Knicks Acquire Troubled Harrington From Warriors; Crawford Heads West

November 21, 2008 5:30 p.m. EST

New York, NY (AHN) - The New York Knicks took a bit of a gamble in acquiring troubled Warriors forward Al Harrington for guard Jamal Crawford.

The league signed off Friday on the deal that will send the Knicks' leading scorer to Golden State for Harrington.

Although Harrington brings a large upside to the Knicks, he has been demanding a trade from the Warriors since just before the start of the season.

Along with his poor attitude, Harrington has been a disappointment on the floor this year, as well. He is averaging 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds a game this year.

At 28-years-old, his scoring average has dropped each of the last four years.

The upside for the Knicks is that coach Mike D'Antoni feels Harrington would fit into the Knicks new style of up-tempo play.

"Al is a true NBA veteran who possesses multi-positional skills," D'Antoni said in a statement about the trade. "He will fit perfectly into our system and will help us win some games immediately."

Crawford has been the Knicks' most reliable player this season, averaging 19.6 points per game, and chipping in more than four assists.

The Knicks may have made the deal due to Harrington's contract, which expires in 2010. This just happens to be the time LeBron James is expected to test free-agency.

Getting rid of Harrington's contract, along with others, could pave the way to bring James to a major market like New York.

Then D'Antoni could really run an up-tempo team with the best player in the game.