Knicks are vying for top spot...

In the draft!  They stink.  They really do.  And they're not going to get better with Phil Jackson's plan of bringing in top free agents this summer.  Nobody is coming.  LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, hell, even LeBron James.  Not.  Coming.  The Knicks need to do what they should have done last summer instead of re-signing Carmelo Anthony: spread the money around. 

New York will have plenty of money to play with this summer.  They've already dumped a lot of salaries with trades and cuts during the first part of the season, but guys like Amare Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani will be coming off the books as well.  I believe that's somewhere around $34-35 million dollars.  But instead of throwing most of that at one guy, stretch the money out.  Listen, I'm not saying that if LaMarcus Aldridge flatly comes out and says, "I want to be a Knick", that New York shouldn't go get him.  But I can't see that happening, so it seems like a waste of time to recruit the All-Stars of the summer.  If my research is correct, these are some guys who will be free agents this summer (restricted and unrestricted):

DeAndre Jordan
Goran Dragic
Greg Monroe
Reggie Jackson
Paul Millsap
Brandon Knight
Thaddeus Young
Wesley Matthews
Tobias Harris

Of course, if it wasn't for fantasy basketball, I'd have no idea who half these guys are.  But my point is, if you were to sign a few of those guys, you instantly have a competitive team.  Especially in the Eastern Conference.  Speaking of which, can we talk about the disparity between the Eastern and Western Conference?  It's unreal!  Currently there are 10 teams above .500 in the West, and only 6 in the East.  This happens pretty much every year, but it always boggles my mind how much better the West is.  Ok, getting back to my previous point, you don't need a team full of all-stars to win.  It helps, don't get me wrong (hello Miami Heat), but it's not imperative.  Just look at the Atlanta Hawks this season.  They don't have 1 guy with a max contract, and they're sitting atop the Eastern Conference at 41-9.  41-9!  That's unbelievable. 

There's the proof, Phil Jackson.  Winning can be done with a solid all-around team.  If I were him, I'd cut bait on Carmelo, too.  Get some draft picks, or role players, or even an extra bus for away games.  Just ditch that salary and give yourself more room to breathe and rebuild.  Speaking of rebuilding, let's not forget that the Knicks are very much in contention for the number 1 pick in the draft.  That's always a good way to turn around a franchise, unless of course they pick the wrong guy and he turns out to be a bust.  No pressure, Phil.