Knicks Impressed by Zoubek, Other Workout Notes

Great News!! Very happy to hear that. Good job by Knickerblogger. Its reassuring to know that DW is aware of this and will hopefully draft a true big man. Now getting that big man some minutes might prove to be a problem…

hey tommy,
anyone ask dw about sergio as our pg #2 AND MORE.
i think it is a mistake to let him go.
i know he has some liabilities, at this time.
but we need to be patient with young players!!!!
the fact is that he showed a lot of positives as well.
more imprtantly, his explosive north south ability was almost unmatched at msg this year and that is at the core of mda’s offense.
look at what a dragic showed for phoenix.
i believe sergio has that in him (i know he needs to improve his j and cut down at being out of control).
sergio is a cheap pg and somewhat proven with a lot of upside.
but his speed is special. he could be a valuable spot on the roster.
the talk was him getting 3 years at under $2mm per?

I’m sorry I didn’t like zoubek @ duke and I kno he is going to b a even worst player to me in da nba I hope the knicks don’t pick him wit any of our picks

Didn’t we draft Erik Chenowith years back? Zoubek won’t help us now.

I believe that Sergio has already signed with Real Madrid.

In Phoenix, D’Antoni never played a true center, preferring to go with PF’s, Stoudemire and Diaw. Hopefully Donne will not pick someone that won’t get off the bench in the system. Look at Darko last season.

The Suns did trade for Shaq, but that seems to have been the start of the end for D’Antoni in Phoenix as Steve Kerr wanted to play a more traditional roster.

My Draft.

Buy Up For Solomon Alabi..

Draft Trevor Booker And Terico White! We’d Be In business.

When did Mike ever have a true center? Since you all keep trying to use that against him.

D’Antoni loves playing “small ball”. I dunno about everyone else but that will not win championships. Just ask the Lakers and Celtics frontlines how important size and length is!

According to Dantoni at the time, he fully supported the Shaq trade and thought it would work very well with his system.

He was just too stubborn to accept Kerr trying to get him to change his beloved fast-break system to work in more half-court sets and walking the ball up.

But of course, maybe Dantoni never supported the Shaq trade and just lied about it. I guess we will never know.

gotta believe mda has the capacity to become a smarter coach………………
he knows that he needs some bigs that can run the floor.
i believe he sees a glen davis and says that kind of player is necessary for his system.
can dexter p be that player because i think he has the potential.
he has the tools but can he run the floor for more than a few mins at a time?
i wonder if the knicks have said something like that to him.
who else is the 250+ lb pf in the draft?

D’antoni never had a decent center in PHX.

keith ‘tiny’ gallon is close to 300

Agreed. Hearing this makes me happy.

I hate Duke…with a passion. The hate grew exponentially once I went to Maryland. However, I can admit than Coach K does a good job with his players. I would gladly take Zoubek. Say what you will about Duke players (I’ve trashed them my entire life) but they do work hard, look at Redick. I wouldn’t mind having a Coach K coached kid on the Knicks. Zoubek can defend and rebound, and has the work ethic beat into him by Coach K to try to improve his game.

If we ended up with a big man combo of Zoubek/Brackins/Varnado/Jordan in the second, and trade into the first to get Bledsoe or Torrance (or use a 2nd rounder on Vasquez/Randle/Johnson/Collins), I would be plenty satisfied.

Yea but in md system you gotta have a jumpshot and for most centers in the draft all they did was dunk get set up for a dunk or lay up no kind of consistent jumper that will not work on nba level andwit no star to really focus attention on is not a smart thing

Well, D’Antoni was both coach and GM in Phoenix for a good part of his time there. He never tried to get a true center, which is why he never had one.

He played Kurt Thomas when he had him.

Also, I dont think its as easy to acquire a Center as you are intimating.

Well We Need A Center And Its Obvious Donnie wants one so but we don’t have one so does that mean Donnie doesn’t want one?
Getting A True Center is easier said then done.

and to be honest, Kurt Thomas started out as a PF. True Centers do not grow on trees.

I don’t consider Kurt Thomas a true center. Look I’m just say don’t draft Brian Zoubek or Jerome Jordan, if they are going to ride the pine. If D’Antoni wants a Brackins or Varando to play the post, draft them.

