Column: Mike D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh make Knicks trimmer and better

2/19/09
mike d'antoni
By Max J. Dickstein

Column: Mike D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh make Knicks trimmer and better

Photo credit: Game Face

(Getty Images)

By Max J. Dickstein

The San Antonio Spurs, perennial title contenders, learned Tuesday that this season’s lean, invigorated Knicks are capable of toppling foes who overmatch them in talent but not in zest.

Desperate to end a six-game skid, Nate Robinson, the explosive guard whom team president Donnie Walsh blessedly kept past the trade deadline Thursday, carved out 32 points, and the kinetic Knicks beat the steady Spurs in overtime, 112-107.

Isiah Thomas is history, and under Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni (like amNewÂYork, the Knicks are owned by Cablevision), a sense of excited urgency has set in.

Fit enough for the fast pace of D’Antoni, the Knicks average 105.2 points, No. 4 in the NBA. Gone are the walk-up, half-court doldrums of Thomas’ Knicks, who nevertheless benefited occasionally from fine evaluation of draft talent from 2003-08.

Walsh seems to recognize that young talents such as Robinson and forwards David Lee (a league-leading 42 double-doubles) and Wilson Chandler are worth keeping. Meanwhile, he continues to undo Thomas’ mistakes by trading away valueless, long-term loafers. Budding stars join hungry vets anxious at the ends of their deals; this could be a playoff team already, with salary cap space ahead.Knicks swing two deadline deals

Two swaps before the NBA trade deadline Thursday upgraded the Knicks’ talent level without roiling the team’s bright salary cap picture.

Knicks get Hughes ...

Chicago sent 30-year-old Larry Hughes to the Knicks for forwards Tim Thomas and Jerome James and guard Anthony Roberson. All four players have deals that expire by 2010. Hughes, a proven scorer and defender, fills a void at shooting guard for the Knicks.

... and Thunder’s Wilcox

Oklahoma City dealt center Chris Wilcox, a 26-year-old, 6-foot-10 banger, to the Knicks for aging forward Malik Rose and cash. Wilcox, with career averages of 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds, is owed $6.75 million in his deal’s final year.
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mike d'antoni

Column: Mike D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh make Knicks trimmer and better

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