Knicks Fans Say Goodbye to Free Agents

Last night, fans at the Garden knew that it was possibly the last time they’ll see many of the players on the current roster play in a Knick uniform. From the NY Times: “All goodbyes are not created equal. Some are more meaningful than others, and for suffering Knicks fans, none was more poignant than the one they delivered Monday night. This was the ultimate farewell, as in forever. As in, ‘Thanks for occupying the uniform — now kindly go away.’ The Knicks played their final home game of the season, which meant one final glance at J. R. Giddens and Sergio Rodriguez, a hobbled Tracy McGrady and an injured Al Harrington. Ten of the 14 Knicks players will be free agents this summer, and few, if any, will be back. Instead, the Knicks will have salary-cap space, about $32 million worth, to spend on marquee players, perhaps LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. It is what the last two seasons have been about — a long, hard slog toward hope and cap room. So when 19,000 or so fans rose and applauded after the Knicks’ 114-103 victory over the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden, the feelings of appreciation were mixed with feelings of relief. The roster will soon be purged of bad contracts and bad karma and wide open for a new savior or two.”