Monthly Archives: June 2009
“…The Knicks plan to meet with free-agent point guard Jason Kidd on Wednesday.
Kidd is scheduled to meet with New York president Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni early Wednesday, according to a league source.
He is expected to talk with the Mavericks before meeting with the Knicks in order to give them the first chance to re-sign him.
The Knicks could offer Kidd their mid-level exception, or work a sign-and-trade with Dallas…”
Not sure how I feel about the prospects of a Kidd/Duhon PG situation. I can’t say I’m all that pumped up about it. If you ask me if I’d rather have Kidd or Nash, to me it’s close, but the purpose of having one would be in a mentoring roll. I’d like to see them add a youngin’ to learn from one of the all-time best.
Point guard aside, the guy I’d love to see them snag, now that Darko and Jordan Hill are on board, is Mavericks’ forward Brandon Bass, who would cost the MLE.
Bass is everything the Knicks need, and is the type of player who is the perfect bench player for a playoff team. The type of guy who gives you fantastic 18-25 minutes.The only problem is that Jared Jefferies is in the way, but should the Knicks lose David Lee, Bass would make a ton of sense. He’s 6’8, strong, can guard the post and can finish.
ESPN.com is reporting that David Kahn is fielding calls on his new star guard, Ricky Rubio. According to Kahn:
“The last thing we needed to do was be demanding and assertive. Not now,”
Kahn said. “I don’t know how this is going to play out. There could be a lot of twists and turns. But I don’t feel any self-imposed pressure that this needs to be resolved or concluded in any short fashion.”
I have not talked to Kahn, but logic tells me a few things about this situation. The first thing is that he drafted two point guards, back-to-back in the top 10 despite holes at PG, SG, and SF. Kahn decided to be bold, and he realized that Rubio’s talent alone was not worth passing up at the 5 spot. At 6, he took Flynn with the intention of playing him next to Rubio. Now Kahn is a basketball man. He knows better than to think that pairing the two purest PGs in the draft as a starting backourt would be an ideal fit. Not with Stephen Curry left on the board.
So now he sits in a tough position, a position that he is going to have maintain control over. If Kahn loses control of this situation, his tenure in Minnesota will be tainted from the start. He has a key piece that nearly any team in the league would want. His problem is that Rubio will not go play for just any team. That is Minnesota’s problem in the first place.
No team will deal for Rubio unless they are positive (100% sure) that he will play for them next year. That eliminates… well… close to every team in the league. Rubio appears poised for a big market, a market that he will be able to market himself in, a market that he will feel comfortable in. Sure a small market team can offer a ton for him, but why would they if he would just create the same headache that he is destined to create in Minnesota? They would not.
So does that put the Knicks in the driver’s seat? Well, partially. If Kahn refuses to deal Rubio out of spite, no good will come out of it. Rubio will not be able to play in the NBA, and the Wolves would then have traded Foye and Miller for a few brutal contracts, a major headache, and burst hopes and expectations. Kahn cannot be spiteful here. He should have understood the situation at hand. If he did, then he simply rolled the dice. Who knows, perhaps this will all work out and Rubio and Flynn will be the starting back-court from day one. That is, and was, the plan, right?
If the Knicks offer a deal including Wilson Chandler, then the Wolves should be happy. They have a major hole at the 3, and at 22 years old, Chandler is exactly what they should be looking for. His tenacity should compliment the games of Jefferson and Love quite well. The only problem is that other teams (where Rubio would like to play) might be able to offer a better deal. The one team that comes to mind is the LA Clippers. What if they can deal away Baron Davis? It is doubtful, but let’s just say they can. Would they be interested in pairing Rubio with Blake Griffin? What about a deal involving either Al Thornton or Eric Gordon? How about either of them along with DeAndre Jordan in a package? What about Chris Kaman for a couple of Minny’s brutal contracts? Is Rubio worth that? Thorton and Kaman for Rubio, Cardinal and Smith?
That is just me speculating, but there were rumors that LA would be interested in Rubio if they did not get Griffin. Would Rubio play in LA? Probably. I certainly would.
Anyway, those are my two cents on the latest Rubio chatter. I hope Walsh finds a way to get this done. But if this situation works out the way I think it will, this can be a long and tiring process that stretches out for quite some time.
