The Jerome James error in New York has finally come to an end. James, the big, underpeforming center who became the poster child for the profligacy of Isiah Thomas' reign at the helm of the Knicks, was dealt to Chicago as part of a package for guard Larry Hughes on Thursday. Forward Tim Thomas and guard Anthony Roberson will join James with the Bulls.
Hughes is expected to fill the starting shooting guard role that's been more or less empty since they sent Jamal Crawford to Golden State earlier this season. He can also impersonate a point guard well enough to team with Nate Robinson in the backcourt when Chris Duhon is out of the game.
Those are both important things for a Knicks team that's been overreliant on Duhon and Robinson for minutes, but no one should expect to see the Hughes who starred for the Wizards earlier in the decade. He settles for too many outside shots, and doesn't hit enough of them, to be a real offensive force on a team that needs more guys who attack the basket. He's average in most other aspects of the game, but the fact that he fills a real need on the team makes him more valuable than Thomas, who had done a nice enough job since coming over from the Clippers in the Zach Randolph deal.
The Knicks also dealt reserve forward Malik Rose to Oklahoma City for forward Chris Wilcox on Thursday. Rose never played, so the Knicks won't miss him, and it's unclear what role Wilcox will play. He could be useful in the Mike D'Antoni system, especially filling in for David Lee on pick and rolls. He's a good offensive player when going toward the basket, but doesn't have much more of an offensive game.
The most significant deal may wind up being one the team didn't make. ESPN reports that the Knicks passed on a deal that would have sent Jared Jeffries and Nate Robinson to Sacramento for Kenny Thomas. Jeffries' contract is one the team would need to unload to get further under the cap -- Thursday's deals were a wash in that respect -- but losing Robinson would have hampered the team's chances this season. By passing, Donnie Walsh has signaled that he wasn't lying about making a real effort this season, and the Knicks are a better team because of it.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
