D'oh!

For all of our wheeling and dealing, getting rid of Layden's crew, and after tying Isiah's hands in the past year, like Bo, I can only count on three keepers - Lee, Balkman, and Curry.

And Marbury we're stuck with.

Balkman may be a good sixth or seventh man. Randolph is too new to move and can't be counted as an asset or liability.

The rest of the team is wholly expendable which is not to say they are awful, simply that they are no more likely to help us rise above mediocre than someone we might take a chance on in a trade.

We're still a team looking for starters and Larry Brown's wish list for a makeover is as prescient today as it was a year ago. What's done is done, Brown is gone but with that dismissal we are squarely back in the cycle of mediocrity begetting mediocrity.

Next year we will be no worse, but barring a miracle run through the playoffs, we may do no better than just make the playoffs. But that doesn't get us a great draft pick and it only makes Stephon a year older and maybe past his prime.

I like the Morris pick-up but we need to be on the look-out for some decent young guards. And, of course, that SF position needs stabilization.

The true upside is that the center/PF mix is solid and projects well for a few years - any combination of Curry/JJ/Morris/Frye/Lee is the best we've had since the days of Patrick and co.

Another key, IMO, will be the necessity to add balance to the youth corp by bringing in some wiley veterans (preferably who aren't here to golf or wear suits). Webber's heart is in it but he may have little or nothing left in the tank. Assuming we stick with Jeffries and Balkman, is Ruben Patterson worth a bench seat? Szczerbiak?

Or, to really make it interesting, is there room for Latrell Sprewell come off the bench and electrify the crowd one last time around?