Jesus, i guess Isiah has contempt for Knicks fans of all races…

The way I see it, out of these six, 3 need to be cut or traded: James, Rose, Nichols, Collins, Jones, or Houston. I’d prefer to dump James, Collins, and Jones. Here’s why:

James requires no explanation. Maybe we can stash him on IR in case the whole frontcourt gets injured.

Collins I like but the complete inability to shoot in a low-post based offense is a huge liability, and he’s not such a great defender that we would really need him. That’s assuming Q is actually healthy.

Jones similarly is a poor shooter and beyond that has a valuable expiring contract that might net us something useful (ie draft pick) if moved.

I’d hold onto Houston because presumably he CAN shoot and would be a good role model for the young players on the team.

I’d hold onto Rose because he can back up both PF and C positions, is a good locker room guy, and has a contract that can get moved sometime soon.

I’d hold onto Nichols because he presumably has upside (I say this having seen all of about 5 minutes of a summer league game he played in — that said, he did lead the big east in scoring didn’t he? that’s no small feat.) And if he can shoot, that’s a skill that never gets old in the NBA.

So here’s how I see our roster then:

6 Guards: Marbury, Jordan, Nate, Crawford, Q, Houston

6 Forwards: Balkman, Chandler, Jefferies, Randolph, Lee, Nichols

3 Center equivalents: Curry, Morris, Rose

Out of these 15, here’s how I envision the rotation:

Starters:

G: Marbury, Richardson
F: Balkman when healthy, Randolph
C: Curry

First two off bench: Crawford, Lee

Other bench players play depending on need (ie. Houston for shooting, Jefferies for so-called defense, and Nate for energy and dumb plays.

Likely sitting on bench all season except when the Knicks go down by 20 in the 1st quarter: Morris, Chandler

Inactives: Jordan, Nichols, Rose

Thoughts?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3057170

I heard it on ESPN radio on my way home today. Yikes. Apart from Jerome James I can’t see who Houston should replace on the roster.

Also, re: Wilson Chandler. It’d be nice if we got to just sprinkle in his minutes. I’d like for him to mostly be able to watch this year. Seeing him play up close you can *really* see what the team likes about him.

On the other hand, not surprisingly, he doesn’t have a real good idea of what he’s doing on the offensive end yet. He doesn’t appear to me to have a “natural” feel for where to be in the offense. Consequently, unless he’s spotting up most of his shots were bad.

RealGM Staff Report -
New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Isiah Thomas announced on Wednesday that guard Allan Houston has been re-signed as a free agent after a two-season absence from the court.

“After much thought and prayer, I have decided to return to the NBA as a member of the New York Knicks . I have worked extremely hard in the last year and a half to accomplish my dream of playing in the NBA again,” Houston said.

?After my wife and I were blessed with the birth of our fourth child last week, I realized that New York is where I am supposed to be, and the Knick uniform is the one I want to wear. I have seen the Garden in some of its best moments, and I truly believe that this team is on the verge of experiencing that again. This team is hungry and energetic. I hope to contribute in the weeks and months ahead.

?Thank you to all of the Knick fans and those that have supported me. I will always be a Knick, and I am committed to helping this team compete for a championship.”

True the fans and some in the media love Lee, but the Knicks’ organization seems to view him differently, given he is not seen as a starter.

I was struck by Hollinger’s PER projections, with two non-starting Knicks among the top three Knicks rated. The rest were so far down that I stopped looking for them. It was Randolph, Lee and Balkman, I think.