Lee trade

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Lee for A Randolph, Azubuike and Turiaf is not as bad as it looks when you realise that the Knicks really had to find some players to fill out their roster.

Randolph is a potential stud, Azu can be a decent starter or key reserve, as can Turiaf (particularly as an energy guy off the bench).

I wonder how they plan to use Randolph - he's more a PF than a C, as is Amare, but he does have huge potential, and the up and down style should suit him. The next two seasons will tell us if he's going to amount to anything.

What do you think?

[pauls931]

I think I hope DoK is right and Lee is overrated and the Suns didn't let Amare go for nothing.

[JamStone]

I think it's a pretty good trade for the Knicks.

Randolph will get pretty much every opportunity to show whether his potential can be realized. He's probably more of a small forward than a PF/C but just like under Nellie, he'll play a big position under D'Antoni. But I think just getting consistent playing time will help.

Turiaf is a decent pick-up as well for depth. I think D'Antoni will actually trust playing Turiaf 12-15 mpg so he doesn't run Amare and Randolph out there to play 45 mpg each for the whole season. And if Azubuike has his athleticism back, I really like him as well. I think he could thrive under D'Antoni.

Overall, I thought it made a lot of sense for the Knicks. They get value for David Lee, they add depth to the roster, and two of the contracts are expiring, Azubuike's with a player option. But all three players will be off the books by 2012, if they plan on making a serious run at Chris Paul.