New York Knicks' Plans Are Obvious, But...

... the question now is, will it work out for the Knicks?

The trades of Jamal Crawford (to the Golden State Warriors for Al Harrington) and Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins (to the Los Angeles Clippers for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley) will give the Knicks a lot of cap room for the 2010 offseason (about $27 million) when the top free agents will be LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Most people outside of Cleveland, including yours truly, believe that James will leave Cleveland for the bright lights of New York when his contract ends.

But, maybe like most people outside of Cleveland, I thought they would at least have some players that LBJ might think would help him and the Knicks win championships. There's a little under two seasons left for the Knicks to do something, but, in all honesty if the Knicks don't have players that can get the job done, then I don't see James coming to the Knicks. But, maybe if they did the following, the Chosen One might choose the Knicks.

First, they need to identify the players that will show James, the Knicks want to win. Looking at the current roster, I don't see a definitive player that will get this done. David Lee and Nate Robinson are possibilities, but not slam dunks as players LeBron wants to play with. Second, they need to draft with immediacy during the next two drafts and really get their scouts on top of things because thus far, the drafting of Danilo Gallinari is not looking good, especially when there is some thought that Gallinari's back injury may be more mental than anything else. James will want his teammates to be as mentally tough as he is, so... Third, the Knicks will need to keep winning and make the playoffs. Currently, the Cleveland Cavaliers are better than the Knicks, partly because LBJ plays for the Cavs (duh), but if the Knicks make the playoffs and James thinks he can be that missing piece to get the Knicks to go far and even win an NBA title, LeBron will be more apt to make the jump. Fourth, the Knicks will probably need to make the first point kind of moot by signing one of the other big free-agents and that means signing Bosh or Wade, which might not be impossible considering how much space they currently have and plan to keep. Fifth, and this has more to do with the Cavs - Cleveland cannot win a championship between now and then. If they do, James will look like a hypocrite, particularly if the Cavs win the 2010 NBA Finals.

So, five steps to make New York more attractive is all that's needed. Hopefully, the Knicks handle all of this better than they have the Stephon Marbury situation.

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