We don’t need a GM trying to go one way and a coach the other.

This is what I’m talking about… let’s talk BIG. The Big Boys are going to get us a step closer to a championship. Shot blocking is a must. If we do get Bosh, He does not want to play the 5. At the 5 we need what no coach can teach, and that is length. Low post D is what the coaches can concentrate on teaching these young animals. I don’t see any western Conf. team beating LA in the next 2 years so we have to match up against those 2 beast in Bynum and Gasol. These rookies wont be ready this year but it’s a start in the right direction. Walsh should be looking for the next Davis Brothers like he had in indiana.

Good post, Tommy
I’m glad to see you thinking BIG

Thomas could hit a 15 footer which is the only reason he played him

+1

ds2488 you know he was only towing the company line, we have seen him sit big after big no matter how bad size was needed in the post.

knicks613 not sure how long you have been reading the block but I have been a fan of a legit power post player who can force the issue post guys up and be a problem. MD is the issue he is the 1 trick pony who puts his ego ahead of the teams best interest who has no clue how to make the most of talents and skill sets. The guy wants 5 shooting guards on the damn court. But i say draft him because MD wont be here much longer.

This is why i have faith in Donnie Walsh… if we have 3 draft picks LeBron or not we all of a sudden become one of the youngest teams in the league between Gallo Chandler Douglas Walker and the 3 picks… my one question is that the cap hold for mid 20s picks is around 950k and the minimum is around 450k? So if we have around 1.2M available AFTER two max contracts can we technically afford 2 mid 20s picks since the +500K for each pick from the original minimum cap hold would only equal 1M? .. 2 late first and 2 early seconds would be nice to acquire on draft night

If Jordan Crawford falls to 38 and we dont take him I will freak out!

Take Crawford at 38 and one of Craig Brackins, Jarvis Varnado, Jerome Jordan or Brian Zoubek at 39.

Interesting that he would think about taking two bigs with our picks. Makes you think that he will buy a late #1 if the right guard is still around.

If Brackins if there for us, you snatch him up, but he will be picked up before we draft.

You wonder how Walsh felt about the first two guys we worked out- Foote and Gallon.

Gallon is the wildcard pick, IMO- maybe Walsh/MDA see him as an overweight Amare, who can be a steal if he drops the weight. They guy can shoot and has skills, but you have to be worried about a 19 yr old kid who comes in at 300+. Some of his combine 3′s were also subpar. I do like the idea that he a realtive- Jefferson- who plays at the pro-level, though.

I think Foote is an ideal player for MDA. Has some offensive skills, and from what I have seen, he has a good understanding of the how to play D. You also figure that he is smart enough to learn any system. You might be able to sign him without drafting him though.

Not a Varnado fan- he will have his moments, but he has always seemed stiff to me. Zoubek has to show some offensive ability before I would look at him. Maybe he surprised Walsh at his workout., but am not a fan of his.

Have we even worked Solomon Alabi out? Are we going to? I like the fact that his foul shooting has steadily improved, and he seems to have a midrange shot, although his post game is supposedly not so great.

Bring in Alabi, and bring back Foote, Zoubek, Gallon and Brackins, and let them all bang together, and choose your big men from what you see there.

Yes we absolutely need a big in the middle but we have to get a guard out of this draft. Randle/Torrance/Crawford/Warren/Johnson/Jones/Stephenson, I will take anyone of those guys, because we need a PG and a SG (Chandler isn’t a SG neither is Gallo). I favor grabbing a PG defiintely but if we can get a legit scorer I will take that if it’s there

Now if you can please find more players in the US or overseas that has more bulk. These guys all resemble a young Marcus Camby. We need more muscle to defend and rebound in the box.

Yeah, you could be right Blackwood. But I don’t really think sitting Darko is a good example of that. Its easy to say he should of played him more which I agree with, but there is hardly any evidence that he would be a gamechanger and by all accounts he was lazy and didn’t really work hard in practice anyway.

Agreed. Would like to see us purchase a pick, and draft 1 each of pg, sg, and center. Maybe even another pick and pick up another center. We need some size and people who can maybe not get completely dominated by the Boston and Orlando frontcourts.

