A Tough Pill to Swallow

If you’re a big believer in omens then the Knicks’ loss to the basement dwelling Milwaukee Bucks says one thing. It’s time to bottom out and start over. Last post we delved into the possible scenarios the Knicks can take to rebuild. The fork in the road is Carmelo Anthony. The team obviously wants him to be that franchise guy and have made that extremely clear. However sometimes you need to lie in the grave you dug. When the Knicks gutted their roster for Anthony they knew they were wagering their future on Anthony. While Anthony has been virtually the only Knick that has played well this year he is also the team’s most valuable asset. I would hate to see Melo go, but there’s not much wiggle room here.

via thesportsquotient.com

The front office has tried to hide this grim path by pitching yet another pipe dream of a big three of Rajon Rondo, Melo and Kevin Love. That’s not happening. Love will probably end up back home in Los Angeles donning Laker purple and gold. Rondo will most likely still be in Boston. That leaves Anthony and the Knicks in the same position they are in right now. With a Knick front office as out of touch with reality as the Grammy committee is with hip hop, holding onto that pipe dream might be what happens at the trade deadline.

The most logical choice for General Manager Steve Mills and company to do is sell. Everyone named Tim Hardaway Jr. and Iman Shumpert are for sale and you can even talk me into keeping Jeremy Tyler around. Everyone else, please exit stage left. We already know that teams have inquired about Tyson Chandler. The center will be a huge shot in the arm for a contender like Portland, Golden State or the Clippers. I doubt there would be a shortage of suitors for Anthony and maybe Mills can convince a team to take on either a J.R. Smith, Ray Felton or Andrea Bargnani in that deal. The focus for the Knicks should be draft picks and young talent.

The great teams in this league have reached that level through the draft and player development. Those two things are Chinese to James Dolan, but if he ever hopes of smelling the NBA Finals he has to learn 

Chinese. The Knicks have two very good backcourt youngsters in Hardaway Jr. and Shumpert. If developed correctly they can be a great platoon for years to come. Jeremy Tyler has shown some promise as a rotation player. It’s never easy to admit that you’re wrong and I never expect the Knicks to say they were wrong about any moves they made. What they could do is for once do the smart thing by bottoming out and rebuild the right way. They owe us that much.