I'll admit this post will be more optimistic than the last two. Generally, I am happy with Donnie Walsh has been able to do since missing out in the LeBron sweepstakes.
1) Trade David Lee for Kelena Azubuike, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf
2) Sign Raymond Felton
3) Sign Timofey Mozgov from Russia
I was ready to jump ship on the Knicks, like the guy down the hall from me here at Qualcomm has done, if the Knicks traded Lee for Monta Ellis. So what does the haul for D-Lee bring?
In Randolph you get a 21 year old who has posted good, but not stellar WP48s in his first two years. Knowing that player performance peaks at 24-25, hopefully Randolph can continue to improve in his tenure with NY.
Azubuike was injured last year, but in 231 minutes did post a WP48 of .231. His previous two seasons he produced at .083 and a .115 clip. I would assume the true talent level lies in between his 2008 and 2009 season.
Turiaf has improved his last 3 seasons and will provide the Knicks with some depth in the front court.
Raymond Felton has gone from a below average player in 2008, an average player in 2009, to a very good player in 2010. Again, I am hopeful that he can repeat his 2010 season, but it is doubtful and once again I would think his true talent level is closer to his .095 WP48 season of 2009.
I have no idea what to expect from the Russia player, other than scouts say he is the real deal. Hopefully he didn't sleep under Darko Milicic posters when he went to bed.
The summation is that the 2010 Knicks had a star player in David Lee and the rest of the cast was below average.
The Knicks do not have a star player on the 2011 version of this team, (WP48 of .200+) but have assembled a few above average players in Amar'e, Anthony Randolph, and hopefully Felton and Azubuike can duplicate the last season and bring a meaningful contribution.
If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see on this blog in the way of analysis or topics, don't hesitate to e-mail me: ashookhoff@hotmail.com
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