After Friday?s trading frenzy orchestrated by New York Knicks' President Donnie Walsh, most of the NBA world has already penciled LeBron James into the small forward position for the New York Knicks on opening night 2010.  While it is true that Walsh?s first concern was dumping future salary for the opportunity to land King James, it is also noteworthy that the team they will run with for the rest of this season is better equipped to succeed now than the team prior to the trades.

You disagree?  Let me explain.

In case you were in a coma for the past week, the Knicks made two major trades last Friday: Jamal Crawford to Golden State for Al Harrington; and Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to the L.A. Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.  Shedding Crawford and Randolph saves the Knicks $27.5M in 2010-11.  On the surface, these moves appear to be a straight salary dump ? but is that really all they are?

Walsh guided the Indiana Pacers to the playoffs in 16 of the previous 17 years heading into the 2006?07 season, his final full season in Indiana.  He then returned home to his native New York to try to rescue one of the league?s flagship franchises from its laughingstock status in the league?s cellar.  If there is one thing Walsh knows about, it?s creating a winning basketball team.

Walsh stuck strong to his word of getting the Knicks in position to be players in the summer of 2010 and adhered to two basic life principles when making these deals ? 1) save money for the ultimate score and 2) build a winning team by adding personnel that knows how to win.

The two trades jettisoned career losers Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford.  If you add in Mardy Collins? two-plus seasons without a playoff game, then the Knicks dumped a combined 17+ seasons with only one playoff appearance.  

Crawford is the active leader in service time without a playoff appearance now in his ninth NBA season, while Randolph played in the postseason only once, in his second season seven years ago in Portland (Portland also reached the postseason in his rookie year, but he only played one total minute of garbage time in the playoffs).

In return, Walsh landed three guys who know what it's like to play in the NBA?s second season.  Both Harrington and Mobley have reached the postseason four times in their first 10 seasons while Tim Thomas has been there six times in his first 10 seasons.  The last time Thomas reached the playoffs he was playing for Coach Mike D?Antoni in Phoenix, and ironically, he was also a starter on the last Knick team to crack the East?s top-eight in 2003-04.

The team has already seen recent improvement after Walsh brought point guard Chris Duhon to New York this season to replace another career loser, Stephon Marbury.  Duhon is another crafty veteran who knows how to win, and it?s evident as the Knicks started this season 6-3 and then 7-6, a major improvement over last season?s 2-9 start.  Now Walsh improves the atmosphere in the locker room by adding three veterans who can help lead by playing winning basketball, while subtracting two of the game?s most infamous losers.

Perhaps more importantly is the fact that the three incoming players fit the D?Antoni system far better than the three that were sent packing.  Harrington, Mobley, and Thomas can all run the floor and hit the open three.  They are all tougher and more willing to pass the ball.  All three of them are long, athletic, and show hustle on both sides of the ball when motivated.  D?Antoni is a master of motivation.

Conversely, Crawford?s game relies on dribbling the ball at the top of the key for 14 seconds and jacking up a forced shot after trying to shake his man.  Similarly, Randolph has often been nicknamed ?The Black Hole? because once the ball goes into him, it never makes its way back out.  Z-Bo is also a man who likes to hoist up shots with no regard for the defender in his face.  Even worse, both Crawford and Randolph are as bad as it gets on the defensive side of the ball.  

So while the entire Tri-State Area is putting in their orders for custom-made No. 23 LeBron James' Knicks jerseys despite the fact he can?t sign with another team until July 1, 2010, maybe they should watch out for this new assemblage of players currently on the team.  

More often than not, a coach puts out a better product when his personnel fit the scheme he is trying to run - just ask Michigan?s Rich Rodriguez.  Now that Walsh has given D?Antoni three more pawns to perfect his system, Knick fans could be looking at brighter days ? even earlier than the summer of 2010.