Why The “CP3-For-All” Is Not “All Or Nothing” For The Knicks

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“CP3-For-All” has begun, and each hour it seems that “sources” have Chris Paul going to different teams. Yesterday there were a number of articles published that pushed the notion that Paul will not come to the Knicks, mainly due to the monetary difference between the contracts the Knicks and Hornets can offer him.

Now, I’m not here to tell you why that is simply wrong, as Dan at knicksfan.net went into great detail a couple days ago explaining the monetary intricacies of Paul’s decision and why, just like Carmelo, he controls the process.

Rather, I would like to dispel, before the notion spreads among Knick fans, that it’s Chris Paul or nothing in the summer of 2012. Just like with Lebron in 2010, the Knicks will have plenty of cap room and multiple contingency plans. If the Knicks fail to sign Paul, they can fall back onto a number of options.

The Knicks could chose to continue to attempt to build a big three and chase one of the other premier free agents, like Dwight Howard or Deron Williams. However, alternatively, if the Knicks strike out on every star the 2012 free agent class has to offer, the free agent pool is as deep as they come and features great options that the Knicks could utilize in order to build a complete team, alongside Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.

For starters, the Knicks could potentially use their cap room, which will be upward of 13 million, to pursue a point-guard who fits the team better than Billups; Steve Nash is a name that sticks out. Additionally, they could look to acquire an above-average center, maybe even Marcus Camby, a necessity for a championship caliber team. In this scenario, the Knicks would not have to renounce the bird rights to Landry Fields and Toney Douglas, and therefore would be favorites to resign the two guards, if they so chose. Many people, including myself, believe that a team with great depth will be much more effective in the playoffs than a team built with minimum-salary players and 3 max-level players.

So, to summarize, it is likely that the Knicks, at the conclusion of the 2012 free agent period, will either end up with one of: Paul, Howard or Williams and form a big three to rival that of Miami’s, or they will end up with a deep lineup. Hey, would you be mad with something like this:

  • Steve Nash
  • Landry Fields
  • Carmelo Anthony
  • Amare Stoudemire
  • Marcus Camby

Backed up by:

  • Iman Shumpert
  • Shawne Williams
  • Randy Foye
  • Jerome Jordan

To me, both scenarios present a team that will compete for a title and is therefore a “win/win” for Knick fans. While the “CP3-For-All” is sure to be as crazy as the Carmelo Anthony saga, losing out on Paul will still allow the Knicks to consider a number of options to develop a championship level roster.

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