First thank you walsh for finally understanding what we need a Shot blocking Center and a Point Guard. Now lets hope you actually choose player that fit that discription. Repeatedly Seeing the likes of Criag Brackin’s, Larry Sanders, and Jarvis Varnado on this blog lead me to by concerned that if Walsh is thinking like the blogger on this site this will be another well intentioned draft with little to show for it. I will say this yet again CRAIG BRACKINS is too small to play Center and not a shot blocker. He is also WEAK. The dude benched 6 TIMES what do they bench in the NBA Combine like 1 85 pounds. And guess what talk about weak JARVIS VARNADO benched 185 3 TIMES!! the dude is 6″9 and 210 pound he has no position in the NBA. Actually none of these players do because they are too weak or too short. You either got to be weak but really tall or strong but a little short. You cant be weak and short!! I mean wow 185 pounds 3 times!! that outragous for a big man in the NBA. I bench 225 at 15 times and i don’t even lift wieghts that often anymore. Damn stop with these weak big men.
Second, The knicks proved that they have very little patience to watch a bitg man develope. D’Antoni proved that with Hill by simply not playing him even when the team sucked. So choosing rookie big man like Solomon Alabi a raw player could be a doom. This is why walsh should be creative. Here is what I would do and what walsh should consider. I would buy a first rounder in the low 20′s and hope that Bledsoe is there for the stealing if not I take the third best point guard on the board. I then I try to swing a trade using my two second selections and Chandler to trade with either Minny or Sacremento for a big man. Before I get into who they should trade Chandler and two second round selections for I chose these two team for a reason. If you look at DraftExpress Mock or any of the other top mock draft sites they all pretty much agree that either Minny or Sac will take Cousins or Favors who ever gets past the NEts. Now Cousins and Favors are the two top Big men in the draft. Now why would Sacremento or Minny select a big man since they have plenty. Well who cares because if they do they might be will to trade one that they have already. Sacramento already has Spencer Hawes (7″0), Carl Landry (6″9), and Jason Thompson (6″11). Minny already has Al Jefferson (6’10), Kevin Love (6″10), and Ryan Hollins (7″0)
The best scenerio would be sacremento choosing Cousins and being willing to part with Jason Thompson a young proven center. another scenerio is if Minny draft Cousins would they then want to rid themselves of Jefferson. Now jefferson gets paid 12 mil over 4 years. Given his skill set and what he brings to the table I might consider trading for Jefferson and his contract rather than giving a max contract to a player like Bosh or Johnson.

Al Jefferson does not get much play because he plays in Minny but he is just as skilled as Bosh and cheaper for less years. Bring in Al Jefferson would also allow us to offer contracts to other star players like Gay.

I’m not sure we have enough to offer for a player like Jefferson or other young players, like Jason Thompson. We are out of draft picks until 2014 to trade and only have a bare bones roster.

I’d love to have Jefferson, but Minne traded Garnett for him. They would need to get something substantial back.

Being a GM in this league has GOTTA be tough. I played in a fairly competetive fantasy basketball league and my Feb phone bill was super high because of how much I was on the phone/texting trying to broker deals. I could only imagine how real life is.

Jayman, I think you should slow up with your analysis and look at what we NEED and what would be a good fit for us.

We’re all on here saying that Lebron playing with Bosh and Gallo in NY would be better than playing with Rose and Noah in Chi because of how our side would compliment his game more than the Chi side.

We need to think about this analysis when it comes to how we draft as well. When it comes to bigs, we need a shot blocker or defensive presence more than anything else. Honestly, I don’t think the player NEEDS to be super strong as long as they can block shots. They tried to say marcus camby was too frail, but he ended up being pretty efficient at his unique skill set. He’s listed at 235 now, and I’m sure that was more like 215 when he was drafted. I have issues with Varnardo being only 6’9″ but he IS the NCAA’s all time leading shot blocker. I think that fact alone should give him a lil credit.

PLUS, benching doesn’t equate actual strength in game situations. On my HS football Offensive Line, I was the weakest in bench BY FAR, but more of sports like football, baseball, basketball is in your hips/legs than your upper body anyway.

