Knicks Trade Renaldo Balkman in Senseless Move

Fox Sports is reporting that the New York Knicks have sent fan favorite Renaldo Balkman to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for guard Taurean Green, forward Bobby Jones and a second-round draft pick in 2010. This deal leaves the Knicks with seventeen players on their roster, two more than the allowed maximum.

Speculation is that Green and Jones, both owners of non-guaranteed contracts, will be waived by the Knicks. If this is true, the Knicks will essentially have traded Balkman, a player who was deemed untouchable last year, for a second round draft pick in a cost-cutting move designed to rid the Knicks, owners of over $90 million in payroll, of his $1.3 million salary.

Balkman, a high-energy player who plays defense and rebounds, was never viewed as a good fit for Mike D'Antoni's system. Though he holds a career shooting percentage of .499, most of his points have come from fast break opportunities. With a three-point percentage of .083 and a free throw percentage of .432 last season, Balkman has demonstrated that he is not a solid shooter. After a poor shooting Summer League, Balkman became more than expendable to the Knicks.

Despite Balkman's downside, this is a very dangerous move for Knicks president Donnie Walsh. Balkman was a crowd favorite and this move jeopardizes Walsh's relationship with an already distrustful fan base. Balkman is also a player who could have been used to sweeten a deal that unloaded the contracts of Eddy Curry or Zach Randolph. Sending Balkman to Denver also relieved the Knicks of a fan favorite who provided a spark off the bench and energized the crowd every time he entered the game.

The Knicks really had nothing to risk by keeping Balkman around for another season. In his two years with the Knicks, he has not been given many opportunities to shine. He may not be a great shooter, but neither were Dennis Rodman or Ben Wallace, both of whom were late bloomers and integral parts of championship teams. Granted, if the Knicks cut Green and Jones, they will save on payroll, but a beer at the Garden would still cost $12 whether or not Balkman's $1.3 million was on the payroll.

This move was nothing more than a fiscally sound way of cutting the roster to fifteen players, assuming that Green and Jones will be cut. Despite owner James Dolan's commitment to improving this franchise no matter what it cost, this was not the best move the Knicks could have made to get down to fifteen players. Though the theory of paying a player $12 million to stay home for two years is sickening, cutting Jerome James would have been a better option.

One has to wonder if this is the best deal that the Knicks could have gotten for Balkman. The Sacramento Kings expressed an interest in Balkman last year during talks with the Knicks that involved Ron Artest coming home to New York. Artest, who is in the final year of his contract with the Kings, is unhappy with his decision to stay in Sacramento and has made it publicly known. Perhaps the Knicks could have obtained him for the likes of Balkman and the expiring contract of Malik Rose. A move like that would have made the Knicks a better team and cut the roster to fifteen.

The bottom line is that this move was not to make the Knicks better, nor was it truly a move to cut costs. This was Donnie Walsh establishing that this is his franchise now. Like a male lion kills the old king's cubs when he takes over a pride, Walsh is ridding the Knicks of "Isiah's Untouchables." I hate to say it, but David Lee better start packing his bags.

Sources:

NBA.com

"Nuggets Get Balkman, Cash From Knicks," FoxSports.com