Archive for the Knicks Category
Knick rebuilding process cont.
9. September 2008 by gchacko.
Update on Zebo to the Grizz:
Grizzlies are demanding a first round pick along with Zach Randolph in exchange for Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric. It is assumed that the pick will be conditional.
Walsh in return is asking for a young player, assuming either Javaris Crittenton, Kyle Lowery or Hakim Warrick or the best expiring contract (Antoine Walker) if he is to surrender a first round pick.
It can easily be assumed that Walsh is eager dump Randolph’s contract so he can immediately sign David Lee to an extension.
Patrick Ewing to the Knicks!
2. September 2008 by rich.
Patrick Ewing Jr. that is. The Knicks acquired the son of the former Knick legend on Friday from the Houston Rockets for…drum roll please…the rights to notorious 1999 first-round pick Frederic Weis. Yes, the same Frederic Weis the Knicks took in ‘99 over Ron Artest.
Ewing Jr. finished his studies at Georgetown this past Spring. He was selected by the Kings in the 2nd round of the ‘08 draft. He was then moved in the Ron Artest deal to the Rockets. Now he is headed in his fathers footsteps…Again.
Notes: Ewing Sr’s #33 is retired in the Knick rafters. But he said if his son ever became a Knick, he would let him wear it.
Balkman Sent Packing to the Mile High City
28. July 2008 by rich.
The Knicks traded forward Renaldo Balkman to the Nuggets today for a 2010 second-round draft choice, guard Taurean Green and guard/forward Bobby Jones. It is highly likely the Knicks will waive both players.
This is a solid deal for the Knicks. They get out of Balkmans contract for this year, weren’t going to re-sign him anyways, and got a draft pick. Not too shabby. Especially for a guy who hasn’t shown too much yet in the NBA. But then again, he was playing for the Knicks…Maybe a change of scenery will help. Nonetheless, a good move for the Knicks.
Clips Also Wanted Pick & Cash Along With Randolph?
19. July 2008 by jjoseph.
“I have learned that the Clippers’ offer to the Knicks for Zach Randolph last week was much more audacious than first suspected,” reports Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated.
“In addition to Randolph, they wanted the Knicks to send them a first-round pick and $3 million in exchange for Brevin Knight. The Knicks said no.”
Denver Takes What Donnie Doesn’t
19. July 2008 by jjoseph.
After hearing about the Marcus Camby to LAC trade, I first felt disappointed that the Knicks couldn’t get the 2006-2007 NBA Defensive Player of the Year for a future 2nd Rd Pick. But then I realized the Knicks don’t own their 2009 2nd Rd Pick (Eddy Curry Trade), and the Knicks would have to send a player (contract) to the Denver Nuggets to match salaries unlike the Los Angeles Clippers, who didn’t have to send any players back to Denver because they are under the salary cap ($ 58.68 M) by approximately 12 million dollars. Now, let’s talk about the dynamics of this trade. The Los Angeles Clippers have just added one of the best team defenders in all of the NBA. Camby is a great shot blocking PF/C coming from the weak side (2007-2008 BPG: 3.6), a great rebounder (2007-2008 RPG: 13.1), a great floor runner for his size (6-11), and is a player who plays with tons of “heart”. The Clippers were desperate for a big man after getting spurned by Elton Brand when he bolted East for Philadelphia (82 M/ 5 YRS). Now, Camby does not even come close to Elton Brand as far as being a post presence, but Chris Kaman now has the opportunity to showcase his offensive arsenal on the low block because Camby is not a player that demands the ball on the offensive end. Camby is a player, much like David Lee is for the New York Knicks, who doesn’t need a play run for him to be effective. Camby can score in the open court after getting the offensive rebound, and can occasionally hit the mid range jumper.
