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What the Knicks, Nets Trades Mean
Both the Knicks and the Nets have turned huge deals this week, with New York getting Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups for basically everyone on the roster not named Amaury Stoudemire and Landry Fields, and New Jersey getting Deron Williams for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and two No. 1 picks (including what could be a cherry in June).
When you try to assess these deals, there's the short-term and long-term. Let's start with the short-term for both.
Let's be blunt: anyone who thinks that the Knicks or Nets are going to be instantly better from these deals for the final six weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs, should get a grip. The Knicks have upended their roster so significantly that it likely will take a month just to get any level of cohesion. And not only will it take time for Anthony and Stoudemire to adjust to the other's style of play, I wonder how well they can mesh at all. So, no, I don't think the Knicks are going to immediately surge. I still think the Sixers will pass them for the sixth seed in the East and even the Pacers could catch them for the No. 7 spot.
As for the Nets, I saw a Tweet from someone at HoopsHype saying this deal could get the Nets to 30-plus wins and make the draft pick they sent the Jazz a weak lottery selection. That's absurd. Again, Williams is going to need time to adapt to what the Nets do - and let's just say his issues with Jerry Sloan don't lead one to believe he's very easy to coach. To reach 30 wins, the Nets would have to be an above-.500 team the rest of the way. There is NO WAY that is happening. None. The Nets are an awful team, and plopping Deron Williams on the court with that sad collection of players won't do a bit of good this season.
OK, for the long-term ... the Knicks are taking a HUGE gamble that Anthony and Stoudemire are going to work well together. What might help them out is having Billups, who has a $14.2 million option for next season that I can't imagine they could turn down. The trade has decimated the roster. They have three big players and a nice potential in Fields and NOTHING after that. And before you start comparing this trio to what the Heat and Lakers have, stop. Stoudemire and Anthony play lackluster defense at best. Bottom line: How good this makes the Knicks depends on chemistry and the front office spending very smartly for tough defenders to put around these guys.
I have a feeling this is going to blow up in New York's face, basically.
The Nets? Hey, they got a truly gifted player in Williams, and that should help them in the future. But they have other big concerns: Brook Lopez has gone from a guy who looked like a potential 20-10 center in this league to someone who looks disinterested in doing any dirty work, particularly on the boards. And the roster beyond that is pretty pathetic. Deron Williams is good, but he isn't THAT good. The Nets need a lot more than that to become even a .500 team.
As for the Sixers ... neither of these players could (or should) have been on their radar. They need a center, and if Andrew Bynum isn't going anywhere, then there wasn't a star out there worth dumping half the roster to acquire.
When you try to assess these deals, there's the short-term and long-term. Let's start with the short-term for both.
Let's be blunt: anyone who thinks that the Knicks or Nets are going to be instantly better from these deals for the final six weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs, should get a grip. The Knicks have upended their roster so significantly that it likely will take a month just to get any level of cohesion. And not only will it take time for Anthony and Stoudemire to adjust to the other's style of play, I wonder how well they can mesh at all. So, no, I don't think the Knicks are going to immediately surge. I still think the Sixers will pass them for the sixth seed in the East and even the Pacers could catch them for the No. 7 spot.
As for the Nets, I saw a Tweet from someone at HoopsHype saying this deal could get the Nets to 30-plus wins and make the draft pick they sent the Jazz a weak lottery selection. That's absurd. Again, Williams is going to need time to adapt to what the Nets do - and let's just say his issues with Jerry Sloan don't lead one to believe he's very easy to coach. To reach 30 wins, the Nets would have to be an above-.500 team the rest of the way. There is NO WAY that is happening. None. The Nets are an awful team, and plopping Deron Williams on the court with that sad collection of players won't do a bit of good this season.
OK, for the long-term ... the Knicks are taking a HUGE gamble that Anthony and Stoudemire are going to work well together. What might help them out is having Billups, who has a $14.2 million option for next season that I can't imagine they could turn down. The trade has decimated the roster. They have three big players and a nice potential in Fields and NOTHING after that. And before you start comparing this trio to what the Heat and Lakers have, stop. Stoudemire and Anthony play lackluster defense at best. Bottom line: How good this makes the Knicks depends on chemistry and the front office spending very smartly for tough defenders to put around these guys.
I have a feeling this is going to blow up in New York's face, basically.
The Nets? Hey, they got a truly gifted player in Williams, and that should help them in the future. But they have other big concerns: Brook Lopez has gone from a guy who looked like a potential 20-10 center in this league to someone who looks disinterested in doing any dirty work, particularly on the boards. And the roster beyond that is pretty pathetic. Deron Williams is good, but he isn't THAT good. The Nets need a lot more than that to become even a .500 team.
As for the Sixers ... neither of these players could (or should) have been on their radar. They need a center, and if Andrew Bynum isn't going anywhere, then there wasn't a star out there worth dumping half the roster to acquire.
posted by Christopher A Vito at
2:17 PM
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