By Scott Paskoff

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If I’m the Knicks, I want Corey Maggette badly. Position, Stats, Salary, and Coach K. It’s a recipe that tastes good, with one missing ingredient. I’m not so sure Sterling or Gentry are interested in trading Maggette, but Sterling’s track record shows anything is possible. I doubt Layden is even thinking about Maggette, but I’m hardly surprised. Travis Knight and Shandon Anderson. Why should I be surprised? Enough about owners, coaches, GM’s, and overpaid players, let’s talk about #50, Corey Maggette.

It’s Maggette Time!!

He has all the makings of an NBA Superstar, and is unfortunately just another player on the young LA Clippers roster. The Clips definitely have a young nucleus, but it seems as if their future stars do not include Maggette, with Brand, Odom and Miller at the helm of a team loaded with talented players. Candy deserves honorable mention here, so Maggette’s maybe (and it’s a huge maybe) a #5 guy in LA (#7 if you include Shaq & Kobe, and you have to consider Fox and Horry). You get my point, which is… #50 is lost in LA, and should be a #2 or 3 on any team. It seems these days all teams are loaded with young talented players, but Maggette is a diamond in the rough. At 6’-6”, 230, Corey is big enough to compete with most players at the SF position (except Garnett, but who is), he just needs more PT, and a team that will put more into his development than he has gotten thus far is his young career.

Maggette is young, exciting, explosive and smart. All things the NYK are in dire need of. When he gets minutes, he makes the most of them. Through the first half of this season, Maggette has scored in double figures in all games played this season, but 9 (averaging 20.7 minutes in those 9 games). Another note, worthy of mention, is that Corey has only shot the rock more than 20 times once all season (23 FGA in a loss to the Cavs on 1/27/03, where he dropped a season high 34 points). He has scored 30 or more points thrice this season, all losses, but was 31 of 59 from the field or 52.5% from the field. Let’s compare that to some of the NBA’s Superstars, and it is obvious he can play and hang in a league packed with young talent. He currently ranks 36th in the league in FG% @ 45.2%, tied with Steve Nash, All-Star Guard and Captain of the NBA’s elite team, the Dallas Mavericks; and he is ahead of the Lakers perennial All-Star and NBA Superstar SG Kobe Bryant, who is shooting 44.7% from the field. Granted he has only shot the rock a fraction of the amount of the aforementioned NBA Stars, but given the chance, he’d be one the leagues leading scorers indubitably.

On 2/4/03, the Clippers took their show into MSG where the Knicks beat Maggette and Co. 105-92. Maggette played 22 minutes taking only 5 shots, hitting 3 for 6 pts., and shooting 50% from the foul line to finish with 9 pts., 1 board, 1 block, 1 steal, and 2 t.o.’s., while picking up 4 personal fouls. It wasn’t his best effort of the season. Even Shaq, Kobe, MJ, KG, Iverson, T-Mac (the list goes on and on) have bad days, bad games. It’s no big deal; it’s what makes ‘em human. The Superstars can have a bad game one night, then come out and drop 30-40, or even 50 on you the next. C-Mag has game and the Knicks are just the team to put more into his development. Stats don’t lie. His numbers all around have steadily increased since breaking in with the Magic during his rookie season in ‘99-’00.

Four seasons later, ‘02-‘03, with the Clip show, the team has won all 10 games Corey has started in, and he has reached career highs in numerous offensive categories in this first half of the season. Do you feel the love for Mr. Maggette? Get him in the starting line-up, and he’ll produce for you. That is fact, and another fact is that Maggette SF would look great in a Knick uni, playing along side Houston SG, McDyess PF, Eisley or Ward PG and Thomas or a center to be named later. OK, Eilsey and Ward are questionable as well, but do the job for now. Thomas is good trade bait, as he is too small to be a true center, and could be used to get some good players/draft picks. It’s conceivable that Maggette, McDyess and Houston could each average 20 or more per game. It’s all about the touches, as the kids say these days. As long as they each get numerous touches per game, they are all capable.

Maggette will earn only $2M this season, a bargain by today’s NBA standards, where players are being given enormous contracts as they try to prove they’re worthy. Imagine this! Travis Knight will earn twice as much as Maggette this season. No, I’m not kidding!! T Knight will earn $4M this season, playing less than 8 mpg, with a sub 1 ppg average (0.9), while Shandon Anderson will earn a whopping $6.1M, playing almost 22 mpg (21.9), scoring 7.8 points per contest. Over $10M on 2 players who barely contribute, and the Knicks aren’t getting any younger. Maggette could fill Shandon’s shoes and then some. Knight is signed through ’03-‘04, while Anderson is signed all the way through ’06-‘07. What the #%@&?

Let’s use Jermaine O’Neal as a basis for comparison. He’s got 5 inches on Corey, but their close in age and there’s room for comparison. Maggette would have to play SF on a Knick team that already has a stellar SG in Houston. O’Neal has proven himself, being named to the All-Star team twice, as an undersized Center, making room for Corey to prove himself as a SF with the Knicks. If they can compare Iverson and Kobe to Michael, I certainly can compare J.O. to C-Mag for the purposes of this article. O’Neal never started more than 10 games in his first four seasons with Portland, finally starting over 10 in ‘00-‘01, his first season with Indiana. He started 80 of the 81 games he played in that season, his fifth in the NBA with his second team, averaging 12.9 ppg in 32.6 mpg. This season, Maggette’s fourth, he is averaging 16.2 ppg in 32.5 mpg, starting 30 of the teams 35 games, through 2/5/03. Next season will be is fifth, and the Knicks could be his third team, lest we forget his rookie season with Orlando way back in ‘99-‘00. This time he’ll be even better. One more thing, Jermaine never had a Coach K. The recipe is coming together, and the dish smells good.

Even one season of Coach K, can make a difference in a young ball player’s life. By the way, in his only season under Coach K, Maggette made it all the way through the big dance, ultimately losing in the March Madness title game to Calhoun’s Huskies. Maggette was overshadowed on a team that included names like Brand, Battier and Langdon. That year Corey averaged 10.6 ppg, 4th best on a team he only started 3 games for. Have I made my point yet? I could keep going. The missing ingredient is a starting spot on the NY Knicks.


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