Even though this NBA trade did not involve the New York Knicks, it may have an effect on the Knicks outlook come the summer of 2010. On July 11th, Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated reported that the Knicks rejected a proposal from the Clippers to trade power forward Zach Randolph. The Clippers, seeking to replace the departed Elton Brand, were trying to take Randolph off the Knicks’ hands while offering little more than cap relief to New York. It was later reported by Alan Hahn of Newsday that the Los Angeles Clippers were offering a 2nd Rd Pick for the services of Zach Randolph. Randolph will make $14.7 million next season, and he has three years and $48 million left on his contract. While the Knicks are known to be interested in clearing cap space by 2010 to make a run at LeBron James or other potential free agents, New York wanted more than simple cap relief in exchange for Randolph. The Knicks appear to believe that Randolph will provide a highly productive season under new coach Mike D’Antoni, which could raise his value much higher than it is today. The Clippers reportedly offered a second-round pick for Randolph, but Walsh believes he can get a better offer. However, now that the Clippers have acquired Marcus Camby, you can likely eliminate the Los Angeles Clippers as a potential suitor for the services of Zach Randolph. And you can begin to second-guess Donnie Walsh’s decision to pass on the Clippers’ offer of a second-round pick for Zach Randolph. I hope Donnie Walsh knows what he doing. I don’t see how Randolph will play in D’Antoni’s up-tempo system. He is slow footed and is about athletic as Frederick Weis.
Honestly, I think Walsh should have pulled the trigger the second the Clippers gave them a proposal, but I am going to assume the 25 years of experience he has a General Manager will prove that he knows what he is doing. However, if the rumored deal was true (2nd Rd Pick for Zach Randolph), we might have just missed out on maybe the best idea for the Knicks long term future. I’d give up Randolph for a second-rounder in a heartbeat. Rejecting the Clipper offer for Zach Randolph may in turn become the WORST decision by a General Manger in the history of the New York Knickerbockers. Yes, worse than drafting Frederick Weis over Ron Artest, worse than giving Allan Houston a 100 Million Dollar Contract, worse than trading away Patrick Ewing, and even worse than Isiah Thomas acquiring Zach Randolph in the first place.
Marbury’s Knick Career At Its End
5. July 2008 by gchacko.
Howard Beck of the New York Times reports that it is “a near certainty” that Stephon Marbury will not return to the Knicks next season, according to people with close ties to both Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni.The sources cited by Beck spoke anonymously because the information was disclosed privately and because Marbury’s imminent departure has apparently not yet been discussed with Marbury himself.
It is unclear whether Marbury will be traded, bought out or waived.
Free-agent Chris Duhon agreed to terms with the Knicks on Friday and is likely to take over the starting point guard job in New York.
*Walsh is already half way to redeeming the Knicks… Isiah and Steph gone… now if we can do something about Curry and Randolph.
Lebron in NYC?
1. July 2008 by gchacko.
LeBron James listed New York as his favorite city on Monday, which is fueling speculation that he can end up playing there as a member of the Knicks or Nets.
“My favorite borough? Brooklyn,” James said, choosing the proposed future home of the New Jersey Nets over the borough of Manhattan, where the Knicks play their home games. “Brooklyn is definitely a great place here in New York City, and some of my best friends are from Brooklyn, so I stick up for them.
“They have a right to dream about it, and I can’t take that away from them. My friendship was way before Jay was part-owner of the Nets, and I loved the Garden way before I got to the NBA,” James said. “For some reason when I get to the Garden I always play well, so they want me to do it 41 games instead of just two nights a year.”
Walsh, D’Antoni, Gallinari
30. June 2008 by gchacko.
Danilo Gallinari has arrived and Donnie Walsh’s resume as President of Basketball Operations has begun to take shape. Regardless of your individual take on Gallinari, he is now a significant part of the future of Knicks basketball.
Gallinari’s preference for playing in New York along with his father’s relationship with D’Antoni have been well documented. There is no question that Walsh made this choice to appease his new head coach. Walsh - who admitted to not seeing Gallinari play in person - relied heavily on his scouting staff for direction. Reportedly, Isiah Thomas was one of the individuals who influenced Walsh to make the selection. Walsh would go on to say Thomas told him “this kid won’t back down”. For fans who thought the days of Thomas having a say in current affairs had come to an end, sadly this is not the case.
