WASHINGTON — Phil Jackson has made his statement. He's ready to rebuild the Knicks with his guys.
Jackson ultimately decided he can lose as much without guards Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith as with them and on Monday sent them packing to Cleveland for an abstract collection of assets:
Two trade exceptions he has a year to use; a 2019 second-round pick; a good locker-room guy but marginally skilled backup forward in Lance Thomas; an extra $6.4 million in 2015 cap space; and a strong chance of finishing with the top seed in the lottery in their bid for the No.1 pick and prized Duke center Jahlil Okafor.
In also waiving center Samuel Dalembert to save $2 million, Jackson essentially sent the message it can't get any worse than it is, so it's time to look at a new collection of young players. It will start with Westchester Knicks point guard Langston Galloway, who will be signed to a 10-day contract, according to an NBA source.
The Knicks still will have one more roster spot to fill once they waive throw-ins to the deal, Lou Amundson and Alex Kirk.
New York and Philadelphia are now linked as The Tank Brothers of Basketball. The Knicks have supplanted the Sixers with the worst record in the league at 5-32 as they take a 12-game losing streak into their game with the Wizards Wednesday. A loss will give Jackson's Knicks the longest losing streak in franchise history.
But if it gets them Okafor, bring on the embarrassing milestones. Jackson will have a 25 percent chance at the No. 1 pick if his Knicks finish with the worst record.
Not that any of this was planned. Jackson thought he had put together a 42-to-45 win playoff club through summer tinkering and the hiring of a brand-new coaching staff. How wrong the Zen Master was, and he began rectifying his colossal error by gutting the roster Monday.
According to a league source, Jackson did the deal now because he was worried the trade values of Shumpert and Smith would slip even further as the club continued its decline. Smith is battling a plantar fascia tear in his left foot and could be back on the shelf.
Lance Thomas, whom the Knicks aquired from the Thunder in a three-team trade with the Cavaliers, is a high-energy guy with limited talent, according to an NBA personnel director.Photo: NBAE via Getty Imges
The Jackson purge could continue after the trade deadline with the releases of forever injured old-regime power forwards Andrea Bargnani and Amar'e Stoudemire, who will miss his fifth straight game Wednesday with a sore right knee. That could create two more roster spots to bring in Jackson's own guys.
Jackson now has an estimated $33 million worth of cap space this summer. It's a solid class with center Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge as top prizes — unless LeBron James gets sick of Cleveland and opts out to join his buddy Carmelo Anthony.
There's a trove of tier-2 free agents that will pique Jackson's interest — from Detroit big man Greg Monroe to Atlanta two-way forward Paul Millsap to Portland stud shooting guard Wesley Matthews to Phoenix's crafty southpaw point guard Goran Dragic. Potentially armed with Okafor, Jackson may have a great shot.
For the time being, however, the Knicks are stuck with reserve energy role guys such as Thomas, the former Duke forward and former hot-shot Jersey high-school recruit who made the Thunder out of training camp.
"He's great locker-room guy, coaches rave about the guy because of his work ethic and approach,'' one NBA personnel director said. "But his talent level is limited. He can guard — never been a scorer. He's a good guy on the end of the bench.''
As the Knicks head to the outhouse, Shumpert and Smith, ironically, head to the penthouse to join royalty as King James' new teammates. The Cavaliers coaching staff is eager to get the most out of Smith and Shumpert, especially Cavaliers assistant coach Tyronn Lue. Last season, Lue, then with the Clippers, was eager to coach Shumpert when he was on the verge of being traded to Los Angeles.
Both Smith and Shumpert offered odes to Knicks fans in Instagram messages.
"I want thank the fans of New York who are some of the most passionate basketball fans in the world," Smith wrote. "Playing in my hometown has been incredibly special and I will be forever grateful for having had the chance to wear a Knicks uniform. Though I look forward to starting a new chapter in Cleveland to join some of the best talent in the game in the quest for an NBA Championship, this great experience in New York will always stay with me."
Four potential Knicks moves
Cut Chords with Stoudemire/Bargnani: If Phil Jackson couldn't get definitive value for two of the Knicks' two best chips in Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith, how would they be able to package Andrea Bargnani and Amar'e Stoudemire's contracts without taking back a long-term deal? They can't. But both can be waived after February's deadline to open two more roster spots and add a couple of D-League prospects. However, owner James Dolan loves Stoudemire's loyalty and if he wants to finish out his contract in New York, they may let him.
Shut down Melo: After Carmelo Anthony starts for the Eastern Conference in the NBA All-Star Game at the Garden on Feb. 15, the Knicks could allow their franchise player to rest his sore left knee. Anthony has sat out the past three games.
Trade Pablo Prigioni: Sources indicate Jackson isn't giving up on Jose Calderon for the long-term, so Prigioni is more likely to go. He has $1.7 million left on his contract next year but only $300,000 is guaranteed. Not that big a cap move but Jackson wants to get younger.
Fill roster spots with waived players and D-Leaguers: If they can't use their trade exceptions, the Knicks have D-League prospects on their rader. Langston Galloway, who had been running the triangle in Westchester, has been signed. Their second-round pick, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, is a possibility later on if more spots open. Glen Rice Jr., whom they liked in the draft, and former Knick Tour'e Murry also should be waived as will others at the Wednesday night deadline.
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