Melodrama's End

            I’ve been playing Madden for the various Playstation systems for over a decade now. In the game, there is a Franchise mode where you can run an NFL team for up to 30 years. The oldest trick in the book to stack your team was to sign high rated free agents, and then immediately trade the players you signed for players you need at different positions that are on other teams, or trade them for draft picks. I remember one draft when I was running the Dallas Cowboys back in the early ‘00s where I had seven of the first 10 picks in the draft (the Dave Campo Cowboys needed a lot of help, even with the services of super-stud Cam Muir at quarterback. Muir once threw for over 6,000 yards and ran for 1,100 in the same season. The guy was the greatest Madden QB ever). However, with the PS3 edition, you now get a financial penalty for trading players who you were supposed to pay a large bonus too. This meant that I had to delete my Buffalo Bills franchise a week ago (after playing 9 seasons and winning 7 Super Bowls) because I didn’t realize I had racked up $256.1 million in cap penalties (I don’t even think Al Davis could mismanage the cap that bad). It was financially impossible for me to field a complete roster around star 2^nd generation quarterback Evan Muir (the son of Cam Muir, who looks like a dead-ringer for his old-man on the virtual grid-iron).

            As strange as it may sound, my Madden troubles were the first thing I thought of after hearing word that Carmelo Anthony was officially traded to the Knicks. New York gave up three players averaging more than 16 points per game (Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, and Wilson Chandler) and a center who’s claim to fame is getting posterized by Blake Griffin (Timofey Mozgov, who happens to be a 7-footer, which is why he has value). They also sent the uber-talented Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry’s expiring contract (in this case, the contract is way more noteworthy than the player) to Minnesota. As you might guess, that’s an insane amount of players. They were able to bring in Chauncey Billups along with Anthony, which improves their point guard situation in the short term, but they have completely gutted any sort of depth they had.

            In a world where a salary cap didn’t exist, I would have no problem with this trade. NBA history has shown that in order to win a championship, you need at least two A-Level players, or one A and two B-Level guys. Here’s a list of notable championship teams and their best players for the last 15 years.

2008-10 Los Angeles Lakers: A-Level = Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, B-Level = Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum

2007-08 Boston Celtics: A-Level = Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, B-Level = Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo

2002-03, 2004-05, 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs: A-Level = Tim Duncan, B-Level = Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker

2005-06 Miami Heat: A-Level = Dwyane Wade, B-Level = Shaq

2003-04 Detroit Pistons: A-Level = Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace B-Level = Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince

1999-02 Los Angeles Lakers: A-Level = Shaq, Kobe Bryant

1998-99 San Antonio Spurs: A-Level = Tim Duncan, B-Level = David Robinson

1995-98 Chicago Bulls: A-Level = Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, B-Level = Dennis Rodman

            The only two exceptions to my “A/B-Level” Rule were the 2005-06 Heat (who were bailed out by the refs against the Dallas Mavericks) and the 1998-99 Spurs (who won the very quirky lockout shortened season). Other than that, you better have some star power. Carmelo and Stoudemire paired together certainly bring that to the table.

            The issue here is flexibility going forward. Going into a very uncertain financial future in the NBA, it is hard to predict what the rules will be. There might be a hard salary cap, which means a team will not have an option of paying a luxury tax if they are over it. The cap itself might shrink from its current amount of $58 million. Let’s hypothetically say the cap stays put at $58 in the new collective bargaining agreement with a hard cap. New York will be shelling out roughly $40 million for both Carmelo and Amar’e for the next three years. That leaves the Knicks $18 million to fill the rest of their roster. That would eliminate them from having any chance at adding Chris Paul, Deron Williams, or Dwight Howard when those three hit free agency after the 2012 season.

            One could point to Miami as an example of a team that can load up with star players and surround them with cheap role players. The problem in the Knicks case is that Carmelo is not even equal to Wade, much less Lebron. Neither Carmelo nor Stoudemire are great passers. Typically when the ball is in their hands, they are usually going to shoot. Billups isn’t exactly a great distributor either. It will be harder for the Knicks to get solid production out of role players the way Miami does with someone like Lebron and Wade to kick the ball out to wide open 3-point shooters.

             In the short term this is a win for the Knicks. Their long-suffering fan base finally has a reason to get excited. Stoudemire and Anthony are the best duo the Knicks have ever had (New York’s failure to find an amigo for Patrick Ewing was the main reason the Knicks never won a championship during the Ewing-era. That and you know, that Jordan guy that played in Chicago). The only thing that can bail them out going forward is a favorable labor agreement between the players and the league. If New York is able to spend $65 or $70 million on their roster, they should have no problem building a championship caliber team within three years (assuming they add Paul or Williams). If there is a salary crunch, and New York is stuck with two stars and very little else, they will be lucky to get out of the 1^st round in the Eastern Conference Playoffs year after year.