According to scouts who have watched Gallinari play in the Euroleague, he is touted as a point-forward with a polished jump shot. Scouts say he is a competitive & intense athlete. Scouts cite his lack of lateral quickness, reliance on the three-point shot and struggles on the defensive-end as areas for improvement.
The level of skepticism around Walsh’s selection is not without reason. Just two years ago, fellow Italian forward Andrea Bargnani was selected 1st overall by the Toronto Raptors. Known as “Il Mago” (the Magician), Bargnani was hailed as a revolutionary seven foot talent who would take the league by storm with his dazzling array of offensive ability, which included a “lights out” touch from outside. Like Gallinari, Bargnani won the Euroleague Rising Star Award and was seen as the next Dirk Nowitzki. Two years later, he’s been publicly criticized by teammate Chris Bosh and mentioned in trade rumors. Moreover, the Raptors decision to acquire Jermaine O’Neal to pair with Bosh speak volumes about their view of the former top pick.
Gallinari will ultimately end David Lee’s tenure in New York. Trading Lee for Raymond Felton may fill the need for a pass-first PG, but this trade rumor may not have legs. With Larry Brown on the bench for Charlotte, he may advise the team to look for another trading partner should they deal Felton. Hopefully the hype around Gallinari will pan out and lead to more wins for a playoff-starved organization. At a minimum, Gallinari needs to silence his critics and show he was worthy of the 6th pick. If not, Walsh will find himself in this position again next year debating on whether to take California’s Brandon Jennings or Spain’s Ricky Rubio as his point guard of the future.
Knicked?
28. June 2008 by gchacko.
The selection of Italian forward Danilo Gallinari could mean the end of David Lee’s Knicks
career.The Knicks could be working on a deal with the Charlotte Bobcats to acquire point guard Raymond Felton for Lee, who played for Bobcats coach Larry Brown.
Coincidentally, the Bobcats selected Texas point guard D.J. Augustin with the ninth overall pick. Charlotte’s second point was French center Alexis Ajinca.
When Mike D’Antoni coached the Phoenix Suns he gave the front office a the thumbs-down to drafting Lee because he felt that Lee wasn’t a good enough shooter.
The Knicks had spoken to the Memphis Grizzlies about trading Lee and Malik Rose before the draft to acquire the fifth pick.
I really like Lee, he is the only one thats showed hustle all last season… but reality is we desperately need a PG and Felton would be a step in the right direction… only if we can figure out a way to get rid of Steph, Curry and Randolph…
Knicks Draft Gallinari
27. June 2008 by JJK.
The New York Knicks drafted Italy’s Danilo Gallinari with the 6th pick in the 2008 NBA draft.
Gallinari was greeted with boos at The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks needed to address their point gaurd issue but they drafted another foward. Whoever the Knicks were going to draft, if their last name wasnt Rose, Beasley or Mayo, the crowd was going to boo the pick.
Danilo Gallinari impressed most people with his honesty on the boos he received. “It’s part of the game,” he said. “All players hear this. You can’t always hear good things. So it’s normal. It will be up to me to earn the applauses. I’m extremely happy nevertheless. New York reminds me of Milan, this for me is the best solution.”
Gallinari has a lot of upsides that people are not familiar with. Gallinari wowed the Knicks at his pre-draft workout. He did not play college basketball like the top four picks so people do not know what to expect. He has played pro basketball in Italy. He is regarded by scouts as the best pure shooter in Europe. At 19 years old he has been the leader of his Italian team, Armani Jeans Milano. Walsh called Gallinari a “unique package, with his size 6′-9″ frame (6-10 with shoes) and shooting ability, his ball-handling ability. We think he is going to grow. And we think he has the kind of game that can bring people together and make people better.”
As for the booing of Gallinari on draft night, D’Antoni had the last word. “I’ll be more worried about their booing him next year,” he said. “And that won’t happen because they’ll appreciate his intelligence and the way he plays the game and how hard he works. They’ll see his potential.” Even if they didn’t Thursday night.
For more on Gallinari, CBS Sports has indepth player profile on him: http://www.sportsline.com/nba/players/draft/1619315
