Elton Brand: the Knick that Should Have Been

To all of you Knick fans out there who think that Isiah Thomas being fired has answered all of your prayers, consider this: Elton Brand was available this off-season and your new president didn't even inquire about it.

Brand, a nine-year veteran who averages 20 points and 10 rebounds per game for his career, opted out of his contract with the Clippers this summer after seven seasons in Los Angeles. Few teams had the cap space to offer Brand his market value. Golden State actively pursued Brand after losing Baron Davis to the Clippers, but it was generally accepted that he would resign with the Clippers.

Enter agent David Falk. After Brand had reportedly told coach Mike Dunleavy that he would be back in L.A. next season, Falk orchestrated a deal for Brand with the Philadelphia 76ers.

If Brand was open to not only leaving the Clippers, but leaving sunny California all together, why wasn't he pursued be the Knicks? Brand, who still owns a home with his mother in nearby Peekskill, N.Y., is everything the Knicks are looking for in the locker room. He is a hardworking leader. He is a model citizen off the court. He plays defense. He rebounds. He is unselfish. Brand has let Corey Maggette lead the Clippers in scoring and would certainly be willing to share the rock with Eddy Curry. He would bring the Knicks instant credibility.

Donnie Walsh's easy out would be to say that the Knicks didn't have the salary cap space to sign Brand, but why not pursue a sign-and-trade deal. The conversation could go something like this, "Hello, Mr. Falk. This is Donnie Walsh with the Knicks. Would Elton Brand have any interest in coming home to N.Y.? Oh, he would. We don't have any cap space, but would love to work a sing-and-trade. Do you have any other suitors that we could use for leverage?"

With the Clippers fearing losing Brand to the Sixers, Warriors, or someone else, they would have considered trading him as opposed to losing him for nothing, and the Knicks had the perfect trade bait in Zach Randolph. Sure a Brand for Z-Bo trade seems one-sided, but with the Clippers' only other option being to lose Brand for nothing, they would have gone for it. After all, the Clippers called the Knicks about Randolph after they lost Brand. Salary-wise, a Brand-Randolph deal would have worked out well also.

If the Knicks had at least inquired about Brand, they could say, "Hey we tried," but they didn't even make a call. Maybe they thought they had no chance. Maybe they're still caught up in the whole LeBron 2010 thing. Either way, it's a sign that while things have changed in the Big Apple, they may not have gotten any better.