The Knicks were able to go out and upgrade their starting point guard spot, by signing Raymond Felton; find a starting center in Timofey Mozgov; add a key reserve in Turiaf; and get a talented, developing player Randolph.

“Randolph can fill up a box score in just a few minutes,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “The thing we’re working on now with Anthony is getting him to give a consistent effort.”

There was also a note that the Knicks would have liked to keep David Lee at a reasonable number to play along side of Amar’e Stoudemire, but Lee wanted to make as much money as possible.

The deal allowed Lee to get the money he wanted – $80 million – but the Knicks felt he wasn’t worth such a big contract, not when they needed to address several other positions after losing out on LeBron James and signing Stoudemire to a $100 million max contract. Now playing for another team that is rebuilding, Lee has said he could have played with Stoudemire.

“He probably could have,” team president Donnie Walsh said after practice Monday in Greenburgh, when the 3-3 Knicks prepared for Tuesday night’s game in Milwaukee against the struggling 2-5 Bucks. “But he wanted what he got. And we couldn’t have done the same things if we did that. And that was, fill out the whole team. We needed more than just one player.”

To me, after watching the tape, rebounding is still a major weakness. The small lineups that D’Antoni tried to utilize seemed ineffective. It seems like either Turiaf or Mozgov have to be on the floor at all times…I’ve been asked several times if I’m concerned about the number of points allowed. The answer is no because I was happy with giving up 52 first half points in the first preseason game. I always think a big key to any game is giving up less than 30 points in the first quarter…I’ve been asked a ton about who I’d rather give up in a trade for Melo: Randolph or Gallo. The answer is whichever one Denver prefers seeing that they are the ones that have to agree to a deal, not me. But I don’t give up both. I go back and forth on the answer of who I prefer to keep. Gallo and Melo share a position so I wonder who can play the 2 because Gallo is not ready to play the 4 full time. I don’t believe a front court of Amar’e, Gallo and Melo would be good enough defensively. However, I’m reminded what a Division 1 assistant coach told me once about talented players who can’t please a coach and who can’t stick with a program.

“They are like a really hot single girl…You really have to wonder why they are available.”

I think Randolph can be a special player. Same with Gallo. But I know Melo is a special player. Again, it’s whomever Denver would want that truly matters.

Speaking of Stoudemire, the dunk, to me, puts a team on its heels for several minutes. It was demoralizing. It closed out the half, stretched the lead and set the tone for an aggressive 3rd quarter which saw the Knicks stretch the lead from 6 to 12.

Moreover, it’s not hard to figure that David Lee would have run back on defense. That’s not a knock on the ex-Knick, it’s just that he can’t do that.

But every fan respects the effort David Lee brought night in and night out, and more importantly, he embraced what the organization had to offer, which at the time that he arrived in New York was very little.

Good stuff D-Lee, good luck in Oak-Town.

But the final name David Stern announced before ceding the night’s emcee duties to Russ Granik was not Taft, it was Lee: a four-year senior who had averaged a workmanlike 11 and 7 in his time with the Gators and who projected to offer similarly steady but unspectacular production in a bench role for the Knicks.  For a team with absolutely nothing to get excited about, this seemed like a classic example of Isiah buying a nice new set of snow tires when he couldn’t afford a car (to say nothing of the fact that, in Kurt Thomas, the Knicks already possessed a set of the same model of snow tires, and a more broken-in set at that).  The pick was illogical, miscalculated, and hubristic.  And it was just about the only thing Isiah got right in his time at the helm.*

*I’ll spare you the effort of looking it up: Taft eventually went 42^nd overall, somewhat coincidentally to the same Golden State Warriors that now employ Lee.  He played in 17 games, averaged 3 points and 2 rebounds, underwent back surgery and hasn’t played basketball professionally since 2006.  Again, remind me I wanted this guy the next time I criticize a personnel decision. more.

I dismiss Lee’s stats to a fault. I think people who believe that his offense is a fluke are being misguided. Defensively, he was overmatched and underwhelming guarding 4s and 5s. What it always came down to was space and at the 4 position, Lee just didn’t have the mid range game. I think he will in Golden State and have the chance to shoot it a ton. He’ll be effective.

The real point here is the importance of hitting the jackpot late in any draft. It’s not easy. I can name 10 people I know who wanted Taft, the local product from Xaverian. Isiah truly got Lee right, and that could be looked at as an important moment in franchise history if the Knicks can spin Anthony Randolph in a package for a star player of if he becomes one himself

Ironically, I liked Turiaf very much at 30.

Even without knowing all of that backstory, SCHOENE still slightly favors Stoudemire over the next three years. Now, as to whether I’d rather have Stoudemire at $100 million over five years or Lee at $80 million over six years, that’s a different question and one that is much more favorable to Lee. Strictly on performance terms, though, Stoudemire makes the Knicks somewhat better.

It’s hard to compare one for one when you consider roster changes. Amar’e with Felton obviously > Lee with Duhon. Lee with Felton doesn’t have the same impact for me. Amar’e in transition setting screens can turn into dunk after dunk. I think Amar’e at the end of his contract will be fine based on how his mid range game has developed. If he doesn’t get injured, it’s hard to say that Amar’e isn’t worth the contract he signed. At 27 he’s a centerpiece. Amar’e paired with a player like Turiaf makes for a better defensive pairing than Lee and Turiaf because Amar’e can protect the rim.

I can confirm that David Lee has in fact been traded to Golden State. Sounds like it’s Randolph, Turiaf and Azubuike.

But a source with knowledge of the situation says don’t expect Lee to be involved in any sign and trade deals. Chris Broussard said yesterday on ESPN that the Knicks may explore a deal for Golden State’s Monta Ellis.

“Golden State is not in play at the moment,” the source says. “Right now it’s looking like Chicago or New Jersey, depending what the big 3 do.”

Bottom line is that Lee isn’t doing the Knicks any favors, since apparently he’s not happy with the way he’s been treated by the Knicks this off season and the word that I keep hearing when talking about Lee and the Knicks is that next year they will be “adversaries.”But if the most money comes via sign and trade, I would imagine Lee’s camp would reconsider.

Other teams in play are Denver, .Miami, Boston and Minnesota, but it appears the Nets and Bulls are where Lee is targeting at this point.

Free-agent forward David Lee(notes) is visiting with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, and the Wolves won’t have much time to try to impress him.

Lee has already visited with the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, and once Chris Bosh(notes), Amar’e Stoudemire(notes) and Carlos Boozer(notes) commit, Lee figures to be the top available power forward on the market.

I’d have to believe that the Nets are still very much in play as well…

Via the Hoop Docs…