Before the drastic change, the Knicks were 28-26. After the trade, albeit a small sample, the Knicks are 3-2. Although it is a small sample, a lot about the team can be extracted. Before the trade, the Knicks had signature home blow-out wins against playoff teams, most notably the Spurs on January 4th. They had dominant road wins against playoff teams, notably the Hornets on December 3rd. But they also had, bad road losses to horrible teams, notably the Cavs on December 18th. After the trade, the Knicks have had the same type of games – beating the Hornets in the Garden, beating the Heat in Miami, and losing to the Cavs in Cleveland.

One thing is consistent about the Knicks, they are inconsistent. Anthony and Billups drastically change the superficial look of the team, but at the core they are still the same. The trades didn’t address the Knicks main needs and for that reason, I don’t expect the Knicks to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals this season.

I will say this – the Knicks are exciting to watch because you never know what to expect.

Agree? Disagree? Comment Below

[Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images via CBSNewYork.com]

Is Amar’e enough to land LeBron on the NBA’s biggest stage? My gut instinct is no. The Knicks are definitely much improved with this signing, but there are still huge holes – mainly, who else do they have? The Knicks have practically no-one still under contract for next year. If LeBron wants to win a championship next season, his best choice would be the Bulls. Despite that, I’m still saying LeBron will be a Cav next season.

If no-one comes to New York with Amar’e, will he regret it? Not according to him:

“Totally comfortable, totally confident that my leadership qualities will uplift all of us to do something great this upcoming season,” Stoudemire said. “So again, the Knicks are back.”

What Amar’e does bring to the Knicks is scoring ability from down-low. When he played for Coach Mike D’Antoni in Phoenix, he averaged 20+ PPG each season. His one weakness is defense, he is not known as a great defender or rebounder, so he is not the answer to Dwight Howard in the East. If the Knicks are able to re-sign David Lee, Amar’e and Lee could be a great front-court combination for several years.

The Knicks are moving in the right direction, but does this signing in itself bring them to the playoffs next season?

Photo Credit: Sipkin/News via NYDailyNews.com

Related articles:

• New York State Of Mind: Amar’e Stoudemire and New York Knicks Agree On Max Deal (bleacherreport.com)
• AP Source: Stoudemire in Meetings With Knicks (nytimes.com)
• Amare Stoudemire, New York Knicks reach agreement in principle (sports.espn.go.com)

The first thing that must be considered is talent. Does Stoudemire bring more talent than what the Cavs currently have at the position? The answer to this question is absolutely yes. Stoudemire averages 21.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1 APG, 1 BPG. Currently, the Cavs have Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Shaq at center. The Big Z averages 7.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, .75 BPG and Shaq averages 11.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.1 BPG, so clearly Stoudemire is a step-up from both of them, not to mention he is younger and more athletic.

Verdict: Make the trade

The second thing that must be considered is team chemistry. The Cavs have the best record in the NBA by two full games over the L.A. Lakers and they are on a 13 game winning streak. It seems that the Cavs are doing just fine with what they have. But, last season the Cavs had the best record in the NBA heading into the playoffs and they didn’t win the Championship, in fact they didn’t even make it to the NBA Finals. Nothing has happened in Stoudemire’s career to make someone believe that he will hurt the chemistry and therefore I don’t see his presence being a problem. In fact, he has played with Shaq in the past and they didn’t have any problems.

Verdict: Make the trade

Let’s take a look back at last season’s playoff match-up against the Magic. The player that destroyed the Cavs was Dwight Howard, the Cavs didn’t have anyone that could match-up against him down in the post. This year the Cavs have Shaq, although he is not as athletic as Howard, he is much more physical than Anderson Varejao and Ilgauskas. Stoudemire is not known for his defense, but he is a solid rebounder that will definitely improve the Cavs front-court.

Verdict: Make the trade

Clearly, the Cavs should do everything they can to make this trade. Not only will it improve them for this season, but it almost guarantees that LeBron will stay in Cleveland after this season (I’m tired of hearing him going to the Nets- they have 4 wins and he wants a ring, he has already rebuilt a franchise. It is time for a ring).

With a starting line-up of LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O’Neal, Anthony Parker and Mo Williams (sorry J.J. Hickson but your stat line of 7.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, .3 APG, .4 BPG in 54 games [48 starts] is demoted to the bench), the Cavs will be in the NBA Finals this season and they will be hoisting the trophy when the Finals are over.

Even without Stoudemire, you have to like their chances to make and win the Finals. This season they are 4-0 against the Lakers and Magic (both teams in last year’s Finals).

Now you have heard my opinion, but do you think this trade is the right move?