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It seems like déjà vu all over again. Another Knick
might be heading to Denver. Or will it be Indy? News broke yesterday that the Knicks are in
trade talks with Denver to acquire Kenneth ‘The Manimal’ Faried in exchange for
Iman Shumpert. There have also been several other reports that numerous teams have inquired about Shump. One source points to the Pacers as a landing spot for the energetic guard, which for many would be heart breaking. Indy without Shump looks dangerous, but with him they could be the league's elite.
However, the move that seems most likely and is being talked about around the blogesphere is the swap with the Nuggets. Frank Isola of the Daily News reported that Shumpert who was
taken ahead of Faried in the 2011 Draft has fallen out of favor with both Coach
Mike Woodson and owner James Dolan. If indeed this trade happens, is this a
good move for the Knicks?
Case for Faried
The team gets a much needed front court presence
that’s good for 10 rebounds a night and someone who goes 100 miles per hour
every minute he’s in the game. With Tyson Chandler out he immediately becomes
Knicks best rebounder and fills that huge void as defensive interim
captain. When Chandler returns he and Faried have the potential to be one of
the top frontcourts in the league. Most importantly it saves Melo
from the punishment of having to fight with the likes of Z-Bo and Kevin Love
night in and night out. Financially the Knicks get a cheaper contract in Faried
helping lower that salary cap for room to re-sign Melo and clear more room for
Jim Dolan’s grand spending spree in 2015.
Case for Shumpert
Shumpert is more than just a starting shooting guard
for the Knicks. He is one of the leaders on this team. He is a huge fan
favorite as one of the founder of the #Knickstape moniker to being out in the community.
On the court Shumpert is no doubt the best perimeter defender on the team. He
is virtually the only line of defense when players like Derrick Rose, James
Harden and Kobe come to town. He has shown improvement on offense, developing a
three-point and mid-range shot. If it is true that Shump has fallen out of
favor with James Dolan and Coach Woodson it will be interesting to see how Melo
takes this. When rumors swirled about Shumpert being traded to the Suns Melo was not happy. The Knicks have to keep in mind they have to please Anthony with his
impending free agency and dealing a player he is high on is not the best way to
woo someone.
There is no doubt that someone like Faried is needed
right now; but what about a year from now? Or two years? The Knicks supposed
grand plan is to go after Kevin Love in 2015 so where would Faried go? Why not
wait out Tyson’s injury and sign a cheap free agent? These are interesting questions that General
Manager Steve Mills has to answer before he makes his first big move since taking
over for Glen Grunwald.
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