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With all the buzz in New York about Isiah Thomas making crazy Knicks trades, it seems the media can’t see the forest for the trees. Yes, there’s a method to his salary cap madness. It’s just further-reaching than the boys in the daily papers have been able to put their arms around.

Where do the salary cap problems start with the Knicks? Allan Houston. Houston was the largest of several contracts handed out by former GM/goat, Scott Layden. Houston has the second-highest salary in the League this season, and he simply can’t play. His knee just doesn’t seem to want to heal. Rumors persist of the Knicks negotiating with Houston for a retirement settlement, but he’s under contract through 2007, so a portion of his contract will stick to the Knicks’ cap until then.

The Knicks are in a slightly different position than most teams, in that they have deep pockets, and with certain provisions, don’t care how far over the cap they are in a given season. This is key one key to Isiah’s plan.

We have seen a willingness to take on large contracts for serviceable players. Who are the large contracts?

Penny Hardaway – His contract reflexes his play before knee surgery, but a lot of teams would be happy to have him at a more reasonable salary, and he still produces.

Tim Thomas – A case of a GM hoping his staff could turn around a talented, but under-performing player. His contract was awarded on a potential he’s only shown in flashes, thus far. Thomas has the distinction of being Isiah’s most questionable acquisition.

Maurice Taylor – A somewhat bloated contract for a low-post scorer who rebounds less than he should, and has a reputation for not playing defense. He might fit in with the Knicks’ defensive struggles, but he does add a second low-post scoring option if Sweetney isn’t on the floor.

Malik Rose – An undersized PF who can play multiple positions based on his strong body and stronger force of will. A defensive upgrade who’s shown flashes of scoring in the past.

Jerome Williams – Another “will to power” guy who comes out with energy and attacks on defense.

All five players would have no problem landing a contract with another team as free agents – they just would have trouble landing the same contract.

Here’s Isiah’s secret. Hardaway and Thomas have their contracts expire in ’06… assuming they haven’t been traded away. Taylor, Rose, Williams, and Houston all expire in ’07.

As long as he’s careful in what he trades for in the off-season (and it wouldn’t surprise me if it included another contract expiring in ’07), the Knicks should be out of Salary Cap Hell after 2 more seasons.

Unrestricted Free Agents of Note in ‘07
Derek Anderson
Jonathan Bender
Mike Bibby
Pat Garrity
Rashard Lewis
Desmond Mason
Chris Mihm
Dirk Nowitzki
Rodney White

Free Agent – Player Option
Primoz Brezec
Vince Carter
Antwan Jamison
Paul Pierce

Free Agent – Team Option (also known as trade bait)
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Bosh
Kirk Hinrich
Josh Howard
LeBron James
Chris Kaman
Darko Milicic
Dwyane Wade

All those rumors about Isiah making friends with LeBron’s agent? Shouldn’t surprise you if you look at when the money disappears off the Knicks’ cap. In the summer of ’07, the Cav’s have to resign him or trade him. It would also be politically astute to steal Carter away from the Nets before they could move to Brooklyn.

In the meantime, Isiah’s challenge is to make the play-offs while he clears away the salary mess. Yes, he is upgrading the talent level. Yes, he is taking a flier on developing young players. It remains to be seen if the available talent is complimentary enough to gel into a play-off berth.

What’s Isiah doing? Making do the best he can while he arranges for the salary cap to clear.

The real question is, should his long-term maneuvering not translate into a competitive team in the short term, will he be given the chance to complete his plan?

Todd Allen covers the Knicks for New York Resident. He also is the proprietor of www.humorguru.com, the Internet’s premiere collection of humorists, and author of the humor anthology, E-mail From Nigeria.