"When the Knicks sent David Lee to the Golden State Warriors in July, they got back one potential star, one injured shooting ace and a big man known mostly for his wild energy and his wild beard.

To find the most indispensable player of the trade, look for the beard.

While the Knicks wait for Anthony Randolph to develop and Kelenna Azubuike to get healthy, it is center Ronny Turiaf who has arguably become their most valuable player. The traditional statistics (4.9 points, 3.7 rebounds a game) do not show it. But Turiaf is by far the Knicks' leader in plus-minus, the differential between points scored and points allowed when a player is on the court.

According to 82games.com, the Knicks outscore their opponents by an average of 12.2 points per 48 minutes when Turiaf is in the game.

"He makes our team win," Coach Mike D'Antoni said Friday as the Knicks prepared to play the Warriors for the second and final time this season."