Vecsey Loves The Trade

[wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

(The big question now: Is Marion available and will Ainge make an offer
for him?)
 
A Steph in The Right Direction
Peter Vecsey


January 6, 2004 -- THE answer: Burberry, Blackberry and now seats to see Marbury. The question: What are New York's hottest selling items? 
By mid-morning yesterday, when only the dealmakers and their trustees knew the Knicks were on the threshold of confiscating Stephon Marbury from the Suns, Lincoln High School's defending PSAL champs already had alerted the competition throughout the city of the news that Coney Island's pet player was sashaying home. 

Do you realize how much freakin' partyin' Fat Joe and his Terror Squad are doin' in Da Bronx? How happy this makes the nation of Harlem and Holcombe Rucker Park? How amped up the locker rooms of Cardozo and Archbishop Molloy are? 

Pagers, phones and e-mails are burning up with excitement and anticipation. That's how much emotional current and liquid currency Marbury's return to the area has stimulated. 

Next time the Nets will think twice before running the Knicks out of the Garden. It only took Isiah Thomas a couple hours to retaliate; shortly after eyeballing Jason Kidd kick some serious ash, the hyperactive executive was coordinating the conquest of Brooklyn's allegiance - before the Nets can even think about burrowing into the borough - and the repossession of the imagination of Knick fans everywhere. 

Mission accomplished! 

If you don't care a microchip about scandalous salary cap/luxury tax ramifications, Marbury's acquisition for a pair of first-round picks - the quintessence of the multi-faceted exchange - is scrupulously brilliant. 

 

(Clearly, the worst-in-the-West Suns do care, which is why Jerry and Bryan Colangelo have decided to financially freshen up significantly by shaving $21M-$23M off their books in the next two seasons, thanks largely to the inclusion of Penny Hardaway, whose competence for 20 minutes a night is better than anyone the Knicks have at backup small forward or off guard. 

Either the Colangelos are trimming down to sell, creating room to take a stab at risking free agent Kobe Bryant, or starting over yet again; we'll know this is true if Shawn Marion is next to go. 

Everything else Thomas gave up - Antonio McDyess, Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley, Maciej Lampe and Milos Vujanic - is unhealthy, unproductive, unproven or unseen. 

To suggest the Knicks have forfeited the future (the unprotected '04 pick is irrelevant, the other No. 1 is controlled by New York in years to come and protected through 15) is ignorant. Aside from the pair of firsts, this cost the Knicks nothing more than money. 

Capsized to such an extent (through '06, realistically), the Knicks would've had to disband to get under it. Therefore, they might as well take on more salary ($21M next season alone) as long as they could secure a player capable of converting the Knicks into a playoff combatant. 

"If I figured out how to get under the cap," Thomas explains, "the players I'm going after now are the same ones I'd try to get then. In actuality, the way the salary-cap system works, you can't get 'em when you're under the cap, because the teams that have them can outbid you. The only way to get 'em is to trade for 'em." 

So, there you have it; Thomas doesn't believe in rebuilding through free agency or the draft. 

The competition and impartial observers are exceedingly impressed. Though shocked at the price the Knicks are willing to pay to get people back in the stands. as well as advance in the standings, they respect Thomas' ability to get something substantial done so swiftly. With more major mind moves on tap, they suspect correctly. 

My only reservations regarding Marbury are that the Colangelos might know something about his extracurricular activity that hasn't yet surfaced. Or his body's falling apart; ankles get surgically repaired regularly. Or, the shooting point guard remains terribly incompatible with teammates who don't meet his standards. 

"Keith reunited with Stephon!" exclaimed a former Net who witnessed the verbal abuse Marbury hurled at Van Horn on the court and behind closed doors. 

"I don't know about that! Let's see if Keith can continue his hot streak (23-point average over the last eight games) with Stephon dominating the ball. I'll believe they might be able to co-exist when I see Stephon pass the ball to Keith in the post a few weeks from now. 

"Tell Isiah, the first thing he should tell Stephon is how much he likes Keith."