I like Varnardo for a 2nd round pick if he can come in a block 2 shots per game right away. The only issue is he apparently doesn’t have an offensive game so the pick and roll might not work with him, but if we have another big man who can hit the mid-range jumper, none of that matters.

Even though Minny doesnt want him anymore?

Good point however, point about Minny we might not have enough for Jefferson he is that good. but if they chose Cousins it would be a sure sign that they are looking to move one of their top big men in Love or al Jefferson. However, two seconds and chandler for Jason thompson seems like a fair swap for both teams based of need and talent potential.

“these young animals.”

*people’s eyebrow*

What more has Thompson proven than Chandler that we would have to include both picks with him? Don’t get me wrong I like Thompson a lot, I just don’t think we need to give up both picks along with Chandler. Chandler and 1 pick for just Thompson would be fine I think, especially if they take a big man.

i miss kurt.

werd up.

i’m surprised i haven’t heard anyone talk about derrick caracter on here, hes big and can shoot and is projected late second round. i knows hes a project and has had some issues but if we got another late second pick…

Walsh comes from the East and knows how important defense, rebounding and shot-blocking is. If it was up to D’Antoni, he’d have 5 undersized players out there every night stubbornly sticking to his SSOL antiquated bullcrap.

If the Knicks buys a late 1st pick they should either get Eric Bledsoe (explosive like Rodrigue Beaubois from Dallas) or Solomon Alabi.

Then for the 38th and 39th picks, Jerome Jordan, Jarvis Varnado, Mikhail Torrance (only if we draft a big men in the 1st rd) or Craig Brackins.

I wish it goes like this:
26th ( bought from OKC) – Solomon Alabi.
38th – Craig Brackins.
39th – Mikhail Torrance

i wouldnt be surprised if the three u have listed there all go in the first round, torrance has been in mocks as high as 18

blackwood,
i’m reading all the time. just like spring training is baseball’s hope spring’s eternal, this is our hope time. i’m hoping md is learning……………..i’m with you on a legit pf, and maybe armon j can fall our way too. but look at my post higher up on this article, as i want to keep sergio too (i don’t think it’s a lock that he’s gone to europe). we still have to get lucky on july 1……………………..

“D’antoni never had a decent center in PHX.”

You honestly think he would have given Robin Lopez playing time if he were still there?

Smart money says Channing would be starting at the 5 or Dudley at the 4 with Stoudemire at the 5.

You’ll probably have to use that 26th for Torrance if you want him, because he is not lasting until 39.

i say dexter p at 39.
i know the stamina issue but he has the nba skills and is a great rebounder.
take the best available pg at 38.
or trade 38 plus $ for a higher best pg (johnson or torrance).

First, I said that its ok to be weak but at least be tall. Dont be weak and short. Camby is 7 feet tall with an absurd wing span. And Camby did have problems for many years before he got stronger. People were calling him a bust in begining of his career. The knicks have already proven that they don’t have the patience and neither do knicks fans for a big man to get stronger over 4 years. And your right to a certain extent that bench does not tell the whole story but it definitly says a lot about a persons wieght training. Bench pressing is pretty standard wieght training. Its not like you look at Varnado and you can say hey his upper body sucks but his lower body is ripped fron squats. This kid is skinny all over and you know it lol. Can he block shots yes sure on the weak side but can he be more than a bench player. A shot blocking Center needs to be able to deter shots not just on the weakside but in the low post as well.

I figured both picks because the whole league knows we a need a Center in a big way. we might have to give upo a second pick to get it done.

character was a big time college bust
hes basically an undersized power forward

i guess well never know. c’est la vie.

i don’t think 6-9 280 is undersized for pf, that makes no sense to me

I haven’t closely followed College Basketball in years so I have only seen a little of the bigger names/games. Not really familiar with the guys the Knicks will have to choose from this year, so I’m finding it hard to get excited about the draft this year.

Lopez can actually stretch the floor a bit and hit 15 footers from what I’ve seen. So he might have played him.

