This doesn’t deserve it’s own post, at least until some other news sources start to confirm this (and by confirm this I mean not just read the article and believe it to be true). Now I know my readers will talk about this on that article if I don’t, so might as well create a space to discuss the following:
According to SI.com, the Knicks rejected an offer from the Clippers to trade Zach Randolph solely for cap space.
The Knicks have rejected a proposal from the Clippers to trade power forward Zach Randolph, league sources told SI.com.
Terms of any proposal were not known, but the Clippers have enough salary-cap space to accept Randolph’s contract without having to give the Knicks equal salaries in return. The Clippers, seeking to replace the departed Elton Brand, were trying to take Randolph off the Knicks’ hands while offering little more than cap relief to New York, the sources said. Randolph will make $14.7 million next season, and he has three years and $48 million left on his contract.
It’s unknown what was offered, and the article says that Los Angeles is under the cap so the salaries don’t have to match. It’s also unknown how true this article is, since at the current time this is the only news organization reporting this.
But let’s assume that it is true for argument’s sake. You have to hope that Donnie Walsh knows what he’s doing here. Because getting rid of Randolph fits in perfectly with his plan of getting under the cap by 2010, and many Knick fans would love to see what David Lee could do as the full time starter. Maybe Walsh is playing chicken where he’s hoping the Clippers will throw in a draft pick. Maybe Walsh is playing poker and he has had similar offers from around the league and is surveying the field. Or maybe Walsh figures Randolph’s value will be higher near the trading deadline with a D’Antoni offense increase in offensive per-game stats. Maybe Walsh said “yes” but his cell phone cut out like in those commercials where the person on the other end thinks they offended the person they called.
On the other hand if you’re seeing the cup half empty at this point, you’re wondering if Walsh has lost his mind. Because those are the only plausible reasons for Walsh not saying “Hmmm lemme think about that for a - YES I’LL DO IT! Ahem - I mean yes, that’ll do.” Randolph is not needed on this team. He wasn’t needed last year when the Isiah acquired him for basically nothing. He doesn’t give the Knicks anything they need (shooting - check, rebounding - check, poor defense - check, man breasts - Curry still on this team? - then check).
The other day I was walking to work I saw a dollar bill ripped in half in a puddle floating in a puddle. I thought for a split second, and figured reaching into that muck for a dollar that I would have to dry then tape together wasn’t worth it. (And no dear readers, yours truly isn’t rich enough to walk past money. I will pick up a coin if I see it. At least one that isn’t in muck). I’m sure the person that picked up that Washington thought it was a fortunate event that they were able to have their choice from McDonalds $1 menu. Right now the Clippers are that person, and Zach Randolph is that dollar.
One positive thing can come out of this event, assuming it to be true . . . the entire league is going to know immediately that the Isiah Thomas era of the Knicks is officially dead. The Walsh Knick era has begun - where wild spending in spite of the cap was the norm of the past, now logical, cap-friendly moves are being turned down.