Adrian Warjnarowski os Yahoo Sports is reporting that the Yao Ming’s broken foot is not healing and that he might miss next season, and perhaps beyond.
This would be a major blow to the Rockets organization, but it would not be something that they have not dealt with before. Adrian recommends that the team starts over, but last season, the Rockets played well without Ming and McGrady. Actually, for the last few years, the team has played well without its two biggest stars.
The Rockets are an interesting squard because Rick Adelman has that team playing at a high level, even without its stars. Can they win without Ming next season? It is possible. The Rockets will likely go get a big man to fill the void via free agency. 20 / 10 centers are not very common, and thus the Rockets will not be able to replace Ming in a pure sense of the word. The Rockets will have to find a way to make it a team effort to fill the void. It is doable in my opinion. Whehter or not the Rockets decide to “blow it up” depends on how much they believe in their front office’s ability to find more unconventional talent.
Do I see the Rockets going after a player like Eddy Curry? Probably not. The Rockets, even if Ming does not opt out of his deal, can be major players in the 2010 market. Why would they take on a guy like Curry to eat into that space?
Tough blow for the Rockets and an even tougher set of future decisions to make for the franchise.
At the BET awards last night, LeBron James won the best male athlete award. Apparently he brought a friend on stage to receive the award. This friend was wearing an “I Love NY” t-shirt and a Yankee cap.
I did not watch (or even know about) the award show. Does LeBron’s friend’s attire really matter to me? Not really. Does it say anything? Honestly, July 1, 2010 is too far away for me to start reading into what LBJ’s friends are wearing on TV. But I am much more pessimistic about gimmicks like this. So perhaps there is some meaning. Not really for me though.
Check out the pictures here. What do you think?
While the focus has been mostly on Jordan Hill — and maybe to an even bigger extent, new Timberwolf Ricky Rubio — over the past few days, the Knicks made another first round selection this past Thursday, combo-guard Toney Douglas out of Florida State.
The ex-Seminole was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was the runner up to UNC’s Ty Lawson for ACC Player Player of the Year honors as well.
As reported by Marc Berman, Donnie Walsh was in love with the kid:
“He’s good, really good,” Walsh said. “He can score. He’s a good defender. I think he can guard some 2′s. A lot of people thought he should have won [ACC Player of the Year]. . . . He’s got good credentials.”
Douglas had the following to say about himself as a player as well:
“Everytime I’m on the floor, you better bring it, because I’m going to bring my game,” Douglas said. “You rarely see a guard who can score and play the point who plays with as much passion on the defensive end as offense. I can guard. It’s just the right way to play. Everyone loves the offensive end, but you win games on defense.”
Berman goes on to quote Pistons director of player personnel George David as saying:
“He’s one of the steals in the draft. I thought he’d be 18, 19, 20. That kid is not a 29th pick. He’s a big-time scorer and lockdown defender.”
I will admit that I did not see much (any?) of Hill’s play this past college season, so my positive opinion of the new PF is based exclusively on what I have read and heard from other sources.
That said, I am an ACC guy and am therefore considerably more familiar with Douglas having watched him play a nice amount last year.
I might not be gushing as much as Donnie, but I think he is a player, no doubt. And I agree with Berman that, if nothing else, it is refreshing to hear a guy on this team talk defense. I don’t expect him to be a lock-down defender night in and night out right away, but I do expect him to contribute a decent amount.
With Nate halfway out the door, Douglas should step up nicely in his absence. His scoring will surely be lower than what Nate was giving us last year, but he’ll play defense like he cares – something the Knicks were sorely missing from its backup combo-guard last year…
Well, not necessarily. Ric Bucher has begun his list of the top 20 free agents to hit the open market on Wednesday. At #18, he lists our very own David Lee behind other power forwards such as Paul Millsap and Drew Gooden. According to Bucher:
“18. David Lee, PF/C, Knicks (RFA)
His Game: Energy and defense without needing plays called for him. Will sacrifice his body on screens and charges. Undersized but athletic, hardnosed and low maintenance. Rebound and loose-ball fiend. Good hands and decent with putbacks and finishing around the rim off pick-and-roll. Not much of a threat beyond 15 feet or on post-ups. Willing help defender, but not a shotblocker.