Not that this makes it a reality but I just thought it is worth mentioning but on Chad Ford’s chat today he was asked where he thinks all the big free agents sign:

Chad Ford, ESPN.com:
For some strange reason that question was cut off. Here was the full post that somehow got truncated on the chat:

LBJ – Bulls
Wade – Knicks
Bosh – Knicks
Amare – Heat
Boozer – Nets
Johnson – Heat
Gay – Wizards
Lee – Raptors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJg7Is5A6Rk

Tommy, just wondering where it says Knicks impressed by Zoubek in that article, since it is the title of this post. I can’t find it anywhere in that article.

Anyway, while I find Zoubek to be completely uncoordinated and 90% chance that he’s never more than a scrub, I would be fine if we picked him because of his sheer amount of size. I have a feeling he’s a facial waiting to happen though, which don’t get me wrong is almost a good thing because it means he’s contesting shots.

Anyway, would love to move up to get Alabi even though he’s extremely raw. Maybe we can just wait for the guy from Rutgers N’diaye, I don’t know when he’s expected to go. I would absolutely love for us to buy a pick and maybe go Vazquez/Randle, Alabi/Zoubek, and Varnado/Brackins. Those are probably my 6 favorite guys, although I also like Dominique Jones from Central Florida.

good chance ndiaye goes undrafted, he’d be a great pickup if he doesn’t get drafted imo

i also think jon scheyer and andy rautins could be good pickups if they go undrafted (probably will too)

jon scheyer just needs more muscle 6-6 and 180, thats wacky

I wouldn’t really call SSOL “antiquated” as it isn’t an old school gameplan at all, it’s a fairly new strategy.

I believe I read somewhere that Varnado gets his blocks guarding his opponent even better than weakside. not sure where tho…

as for body, he’s not camby cause he’s not as tall.. (he does have a 7’3.5″ wingspan tho)….. but i’m still intrigued by the fact that he’s blocked the most shots in the NCAA.

It’s a second round pick.. not a lottery.. i just think we need to look at the best shot blockers avail.. which varnado looks to be.

some more interesting news on whos doing well/bad in draft workouts

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?STORY_ID=16444

so Ford has everyone on the move? No chance.

I like those guys too. Not sure they are NBA caliber talents though. Maybe Rautins? Throw the Syracuse kid a bone.

I’m thinking switch Wade with Johnson and put Gay on the Clippers. I think that’s a more realistic scenario.

Yeah I don’t buy it either, especially Wade coming to the Knicks and Johnson then going to the Heat

probably not the most politically correct way for DatNewYorker to put it, but i think by ‘these young animals’ he was referring to a more defensive minded, rugged, rough front court…

i hope.

yea he basically said that if Miami can’t get Lebron or Bosh, then Wade would look at Bulls/Knicks. Hope he’s right, but I bet he’s not

no reason to waste a draft pick on Rautins. he probably won’t get drafted, and we can give him a look as a FA

yea he was the man at cuse
scheyer needs some protein shakes and a year in the d-league, hes got skills though
rautins to me is a poor mans reddick i think in a year or two he could be a solid rotation player

I hope Zoubek really wowed at the workout because otherwise he’s a reach, even for the 39th pick.

Jerome Randell!!!! I’m telling you guys if we don’t get him we will be sorry… AGAIN!!!!

Sorry if you guys took the “young animals” wrong but I was trying to emphasis the monster I’m looking for to protect the paint from the easy lay ups that we gave up this year.

I truly hope there’s a way to move up and take Alabi, I watched him play a couple times last yr, and he’s verrrry verry agile for his size…and he did a lot of pick and roll at FSU, and can shoot a bit from 10-15ft, i believe he was almost 80% from the free throw line as well…

that would be a PERFECT compliment to Bosh or even Lee, and of course Barron….

than we need to look at getting a new big man coach…AND NOT PAT EWING..to me he hasn’t done ANYTHING to improve Dwight Howards game, and Yao learned all his post moves from working w/ Hakeem, NOT ewing…

can we bring in Hakeem or Kareem….

jerome randle = dj augustine…

yea, Johnson and Bosh is passable. But I think Bosh will go wherever Lebron or Wade is.

ummmm yea Mike D’Antoni was nevvvvver a gm in the nba…the Colangelo’s were always the president and the Gm there before the son wnt to toronto and the father retired(stepped down)….

