Isiah Thomas
(Photo courtesy of MSNBC Media)
If we look at the roster, Stephon Marbury is getting $20 million this season, and it goes up to $21 million next season. We all remember what happened earlier in the year with Stephon Marbury and Isiah Thomas. Before tackling the rest of the salary problems the Knicks have, let’s look at Marbury’s $20 million salary. Is he worth that much money for his playing ability and the “problems” he has caused in the locker room? The very quick and easy answer is a big NO. He has played only 24 games this season, and averages 13.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, which are career worst’s. Those numbers are not worth $20 million dollars. The latest rumor is that Marbury won’t be back next season, but how are they going to dump that $21 million? The Knicks will have to eat a lot of that contract, and who knows what they will get back in return. It won’t be easy. Isiah Thomas seems set to resume coaching the Knicks without Marbury, but Thomas is just as big of a problem. His coaching ability is lackluster, and he can’t control his players. You can’t just blame Marbury for this season, you have to look at the coach, and I look at a coach I would not want to be leading my team. If you could get rid of those 2, then we will officially be talking about rebuilding for the future, and it would look bright.
#1 Problem for the Knicks,
Stephon Marbury
If you can get rid of Marbury’s $21 million next season that will free up a lot of room, but another big problem is that they have big contracts that go all the way into 2010. Jamal Crawford is a player I will give a pass to because he is having a great season, and he could be someone you can build around. He will earn a valued salary of $8.6 million next year, and $9.4 million in 2010. Look at the other players who they have in 2010, and their salaries. Zach Randolph ($14.7 million in 09, $16 million in ’10), Eddy Curry ($9.7 million in ’09, $10.5 million in ’10), Quentin Richardson ($8.8 million in ’09, $9.4 million in ’10), Jerome James ($6.2 million in ’09, $6.6 million in ’10), and Jared Jeffries ($6.2 million in ’09 and $6.6 million in ’10). That is not money well spent. The money for those 5 players ties the hands of the Knicks and why they can’t get anything done, on a financial side. The Knicks salary total, as it stands right now for next season is at $90,991,250 million. That’s $2 million higher than this year, and without 3 of their current players, and without any new players. Something needs to get done to help this franchise, or they are in a lot of trouble down the road, with no light able to be seen at the end of their tunnel.
What the Knicks need is a fire sale. Try to find some teams to dump these contracts on. Even though they need to get back at least 20% of what they give, they can still try to improve the team this way. They also need to get rid of Isiah, and the front office, and have the Knicks start fresh. If they can't do this now, it's going to be a couple of years before they have the financial freedom to make moves that can help the team. I know if I had $88 million invested in a team I, wouldn’t have invested in the players that the Knicks currently have and I would look to see why a team with so much money, so much history and is in the biggest market in the world has a 18-46 record. All I would do is look down from my skybox at the court at any given game, and I would see about 20 reasons why.
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