Right System: Up-tempo is ideal because he’ll outrun most bigs in transition. Need at least three scorers, ideally four, so he has room and reason to chase down rebounds and putbacks. Can’t play off an offensive post threat because he doesn’t have the jumper to space the floor. Mobile enough to show on the guard in pick-and-roll defense and get back to a rolling big.
Wrong System: A methodical half-court set with a dominant scoring center who is not a shotblocker.
Best Fits: Suns, Blazers, Jazz, Rockets, Thunder, Warriors”
Now don’t believe everything you read. Despite being #18 on this list, I have a hard time believing that either Millsap or Gooden will garner more attention than David Lee. Lee is a better scorer than his two competitors and is probably a better rebounder as well. I would love for the Lee market to dry out quickly. That way, we will be able to keep Lee at our price, rather than the market’s inflated price. The odds are slim for that to happen smoothly.
I also noted that Nate Robinson was not in the 11-20 range on Bucher’s list. He will release his top 10 free agents tomorrow, but I doubt that Nate will be on that list.
One bit of hope that the Knicks have is the fact that RFAs tend to get a raw deal in the open market. The reason for that is quite simple. Because teams are able to match offers made to their RFAs for up to 7 days, teams offering deals must tie up cap space for a full week without being able to use that money on another player. In the meantime, other teams are able to snatch up the UFAs without any time restrictions or matching restrictions. Last year, the first free agents to sign were all UFAs. Elton Brand, Baron Davis, James Posey, Chris Duhon, etc. all found new homes well before the likes of RFAs Ben Gordon (who never really recieved offers from other teams because of his restricted status) and Josh Smith, who accepted an offer late from Memphis, only to have the offer matched by the Hawks.
Perhaps Lee is a more attractive player, but a fringe contender might try to sign a player like Drew Gooden to ensure that they get a player of need without risking losing out totally in the market. Take for example the Orlando Magic. They need a power forward. They are on the brink of an NBA title, but are missing that one key piece. While David Lee is a much more attractive player to them, Drew Gooden does not bear the same restrictions and the same risk as Lee. Gooden is easier to sign and therefore will probably get a contract before Lee.
Now things might not necessarily work out like that. I might be dead wrong and Lee might sign an offer right off the bat with a team under the cap. But the restricted status hurts.
As for my top free agent power forwards, the list goes something like this:
1. Carlos Boozer – All-star (all-pro?) type of player when he is healthy. He is a max, if not very close to max, player. My guess is Detroit for Boozer.
2. Rasheed Wallace- Only second on my list for a title contending team. Otherwise Lee fits here. Sheed is still a banger that has title experience and can fit on any team ready to take the next step. I see San Antonio, Cleveland, Orlando and perhaps Houston as good fits for Sheed.
3. David Lee- Lee is an up-and-coming stud PF in this league. Lee has excelled under three different coaches, not just Mike D’Antoni. As a full fledged starter last year, Lee’s scoring numbers shot up, but he has always been a consistent double double threat. My guess is that he is either signed and dealt to a team that wants him (Houston for Aaron Brooks?, Denver for Lawson and Smith?), or he signs with a team that can offer him a boatload of money such as OKC or Memphis. There is still a good shot he stays in NY though.
4. Paul Millsap- He was a big time rebounder coming out of college. His offensive game rose when Boozer went down last year. He is an all-around good player, and Utah will keep him in a Jazz uniform.
5. Drew Gooden- He is the definition of a rugged forward. He is a decent scorer, a very good rebounder, and a poor shot-blocker. He is a big, strong body that can help a team in the paint. He can drive you nuts with his offensive tendencies, but he is a good fit on a team with an established center. I think a return to Orlando is a good fit for Gooden. Houston and Portland are also good fits. Don’t count out a return to San Antonio for Gooden either.
6. Brandon Bass- He is the next step below Lee and Millsap. He is young and a very strong rebounder. I like Bass a lot. There are rumors that Orlando likes Bass, but I think Dallas might want to retain his services. He is not a very big forward, so I do not like a team like Houston for Bass. Houston needs a big forward that can step in and play some center when Ming goes down to injury.