Rautins, Scheyer, Ndiaye, Lin, Harangody, Bjelica, Bouldin and Reynolds should all get looks if they go undrafted. The Knicks can afford to leave any stone unturned this summer.

can’t*

+1….def woulda played Lopez cause he can hit a 10-15footer…

Does anyone know how many late first rounders we can buy without it affecting max FA money?

lb2nyplz,
thanks for the link. i hadn’t seen that one.
that’s a nice story and shows he has character!!
that’s worth something (a lot i think).
you think he’s tough enough for the nba?
he has made good progress in 4 years.
but not great progress at texas.
i tell you what.
he loses 10% more body fat and i think he can make a difference.
i would take him at 39.

he’s already signed to play with real madrid, i like him to, he even looks a lil like mike d’antoni, lol…..but his QO is like 2-4mill, wayyy to much for him….so let him walk…

agreed. Im not sure if Rautins will get drafted or not, but I think poor man’s JJ Redick with some pg skills is a good comparison. Knicksblogger was raving about his defense too, that doesn’t seem to make much sense but maybe he’s improved a little.

Love was jus at the finals w/ kurt rambis soo i think Jefferson is the odd man out…..Love is a better rebounder and passer than Jefferson is, and he can hit a jump shot….

Brackins & Alabi wuld be perfect

2 well-need bigman that slide down to us

Summer League Squad:

PG: T. Douglas
SG: B. Walker
SF: Whoever
PF: Craig Brackins
C: Soloman Alabi

that way we have a solid youth core going into next season regardless of what happens on July 8th

TOOOOOO many character issues w/ him, he couldn’t hack it under Pitino, i’m good on him…..poor man’s craig smith…

exactly…another undersized guard with some offensive skill, but not enough defensive skill to remotely compete in the NBA

yea ndiaye has a 7’6 wingspan,lol, tied w/ pittman for the 2nd longest and only behind whiteside at 7’7…def can be like a mutombo…..

+1

I agree with that, you could switch Bosh and Amare.

Unless Lebron/Wade is involved, the Knicks signing Johnson or Amare for anything over 13 million is a fail in my book. I’d rather use our cap space take on a bad contract or 2 in order to stock pile some first round picks. Maybe try to lock up Rudy Gay. Outside Lebron, Wade, Bosh, he’s the only big (r)FA who is remotely intriguing because he’s still pretty young.

lol I’d take DJ Augustine at #39 10 times out of 10.

along w/ Alabi, i hope that Warren or Bledsoe falls to us in the second….and then take Crawford or Stephensen…

centers:
Alabi
Zoubek
Ndaiye

pfs:
Brackins
Sanders
Vernado

sg:
James Anderson
Jordan Crawford
Lance Stephensen

pg:
Bledsoe
Warren
Vazquez

IS MY WISH LIST, LOVE TO HAVE ATLEAST 3 OF THESE GUYS AFTER DRAFT NIGHT…..and bring in Reynolds and Rautins in for summer league cause i dnt think either will get drafted.

I just really hope that, whatever happens in the draft, Walsh walks away with weaknesses covered (SG, PG and big men). Thing is, we are talking about 2nd round picks.
I know we’ve seen our fair share of great players walk right out of the 2nd round, but it does seem to me that a lot of many people here are getting way too excited about 2nd rounders.
I’m not trying to disrespect your opinions or that these or imply that these players aren’t good enough, I’m just saying that they’ll be drafted because of the plans for july 1st, hence the reasons why Walsh isn’t trying to get picks higher than the 20-25th.
In the case that goes south, those picks are probablty going to get a lot of minutes (although you never know with our so called coach), and I’m not sure that they’re full time NBA ready.
That’s something that really worries me, because I’ve really been a “build-through-draft-picks” type of guy.

u sure you guys want the next anthony roberson???? ahaha

I really don’t understand everyone’s infatuation with centers when there aren’t any great ones not even in the lottery. In my opinion even Cole Alrich and Greg Monroe(imma huge Hoyas fan) are overrated. There are a number of players who are 1st round talent who will fall to picks 38 and 39. Darington Hobson is a scoring machine and can play and defend the 1-3, I still can’t believe Sheron Collins might fall to us, he is an awesome pg who thrives in transition and has a good jumper. I really like Craig Brackins but the word is out on him and doubt he will fall. Jordan Crawford might have more talent than anyone in this draft. Lets not forget about Lance Stephenson whose game is made for the NBA and he has great height at 6’6 and strength but I think we’ll make the same mistake we did with Jennings and past on him if he is available.

