Knicks trade away Jamal Crawford, Zack Randolph

I am not really a basketball fan myself, but I am going to put this story up because it is of course about sports. I have been really been turned off from NBA since the ref debacle. But it has also made me weary towards other professional and collegiate sports.

New York, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Knicks made a couple of big trades on Friday, including a trade of guard Jamal Crawford to the Golden State Warriors for forward Al Harrington.

Later on Friday, the Knicks announced they swapped forward Zach Randolph and guard Mardy Collins to the Clippers for guard Cuttino Mobley and forward Tim Thomas.

The trades will significantly alter New York's lineup, as Randolph and Crawford had been the Knicks' top two scorers this season, with 20.5 and 19.6 points per game through 11 contests, respectively. Randolph also averaged 12.5 rebounds and Crawford posted 4.4 assists per game. Collins was averaging 2.2 points in nine games.

Moreover, the moves change the Knicks' salary cap picture for the summer of 2010. The contracts of both Crawford and Randolph run through 2010-11, while those of Harrington, Mobley and Thomas expire after next season.

To fill out their lineup in place of Randolph and Crawford, the Knicks get Harrington, who has averaged 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in five games for the Warriors this season. He has career averages of 13 points and 5.8 rebounds in 660 games over 11 NBA seasons with Indiana, Atlanta and Golden State.

Harrington was the 25th overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Pacers, when current Knicks president Donnie Walsh was in Indiana's front office.

"I drafted Al back in 1998 and I think his talents are a great fit for our style of play," Walsh said. "This trade also gives us more long-term flexibility while enabling us to remain competitive this season."

In exchange for Randolph, the Knicks received the Clippers' fourth-leading scorer this season in Mobley, who has posted 13.7 points per game in 11 contests. Thomas has averaged 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in 10 games.

Mobley has career averages of 16 points and 3.9 rebounds in 747 games over 11 seasons with Houston, Orlando, Sacramento and the Clippers. In 12 NBA seasons with Philadelphia, Milwaukee, New York, Chicago, Phoenix and the Clippers, Thomas has career averages of 11.8 points and 4.2 rebounds.

In his ninth NBA season, Crawford owns lifetime averages of 14.7 points and 4.1 assists in 543 games with New York and the Chicago Bulls. In his eighth season, Randolph has averaged 16.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in 467 games with Portland and the Knicks.