The New York Knicks current losing streak is now at 11. The team dropped their 21st game in 22 overall while sitting at 5-31. They have the most losses in the NBA at the moment and frustration continues to rise in the organization. While no one expected the Knicks to win a championship this year, fans certainly were not expecting this kind of record. Now the players are starting to speak out about the shock of the season as changes could be coming before the NBA trade deadline.
Amar'e Stoudemire admits he is shocked. The Knicks are one loss away from tying a franchise record mark of 12 straight defeats and the forward admits he never saw this kind of season coming.
"It's beyond my imagination at this point," Stoudemire said, via ESPNNewYork.com "I never thought I'd see this. ... This is definitely kind of mind-boggling."
Stoudemire might be upset about the season, but at the moment he is doing nothing to fix the issue. The forward has sat our four games for knee soreness, adding to the issues with injuries. Stoudemire once declared that he would help bring a championship to New York after signing a five-year, $100 million contract back in 2010. However, he has done very little to back that statement up as trades loom around him.
"When I first signed with New York, that wasn't the game plan," Stoudemire said. "... But the past is not here. And neither is the future, so we've got to deal with the now, and I think we've just got to continue to try to get better as a team and as players, try to keep improving."
The Knicks must do everything in their power to get a trade before the deadline. Phil Jackson has attempted to shop everyone on the roster at some point or another while nothing has worked out. According to the Boston Globe, the players the Knicks want to get rid of are the ones no one is interested in, like Iman Shumpert, JR Smith and Amar'e Stoudemire. The report suggests the Knicks shop players like Tim Hardaway Jr and Samuel Dalembert who are contributing at the moment.
The Cleveland Cavaliers could help the Knicks out in a big way. The team needs a trade to replace Anderson Varejao and there is no doubting Dalembert would help. The center only has $1.85 million guaranteed in his contract this season. Right now, the Knicks are riding Cole Aldrich which makes Dalembert expendable. He would be affordable for Cleveland while helping the Knicks save money.
That might be the best move for New York with the deadline approaching. The team will not be able to pull off moves for Stoudemire or Shumpert in the near future, but Dalembert and Hardaway Jr are worth something.