Knicks have to be Creatively Superior

To quote rapper Special Ed, if the knicks are Creatively superior yo, they'll never lose. At least they'll have it made. Knicks need that old school rap to take them to the next level. Not old school like Camby, Kurt Thomas and Rasheed Wallace. They need to be unconventional. You can't get anymore unconventional than some of the names I'm going to mention here. Case in point. The number one off season acquisition absolutely must be Andre Blatche. Read....

Andre Blatche was amnestied by the Washington wizards after signing a lucrative deal the year before. What that means for any team that he signs for, they are off the hook as far as paying him what he is really worth on the open market. By being amnestied, the wizards still have to pay the reminder of the contact. What that means for Blatche is he can't make anymore than what the wizards are paying him, unless a team wants to sign him to more than what the wizards are paying. Ain't nobody got time for that! So in essence, the knicks could sign Blatche to a minimum deal, and Blatche would still be getting his wizard money regardless. Point being? Andre Blatche should be the knicks number one off season target by any means necessary! The Knicks only have the tax payers exemption which is only a little over 3 million. A veterans minimum contact does not effect that. So in turn, the knicks should be at Mr. Blatche's front door on day one of the off season with a proposal that specifically states that the knicks want him to be their fulltime starter at the power forward position. I know I blog about the Knicks, but as a basketball fan and Brooklyn native, I had to take a look at my new hometown team from time to time. Blatche's time with the Nets was nothing compared to his stint with Washington. He admitted he was embarrassed by that situation and vows to prove he belongs in this league. If you took a look at that Brooklyn/Bulls series you know what kind of player we would be getting in Blatche. He's a natural scorer inside and out with an emerging presence inside on the other end. Placing him in a mix with Melo, Amare, Stat, Kmart and Chandler and the knicks have already upgraded the roster immensely.

The Knicks have other holes and question marks. The knicks have to make a decision on whether or not they will make a financial commitment to JR Smith. He proved in the playoffs that he can be a distraction on and of the court. Can you rely in him? That answer at this point is no. You also have to ask yourself how good will Shumpert be? He came alive in the playoffs and proved he will show up ready to play no matter what. Depending on who you believe in you make your next move. Right off the bat, the knicks could sign a guy like Alan Henderson or Mickael Pietrus who both played on a crowded Toronto back court last season. Both might be candidates for a league minimum deal. They both can easily replace Jr Smith. Not by becoming an 18pt per game 6 man, but allowing Shumpert to become what he is destined to be and give him an adequate backup. You hear players talk about the business of basketball. Knicks have to be more business savvy as well.

Other options for the knicks inside could be found in players like Sam Dalembert who was the victim of poor coaching and management in milwaukee. Jason Maxiel of Detroit would be a great pick up as well especially if Kmart wants out. On the perimeter, Nate Robinson is out there. He had a superb playoffs but he's still a 3rd string point guard in a healthy Chicago lineup. He might have priced himself out, but a player very similar to him in Will Bynum of Detroit could probably be had for cheap.

These are just a few names out there. We have to remember that the knicks are a 50 win team. We are attractive again. Guys want to come to a winning organization. We'll get better easily thus of season. For instance, if the knicks sign some of the guys I mentioned we could have a starting line up of: Blatche, Melo, Tyson, Felton and Shump....with A'mare, KMart, will bynum, pietrus and maybe Copeland off the bench. Not sexy but that's a 50 win team. What more can you ask? A trade? That's for another blog....soon come brethren, soon come!