The way to fix the Knicks

The New York Knicks could be good next season. It’s at least a possibility. Whether or not James Dolan and the rest of the Knickerbocker brass will let that happen, only time will tell.

The difference maker in all of this is Leon Rose.

The former CAA agent is stepping through crime scene tap to try to figure out how he can be the man that changes the course of a franchise that is laughable to the point where it hurts to believe the blunders are real life.

Many people think they have the hardest job in their respective field, well the job that Rose is volunteering for is the hardest job in sports—undoubtedly.

However, there is a road map that Rose can use to make the Knicks fun again and competitive. This road map leads to the dream of landing Giannis Antetokounmpo in free agency in July of 2021. What the quick turn around will need is an old friend. Rose has a great relationship with this player because he previously represented him at CAA. That’s right Carmelo Anthony. Before you click off and totally discard my opinion hear out this possibility. Anthony has resurrected his career in Portland and showed that he can be a productive player on a NBA roster. In 46 games this season Anthony has averaged 15 points and six rebounds for the Trailblazers—and while he isn’t the same player he once was, he doesn’t need to be. If a Knick reunion is in the future plans for both parties, all Anthony has to do is be the exact player he is right now for Portland, the type of mentor player to the young guys while simultaneously putting up 15-20 every night. What would make the reunion plausible; Rose would have to pull off a blockbuster trade that would reinvigorate Spike Lee and the most dejected fanbase in sports. That trade would be for Carmelo’s friend and fellow banana boat member Chris Paul.

There has not been any Chris Paul trade chatter since Paul himself turned down rumors of him being unhappy in Oklahoma City. Sam Presti has shown that he wants to take a youthful approach following the Paul George trade, so what would be any different with Chris Paul? The youth movement would continue by dealing Paul and getting young pieces from the Knicks. The trade would go like this:

Knicks: Chris Paul

Thunder: Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton, Kevin Knox, Dennis Smith Jr, Alonzo Trier, and a Top-One protected 2021 1^st Round pick.

Who says no?

For the Knicks there are nightmare-ish shades of the Carmelo Anthony in 2011, but the difference unlike in 2011, this trade changes the culture. This is the type of trade that the Nets made when they traded Brook Lopez for D’Angelo Russell. Brooklyn’s luck has changed since dealing for Russell and they even landed two generational players thanks to the culture that the Russell trade help change. By doing a deal like this it does two things simultaneously that would change the way the league as a whole viewed the putrid rats that currently occupy 4 Pennsylvania Plaza. Those would be:

1.     Make the 2020-21 Knicks competitive (which means there could be playoff basketball in the garden), thus ending the hopeless thinking that comes with trying to win the NBA lottery.

2.     By being competitive and having games that actually matter in the World’s Most Famous Arena, you gain the attention of the stars around the league.

Suddenly, Madison Square Garden becomes a place you want to play, and the storyline about taking money from the rich curmudgeon doesn’t matter as much because the product on the floor is entertaining and producing wins. This happened with the Nets following the Russell trade, the difference being in this instance is the Knicks wouldn’t have to wait a year to have a playoff team. Excluding major injury, the 2020-21 Knicks would be trading a boat load of youth for a playoff team that could mess around and see the 2^nd round of the playoffs for the first time since the turn of the century. You show me a Knick fan that wouldn’t trade the short term for one year of success for their team to matter again and I’ll spray paint my hair Pepto Bismol pink.

Really this trade for Chris Paul is a move that is a true future move because you hope to later pair both Melo and Paul with Giannis the following summer.

I understand most of you have already burst out in laughter and dramatically close the tab, but if you’re still with me that possibility is not out of sight. What wouldn’t be attractive to Antetokounmpo? He would be the number one player on a playoff team that would have pieces in place when he arrived that could help him win the ring he is still currently without. Also, he would be the BIGGEST star in town. The BIGGEST star in town since Jeter, but even Jeter didn’t hit the heights of fame Antetokounmpo would because Jeter was a baseball player in a basketball city.

This entire piece is probably going to end up as a laughable dream that I’ll get made fun of for writing two years from now when the Knicks do everything but put a competitive team on the floor—thus getting labeled a fever-dreaming Knick fan—but that’s fine. If there’s anyone reading this from the Knicks front office, here’s the blue print of a plan, it’s your job to take action on it.