TRADE CUTOFF LOOMS FOR KNICKS:
If Phil Jackson allows Thursday’s NBA trading deadline to pass without making a move, we should all toast Alexey Shved, the immortal former Knick who would continue to hold a unique place in franchise history. As of now, Shved represents the only player Jackson has added to the Knicks roster at the February deadline. To recap, Jackson arrived one month after the trading deadline in 2014 and last season he elected to stand pat despite the team headed for a third straight losing season.
But better dead than Shved isn’t necessarily a bad thing as Jackson enters Thursday with another chance to upgrade the roster. Considering Phil’s recent track record – Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, Brandon Jennings – these are dangerous hours indeed for the Knicks.
Everyone on the roster should be made available in a trade with the exception of Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez, unless the rookie big man had to be included in a deal for a star. That changes things.
The most likely candidate to be moved is Rose, whose season in New York has been a disaster from the start. Rose probably had an inkling that the Knicks do things slightly different than the rest of the NBA when neither Jackson, Steve Mills nor Jeff Hornacek attended his introductory press conference. That was the same press conference where Rose used profanity several times.
Soon after the press conference fiasco, Rose called the Knicks an elite team. That was followed by the civil case for sexual assault and Rose eventually going AWOL. The only saving grace is that Rose’s contract expires this July, which would be exactly seven months after Rose’s patience with the Knicks organization ran out.
The Knicks have had serious trade discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves to reunite Rose with his old boss in Chicago, Tom Thibodeau. Rose would walk to Minneapolis to make this happen. But there are issues. The Timberwolves are apparently willing to trade Ricky Rubio, whose contract and career shooting percentage should give the Knicks pause. Are the Knicks prepared to be locked into Rubio, who is signed through the 2018-19 season, as their point guard? The Knicks want more from the Timberwolves and want to expand the deal. (Paging Joakim Noah.) But Minnesota doesn’t have to budge off Rubio because if Thibodeau wants Rose so badly he can wait until July and sign him. There were reports of a three-way deal that would include Detroit and Reggie Jackson but that hasn’t gained much traction. The Knicks are also reportedly talking to the Houston Rockets about point guard Patrick Beverley. If Jackson makes a move it would most likely include one of three players; Rose, Brandon Jennings and Kyle O’Quinn. The Knicks, after seeing Magic Johnson land a first round pick for Lou Williams, are trying to do the same with one of their backups, but that seems unlikely. But not nearly as unlikely as Carmelo Anthony being shipped out of town prior to Thursday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Melo’s no-trade clause remains a major stumbling block. If the Celtics were to land either Paul George or Jimmy Butler, maybe that would force Cleveland to make a play for LeBron James’ good buddy, Anthony. Still, both teams have to agree to a deal and Anthony must agree to rip up his no-trade clause. For a deal of that magnitude to take place prior to 3 p.m. EST on Thursday, the wheels would have to be in motion for days. And that’s not the case. Sometimes the best deals are the ones you don’t make. In Jackson’s case that is certainly true. And with the ringing endorsement Jackson received two weeks ago from James Dolan it’s not like he’s under immense pressure to improve the team. If Forbes lists the Knicks as the most valuable team in the NBA, does the won-loss record even matter? Before you answer that, just remember one name. Alexey Shved.