Well that was a disaster, huh? There’s really not much more that can be said about the Knicks 05-06 campaign. I sure as hell don’t want to read anymore about it and so I’ll just assume you feel the same way. Instead, we’ll look forward to what might be an even more disastrous 06-07 campaign. Isiah Thomas inherits the mess he created, and we’ll see what he can do with it. There’s plenty of talent here, there’s just not much talent that seems to mesh too well. The Knicks were a fantasy wasteland last year, as their highest ranked player was Jamal Crawford at #74. Stephon Marbury was next at #114 (not counting Steve Francis), which means that the Knicks provided just two players worthy of starting in your normal 12-team league. Will it be different this year? You’d have to think at least a little. Thomas brought these players in so he must have some idea how he wants to utilize them. Right? Hmm, maybe not. At the very least, the Knicks might offer some value on draft day. Most people will have such horrible memories of last year that the players will keep slipping. That still might not give them any value, but at least you won’t get burned by wasting an early pick.
The Stud: Stephon Marbury, PG
There’s no better example of what a disruptive force Larry Brown was than to just look at Marbury’s season. Marbury had been the perfect picture of fantasy consistency over the previous eight seasons, averaging between 19.8 and 23.9 ppg and 7.6 and 9.3 apg each year. It didn’t matter if he was in New Jersey, Phoenix or New York, the numbers were there. I assumed that would be the case again last season, the Brown would realize Marbury was his best player and let him do his thing. Didn’t quite work out that way. Those who spend a second round pick on Marbury counting on his usual numbers instead got an injury-plagued season in which he put up his worst stats since his 96-97 rookie season in Minnesota. The big question is whether Mabrury can regain his past form this season under Thomas, and there’s every reason to expect that he will. Out of all of the moves Thomas as made, bringing Marbury in to be the team’s leader is still the biggest one. Before the all-star break Marbury was doing pretty well until injuries and the absolute mess with the team derailed everything. The 18.2/6.9/3.3 pre-ASB line still is below his recent norms, but just barely. There is a crowded backcourt, but Marbury is the one guy that should be safe when it comes to minutes. Like Baron Davis, he’s another player that is going to come at a discount for the first time in a while. His draft position in my last four drafts: 18, 14, 15, 27. He will not be going that early this year, that’s for sure. Chances are he will last until at least the end of the third round and into the fourth round. He makes a pretty attractive risk around there.
The Support: Jamal Crawford, SG
Crawford has turned into a pretty consistent player but one who will never be too valuable thanks to his truly horrendous shooting. His 41.6% last year raised his career average to just over 40%, which is awful no matter what position you play. He predictably cut down on his 3PA under Larry Brown last year, his attempts dropping in half from 7.3 per game in 04-05 to 3.7 per game last year. With Isiah at the helm you can expect that number to go up, and he did have two straight seasons averaging 2+ 3pg in 03-04 and 04-05. That gives anyone value. Steve Francis and Nate Robinson are around to make the PT situation cloudy, but Crawford was impressive enough at the end of the season last year to earn the benefit of the doubt going into this year. In fact, he was borderline dominant in the season’s last month, going for 22.2/3.7/5.7 with 1.6 3s and 2.4 steals. He doesn’t have much upside, but usually seems to get his numbers, making him a decent later pick for a team that needs 3s.
The Supporting Support: Channing Frye, FC
The most frustrating aspect of the Larry Brown Era, er, Larry Brown Year, was the complete lack of logic when it came to who got PT, and Frye was jerked around more than anyone. He starts three games at the end of November, is good for 18 and 7 on 50% shooting, then he’s back on the bench for four games. Then after a 6-point, 6-rebound game in which he saw just 17 minutes, he was back in the starting lineup for six games. Then he was yanked and saw just 10 minutes the next game. Then he played 36 minutes off the bench next game. And so on. The knee injury that ended Frye’s season is certainly something to worry about and monitor in the preseason, but assuming everything checks out, he slots as the starting PF. With the release of Mo Taylor, Malik Rose is the only true PF left on the roster, although “Fuckin’” Jared Jeffries (that’s the nickname I gave him over the past few seasons – we’re very happy to see him go, needless to say) could slot in there if necessary. So Frye could see plenty of minutes, and he proved last year that he can put up serious numbers with those minutes. Frye’s a bit of a chucker, averaging 16.3 FGA p40 in his rookie year. By comparison, Crawford – who has a bit of a reputation as a gunner – averaged just 13.8 FGA p40 last season. His shot-blocking skills are still a work in progress, but Frye could be a serious points-boards-FG% asset if the minutes are there.
The Sleeper: Steve Francis, PG
Hey, any time you can get a guy who was a consensus second/third round pick for the last five years as a late-round flyer, it’s worth a shot. Sure, Francis has long been overrated and his fantasy value was due to being the default #1 option on his team and playing lots of minutes. Sure, the New York backcourt is very crowded and Francis might very well come off the bench at the start of the season. Sure, his stint with the Knicks last year saw him put up by far the worst numbers of his career. But he’s still a guy who averaged 21.3/5.8/7.0 in 04-05, and you never know who will get hurt, who will get traded or what the hell will happen in New York. The point is Francis is an afterthought this year. He’ll probably appear on lots of busts lists, but that’s where FBB differs from other sites. We already assume you know that, duh, Francis isn’t in the same position as he was the past few years when he was a top 30 player. It’s the 10th round, it’s Steve Francis or someone you’re probably going to drop in a week for whatever guy has a random 27-point outburst. No harm in taking the chance that late.
The Slacker: Eddy Curry, C
Dude’s a bum, just face the facts. Sure, he can pour in the points and a couple times a month he even does that. And he’s a career 54% shooter, which is excellent. His heart problem (the literal one, not the figurative one) didn’t present much of a problem last year, it was just his usual mediocre play. He has a big contract and was a top pick, so people will always be looking for a reason to expect big things. Such as the fact that it’s treated as news that he showed up to training camp in good shape. Wow, congratulations, Eddy. Even if he is in good shape it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a career 66% shooter from the line (and he gets there a lot), has never grabbed more than 6.2 rpg or blocked more than 1.1 shots per game. He basically plays like an aggressive small forward. He’s never been able to play 30 mpg because of conditioning and foul problems. The center position is actually pretty deep this year, especially in Yahoo leagues. In fact, Curry makes a questionable C2.
Double Dribbles: Jared Jeffries is one of those guys who gained a reputation as a defensive stopper because he was the only player who was at least a decent defender on a largely inept defensive squad. He’d need about 40 mpg to have fantasy value and that’s just not happening … Nate Robinson showed impressive scoring ability in his rookie season, but there just aren’t enough minutes for him. Even if there were, he’s a 25-minute sparkplug off the bench guy anyway … Jerome James had a good quarter last year. Not a quarter of the season, an actual quarter of a game. I saw it, he scored like 12 points in the first quarter of a game. I guess that’s worth $30 million … Jalen Rose will probably have some big games over the course of the season, be in and out of the starting lineup, but not be worth your while … It only took one year for Quentin Richardson to go from one of the most prolific three-point seasons ever to complete fantasy irrelevance. That’s what happens when you go from fantasy’s most friendly team to it’s least friendly.