USATSI
The New York Knicks slay me.
No, really, they do.
Nine games under .500 and still one game back of a playoff berth in an Eastern Conference so bad, the Milwaukee Bucks have won more than five games, you’d think the Knicks are a fragile bunch. Or rather, you know they’re a fragile bunch. But you’d think that they think they were a fragile bunch, on the precipice of implosion, one wrong move away from seeing this season go up in flames if it hasn’t already.
What do you do when you’re in this situation? Why, you make a late push to sign embattled center Andrew Bynum of course.
According to the New York Post‘s Marc Berman, the Knicks made a last-ditch effort to sign Bynum before he agreed to join the Indiana Pacers:
The Knicks made a strong late push to sign center Andrew Bynum before he chose the Pacers, his agent told The Post Saturday.
Knicks personnel director Mark Warkentien tried to arrange a meeting with Bynum and the Knicks staff, but it never materialized.
“The Knicks were very aggressive in the end,” his New York-based agent David Lee told The Post. “In the end, they did everything they could.”
The Knicks only had the veteran’s minimum to offer, which pro-rated would have been $550,000. Indiana had part of its mid-level exception and can pay him a full $1 million for the rest of the season.
[…]
The Knicks were tepid on Bynum early on but apparently decided he was worth the gamble and were in contact with Bynum’s camp over the past three days.
Lee wouldn’t say why the Knicks fell short but said his comfort level with Pacers president Larry Bird was a big factor, and as well their status as top seed in the East. One source believes Miami was runner-up amid a short list of five teams.
You know your team’s in bad shape when Bynum won’t even meet with you, though you cannot really blame him.
The Knicks are not legitimate contenders and it’s doubtful he would have pushed them over the championship hump. Indiana also offered him nearly twice as much ($1 million) than the Knicks could. That hurt their chances as well. It also means a “thank you” may be in order.
Bynum would have been a curious fit for a team not known for managing sticky situations. The Knicks are notorious for ruining draft prospects they actually hold on to and have never been ones to handle drama-attracted players well (see J.R. Smith all everything). Adding Bynum to an already-damaged roster wouldn’t have made that much sense. At the very least, the risk outweighed any potential reward.
It almost makes me think the Knicks were simply trying to keep him off the Pacers. That much I could understand. Indy basically did the same thing, signing Bynum to keep him off the Miami Heat. Team president Larry Bird would tell me to screw off of course, but he’s not fooling anyone. Were the Heat not considered the runner up, don’t think for a minute the Pacers would have been as aggressive as they were.
Not to knock Bird or the Pacers. Their no-nonsense approach makes it so Bynum won’t be a detriment. He’ll barely even play, so he’s not going to impact the Eastern Conference race much, if at all.
For that, the Knicks owe them another “thank you.” Indiana bit a bullet New York didn’t have the means to chew.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
