Article:Revival In New York

Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni sure act like they know what they're doing. They are some cool customers. There was so much movement in the Knicks' roster last year that I swear they traded for the same player twice. It was a rotating door, which saw so many of Isaiah Thomas' players leave. Zach Randolph, Jamal Crawford, Malik Rose, Stephon Marbury, etc. It was the beginning of a fresh start, a Knicks squad that actually believed they couldn't win without the help of every man on the roster. Nate Robinson and David Lee carved themselves a legitimate spot in this league, and we finally got to see some potential out of Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari.

But you have to ask yourself, what exactly is the plan for this team now? They're on the verge of losing David Lee and/or Nate Robinson, two players who left it all on the floor last year, sometimes willing that team to victory. In the draft, they got two real quality players in Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas, but they're certainly not cornerstone players, and they play two positions that the Knicks seem to be stacked at. Al Harrington is you leading scorer going into this year, and he's a nice player, but he takes far too many shots for this team to be competitive. Then there is the latest move Donnie Walsh made, trading for the disappointment-so-far Darko Milicic. In my opinion, Darko could be one heck of a player, and he's still only 25-26 years old. Not to mention he's a 7'0" center who can shoot. He hasn't panned out yet, though, and it looks like a real risk for a team trying to rebuild to make.

Of course the goal for the Knicks is clearly LeBron James next summer. Whether they get him or not, they need to begin to form a core of players to go forward with. If you watched their games last year, you had to notice how inconsistent they proved to be. Sometimes that can be the product of the fact there's not a single team-leader around, more like a new guy stepping up every other game. As we've 'witnessed' in last year's playoffs, even LeBron can't win without a reliable cast of role players. Do you think Chris Duhon is really making LeBron die to be a Knick? Nah. Also, I'm sure he doesn't want to sign there and see one of his least liked ex-teammates, Larry Hughes.

There are reports that Robinson may move overseas to play in Greece, and the Knicks have got  to stop that. He was so important off the bench last year, and he put a face on the Knicks All-Star weekend by jumping over Superman. No matter how tall he is, he's an electric player. David Lee may be the most dependable power forward you don't know. Who had the most double-doubles in the league last year? None other than Lee, who right now is unhappy with New York's lack of an offer, and is still testing the free agent waters. Keep these guys, they're not stars, they are building blocks. Great role players, who stars such as LeBron or DWade like, and would help a lot in luring one of those big-name free agents next summer. Because of the cap now, it looks like the Knicks will only be able to get one, so I repeat my point- keep your talent now, that way you only need one or two pieces for the future. As a fan, I've been through some horrid Knicks years' in the past decade, and it's time to be a contender again.