Portland to be active, Donnie Taking Notice

shake it up baby..

Portland is playing Coy with us. You KNOW they want Nate. too many synergies. They NEED to get more experienced. Maybe they’ll do bayless and the rights to the 24 pick for Nate in a sign and trade.

I like the swing men in the late first round. Donnie needs to add some athletic players who can lock down on defense while they work on their O game.

If we running the 7SOL we need athletes. No Q Riches and the other slugs.

Im thinking Rubio may fall based on his buyout number and his ability to stay in Spain and get paid in his hometown. Could fall into our laps without need for a trade. Who is going to blow a top 10 pick for a player who can stay away? Didnt the NBA learn from Fran Vasquez? hey.. speaking of Vasquez.. can Donnie get the Spaniard in a trade with the Magic? send them some roster filler?

Other than Bayless, what does Portland have that we really want and could get? They’re definitely not trading any of their more appealing core players (Lamarcus, roy, etc.). Would we be willing to give anything substantial for Blake or Sergio? Just wondering how this effects the Knicks specifically.

Nate wants to go to Porland

Andrew Miller?

…..

Andre Miller

Portland could possibly want:

Nate (Sign and trade)
Duhon ( Expiring Contact)
Mobley ( Medically Reduced Expiring Contact)
Lee ( Sign and Trade)

Who would we really want back besides the players we cant get (Roy, Aldridge, Oden)?

Bayless ( Does he fit our system?)
Rudy ( We do need a SG)
Outlaw
#24 pick

There are some compatibilities for a trade but we cant deviate from the cap clearing plan.

I just saw on ESPN Rumor Central that Donnie Walsh loves Hasheem Thabeet, and also that OKC loves Stephen Curry. I hope this means a Trade up for Rubio and not Thabeet, but the shotblocking would be nice. Who knows though

Nate for Sergio makes sense for both sides. I think that trade would be perfect for us. If Nate actually wants to go to Portland, i think this will happen. Sergio is a smart, unselfish play-maker with good court vision and craftiness – the opposite of Nate, and the epitome of what we need. That would be one of those little moves that barely affects our salary cap but somehow makes us much better.

Those are the kinds of moves we need to make. Grab second rounders, maybe an extra first rounder or two, and trade expiring contracts and/or Nate/Lee if and only if it gets us young blood in return.

No blockbusters. No getting rid of our expiring contracts (assets we worked hard to obtain and should retain) for temporary solutions that get paid beyond 2010. No trading Chandler or Galo.

Trades like this are what we need to do to tweak the roster.

Ehh, Thabeet…. MD would just love that; A lumbering big man who does nothing besides defense and helps with absolutely nothing on offense besides stagnation whenever he gets the ball.

I know we need some shot blocking but we’re not going to draft a lottery pick because he is a big-man who can block shots (and only block shots). i would rather have a PF with some skill who plays decent defense, than Hasheem Thabeet. Give me Jordan Hill before Thabeet; give me any of the lottery bound athletic wing-men before Thabeet – I think MD would agree.

He has a chance to be an important player on a good team many years down the road, but not here and not now.

If Portland wanted Nate it would have to be a 3 way deal with another team or maybe a 2010 and this yrs 1st rounder. But other than that they don’t have anything that we want that there willing to give up. I’d say if Budinger falls to 24 I doubt it then I say trade Nate or Duhon, I think Chase would put up numbers under MD. I think S. Curry and Chase outta this draft would be 2 steals for us.

How much would you guys give up to get rid of Curry? I actually like both Lee AND nate, but nate only as a scorer off the bench, and Lee only as a rotation player. If they can be had at the right price, they are good players for this team, but i would be willing to trade either of them in a heart-beat to get rid of Curry.

I’d even trade Curry for another bad contract – as long as it’s not as bad as his, and the player is better than him, it is an improvement.

If we had to trade Chandler and Eddy Curry and our first rounder, for a later first rounder and a not-so-bad contract and some other filler, would we do it?

With Eddy working hard and Nate looking like a goner I can reasonably see us getting rid of JJ and E. Curry this season.The Knicks will feature E. Curry in the offense and shop him for what ever if Eddy can score in the post at all hes tradeable he may even be able to bring us back some value i.e. a draft pick or a young player, thats if hes producing on the level he use to.

No.

I’d much rather have a healthy Eddy Curry than Tyson Chandler (in that scenario) anyways – not only is he overrated but he’s injury-prone. A lottery pick can turn a franchise around, I would never trade it, especially if we take another horrible contract in return.

Let’s no exagerate, hopefully the Knicks will find a way to ship Eddy Curry’s contract (I doubt that) but he’s talented and he may be able to contribute. What I mean is, there’s no reason to trade the 8th pick (and we’ll be in a position to draft a player with star potential) because of his contract – maybe if we trade down one slot and get a player that we want but that’s it.

Donnie wont sell low on Curry. His history with Z bo shows that.

I think he’ll showcased for the 1st half then hopefully traded for an expiring deal.. BUt DW wont trade him until he shows he’s got some game

Im thinking Houston or maybe the Lakers take him on after Yao/Bynum goes down mid season

I hope so, but i think its a long shot.

