From tonight’s AP account of the Knicks/Raptors game:

“Even though the New York Knicks lost again, Larry Brown thinks they gained something Friday night… Brown said Rose will fill a need at small forward, a weakness for the Knicks all season.”

Translation: Qyntel Woods will soon be returning to fantasy purgatory (that is if one takes Larry Brown at his word - admittedly a dicey proposition).

I’ll hang on to Qyntel for another game or two and see how this all plays out before I send him packing in exchange for my pick for Second Half Breakout Candidate: Raymond Felton (nice segue back to the main thread topic, huh)

In the wake of all the Charlotte injuries, Felton has finally gotten regular minutes and he’s really responded. Over the past 2 weeks, he’s averaged 12.7/4.3/7.3 w/1 3pm, 2 stls, 1.8 TOs on 41% shooting. That’s pretty damn close to the kind of numbers that his former ACC rival Chris Paul has been putting up. And there’s little reason to think that he won’t continue to do so if he keeps getting starter’s minutes.

Certainly the indications are good that he will. Earlier in the season, Bickerstaff seemed reluctant to play Felton alongside Brevin Knight. However, the two have played together over the past few games, and with pretty promising results. Certainly Felton’s recent production will make it difficult for Bickerstaff to bench Felton once the very ordinary Kareem Rush returns from injury.

Right now, Felton doesn’t seem to be on too many owners’ radar screens (he’s currently sitting on my league’s waiver wire) But a few more games like the ones he’s been having, he’ll start showing up on all those “Hot Pickup” lists. But by then it will be too late.

Here’s my quickie take on today’s trade. Was there ever any doubt that Jalen Rose would go to the Knicks? I mean, he needs the ball in his hands just like every other Knick, he’s overpaid with a long deal just like every other Knick, and he’s had his head-case moments, like a lot of other Knicks.

From a fantasy perspective, gosh I hope CV gets more minutes, but i’d doubt it. I mean, Sam Mitchell is totally impossible to predict - the only Raps with safe value are Mike James and Chris Bosh. Until proven otherwise, that stays the way it is.

In New York, just another guy to take minutes in the 2/3 with Crawford, the 2 Q’s, Lee, and Ariza. All of ‘em take a hit.

Mitchell is nearly as batshit crazy as his counterpart in NYC, Larry Brown. The move could be seen as one intended to open up more playing time for Villanueva, but who knows?

Bosh is the only sure bet on the entire Toronto squad.

What hurts is that I was hoping/banking on Woods to become a decent player in his own right, and I think that this might just about squash it, although I guess Larry might play Woods more than Rose if he likes him more. Obviously the Knicks aren’t going to the playoffs and wanted some cap relief.

argh…another spot on my bench may be opening sooner than planned.

Now, I know that trying to predict Larry Brown’s rotations is about as easy as herding cats but what do you think the ramifications of this deal are? Crawford’s already marginal value probably takes a hit. How about Qyntel Woods?

And who is the likely candidate to fill Davis’ shoes at the 4? Frye? Lee? Or does Larry play Malik at the 4 and Jalen at the 3 just so he can claim the NBA’s first all-Rose frontcourt?

Who other than Bosh/James/Peterson will see a spike in value?

I think it’s a terrible trade for New York. What are they doing? Trading away cap relief for a whiny swing man and a draft pick?

But the boards, steals, assists, and blocks, in addition to his newfound ability to score in bunches, have a definite value. However, be sure you can compensate with stud FT% guys or just punt that category.