Tag: Andrea Bargnani

The “Zen Master” Strikes Again

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

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Wednesday afternoon, the “Zen Master” showed us once again why he earned such a prestigious nickname.  Don’t know what I’m talking about?  That’s okay, I’m going to fill you in.  Who needs ESPN when you have DaveTalksSports right??  Phil Jackson made a splash yesterday by making his first trade as New York Knickerbockers President.  You would be hard pressed to find some one with a brain to tell you this was a bad deal for the Knicks.  The Knicks will be shipping Tyson Chandler back to the Dallas Mavericks along with Raymond Felton for Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington, and 2 2nd round picks (34th and 51st) in tonight’s draft. 

For starters, I can’t believe the Knicks were able to offload Raymond Felton (Hey Ray, don’t forget to register those guns in Texas…..oh what it’s Texas, never mind).  The Knicks get a definitive upgrade at the point guard position in acquiring Calderon.  Calderon is going to do exactly what a “true” point guard is supposed to do.  He is going to manage the floor, limit turnovers, knock down the open 3-pointer (which he showed he can certainly do), and most importantly keep the ball out of Carmelo Anthony’s hands (assuming Melo is still on the Knicks next season).  The other thing that most people probably don’t realize is that Calderon is one of the best free throw shooters in the NBA.  Now, you’re probably saying that’s not a big deal, but when you think about it, clutch free throw shooting is often the difference between winning and losing.  The Knicks do commit to Calderon for 3 years seeing as he is under contract, but this is the type of point guard Phil Jackson wants in his “Triangle” system anyway, thus making the $8 million per year easier to swallow.  The Knicks do take an obvious downgrade at the center position by bringing in Dalembert, but he can play some semblance of defense and give you 8 points and 8 rebounds on a consistent basis.  And most importantly, he is an expiring contract.  Even if Tyson Chandler goes back to Dallas and returns to his 2011 form, the Knicks still cleared his $15 million from the salary cap.  As for Larkin and Ellington, these are 2 young players that could turn in to solid role players.  They are in the wait and see category, which is exactly what this Knicks franchise NEEDS!!  Rebuilding while also having a solid foundation if Melo comes back?!?!  Who could have thunk up that genius idea? 

Now that Phil Jackson has gotten his feet wet, I am excited to see what he does with his 2 draft picks this evening.  This is easily the best part of this trade by the way.  No, it’s not that the Knicks are going to find the next Michael Jordan with the 34th or 51st pick, but it is the concept of draft picks that I love.  That sounds silly to say, but if you are a Knicks fan then you know EXACTLY what I mean.  I am also intrigued to see how many more tricks Phil has up his sleeve.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds a team with plenty of salary cap space to take on Amar’e Stoudemire or Andrea Bargnani a year earlier than anticipated.  This would give Phil immediate flexibility to chase free agents.  I think the moral of the story is: Never Doubt The “Zen Master”.

 

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!       

Knicks To Sell The Farm For Andrea Bargnani

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

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Well it was business as usual for the New York Knicks on Sunday night. What do I mean? Oh I’ll tell you have no fear. Despite the Knicks “success” last season, the Knicks usually rival the New York Jets and Mets for head scratching managerial moves. Sunday night, the Knicks continued on their path to who knows what. The early reports indicate that the Knicks will trade Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, their 1st round draft pick in 2016, AND (yes there’s an and) 2 future 2nd round draft picks for Andrea Bargnani. The Knicks will also have to sign and trade a player to make the trade work, but that would be a nobody so let’s not stress over that part of this atrocity. Now, some of you are probably saying to yourselves, “but Bargnani is better than Novak and Camby, so why are you ripping this deal a new one”? Yes, Marcus Camby is older than dirt and Steve Novak is useless unless he’s WIDE open, but if I’ve taught you nothing else I’ve taught you that everything is about money (and in this case it’s about their dim future as well). Obviously if I could get Bargnani for just Novak and Camby, I’d be doing backflips right now, unfortunately the world doesn’t make that much sense. Bargnani is set to make 22.25 million dollars over the next 2 seasons compared to Novak and Camby’s combined 8.7 million salary. For a team that has little to no money to spend, it is mind boggling why they would decide to shell out this much money for Bargnani. Before I get into the draft picks, let me give you a little history lesson on Bargnani. Andrea Bargnani was the 1st overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. Originally from Italy, Bargnani has called Toronto home for the past 7 seasons. Unfortunately due to injuries, he hasn’t played more than 31 games over the past 2 seasons. Amar’e junior?? All joking aside that’s pretty much what he is. Bargnani plays next to no defense (that’s Amar’e). For someone who is 7’0″ tall, he should be embarrassed that he’s averaged 4.8 rebounds per game for his career (that one’s really Chris Bosh but that’s also Amar’e). Kevin Durant gets 8 rebounds a game by accident (I’m just saying). The Knicks rebound the ball really well and play amazing defense at the power forward position, so they should trade for someone who does none of that. For those of you who didn’t catch on there, that’s what they call sarcasm. Now follow me down here as I delve into the numerous draft picks that the Knicks gave up for absolutely no reason.

This trade is bad on so many levels, but the fact that they continue to trade their future away as if they have a present is the worst part. Knicks ownership is convinced that they can win now. The only problem is with Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani in your front court, you can’t win ever (forget now). I’m ecstatic that ownership wants to come out of pocket to try to win a championship, but if you’re going do that you should fill some needs rather than repeat your mistakes. As mentioned earlier, the Knicks will be shipping off 3 future draft picks (a 1st rounder and 2 2nd rounders). Really? REALLY?!?!?! Why do you think the Knicks only had 1 draft pick in last weeks NBA Draft? Ownership must think that if you can’t see it it doesn’t really exist (kind of like the wind). Anyway, the Knicks are instantly better on paper because they gave up a pile of scrap metal for Bargnani. However, it is the financials and future draft picks that will cripple the Knicks for years to come. What do you think of the trade? Tell me in the comment section below.

If you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. Also you can follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!