The Knicks' free agency plans are utter madness

BetAmerica has teamed up with Covers and Oddschecker to break down the latest news and trends from around the Association. This week NBA columnists Andrew Caley, Sam Farley and Ryan Murphy discuss LeBron James’ MVP candidacy, the Knicks’ outrageous free agency plans, and Brooklyn’s decision to part ways with Kenny Atkinson.

LeBron outplayed Giannis and Kawhi over the weekend in the Lakers’ back-to-back wins over the Bucks and Clippers. Is he the league’s MVP?

Andrew: Well, there is still good chunk of the season to go so no definitive answer from me yet, but let me say this. It sure is a whole lot closer after Sunday than it was a few weeks ago. Watching LeBron just puff out his chest and dominate the Bucks and Clippers at this point of his career was something to behold. LeBron is averaging 30.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 10 assists per contest over the last nine games, highlighted by going for 65, 15, and 17 in the two games this weekend. That said, he still trails Giannis in all of the advanced metrics and it’s not really close, particularly when you throw in defense. Giannis also doesn’t have Anthony Davis on his team, or anyone close to that for that matter. This Giannis injury will make things interesting though. If he misses an extended period of time and LeBron keeps up this pace for the remainder of the season, then it’s going to be awfully close.

Sam: The King was fantastic this weekend and sent a warning shot at all those who had begun to believe Father Time was catching up with him. Sunday’s game against the Clippers was a real highlight with LeBron undeniably putting Kawhi in his place. LeBron is still the league’s most important player, for what he offers on the court and off it. He isn’t the MVP though. Not at this stage. It wouldn’t be fair to neglect what Giannis has done this season, he’s elevated his game even further, and done that without another star. If LeBron keeps up this level until the end of the regular season, well, that’s when things get interesting. Watch this space.

Ryan: James was extraordinary against the Bucks and Clippers, but it’s going to take more than two games for him to leapfrog Giannis in the NBA MVP race. The Greek Freak is averaging significantly more points, rebounds, and blocks than King James and has a huge advantage in real plus/minus (11.4 to 8.1). Much of that is due to the fact Giannis is a superior, game-changing defender who can guard all five positions and erase mistakes in the paint. James is having the best season in NBA history for a 35-year-old, but Giannis is having the better season overall. MVP voters will take note of that distinction and will hand Giannis his second straight MVP award this June.

The Knicks are reportedly interested in acquiring Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul. Is there plan borderline brilliant or a fiasco in the making?

Andrew: OK. I’ll give the Knicks this. It’s amazing how a team so irrelevant when it comes to actual basketball stays in the news all the time. I can get behind signing Chris Paul. He is having an outstanding season in Oklahoma City. He is leading and mentoring that young Thunder squad that is fighting for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Not to mention his per 36 numbers are on par with the best seasons of his hall of fame career. So, bringing a guy like that to the Knicks should only do good things. Or it could destroy him, I guess. It’s still the Knicks. And don’t get me started on a Melo reunion. I think I’ve made my feelings on him pretty clear in this column. But fine. For those who missed it. He’s a dinosaur (and not an awesome Raptor), a high-volume, low efficiency player is just not needed. Or a farewell tour for that matter.

Sam: At this point, why not? It’s clearly a bad idea and one that could hinder the team with big contracts, but this is a team that isn’t going anywhere fast, so why not have fun on the way? Maybe they should look into coaxing D-Wade and Chris Bosh out of retirement too, so they can really form a noughties dream team. In all seriousness, this is an awful idea and exactly the sort of thing that makes the Knicks a laughingstock.

Ryan: I think a better question might be what year do the Knicks think this is? Chris Paul is a soon-to-be 35-year-old point guard who last led the league in assists in 2015, and Carmelo Anthony is an NBA vagabond who was playing lunchtime ball at his local YMCA as recently as November. Both players are future Hall of Famers, but neither one of them should be counted upon to be the future of an NBA franchise, even one as wayward as the Knicks. Luckily for New York, I hear that John Starks and Patrick Ewing are still available.

Is Kyrie Irving to blame for Kenny Atkinson’s sudden exit in Brooklyn?    

Andrew: Yes. What? Do you need an explanation? Kyrie burns bridges wherever he goes. Cleveland. Boston. And now Brooklyn. What I think happened is that Kyrie didn’t like Kenny Atkinson’s style of coaching (you know, like expecting him to listen and do things like run the offense) and went to ownership and expressed that. And unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, depending on the way you look at it) Atkinson has a much more disposable contract compared to Kyrie’s roughly $105 million still owed over the next three seasons. Atkinson is a tremendous coach and will land on his feet and become the coach of some rebuilding team. Simply put, if Kyrie and KD wanted Atkinson to be the coach of the Nets, he’d be the coach of the Nets.

Sam: If the rumors are to be believed then he certainly played some part, although perhaps less of one than KD. The “culture” comment from KD seems to be at odds with what was said when the two friends arrived in Brooklyn. We all know about the strength of player power in the modern game and Kenny Atkinson certainly looks like a victim of that.

Ryan: I agree wholeheartedly with Andrew. If Irving had advocated for Atkinson the Nets would have handed him a five-year extension on the spot. However, Irving’s total indifference (or evil machinations, depending upon whom you ask) doomed his coach to the bread lines. It’s a shame, because Atkinson truly is one of the finest coaches in the NBA. The 52-year-old is a basketball lifer who led the Nets to the playoffs last season and has a knack for getting the most out of young, unproven players. The fact that he squeezed 42 wins out of a team composed of G League call-ups and NBA castoffs is something of a minor miracle. It won’t be long before he’s prowling a sideline again.

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