My point is these players are so much better than Alabi, Zoubek, and Jerome Jordan. I understand we need a center and would like one more than anyone but those available aren’t good enough to past on far more superior players who play g/sf/pf. If we really go big why not go for Collins out of miami or Trevor Booker who although are undersized are both freak athletes, love to play in the post, are stronger or as strong as any other players in the draft and both especially Booker love to play defense and have that mean streak we’ve been missing ala Mason and Oakley. As for trading up who are we trading up for and why when 1st round talent will drop to us as 38 and 39. We went big last year and we all know how that turned out and to be honest Jordan Hill in my opinion looked better in workouts than Zoubek, Foote, Alabi, Jordan. Why get a big just to get one and past on a possible steal who can impact the team from day one.

whats your point ?
did someone say D’antoni wasnt the acting gm ?

its Creepy to refer to those young men as animals.If you think about it too much thats prolly just what the NBA coaches,mgmt,and commish think.If you look at it,every june,they parade these guys up n down court with all the coaches watchin like it were a cattle auction.its sad for those who dont get picked,but if i could get jus one chance to play im the NBA,…id go through it

So is he Augustin or Roberson? Make up your mind.

Alabi Is Exactly What we need, Just trade up for him and we would be good. Then we can Package Eddy and Chandler for Tony Parker, Monta Ellis, etc…

so true on the pat ewing point.

i also pray that we get alabi somehow.

Same here. I don’t care if I get used like a Vegas hooker, I’d take the chance and leave it all on that court.

RANDOM QUESTION

who would u rather have ?

lee or love ?

plzzzzz no more lazy mike sweetney’s and heavy currys….I want nothingggg to do w/ any college player with weight issues….

SSOL was the name that it was given a short time ago, with the hole D’antoni/Phoenix/Nash madness, but that style of ball has been used for a hell of a long time.

take your pick, second and 3rd string pgs…lol…i’m good on 5’8 pgs….6’3+ PLEASE!!!!

Love. Love is worth his salary, Lee won’t be if he’s getting a dime over 9million.

Running in transition for early offense mixed with a spread floor (three point shooting) and a heavy dosage of pick and roll in the half court isn’t really reinventing the wheel either.

Our coach is waaaay out there, so I can’t really say if he’d play R. Lopez. I kinda doubt it.
If this season proved something is precisely the huge difference it makes to install pressure D on a fast paced offense.
Alvin Gentry and the Suns proved my way wrong this season and playoffs and also proved what could’ve been D’antoni with a bit more vision and intelligence and both sides of the court. Phoenix gave LA an honest run for their money, with a lesser team (IMO), than Mike D’s Suns.
No shots to any of the D’antoni defenders.

Lopez’s 10-15 footer (which isn’t deep enough to be a _’antoni type anyway) wasn’t very consistent. He could hardly be considered a jump-shooting big man.

Didn’t D’antoni’s Suns also give several teams runs for their moneys ?

Love.

I don’t even think Lee is worth 9 million when you look around at the league’s recently signed contracts the last 2 years.

True that. I’ve never really seen it as an X’s and O’s art.

rookie salary scale rocks, doesnt it ?

ok, how about if they both made an equal amount of money.

Your right he’s would be a second round pick, but I just figure the Knicks need more than shot blocking bench player they need a starting Center.

Yes he did, but his teams were far better.
Like I said, imo, Gentry did more with a lesser team for the simple fact that he applied tough D, that’s all. Who knows what could’ve happened if Joe Johnson was still his SG or if he had Marion in his better years.

Euro teams have the tendency to overpay any player with NBA experience.

You know there’s no starters for D’antoni out of the 2nd round

Obviously not, but he can hit it, and it’s something D’Antoni would probably have him work on.

