Bondy's Knicks mailbag: Trading Anthony would be a disaster

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If the Knicks sent Carleo Anthony out via trade, the team would be at the level of the 76ers and Lakers.

Here’s the second installment of my Knicks mailbag. Let’s just dive into the questions because I’m in no mood for small talk while dealing with my dog who fought a skunk and lost.

@matbabiarz — Besides Kristaps – who has impressed you the most this season?

Let me start the answer by saying Phil Jackson, as a GM, has been underwhelming — both in trades and free agency. When you look at the Knicks and how they’re constructed, when you look at what they have moving forward as a solid piece of a good team, who can you point to? Kristaps Porzingis. Then after that, Robin Lopez. And that’s it. Arron Afflalo is a nice player but he’s 30, has struggled to stay healthy and may be gone after this season; Jerian Grant’s future in the NBA is certainly in question when you take into account that he’s not a young rookie, already 23, and there’s been a lot to be desired; Lance Thomas and Langston Galloway were good pickups on 10-day contracts, but there are reasons they weren’t drafted; Kyle O’Quinn and Kevin Seraphin are two summer acquisitions who sometimes never get off the bench.

Which is why fans clamoring for a Carmelo Anthony trade don’t realize how terrible this team would be.

I’m talking about Lakers bad.

KOBE GUSHES OVER PHIL JACKSON, CARMELO NOT SO MUCH

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Derrick Williams has never maximized his potential as the No. 2 overall pick.

Enlarge Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Arron Afflalo is a nice player, but his health and age are marks against him.

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Derrick Williams and Arron Afflalo could have a major impact on the Knicks’ plans for free agency if they activate their player options for next season.

Sixty losses bad.

That’s the talent level.

And the idea that they can trade Carmelo and easily rebuild is also misguided. If you look at the recent trades of franchise players, most of the time the team that dealt its star is worse off. Orlando got a boatload for Dwight Howard and hasn’t since sniffed the playoffs; Similarly with New Orleans after dealing Chris Paul, and Utah after it dumped Deron Williams; The Nuggets aren’t doing so great even with their own Carmelo haul; OKC didn’t get an even return for James Harden; It’d be great to be a Minnesota Timberwolves fan with all that young talent until you realize they’ve been the worst team in the Western Conference since trading Kevin Garnett.

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Now you could argue, and this I’d understand, that Anthony is past his prime and the Knicks should try to get the most they can while they still can. Because the Knicks aren’t coming close to winning a title either way. OK, fine. Then you’re also signing up for a lot of losing. Which will piggyback all the losing that’s happened/happening already. It’s a sacrifice for the hope of getting lucky in the draft, because no top free agent is going to sign up for that. And once you have a long cycle of losing, it’s hard to break free. It becomes a culture and a mindset. Just ask the Sixers.

So, to answer your question, Robin Lopez has impressed me. He’s a solid rim protector, a decent finisher and, surprisingly, a good passer. He’s a keeper on a four-year contract.

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@wallyworldwide — After this disastrous loss of a 2016 #1pick….do the Knicks have future picks under control?

This may be surprising but the Knicks have control of every first-round pick following this year’s — which will go to Toronto as part of the ill-fated trade for Andrea Bargnani. While completely dismantling the team he inherited, Jackson has refused to part with his first rounders — even though there were opportunities around the trade deadline. I’d make the case that Jackson should have at least one more first-round pick after trading J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, but he sold low and the Cavs pounced.

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Russell Westbrook, set to hit free agency in 2017, could be in play for the Knicks, according to a report.

@luverducky — Cap space is there, Phil says no to an elite PG, front court is loaded, where will money be spent?

I went over this in my previous mailbag but the summer spending money isn’t as abundant as many believe. Depending on what Afflalo and Derrick Williams do with their player options, the Knicks may not have enough to spend on a max free agent. So who are the second-tier options? I like Evan Turner and he’s versatile; Rajon Rondo is a bad idea; Jeremy Lin ain’t happening; Mike Conley Jr.’s situation will be interesting, but, as you noted, Jackson indicated he’s not going to pay big money for a point guard; Evan Fournier can shoot.

But here’s another idea: with the way the Knicks are set up, they’re going to have a ton of money for the 2017 free-agent class, which includes Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose. There was even a report that the Knicks are in play for Westbrook. By then, though, who knows with this team? Will Carmelo still be there? Phil? Will James Dolan veto a triangle coach? It’d be nice to have an identity or a direction to sell the free agents besides “triangle,” because that didn’t work out so well last summer.

Tags:

carmelo anthony ,

phil jackson ,

robin lopez ,

evan turner ,

kristaps porzingis ,

new york knicks ,

nba ,

nba transactions

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