Albatross With a Capital 'A'

Chip Stern has offered the following Knick Rule to our trading habits; NO DEALS THAT SUCK!

I like it. And to understand where the Stern-ster is coming from let's examine where the league's worst albatross contracts are and what kind of albatross contracts might be acceptable without violating the Stern Ultimatum.

New Jersey is a team entering the NBA ring of hell known as the Laydenzone. A team enters the Laydenzone when their star contracts no longer play like stars but get paid like Middle Eastern arms dealers. Kidd, Carter and Jefferson comprise a Big Three albatross cluster that makes your head hurt thinking about. It is no wonder all the NJ trade talk is about Carter whose contract stretches on for four more long unproductive years.

Even god is scratching his head about Carter's contract.

Boston, too, will be joining NJ shortly should they not win a ring this year or should Garnett get hurt. Pierce is not a winning hand, Ray Allen is breaking down, and Kendrick Perkins was suffering from planar fasciatis early this year. For now Boston's albatross cluster is in a holding pattern but come playoff time, Boston may well dip into the twilight of the Laydenzone.

Another team that is lowering itself into the Laydenzone is Phoenix. Although Shawn Marion's contract is soon expiring, the Suns have large long term commitments for Stoudamire, Diaw, Nash, Barbosa, and Marcus Banks on the books for years. And the Suns are unlikely to win anything this year either. Looking beyond Marion's contract most observers believe Stoudamire will be moved. Let's come back to this shortly.

Milwaukee, without competing or even winning has managed to constipate its roster with long term contracts that aren't even their best prospects; Redd, Williams, Simmons, and Gadzuric represent large amounts of misinvested salary.

The Laydenzone whirlpools will soon threaten to swallow all of Milwaukee's hopes for a brighter future unless they jettison a few of these contracts.

The burping sound coming from the everglades is the wholesale swallowing of the Miami Heat into the Laydenzone gullet. Riley's unholy pact to secure one more ring leaves in its wake a team so saddled with dead weight that it threatens to humiliate the one player who looked like hope a year or so ago, Dwayne Wade.

On a much smaller scale Memphis too is wallowing in overpaid underacheiving players. Gasol, Miller, Millicic, Cardinal, and Swift all make too much for too long for too little.

Denver, still imbalanced, is carrying KMart, Camby, and Nene inaddition to Carmelo and Iverson. They either win this year or by inertia of entropy become Laydenzone bound.

Any trade for a Carter, KMart, Redd, Dampier, or other wholesale NBA long term albatross just for the sake of moving bodies would be a huge mistake aside from violating the Stern Ultimatum.

On the other hand a careful examination of the teams at risk invites trade possibilities that may not be obvious when examining the obvious albatrosses.

The Knicks still need a stabilizing point guard and three who come to mind are Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, and Bibby. All three have two to three productive years left and assuming the cost is not a lottery pick nor overbearingly one-side, the Knicks would be silly not to pursue these guys.

Earl Watson, Marcus Banks,

The second position where we have a distinct need for immediate change is at the SF position. A Ron Artest deal would be ideal but other possibilities exist as well.

A trade for Wally Szczerbiak Could bring home an expiring contract and a fan favorite.

Boris Diaw's production has dropped in Phoenix and his contract might be more accessible than Stoudamire or Marion's.

Rudy Gay is another worthy target. Would Memphis do a blockbuster trade to rid themselves of bad contracts by bundling Rudy Gay with Milicic, Miller, and Cardinal for Curry, Crawford, Rose, Chandler and Collins?

Tracy McGrady, the geriatric, long-suffering and highly priced Rocket can also likely be had on the cheap. Another player who would be an instatnt fan favorite is only a worthwhile addition if New York sheds redundancy and mid-grade talent.

Would Detroit trade Prince and Hermann for Curry and Balkman and would such a trade finally yield the missing chemistry the Knicks are searching for?

Would trading Curry and Rose for Ben Wallace and Victor Kryappa create the chemistry?