I really don’t see it happening. Wade hasn’t even hinted NY. Not even joked about it, at least James and Bosh have laughed about NY.

There are a lot of small PG’s getting it done. Some are future HOFers

We’re talking about a 39th pick here. He can shoot the lights out, he can run an offense, he can play on or off the ball. I’m not gonna take him over say Mikhail Torrence or Willie Warren, but If his size is the only thing holding him back then he’s worth a look.

“Well, D’Antoni was both coach and GM in Phoenix for a good part of his time there. He never tried to get a true center, which is why he never had one.”-Comment by JeffM729
2010-06-10 11:39:36

thats my point D’Antoni never had GM power and never made any trades…period.

I’d probably have to say Lee…I like Love’s game, and he has deeper range than Lee, but Love is even less athletic than Lee is, and i have a feeling he might start having weight issues in the near future…..also Lee is a better passer and finisher on the break…..Love has the best outlet pass tho…but not much of a runner at his size.

True I def hear what your saying, def worth a look…just wouldnt take him over the guys you mentioned and throw in Bledsoe and Crawford.

Normally I’d agree but I think this summer is an exception and the reason why some teams haven’t spent so liberally as of late.

There are a lot of teams with cap and only so many FA’s. Sadly I think Lee will get his 12 million (or more) somewhere. I hope it’s not the Knicks.

Kevin Love every time. He’s got youth and 3 point range.

Plus he doesn’t have any D’s in his name. HaS has the work done for him.

“Sadly I think Lee will get his 12 million (or more) somewhere. I hope it’s not the Knicks.”

If it is we can all look forward to a few more years of losing basketball.

“Its easy to say he should of played him more which I agree with, but there is hardly any evidence that he would be a gamechanger…”

We had plenty of evidence (a whole season’s worth) that _avi_ wasn’t a game changer. A Lee Darko frontcourt was worth a legitimate shot.

If Al Jefferson is available, someone will offer more than the Knicks can muster up. Say the Nets offer Terrance Williams and their 1st round pick next year, they get a needed wing and a good draft pick.

Jefferson will bring back a something worthwhile. Several teams are either looking for or losing a PF with Bosh, Lee, Amare, and Boozer on the marketplace. He won’t be given away.

Of course them Minnesota may pick Wesley Johnson and keep Jefferson, if they think Cousins is a head case. He’s one of those likely to fall players.

Character and Varnado are both 6′ 8 1/4″ without shoes. Character weighs 280 and more Big Baby-like.

I’m hyping Art Parakhouski for pick number 39. The guys is a legit center, strong, solid, and a decent shooter. He is 268 with 6% body fat. He can bang with Perkins, and Howard live to talk about it.

He is flying under the Knicks radar, but many mocks have him early 2nd round. One with him going to the Psitons at pick 37.

Saw him shooting at the draft camp and he looks promising. Had a decent shot at 15 feet. He went double double against Duke and Kansas.

Darko has more range on his jumpshot than Lopez right now and he didn’t play him, but he’s going to play an offensively raw big man in his 2nd year?

No chance.

Phoenix Suns promote Mike D’Antoni to GM

Phoenix Suns Chairman Jerry Colangelo and Managing Partner Robert Sarver have announced that Head Coach Mike D’Antoni will also assume the role of Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the team

http://www.insidehoops.com/dantoni-promoted-031106.shtml#ixzz0qUo02TeT

i didnt think so, i was just trying to clear it up for our buddy HaS.

Could you break down why your high on Jordan Crawford I would like to maybe see what it is other are seeing there that im not.

I have always wanted Jason Thompson! Some thought I was crazy.

The second best pg in the draft is Jerome Randle! People are over doing the height issue! The same damn thing was said about Collison and look at us now, we are ready to trade assets and take on a bad contract for a guy we could of drafted and did not due to the nonsense size issue. It is ability that we need at PG not just height, and there is not a PG with a combination of all the required skill sets other then Wall that can match Randle.

Your out of your mind!! I dont know what you have been looking at but but your buggin!! I guess you think we should resign Doo doo as a pg right? lol or maybe another combo guard who cant make the right pass!! your one of those TD is the future guys i bet lol.