“The Need for ‘Sheed”
The other key injury this season was to Rasheed Wallace, nicknamed ‘Sheed, and the Knicks are still dealing with this foot injury and the effect it has had on how they manage certain game situations. The loss of Wallace took away a role player who could score on the second unit, play solid defense, and get rebounds. The issue Coach Woodson faced after his injury was: when Tyson Chandler got into foul trouble, having a substitute player to fill that void. He probably would have opted to go with Marcus Camby, but he was also injured, and Kurt Thomas has been largely ineffective for them.
Overall, I think if they can get Wallace back healthy and get Camby back, the depth issues will be remedied by the time the playoffs begin. The free agent market is pretty sparse for front court players who can play adequate defense and rebound.
However, as I write this post today, the update from the Knicks is that both Wallace and Camby practiced with the team for the first time in a long time (www.nba.com).
The other piece of updated information out of the Knicks today was that they are believed to be exploring a trade with the Phoenix Suns for forward Jermaine O’Neal. (www.espn.com/nba) Now, should they acquire O’Neal he would give them a veteran player who can rebound the ball, and provide some needed scoring on the second unit.
O’Neal is available because he has a much publicized verbal altercation with the General Manager of the Suns. (www.espn.com)
The team has to fix the issues it has with rebounding the basketball, and O’Neal as well as the return of Wallace and/or Camby should address that area of deficiency.
The rumor mill currently on sports radio is reporting that the team is looking to trade Iman Shumpert. (www.wfan.com) I do not think that this makes sense to trade a young asset like him at this point.
I understand that Shumpert does not provide much offensively, but he is a great perimeter defender and I look at him, after years of watching this team, as someone who can fill a role. I also view him as a young player with a high ceiling who needs time to develop an offensive game.
In this analysis, it should not be overlooked that Carmelo Anthony has played great at points during this season. He can consistently score points even against top competition. Anthony has played well on the defensive end of the floor overall, and is a legitimate star player in the NBA.
The Knicks are also getting excellent contributions from Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler in the first half of this season. I remember watching the game against Philadelphia a few weeks ago, and although the Knicks lost, Stoudemire was the best player on the floor for them that night.
The Knicks are positioned to make a playoff run this season, and expectations are high for this team. It will be exciting to see how the second half of the season positions them for the playoffs, and how the Knicks will finish out this season.