Knicks think big with Chandler deal
New York throws more money around, but cap creativity opens up more possibilities
By John Hollinger
If I would characterize the New York Knicks organization in one word, it would be "impatient."
Over the past two decades, the Knicks have looked for every shortcut and thrown money at every problem. The ultimate result is that they've spent twice as much as everybody else, but the results haven't been much different.
So it was when they gave a fully guaranteed $95 million to an uninsurable (and thus untradeable) player in Amare Stoudemire who has had two microfractures, and so it was when they threw in pretty much every useful asset they had in order to get Carmelo Anthony from Denver.
But here's the thing: Given those parameters, what they did with Tyson Chandler made a lot of sense. If you start from the assumption that there's no such thing as a bad contract with the Knicks because they don't care if they pay luxury tax and they'll never be under the cap again in the next half decade, then paying $58 million to Chandler over four years isn't that big a problem.
Make no mistake, this deal will be untradeable the second it's signed. But given the decisions New York has already made and its unique immunity to fiscal sanity, it still made sense.
The Knicks will have this cap space once and only once. It behooved them to use it on the best player who would take their money. Moreover, using it on a center -- the most expensive position -- made all kinds of sense. Guards are dramatically less expensive; you can get good ones using the midlevel exception. So the Knicks will more than happily use that exception each of the next three years. ...
... And this one! Because in a nice bit of cap management, the Knicks set this up as a sign-and-trade, meaning they never signed a free agent using cap space and thus retain all of their exceptions.
In the meantime, New York can add two backcourt pieces with the newly generated exceptions -- if you're wondering, they can't sign Chauncey Billups, whom they intend to amnesty the rest of this season -- and plenty of good guards are still available. And while we're at it, I'll just throw this out there now: In the summer of 2012, Steve Nash and Grant Hill can be had as a combo deal with the midlevel and biannual exceptions, respectively.
The Knicks did one other cute little piece of cap management: They've set themselves up for a four-year run with the Melo-Amare-Chandler group, and then they can bust out the TNT and try again. All three players have deals that expire after the 2014-15 season, as will whomever the Knicks pick up with this year's midlevel and, if he signs a three-year deal, Nash (and yes, I am getting ahead of myself. Thanks for asking.)
Again, it's the Knicks, so they're taking every shortcut, overpaying every free agent and ultimately aren't going to win a ring this way. For goodness sakes, they set $10 million on fire by guaranteeing Billups' final year and then using the amnesty on him months later. (Again, with feeling: TEN MILLION DOLLARS. Burnt to a crisp. The New York Knicks, everyone!)
But the more you look at this deal with respect to decisions New York has already made, the more sense it makes, and the more you have to tip your cap to Glen Grunwald and Mark Warkentien for thinking outside the box.
Additionally, the fit for New York is impeccable. With two forwards that are somewhere between agnostic and allergic to defense, Chandler can protect the rim for New York and provide some modicum of resistance for what was previously a lineup full of DHs. Stoudemire will also be saved from the banging of playing the center position, which he did much of the time last season. If Chandler (with a little help from Toney Douglas) can just make the Knicks average on defense, the two forwards will take care of the rest.
As for Dallas, this isn't quite in Florida Marlins territory (when they were still representing more than just Miami), but it has to be a little deflating for the locals to see a defending champion talking about things like "preserving cap flexibility." It has become very apparent that while the draconian luxury tax penalties that start in 2013-14 may not sway the Knicks much, it's going to have a big impact on the way Dallas does business. The Mavericks, like the Knicks, threw money at every problem, only they were smarter with how they did it. Now they have to completely change their philosophy.
Chandler was the first domino in that, but there will be others -- J.J. Barea is as good as gone, they'll amnesty Brendan Haywood in a season or two when it becomes more advantageous, and Jason Terry may not be long for this roster either.
But the Mavs aren't done with this offseason either. Dallas gets an enormous trade exception in the deal (oh, and Andy Rautins, who will be cut on arrival), and can use that to sign-and-trade for another free agent now or in a future trade. Losing Chandler takes the Mavs off the A-list of contenders, but if they can get a halfway decent starting center (Sam Dalembert?), they'll win a bunch of games again.
As for Dwight Howard, that has no chance of happening unless he becomes a full-fledged free agent after the season. Sorry Mavs fans, you're not getting the best center in the game for Rudy Fernandez. Try again.
Meanwhile, Washington also scored a nice little coup by getting Ronny Turiaf more or less for free. Turiaf is owed $4.3 million this year, but that pro-rates to $3.46 million over a 66-game season. With New York throwing in the league-maximum $3 million (hey, it's only money), the Wizards get a useful center for virtually nothing. He doesn't help with the rebuilding plan much, but Washington should be able to flip him at the trade deadline for a more useful asset.
Nonetheless, the big story here is New York. With a Melo-Amare-Chandler skyline and two exceptions remaining, they're going to be a force for as long as Stoudemire and Chandler can stay in the lineup. They're throwing money at their problems again, yes, but this time you have to admire the creativity with which they've done so.
― Cooper Chucklebutt, Saturday, 10 December 2011 20:23 (twelve years ago) link