[Izulde]

Another month until Danilo Gallinari comes back.

And we had a trade at the end of last month.

Oklahoma City Thunder receives
SG Terrence Williams

New Jersey Nets receive
Oklahoma City Thunder 2011 1st round pick

What this means for the Thunder
6'6 SG with good passing and handling for a swingman. Could be a pretty good defender someday, and disciplined on top of it. Unfortunately, there's a logjam in OKC with youth and players, so Williams is currently stuck behind James Harden on the bench.

What this means for the Nets
Williams wasn't getting used much and New Jersey, like OKC, is an all-under 30 team, making him expendable. So essentially they traded a guy who didn't have a place in their future plans for a first round pick that looks to be mid-late. The Thunder are currently #6 in the West playoff game.

Winner - New Jersey
Doesn't make much sense for the Thunder, in all honesty.

And sure enough, we get a deal done, because I've been hungry to make a trade.

New York Knicks receive
C Omer Asik
Chicago Bulls 2011 2nd round pick
Chicago Bulls 2012 2nd round pick
Chicago Bulls 2013 2nd round pick

Chicago Bulls receive
SG Von Wafer
PG Antonio Daniels
C Solomon Alabi

What this means for the Knicks
New York's GM Jestor knows that Ben Wallace won't be around forever, so he snaps up the 24 year old Turk in Asik who is already a promising high percentage shooter with some defense and rebounding potential, along with a boatload of 2nd round picks to be used as future trade bait. He also sheds three salaries of players he has no interest in bringing back next year.

What this means for the Bulls
Chicago was looking for depth in case of injuries and that's basically all most of these players represent. Alabi does give them a shotblocking presence the Bulls lacked, but considering he's a 12th man, it's going to be really hard for fans in the Windy City to accept this deal, especially with all the seconds surrendered.

Winner: New York
A real headscratcher for Chicago and nice work by the Knicks.

We sign 38 year old Brent Barry as injury cover and move forward, as this team's playing too well to risk a major shakeup.

99-77 win over Washington begins the short month. Amare Stoudemire does his 22 point, 17 rebound thing, while Steve Nash scores 23, and Chris Duhon, moved back to the bench in favor of Josh Howard, rips off 20 points.

Next night, 100-91 win over the C's, courtesy of Steve Nash's 22 points and Chris Duhon's 11 bench points.

We destroy the Raptors 114-88 behind a balanced effort signified by Steve Nash's 19 points and 14 assists and Ben Wallace's 10 bench points.

Ugly 97-69 win over Detroit. The Pistons shot so poorly, Amare Stoudemire's 22 points and 10 rebounds almost beat them singlehandedly.

Our first February loss comes 100-89 at the hands of the Bobcats. Amare Stoudemire's 21 and 12, Steve Nash's weak 11 and 12 assists and Chris Duhon's 18 point sniping from the bench didn't get it done.

Steve Nash saves us with a 36 point bombing as we barely eke past the Kings 99-98. Man, that game scared me, as it'd meant we have lost two straight home games to mediocre teams.

We show off our scoring chops in a 118-111 track meet victory over the Mavericks. Steve Nash gets in 24 points and 11 assists, Amare Stoudemire's right behind with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and our old bench stalwarts Ben Wallace (11 points, 11 rebounds) and Chris Duhon (17 points), add to the onslaught. A bloody beautiful Valentine's Day victory before the All-Star break.

Josh Childress and Anthony Morrow win the slam dunk and long distance contests.

The Rookies/Sophomores game is crazy fun to watch, with a 137-123 final for the first years. Evan Turner won MVP with 35 points. Greg Monroe played 12 minutes for the first years and got 4 points and 3 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant's 32 points made the difference in the West's 124-109 win. Steve Nash started and had 9 points and 13 assists, but shot horribly. Amare Stoudemire had 8 points and 4 rebounds in 10 minutes.

Nice to see Knicks representation in both games.

And then I pull off a deadline stunner.

New York Knicks receive
PF Zach Randolph
SG Ronnie Brewer
Memphis Grizzlies 2011 1st round pick

Memphis Grizzlies receive
SF Paul Pierce
PF Greg Monroe
New York Knicks 2011 1st round pick
New York Knicks 2012 1st round pick

What this means for the Knicks
The biggest piece here is actually the Grizzlies' 1st round pick. They've won only 18 games this season and are a lock for the lottery. Randolph just got named to the All-Star Game and his ticket's punched for a playoff team as a double reward. Brewer brings defensive toughness to the bench. The Knicks also put themselves in the position to be free agent players again this offseason as Randolph and Stoudemire are $21 million worth of expiring contracts.

What this means for the Grizzlies
One of the most interesting things to watch the next couple of years is how Pierce molds with O.J. Mayo. We still have trouble believing the Grizzlies got the Knicks to include Monroe in the deal. The rookie is having a very solid all-around season and has the passing and handling Jestorball loves so much. The 2011 pick is obviously a late first, but Memphis is also betting with Steve Nash due to retire sooner rather than later, that the 2013 1st will be worth something.

Winner: Memphis
The Grizzlies are still under the cap and will be a much improved team with Pierce and Monroe. New York is taking a huge risk by dealing those two players and there's still a lot of season left.

New Knicks Lineup
PG Steve Nash
SG Chris Duhon
SF Danilo Gallinari (7 days until full health)
PF Zach Randolph
C Amare Stoudemire

The trade review forgot to mention that Randolph is 28, Pierce 32. I talk to Zach after the trade to see if he wants to sign an extension, but he says he's going to wait for free agency. Fair enough.

Our first game after the deal - 101-92 loss to the Pistons. Steve Nash with 17 points, 10 assists, Amare Stoudemire with 16 points, 17 rebounds and Zach Randolph with 14 points and 12 rebounds in his debut. It takes time for chemistry to develop.

101-80 loss the next night to Portland and I'm wondering if I made a horrible mistake.

Bobcats beat us 109-85. Shit!

Fourth straight loss, 100-93 to the Celtics. Fuck, can we please buy a fucking win?

Low point. 106-103 loss to the Wizards.

I'm so sick I haven't been able to trust looking at the highlights.

And yet, we're still tied for 4th best record with the Magic, at 32-24.

We also, don't forget, hold Phoenix and Memphis's 1st round picks, and both are among the worst teams in the league. The chance for a retooling will be here, provided we can snap the drought.