This truly may be correct. This franchise has in simplest terms... gone to Hell. Yes, I am a fan of this brutally pathetic team called the Knicks. I am a fan of a team with the highest payroll in the league, as well as the highest paid coach in the league, and still went 23-59. Sure, Portland did a little bit worse, but I don't care. The Knicks are terrible. The GM Isiah Thomas doesn't help, and everyone knows that owner James Dolan (of Cablevision) is a moron. I am going to try to write out a plan that might get them rebuilding, but I am not a GM, so maybe I don't know. But we will see.
As of right now, the Knicks roster is this:
| # | PLAYER | POS | HT | WT | DOB | SCHOOL | YRS |
| 45 | Jackie Butler | C | 6-10 | 260 | 03/10/1985 | Coastal Christian Academy (VA) | 1 |
| 11 | Jamal Crawford | G | 6-5 | 190 | 03/20/1980 | Michigan | 5 |
| 34 | Eddy Curry | C-F | 6-11 | 285 | 12/05/1982 | Thornwood HS (IL) | 4 |
| 1 | Steve Francis | G | 6-3 | 200 | 02/21/1977 | Maryland | 6 |
| 7 | Channing Frye | F | 6-11 | 248 | 05/17/1983 | Arizona | R |
| 31 | Jerome James | C | 7-1 | 280 | 11/17/1975 | Florida A&M | 5 |
| 42 | David Lee | F | 6-9 | 249 | 04/29/1983 | Florida | R |
| 3 | Stephon Marbury | G | 6-2 | 205 | 02/20/1977 | Georgia Tech | 9 |
| 23 | Quentin Richardson | G-F | 6-6 | 230 | 04/13/1980 | DePaul | 5 |
| 4 | Nate Robinson | G | 5-9 | 180 | 05/31/1984 | Washington | R |
| 5 | Jalen Rose | G-F | 6-8 | 215 | 01/30/1973 | Michigan | 11 |
| 13 | Malik Rose | F | 6-7 | 255 | 11/23/1974 | Drexel | 9 |
| 2 | Maurice Taylor | F | 6-9 | 265 | 10/30/1976 | Michigan | 7 |
| 8 | Ime Udoka | G-F | 6-5 | 220 | 08/09/1977 | Portland State | 1 |
| 6 | Qyntel Woods | F-G | 6-8 | 220 | 02/16/1981 | Northeast Mississippi CC | 3 |
Some might not think it's that bad on paper, but it is. Who need eight guards on a roster that has fifteen players? I don't know much about all of the players because most don't play, but here's what I know about some of them.
Jackie Butler - He's a young player, and Brown didn't let him play too much. Pretty unproven, but I didn't see anything spectacular with him.
Jamal Crawford - overrated, but he seems like he can actually play with a team. The problem: Stephon Marbury.
Eddy Curry - Heart problems almost cost him his career. Now, it seems like he plays when he wants to. Big guy that can't rebound, that doesn't match up well. Doesn't score much either. Basically, a huge waste of money and a would be 2nd overall draft pick in the upcoming draft.
Steve Francis - Terrible trade... enough said.
Channing Frye - I like Frye, he's tall and can shoot. Plays with the team, but got hurt last season, which really killed them.
Jerome James - HIGHLY overrated, and WAY overpaid. Not even that good of a basketball player, for the NBA anyway.
David Lee - Was weak at times, but he's just a rookie, we don't need to be too hard on a rookie that was unlucky enough to get drafted to this awful team.
Stephon Marbury - Reminds me of Allen Iverson, but not as good. Not a team player, doesn't always play hard, complains about basically everything, can't get along with coaches, fellow players don't like him, etc. He's just a clubhouse cancer and basically the worst thing that could have happened to this team, in my opinion.
Quentin Richardson - "Q," as they call him, is terrible in my opinion. Waste of money and a roster spot. Supposed to be able to shoot 3's, he didn't. I know he had a rough season, but to be honest, the Knicks would be much better off without him. The Suns were a better fit (Maybe Steve Nash had something to do with this...).
Nate Robinson - Small, but decent potential. Kind of becoming a head case, which is the worst thing that can happen to a player of his size, as he needs to work harder than others to succeed. I think winning the NBA All-Star dunk contest probably added to that cockiness...
Jalen Rose - What a crappy trade. Do not need another guard!
Malik Rose - Seems like a good guy, but just isn't coming up big at all in NYC.
Maurice Taylor - Just another average, highly overrated and over paid player in NY. Seems to be a trend.
Ime Udoka - Didn't see much from him, unproven player.
Qyntel Woods - Troubles in the past don't help him, but he may be able to help the team if he stays out of trouble. A 6-8 G/F could be useful if the Knicks dump some other high paid players.
The Knicks obviously need to dump a lot of these guys, and get some money and draft picks. Let Larry Brown (oh yeah, keep him, don't let Thomas be the coach, that's the worst thing that could happen) coach the team, and let him pick players from the draft that will suit him. They can easily dump Curry, Marbury, James, both Roses, Richardson, and even Steve Francis, and maybe get a few decent, low paid veterans and some good draft picks. They had the #2 pick that went to Chicago, who is a decent young team that will now only get better. The Knicks on the other hand, will only get worse. To be honest, that's the thing they really need to do, which is dump salaries and rebuild. They don't need to sign overrated personalities, as they will not help this team. Acquiring Kevin Garnett may help a little, but I don't know how much it will help in the long run. They need to find young talent, as that is the one thing Thomas is good at - drafting. This is all common sense, but someone in this team's front office doesn't get it. It isn't hard.
Plan for the Knickerbockers
1. KEEP LARRY BROWN.
2. Dump contracts of overrated, high paid players.
3. Draft young players who have potential to become stars.
4. Sign cheap veterans to help young players develop into the stars.
5. BE PATIENT. They won't win in the first, second or maybe even third years, depending on the draft outcome as well as available free agents. They need to wait it out a bit.
6. Once the team plays well together, don't get greedy. Keep the players and let them gain some chemistry, and they will be able to play for a long time.
7. Win the championship.
Maybe it's easier said than done, but I think that they should really give it a try.
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