7. Glen Davis- Can he be a starter? On a bad team, he might be. He stepped up in a big way in the playoffs for the Celtics, stepping in for the injured Kevin Garnett. Davis was a big-time player at LSU, and he has developed into a good NBA player. He is not afraid to rebound and he is not afraid to score the ball. Look for him to get a few decent offers.
8. Chris Wilcox- Now we get into the definite bench players. While Wilcox said he wants to remain in NY, there is virtually no chance of that happening. Again, Houston is a decent fit for Wilcox, as is Portland. I like the Wizards for Wilcox as well.
9. Leon Powe- He is a bit of a tweener at the PF spot, but I like Leon a lot. He is as tough a player as there is in the league. He is a great asset off the bench. The Celtics will keep Powe around.
10. Channing Frye- He was put in an awful situation in Portland. He has starter talent. He is young and talented, but was stuck behind younger and more talented players such as Aldrige and Oden. Instead of using a young player to back them up, McMillan used the veteran, Joel Pryzbilla, as the first big off the pine. Had we not just gotten Hill and Darko, I’d consider reuniting with Frye, but that is unlikely.
11. Joe Smith- Cleveland should bring him back
12. Stromile Swift- Stro might have a problem finding work this summer. I expect no more than the veteran’s minimum for Swift.
I’ve learned in this business commentators and all media types like to show off a little 
solid knowledge by comparing players. It’s almost a test of one’s skill that they can pull a random player out of nowhere and link them to an incoming prospect. But in the end they are often completely meaningless. No one has any idea what a prospect will be, but I agree sometimes players REMIND you of another, and I have no problem with that.
Take Hasheem Thabeet. You heard a ton of “the next Deke Mutumbo.” Fair point. They are both from Africa, they are well-over 7 feet and they are shot blocking forces.
But why doesn’t anyone mention that Deke’s career was in large part molded by his Georgetown brethren? And when you consider, Deke, Patrick Ewing and Zo Mourning constantly working out together learning the nuances of the NBA game summer after summer, don’t you think that had a little to do with the reason all of them excelled in the league for nearly a combined half a century?
That’s why it’s a poor comparison. Once you get in the league you have to stick there, and that comes from the right development. Deke was one of the games All-Time great shot-blocking specialists and was one because he learned to sustain himself at the NBA level.Can Thabeet play 17 years in the NBA? Maybe, but not a chance if he isn’t molded correctly or taught all the things he needs to do to make it happen. Otherwise he could struggle like a ton of big men who never had mentors- see Eddy Curry.
But that’s an argument for another day, since the draft is now over. How about players that are in the league today? I noticed a solid post by numbers guru Mike K of Knickerblogger, and I like where he is going. There had to be a way for the NUMBERS to compare players in today’s NBA.
Check it out. The only problem is that when I think of Chris Duhon‘s game, and that of Vinny Del Negro it seems that they couldn’t be more different. Del Negro, was a what i call an “on a string” guard meaning someone who had to play off the positioning of either the point guard or the post player. He wasn’t great with the ball. Duhon has it in his hands more often. I guess that’s my point about comparisons in general.
Interesting nonetheless.
Two things of note this morning:
- Via the Minnesota Star Tribune is reporting that the Knicks did offer Chandler and 8 to move up for Rubio and the Wolves declined. Why on earth would the Wolves would decline, I have no idea. They also noted that the Knicks had Rubio on top of their list ahead of Curry, which we figured all along.
“… The Wolves did turn down that Knicks’ offer of No. 8 and Wilson Chandler for the No. 5, which Donnie Walsh would have used to take Rubio and not Stephen Curry…”
- Mitch Lawrence is reporting the Rockets made an offer for Rubio.
“…Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reported that the Wolves turned down a deal with the Houston Rockets that would have resulted in Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier headed to Minnesota for Ricky Rubio…”
Finger point to Alvino’s boy natesbury126
“…According to a Twitter post from Ric Bucher, Portland has interest in both Andre Miller and Hedo Turkoglu.
In order to acquire Miller, the Blazers would likely have to complete a sign and trade transaction.
But if Portland secures Turkoglu, it would likely be a free agent signing…”
We reported this weeks ago. The sign and trade action is a possibility now because there is no market for Martell Webster, whom they’d have to deal in order to sign both.
Expect Travis Outlaw to be the center of any sign and trade, according to TKB’s mole.
