsh’s cards have been face-up from the very beginning, and though his transparency with the Knicks’ fan base has been admirable (and what they deserve after all they’ve been through), this is the price that he has to pay. Telling everyone your master plan can paint you as a genius and buy you some time, but the same information that has created FREE AGENT FEVER 2010 in New York has given the upper hand to anyone sitting opposite Walsh at the negotiating table. We all know that the Knicks can’t go into the summer with anything less than prodigious cap space, and Daryl Morey knew that he was Walsh’s last legitimate shot at pulling it off.
But most of that we already knew. We knew that Walsh would have to sacrifice to be a major player this summer, we just didn’t know how much he would have to sacrifice. And so while the Knicks may be the deadline’s biggest losers on paper, all they’ve done is exactly what Walsh said they would do when he took over: put together a few young pieces, get rid of long-term contracts, and hope and pray that the market, the coach, and the promise of the roster is enough to lure a big-name star or two. Whether they’ll be able to do that or not remains to be seen, but can we really blame Donnie Walsh for doing what he pretty much had to do at this point? We knew the trade deadline was endgame, and that all movable 2010 salary had to go.
Make absolutely no mistake: Daryl Morey runs this game. The Rockets made a killing, and though they had to part with Carl Landry, they’ll ultimately be a better team because of this deal. Even the Kings managed to clear cap while acquiring some real talent…and they didn’t have to give up multiple first round picks. But Donnie Walsh is being grilled today for yesterday’s sins, and though many have found fault with his 2010 scheming, this part of the deal had somehow flown under the radar. You have to give a little to get a little — or in this case, you have to give a lot to hopefully get a lot.
Oster-Tags: cutwalshabreak, darylmoreyisthemannowdog, Kevin Martin, lebron james, NBA Trade Deadline, New York Knicks, sorrynycyourekindofscrewed
