Knicks Castoffs Shaking Up NBA Playoffs

What do Zach Randolph, Trevor Ariza, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Al Harrington, Antonio McDyess, Marcus Camby, Nate Robinson, Eddie House, and Jamal Crawford have in common?

Well, they all were let go by the Knicks at one point or another in recent years, and, unlike the Knicks, who lost four straight to the Boston Celtics, they are all still in the playoffs with their respective teams.

That's right, you actually could field a pretty good playoff team with Knicks castoffs.

Consider Crawford, for example, who is averaging 24 points a game in the playoffs for the Atlanta Hawks who are on the verge of knocking out the Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.

Or Randolph, who is averaging 18 and 8 rebounds a game for the upstart Memphis Grizzlies, who just out-quicked and out-fought the San Antonio Spurs last night to take a 3-1 series lead, setting the stage for one of the biggest playoff upsets in NBA history.

Or Ariza of the New Orleans Hornets who is scoring 15 ppg and grabbing 8 rebounds a game in the playoffs, and helping Chris Paul to sweat the Lakers. That series, surprisingly, is knotted at 2-2.

Or Gallinari and Felton, who are scoring a combined 24 ppg for the Denver Nuggets as they try to overcome the Oklahioma City Thunder. They, along with fellow ex-Knicks Wilson Chandler and Harrington, were instrumental in helping the Nuggets win 50 games this year. The Knicks only won 42 games.

Or Camby, who is pulling down 10 rebounds a game for the Portland Trail Blazers, which have pushed the Dallas Mavericks to a sixth game in their series.

Anyway, you get the point. Sure, the Knicks have two superstars in Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, but oh, what could have been! Well, maybe next year, they'll pick up a third star and advance in the playoffs without the ones who got away.