Knicks continue with the theme of change

Recently, a presidential election that contained the theme of change and reform concluded. Now those things are being shifted over to the recent events with the basketball operation at Madison Square Garden.

It started with sending Isiah Thomas packing to a no-see, no-hear consultant job. It also began with Donnie Walsh proclaiming that he was here as a man of change and reform when it came to the financial mess he inherited.

One of those was Stephon Marbury, who is the symbol for dysfunction from the previous administration and is persona non grata with the new administration.

Walsh however had two pieces that were worth something and that was Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph.

Crawford, the team's leading scorer and one of the nicest guys in the NBA, was traded to Golden State for Al Harrington. Randolph, who played one year here without off-court trouble was the team's leading rebounder and he was sent to the LA Clippers for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley.

On the surface, and from a strictly basketball perspective, it's not good moves. But the Knicks are a business operating well over the economic structure that has been in place for over 20 years and they could no longer afford to stay over the cap in the long-term.

That would keep them on the sidelines for the great free agent chase of 2010 that would include LeBron James. If you read some of the papers, it seems a forgone conclusion he will here, but there's a lot to do before that can happen.

Granted one player can turn a 25-win team in a 55-win team, but is he the type to come here in 2010 if the Knicks are coming off such a season? Is New York still an attractive place to play? Players get fed questions about the history of the Garden and so on and while that is a factor, does it really hold much clout anymore?

Fans should trust Walsh, he's done it very well in Indiana for the last two decades. But considering the state of affairs with the Knicks before he got here, they have every right to be skeptical until he turns it around and brings back the standard set in the early 1990s.

As for Crawford, it's a business but when he is on and when the Knicks have won, he's usually played a part. Who can forget the 52 point game against Miami when he made 16 shots in a row or the various buzzer beaters?

While not a good defender and shaky at selecting shots, Crawford has always been a class act whether dealing with the media or his assorted charity work and his short-lived blog on Newsday. He was definitely one of the few highlights of the past four-plus seasons of Knick basketball and was someone that you'd want to have when things eventually became better.