The Worst Team Money Can Buy: The New York Knicks

Last year's New York Knicks were the worst team money can buy, as they spent more money per victory than any other NBA team (and it was not close). Knicks' owner James Dolan opens his pocketbook and Isaiah Thomas obligingly spends like a Hilton heiress on Rodeo Drive. Thomas built a roster of mis-matched, free-wheeling, no discipline players and then hired the ultimate "my way or the highway" coach in Larry Brown, and surpringly, it did not work. With Brown gone, but still on the payroll for an obscene amount of money for a person getting paid not to come to work every day, Thomas is at the controls on the floor as well as off. And, while most see this marriage as a shamockery, Thomas the coach might actually be able to save Thomas the General Manager, giving New Yorkers a reason to visit Madison Square Garden with a bit of optimism, as AC columnist Uzo Umetu noted.

While Thomas the General Manager did little to alleviate the roster headaches attached to a team with several easily disgruntled players, and added another young, expensive talent to the mix, Thomas the coach is prepared to use the assembled talent's strengths and go with an up tempo, fast breaking, Suns-style of play, rather than butting heads with the players and trying to get them to play "the right way," which led to Brown's demise.

Much has been written about Jalen Rose's reduced role, the tenuous Steve "Franchise" Francis and Stephon "Starbury" Marbury back court, the awful first round selections of Mardy Collins and Renaldo Balkman and Thomas' "showcasing" Quentin Richardson, possibly to heighten his value for a trade to the Trailblazers for another malcontent, Darius Miles.

However, Thomas the coach is poised to maximize the talents of these dubious decisions made by Thomas the GM. In today's NBA, dribble penetration is lethal, and the Knicks have two guards playing together who can penetrate and score or find open teammates; while Marbury is no John Stockton, he is the only play in NBA history with career averages of 20+ points per game coupled with 8+ assists per game. While Rose is certainly more valuable as a 16.7 million dollar expiring contract than he is as a contributing member of an NBA basketball team, he possesses some skills which are difficult to defend and which can complement the other members of the Knicks in an attacking, up tempo style of play. Richardson struggled last year and has a bad back, but he also exceled in the Phoenix Suns wide open attack which Thomas hopes to emulate; while most suggest Thomas is showcasing him for a trade, and the prudent decision would probably be to deal Q if the offers arrive, more than likely Thomas realizes he fits perfectly as a small forward in the new Knicks style.

In fact, Thomas, the Head Coach, may save Thomas, the General Manager. Thomas is a terrible General Manager, as he wastes precious dollars and cap space on largely ineffective players (Jerome James, Eddy Curry, etc). His judgement in trades is criminally negligent. However, his ability to evaluate college players and potential is as good as any GM in the NBA; unfortunately, he did not realize this potential in Marcus Williams. But, with Nate Robinson, David Lee and Channing Frye, he has created a nice nucleus for the future.

Thomas' fast-paced, Phoenix Suns-like style of play illustrates an intellect Larry Brown failed to demonstrate last season, as Thomas intends to take advantage of the new NBA rules and the strengths of his players and team, rather than butting heads all season trying to change players into something they are not. Rather than trying to get the backcourt of Francis, Marbury, Crawford and Robinson-essentially four combo guards noted for their ability to score, not run a team-to conform to the standard role of a Chauncey Billups-like PG, Thomas will utilize the quickness advantage to put points on the board. If Curry, Frye and Lee can defend, rebound and run the floor, and Richardson can knock down open threes, the worst team money can buy might actually stay involved in the play-off race through Valentine's Day, if not until the end of the season. When Jeffries returns from injury, he adds another versatile, multiple-position player who can defend and add to the Knicks some of what Shawn marion gives the Suns, creating the ability to go small with Jeffries at the 4 or 5, or to go big with the 6'11 Jeffries playing the 3 alongside the 6'11 Channing Frye and 7'0 Eddy Curry. With so many players and so much versatility, Thomas can create mismatches and line-ups to give almost any team some problems on their offensive side of th floor.

On paper, the Knicks roster is talented, but a headache. However, with players relieved to be free of Brown's nagging, these Knicks are poised to perform at a higher level and take advantage of their individual strengths to make a much improved Knicks squad that will surprise many as a high scoring, competitive team.