Will the Knicks Have Their Own ‘Big Three’ Next Year?
This off-season, no team had a less successful free agent signing period than the New York Knicks. The Knicks pretty much sacrificed their last few seasons in blatant hopes of signing LeBron James and another superstar.
Unfortunately, every free agent the Knicks had hoped to sign ended up with the Miami Heat and the only thing New York was left with was an unnecessarily high contract to Amare Stoudemire.
While the Knicks’ hopes may have been dashed (as usual) this year, they have a seemingly fruitful opportunity to form a ‘Big Three’ of their own after this season.
The Knicks’ years of sacrifice have left them with great financial flexibility that can be used to sign some stars to partner up with Stoudemire and an affordable supporting cast to play around them.
The optimal situation would be for the Knicks to sign Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony. Anthony is arguably the best scorer in the National Basketball Association. He may have averaged 28.2 points per game compared to James’s 29.7, but he also played on a much more balanced team.
To complement Stoudemire and Anthony, the Knicks would be pleased to sign one of the elite point guards that will be available. Tony Parker, Deron Williams, and Chris Paul are all likely targets for the final piece of the Knicks’ desired Big Three. If they can get Williams or Paul after getting Anthony, the Knicks will have a Big Three that might actually be more balanced and effective than the triumvirate James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh have recently formed in Miami.
Now, such a situation seems a little implausible. New York has had to check its unrealistic notion that all players would die to play at Madison Square Garden after being thoroughly shunned by top free agents this year. However, this big three is actually fairly achievable.
Chris Paul recently attended Carmelo Anthony’s wedding, which - to the delight of Knicks fans - was held in New York. There Paul gave a speech in which he concluded by stating:"Next year we'll form our own Big Three!"
After the toast, Anthony, Paul, and Stoudemire, all nodded, exchanged glances, and proceeded to raise their glasses to seemingly agree on the future plans. If the three do decide to form their own version of the Big Three, New York is more than ready to accommodate.
Stoudemire is already in place, a la Dwyane Wade in Miami. Then Anthony is slated to become a free agent during next summer and unlike LeBron, he actually has strong ties to New York outside of the concept of media.
Anthony played for the Syracuse Orangemen and led the New York state team to their only title in 2003. His wife is in entertainment and New York would be a lovely location for her as well, which should affect Anthony’s decision. Additionally, Anthony has chosen to not sign an extension with the Nuggets and simply play out the season, which seems to indicate that he would be okay with leaving.
As for Chris Paul, he is slowly becoming disgruntled with the New Orleans Hornets' lack of contention and has the power to perhaps push New Orleans to trade him. In exchange, the Knicks have a plethora of role players and handsome expiring contracts to provide the Hornets with, including Anthony Randolph and Timofey Mozgov.
So while this year looks pretty unpromising for the Knicks, since Stoudemire cannot be expected to carry a franchise, New York fans should not be down and out. The city is in a good position to become a powerhouse within a season or two. The only problem is that New York always seems to be in this position, but never manages to actually achieve it.
Tags: