Dateline New York. If there’s one thing Isiah Thomas knows about, it’s point guards. He thinks like one, he coaches like one, he was one. And when Jerry Colangelo hinted that Stephon Marbury may be available, “for the right price”, Zeke had no hesitation in finding the players, the picks and the cash to get it done. The Knicks are back. And when New York is strong, the League is strong.

If there were ever any doubt, the New York Knicks did not hire Isiah Thomas 2 weeks ago for patience, indecision and inaction. And while many, including the coach himself, felt Don Chaney would be the first target on Zeke’s hit list, Thomas has instead concentrated on the guys actually on the court.

However, the faceless corporations which own the Knicks would not have been stunned, assuming they’d actually noticed, Isiah’s first transaction – last week’s exchange of Clarence Weatherspoon to the Rockets for Moochie Norris and John Amaechi. Yet this trade, giving up a chunk of the Knicks’ frontcourt bulk for yet another point guard, has proved to be a mere pre-cursor to his latest deal, a blockbuster the reports of which have been filling the net all day today and which has just been confirmed.

Details are thus;

Knicks give:

Charlie Ward – loyal but limited PG whose contract expires end of this season.
Howard Eisley – mediocre PG who recently lost starting job, signed until 2007.
Antonio McDyess – talented but extraordinarily injury-prone, Suns love him.
Maciej Lampe – 18 year old rookie big man, stored on injured list all season.

plus

Milos Vujanic – never heard of him, apparently some Yugo point guard prospect.
Two 1st round picks – unprotected in the 2004 draft, and a future conditional.
Cash – cash.

to the Suns, and the Suns give:

Stephon Marbury – PG phenom who, despite amazing productivity, can’t find a home.
Penny Hardaway – see summary of McDyess, above.
Cezary Trybanski – stringbean Polish C whose yet to score a point in NBA career.

to the Knicks.

Initial impressions throughout the web are unanimous that this deal represents a substantial upgrade for the Knicks. As Scott Layden showed with abject clarity during his tenure over the past few seasons, a roster filled with dead-weight, particularly expensive dead weight, can be difficult to manoeuver with. So the New York public and media (not necessarily in that order) have persisted with high-cost, low quality teams, which played hard under Jeff Van Gundy but have seemingly been going through the motions since Chaney took over.

But now, Thomas has injected new vibrancy into the franchise.

The Knicks will still have the league’s highest payroll, as although McDyess’ $13.5 million comes off in this deal, Penny and Marbury both earn that same amount, each, this season. Steph only recently signed a 4 year, $76 million extension which will keep him under contract until the summer of 2009, and Hardaway is inked until 2006, although he has a player-option for Free Agency this offseason which Thomas may well try and encourage him to take. Yet aside from the financial burden of the deal, the Knicks are at their most invigorated since probably before Latrell Sprewell came over in 1997/98. Their new starting 5 of Marbury, Houston, Van Horn, Thomas and Mutombo has enough offensive and defensive firepower, let alone veteran smarts, to not just make the playoffs but be a legitimate force in the East.

As far as the Suns are concerned, just because you’re mired at the bottom of the Western Conference doesn’t necessarily mean you’re that bad a team. Phoenix have been without Amare Stoudemire for half the season so far, and in the ultra-competitive West, teams prey on any sign of (physical and other) weakness. So the Suns have, by making this move, sacrificed this season, as well as Marbury’s undeniable talent, for significant salary cap flexibility and draft picks.

Gugliotta’s $11 million per year deal ends this season, although McDyess, contrary to some reports, is actually signed through another year, until the summer of 2005. Still, in relinquishing the pacts of Marbury and Hardaway here, the Suns free up vast amounts of space for participation in the future FA market(s) to re-build around the suddenly lonely Shawn marion, plus it allows them to set aside some cash for Stoudemire down the road. This flexibility, as well as the future 1st rounders, offers the Suns not just optimism but actual resources in the years to come, which is just as well, as they are 12-22 and just traded away their best player.

Even though it feels like he’s been in the league for about 10 years, Marbury turns just 27 next month, and is the game’s prototypical modern day point guard. He can pass, he can score, he can flat-out dominate games with his still-impressive quickness and at-times unconscious ability to put the ball in the hoop. His 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals per night, plus his ability to control the ball, can’t help but help the Knicks, who’ve been putting up with Ward, Eisley and Frank Williams at the 1 all season. As he showed in the Suns’ near-playoff upset of the eventual champion Spurs last season, Marbury belongs in the rare category of players in the league who can win games for you single-handedly.

The Knicks, despite being 14-21 on the season, are just 2 games out of the 8th seed, currently occupied by the hot and cold Sixers, who welcomed Iverson back today. So, as Thomas recognises, the time is ripe for a dive at the prize. And this isn’t even a gamble, by NBA standards. The East is so open that even a run of 6 or 7 wins can catapult any team, let alone one with talent, balance and a bit of mongrel that all the good New York teams of the past possess, into the thick of contention.

In hindsight, Thomas may be wondering why he pulled the trigger on that initial Spoon for Norris swap, as the Knicks’ only real weakness now is frontcourt depth. They didn’t really need another point guard on the roster anyway, and now with Hardaway and Williams backing up Marbury, Norris’ presence is even less relevant, whilst Spoon was bringing muscle, albeit little else, off the bench. But overall, it’s a transformation, and it’s even one for the better, which couldn’t always be said for Layden’s various flotsam and jetsam transactions and whilst in this very same chair.

The future? Well, that’s now over there in the deserts of Arizona. But the present – it’s in the Garden.