On another note – Does anybody really really like Earl Clarke? He’s the same height as griffin according to the new measurements from draft express (6’8.5 w/o shoes)…, but he can play the small forward. He’s a great play-maker with good court vision and passing skills, something all our players should ideally have. He’s also a very talented rebounded and has great lateral quickness and defensive abilites. My friend, a die-hard L-ville fan, described him as a very team oriented player whose primary concern is making the right play for the right person.

A dream D’Antoni squad is a bunch of versatile players who can create mismatches… I mean, look at the magic. A line-up of chandler, Earl Clarke, and Galo, could be very effective. All three players stand taller than 6’8, they can all shoot the three and drive, and 2 of them are point-forward type play-makers. Plus, Clarke looks like he will be able to guard power forwards.

Just a thought.

I think Rudy would be great for the Knicks. I doubt he’s on the block though, Portland would riot. They’ll probably try to move their bigger contracts like Pryzbila and Blake so they have money to resign Roy and Aldridge.

Nate for Blake and a future first rounder?

Nate and Duhon for Blake and Pryzbilla?

I think Clarke has the chance to be the steal of the late lottery. I’ve been watching big east ball all year and I truly think Clarke can be a 20/10 guy with 4 apg, especially in MD’s system. As much as our team would benefit from a point forward (ala Lebron) I can’t stomach the though of passing up on one of the great PGs in this draft.

If we somehow got another first round pick this year then I would consider taking Clarke, even at 8.

Haha ok here we go

2009 playoff lineup

Nash/Sergio
Chandler/Hughes
Galo/Harrington
Clarke
Camby/Lee

That is a better version of magic in the making. Add one great free agent to that Roster. The only problem is that i would like to have a better young pointguard, so maybe:

Curry
Chandler
Galo
Harrington
Camby

Either way, those are the type’s of lineups we should be looking to develop. The magic are proving that a mismatch player at the 4 who can shoot threes is essentially unguardable, and it helps to open up the floor tremendously, which is the foundation of our system.

If he is athletic enough the play defense in the paint, you’re talking about the pure, ideal D’Antoni player.

And those lineups barely cost anything.

Anyway, i was reading up more on clarke and these are the strengths listed in order on draft express.
- Mismatch Potential
- Pick and roll play
- Transition play
- Ability to create own shot
- Ball-handling skills w/either hand
- Excellent hands
- Ability to contest shots
- Lateral quickness
- Pick and roll defense
- Shot-blocking skills
- Versatility to defend multiple positions
- Huge upside
- Positional versatility
- Court vision
- Passing skills

The pick and roll defense (on the big-man side, obviously) and shot blocking skills stand out to me almost as much as the court vision and passing skills.

Yeah i saw that and thought the same thing. I would prefer Steph Curry if hes still there at 8, but if we could trade Nate after the draft for Earl Clark and something else if he’s picked in the mid-first round. Having both would be tremendous.

JEFF,love the sergio trade,i would do that in a minute

Chad Ford just wrote one ESPN that he heard a bunch of NBA GM’s doubt Rubio’s future in the NBA and say he’s an unathletic turnover prone PG who cant shoot. First seriously harsh criticism i’ve heard of him. The GM’s also said that he wasn’t even in they’re top five

Even if he is risky, would you do Lee and Curry for Rubio, Darko and a future first rounder? I would… That way we still get a good PG this year, but we add a first rounder in the future which we need.

The only problem with Clark is his inconsistency to take over a game at the college level. One game he would be lights out, and the next he’d be average. I like the Lamar Odom comparison for Clark. The Knicks have bigger needs for their draft.

It was Donnie Walsh!!!!

That could just be another GM trying to lower Rubios stock so he can fall into there laps..and I wouldnt doubt you if you told me Donnie Walsh said it

I also wouldnt doubt it, but how do you know?

Lee for him but nothing else but Lee doesn’t want to go to Memphis so it won’t happen. S. Curry is the pick.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=null&categoryid=3776499

I agree, we definitely really need a young PG to develop, but I’m starting to buy into the fact that overall talent, skill level, and ability to play in the system is more important than need in many situations. We are building for the future right now, so if we really thought clarke could be a great point-forward one day along side Galo, i would take him, even if he doesn’t adress an IMMEDIATE need.

His inconsistency is a problem though, and our need for a PG is so strong that we almost have no choice, unless we want to keep Duhon another year but get him a backup (Sergio), and then try to get in the draft next year for a PG. (JOHN WALL!)

Players usually follow the money. Saying that he didn’t want to go to Memphis was just a buisness decision, I mean playing in New York under D’Antoni would have automatically raised his value – and that was the case. But if the Grizzlies are willing to give him $9 million per year, will he really say no? I doubt it.

Your suggestion is really interesting Jeff because of the draft pick but A. We don’t know how much the Grizzlies will improve B. Who’s our power forward in that scenario?

The knicks won’t take Thabeet. I’m sure they are saying they are hot for him so another team (memphis) will draft him ahead of them, allowing us to swap picks with OKC and draft Rubio. (it says on espn rumors that OKC wants to trade down for Curry) Makes a whole lotta sense if you ask me.

ESPN rumors also has a post on Amare Stoudemire and how serious he would consider coming to NY..his response “I will be totally serious about that, I spent a lot of my childhood there, I have a connection with the state, and I also love the entire coaching staff.” article found here on realgm.com (http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/59456/20090529/amare_lobbying_for_knicks_gig_in_2010/ ) This is also another reason not to draft Thabeet.