The Portland Trailblazers made an absolute steal at the deadline when they nabbed Marcus Camby, simultaneously adding a defensive presence and filling a positional need. Camby has been tremendous for Portland, and without him, Blazer fans would be looking at long nights with Juwan Howard playing extended minutes at center. In that scenario we all win, and by ‘we all win,’ I mostly mean that none of us win. Especially not the Blazers.
Still, it’s hard to see exactly where Camby could fit into the Blazers’ long-term plans. Though any team could certainly use his defensive prowess, Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla are expected to return from injury next season, meaning an off-season expenditure for a third center might be a tad extravagant. Oden’s development needs to come first, and Przybilla is a good enough back-up and will be paid too handsome a sum next year to be a spot rotation big.
That means Marcus will likely be looking for a new team this off-season. According to the never-ending rumor mill that is the New York Daily News, that team could be the Knicks. It’s not impossible, and not a horrible fit either, even though Camby isn’t a particularly strong finisher in the lane nor does he have the benefit of young legs. He can still get up and down the court and is surprisingly nimble for a 36 year-old center, which could indicate that he’d be the type of player to benefit from the open offense in New York and aid with their defensive struggles.
If nothing else, it’s an option; if the Knicks do manage to land some of this summer’s big fish, they’ll need to fill out the roster with guys like Camby, who can provide steady, quality minutes at relatively low cost.
