Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald was flooded with praise for the decision to amnesty Chauncey Billups in order to sign Tyson Chandler before this season.
Chandler has come as advertised, anchoring a much-improved Knicks defense, a year after helping the Mavericks beat the Heat in the NBA Finals. Chandler was recognized Wednesday as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, one day after Amar’e Stoudemire became a punch line for punching a fire extinguisher after the Knicks’ Game 2 loss to the Heat. But that was just the exclamation point on what has been a roller coaster year for Stoudemire, one with many more drops than climbs.
Grunwald, recently promoted to full-time GM, will now have to deal with the decision to amnesty Billups, instead of Stoudemire, who has three years and $60 million left on his contract. Stoudemire’s struggles this season makes the future murky for the Knicks trying to build around Carmelo Anthony with little money to spend under the salary cap. Billups was in the final year of his contract, and using the amnesty on him prevents them from doing the same to Stoudemire under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.
Right now, suggesting to do this seems like common sense. Hindsight is 20/20, and all that. To do it in December would have been a much more difficult decision and cut-throat because Stoudemire was the first big name to sign with the Knicks, making the team a desirable landing spot for stars like Anthony. But even then there were signs that ridding themselves of Stoudemire’s max contract would have been the right call.
Anthony and Stoudemire failed to jell since the Knicks acquired the Nuggets star at last season’s trade deadline. It was a small sample, but one that showed how difficult it would be for two guys that need the ball in their hands constantly to co-exist. The subsequent addition of Chandler, assuming Stoudemire was not one of the reasons he came to the Knicks, provides a better defensive presence down low and would give them a pick-and-roll option to help make up for Stoudemire’s departure on offense.
Stoudemire’s slow recovery from the back injury he suffered before Game 2 of last year’s playoff series against the Celtics was another warning flare for a player with a troubled injury history. The power forward played one exhibition game during the lockout, while some of the league’s other stars played more often.
The other issue was what the Knicks lost when they released Billups: the only reliable point guard on the roster. The signings of veterans Baron Davis and Mike Bibby have not worked out this season and Billups might not have, either; he tore his ACL early in the season after signing with the Clippers. Jeremy Lin was a temporary fix, but hurt his knee.
How much releasing Stoudemire over Billups would have helped this season is debatable, how much it would have helped in the future is not, especially with top point guards Deron Williams and Chris Paul set to hit the open market.
Lose-lose situation
Not to suggest that Stoudemire is doing anything but rooting for his teammates on Thursday night and the rest of the series, but what would it mean if the Knicks make a series or pull off a miraculous comeback against the Heat without him?
Stoudemire said he has a “great chance” to return for Sunday’s Game 4, but he is known for being overly optimistic.
If the Knicks do show fight without Stoudemire, it would prove his worth, or lack thereof, to the team. That might actually be worse for him than taking some of the blame for the Knicks losing a series for punching a fire extinguisher that few gave them a chance to win.
And now some thoughts from the rest of the series:
— Tony Parker is playing the best basketball of his career, and the Spurs look like a different team than the one that lost in the first round to the Grizzlies last year.
— The Thunder have a brutal path to the NBA Finals. The defending champion Mavericks were up in the final minute of both games in Oklahoma City, but the Thunder pulled out each (the first one an amazing shot in the final seconds by Kevin Durant). But don’t be surprised if the Mavericks push this series to seven, and if the Thunder get past them, all that’s left is likely the Lakers and Spurs.
— The Nuggets have been a nice story since trading Anthony, and have surprised some by remaining competitive with a balanced lineup. But their series against the Lakers is so far proving what it means to have a superstar on your team. Kobe Bryant has kept Denver at arm’s length so far.
— The Clippers made their series with the Grizzlies interesting with the 27-point comeback Sunday night, and they did it despite their coach, who had already put Chris Paul on the bench in the blowout before the star guard talked his way back onto the court.
— I agree with Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau that losing Derrick Rose is “not a death sentence,” but his team did not respond that way in getting routed by the 76ers in Game 2. For a team that played without Rose frequently throughout the reason, it was surprising to see the letdown.
— The Pacers will likely prevail in their series against the Magic, but Glen Davis is showing the potential to be the leading man in Orlando with Dwight Howard’s suspect future.
— Paul Pierce is still capable of carrying the Celtics as he did in their Game 2 victory at Atlanta. That series took a dramatic turn with the Celtics winning without suspended Rajon Rondo and the Hawks’ Josh Smith now doubtful for Game 3 with a knee injury.