Donnie Walsh said in the press conference announcing his departure from the Knicks’ president job that the team’s objective was to build supporting players around Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. He acknowledged the difficulty of that given the salary constraints of having two stars, but also made it clear that it wasn’t about a third star, but about support for those two. And yet, talks continued regarding the possible acquisition of Chris Paul or Dwight Howard. But when the Knicks landed Tyson Chandler in a sign-and-trade, it became apparent that they have a commitment to actually building an entire team.
That approach is continuing on Sunday, as the Knicks are pursuing a three-team sign-and-trade to acquire Jamal Crawford from the Hawks, according to the New York Post. Toney Douglas is one piece leaving for New York in the talks.
So is Crawford a seamless fit? Absolutely not. The Knicks need a pure-point creator, a low-usage guy who can run the offense, not turn it over, and create shots for other players. Crawford is very much none of those things. He’s a high-usage scorer who does not have terrific playmaking abilities. He’s 31-years-old and his defense has never been excellent.
But he played decent enough defense in Atlanta, and he makes a high-octane offense that much better. The sign-and-trade will get Crawford the kind of money he wants, or at least more than he would have made getting the MLE from New York. He can handle the ball and he’s going to be killer on kickout when a double comes versus Melo or STAT.
There’s a lot to question about this move, but New York’s limited in its options, it’s a weak year for point guards, and Crawford’s one of the best left on the market. New York doesn’t have a solid all-around team (their bench will be an absolute nightmare), but they’ve done what they said. They’re building around the two stars.
