Chad Ford, John Hollinger

ESPN did a story regarding the future outlook of all the teams in the NBA using some crazy math, long story short, they say odds are against the Knicks and Donnie's master plan of rebuilding.

ESPN Reports:
How Future Power Rating Is Determined:
PLAYERS (0 to 400 points): Current players and their potential for the future, factoring in expected departures
MANAGEMENT (0 to 200 points): Quality and stability of front office, ownership, coaching
MONEY (0 to 200 points): Projected salary-cap situation; ability and willingness to exceed cap and pay luxury tax
MARKET (0 to 100 points): Appeal to future acquisitions, based on team quality, franchise reputation, city's desirability as a destination, market size, taxes, business and entertainment opportunities, arena quality, fans
DRAFT (0 to 100 points): Future draft picks; draft positioning

21. New York Knicks | Future Power Rating: 465

PLAYERS-----MANAGEMENT-----MONEY-----MARKET-----DRAFT
78 (28th)-------101 (16th)--------173 (1st)-------73(3rd)------40 (20th)

The assumption for the past year or so has been that the Knicks' future is really bright. But a closer examination reveals that assumption may have been little more than wishful thinking.

Yes, the Knicks have a lot of money to spend in 2010 and an owner, James Dolan, who is eager to write the checks. Yes, New York is one of the top player destinations in the NBA, for the city itself, for the MSG atmosphere and for the endorsement possibilities.

Yes, they have the most player-friendly coach in the league, Mike D'Antoni, whose fun, up-tempo style of play is something many players crave -- and D'Antoni also has strong personal relationships with potential free agents LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh, thanks to his stint as an assistant coach on Team USA. And yes, GM Donnie Walsh is a legend who, once upon a time, helped turn the Pacers into a championship contender.

But here's the problem: The Knicks' current roster is a mess, and it won't be easy to fill in all the potholes, even with an expected $25 million in cap room. Our assumption here is that New York won't land LeBron James (if that changes, they'll shoot up these ratings) and will probably have a summer haul more akin to what the Pistons did last summer.

Two solid free agents would be a start. But what about the supporting cast? Danilo Gallinari looks promising. Wilson Chandler is a contributor. Jordan Hill might help down the road. David Lee and Nate Robinson could also be part of the core, but both are unrestricted free agents next summer and their future with the team is seriously in doubt. Factor in this, as well: Utah owns the Knicks' 2010 first-round draft pick, likely a high lottery pick. (Ouch!)

So all in all, it's unlikely we'll see the Knicks' fortunes change as dramatically as some expect from 2010 to 2013. Playoff team? Plausible. Contender? Not so much.

First, I do like the call out of *if* LeBron comes this changes dramatically.

The thing that bothers me about this is they basically list all the reason players will come here in 2010 and in 2011, and then say "but they probably won't come" and give no explanation. Doesn't make much sense to me. The list out the draw of the city, the endless supply of money, the most cap room in the league, one of the most player friendly coaches in the league who has strong relationships with the top free agents, and some promising young players...

Those are some pretty compelling agruments, maybe they don't factor into the voodoo math, but I think they will play a large role in 231 days.