Thomas B.: Let’s say the NBA had to have an emergency draft for some reason and every team can only protect 10 players.Who do you leave unprotected?I leave Rautins, Curry, Mason, PEJ, Williams, and Felton unprotected. What would you guys do.  

In your hypothetical expansion draft, I’d leave Turiaf unprotected. He stands to make $4.3 million next year and it wouldn’t be heartbreaking for that number to simply disappear.

Probably would leave Walker unprotected too, thanks to our log jam of mediocre 2 guards.

I’d keep Rautins, just for the sake of honoring our hard earned draft picks. He could prove valuable, given time to adjust to life in the NBA.

So I guess my “unprotected” list would be: Turiaf, Walker, Curry, Ewing, Williams, and Mason.

But I’d expect to be left with all of these players at the end of the draft, as I’m sure the “bottom 6″ of other teams in the league are more desirable than this motley assortment of flotsam and jetsam.

(And Fields is, as you agree, a no-brainer. Expand the mock-draft protection to only 5 current players and I’d still hold onto Landry. (In ranked order of protection I’d list them at: 1) Gallo; 2) Randolph; 3) Amar’e; 4) Mozgov; 5) Fields; 6) Douglas; 7) Chandler; 8) Felton; 9) Azubuike; 10) Rautins…))

Thomas B.: I agree Robert that it is very hard–perhpas impossible–to win or compete for a title withou strong defense or rebounding.

Come on… Win a title? The Knicks need to make the playoffs, win more games than they lose… that would be a great season.

Z-man: I’m not ready to bail on Felton yet.

Not after 5 terrible years in Charlotte?

Z-man: Anyone who thinks TD is a 36mpg PG at this point is misguided.

At some point, if Douglas is a better enough player than Felton (and I’m not saying he necessarily is, though I hope he will be) you play him even if he’s not a “true” PG. TD is a stronger defender and a stronger scorer and Felton is only a bit above average as a playmaker, so I would give the overall edge to TD in all likelihood (we’ll have to see how they play in the regular season, though). I know, D’Antoni is going to stick with his new NC college BFF like he did the last one. I hope Felton can justify that faith, but then again I also hope TD plays well enough to make it an issue.

ess-dog: While Felton is definitely in the bottom half in pg’s, I wouldn’t say he’s “among the worst”. At least not yet.  

Not yet? He’s been in the NBA for 5 years already…

Robert Silverman: So yeah, he’s somewhere in the 16-20 range out of 30 starting pgs.

I would call 20 the best case. And even then I’d say he’s a lot closer to 30 in terms of value than, say, 15ish in terms of value. I would add a few guys to your list (Tyreke Evans, Aaron Brooks, Collison… and amd consider Conley, Mario Chalmers, Baron Davis…)
Felton’s career TS% is literally .493 and his playmaking is nothing more than solid… Maybe he can have another career year and then I might agree with 16-20.

ess-dog: While Felton is definitely in the bottom half in pg’s, I wouldn’t say he’s “among the worst”.At least not yet.  

Assuming salaries/cap ramifications aren’t part the equation, I’d rather have PG X over Felton. Where X = Paul, Williams, Nash, Rondo, Rose, Kidd, Parker, Harris, Jennings, Curry, Wall, Nelson, Billups, Lawson, Westbrook.

(And you could make a case for adding Holliday, Miller, Sessions and Calderon to the above group)

So yeah, he’s somewhere in the 16-20 range out of 30 starting pgs. Not awful, but it’s certainly why DW’s widdle heart has to be set on CP3/DWill in a year or so.

PG: Felton 32, Douglas 16
SG: Chandler: 28, Fields 14, Douglas 6
SF: Gallinari: 32, Walker 16
PF: Amare 20, Randolph 28
C: Mosgov 24, Amare 16, Turiaf 8

While Felton is definitely in the bottom half in pg’s, I wouldn’t say he’s “among the worst”. At least not yet.

PG: Felton 32, Douglas 16
SG: Chandler 28, Douglas 10, Fields 10
SF: Galinari: 36, Randolph 8, Fields 4
PF: Amare 24 Randolph 20, Chandler 4
C: Mosgov 24, Amare 12, Turiaf 12

Hopefully Walsh will pull a “Mozgov” at the PG position, i.e. an out-of-the-blue steal of a decent player. Barring that or a trade, we better get used to Felton. Personally, I’d rather have him than tie up multiple years of cap space for the likes of Ridnour.