When: 7:30 pm

Starting Lineups:

New York (29-26)

PG- Chauncey Billups

SG- Landry Fields

SF- Carmelo Anthony

PF- Amar’e Stoudemire

C- Ronny Turiaf

Cavso (10-47)

PG- Davis?

SG-Parker

SF- Eyenga

PF- Jamison

C- Hickson

Not trying to be too overconfident (or a jinx), but for the first time in a long time I have zero doubt the Knicks win this game. Is that weird?

During the conversation, I broached the notion that Donnie Walsh would not take three players with little or no use to this Knicks team just for the sake of dealing Jeffries.  Rather I presumed that Walsh will explore deals such as the oft-talked about deal involving Jeffries and Washington’s Mike James because not only would James serve a purpose on this team, but such as deal would preserve roster flexibility.

Training camp has not started yet, so this topic is a bit premature.  However, let’s take a look at what Walsh was faced with last fall.  Curry was out of shape and his season was essentially over before it even started.  The Marbury situation was a fiasco.  Jeffries got hurt early.  Danilo Gallianri was hurting.  Jerome James was hurt and he was a wasted roster spot anyway.  Mardy Collins was a third stringer.  Excuse me if I missed anyone else.

Last season, Walsh was right filling his roster to the max.  There were simply too many holes and question marks.  This season, however, we have to hope that Curry and Gallo will be ready to go for the beginning of the season (After all, Walsh likely passed on Iverson in order to let a player like Gallo grow).  We have to hope that all of the players currently on the roster will be ready to start the season.  Again it is still early.  Wishful thinking I guess.

So I get back to my point.  With Walsh almost definitely looking to deal Curry and Jeffries, would it behoove him to take away any roster flexibility that he has and bring in players with guaranteed contracts that will serve no purpose on this team, ala Anthony Roberson?  In order to make a 2-1 deal, Walsh’s actions last season proved that he is not likely to simply buy out players to facilitate a trade. (** I am not taking into account the Marbury buyout.  That buyout was not the norm for Walsh.)

With rumors that many teams will open up with 12-14 man rosters as opposed to the maximum 15 players due to financial constraints, Walsh might be smart to follow suit, but for a different purpose.  Roster flexibility is a good thing to have, especially when you are looking to be active in the trade market.  The ability to take on more players than you are sending out can be a big factor is some deals.

Perhaps this is part of the reason for the non-guaranteed contracts that Walsh has given to players like Sun Yue, Gabe Pruitt, and Warren Carter.  If they work out, then they can have a spot on the roster.  If not, Walsh has not handicapped himself with dead weight on his roster, much like he did with Roberson last summer.

Just a thought…

You trade two starters to move up to the 5th pick in the draft.

You draft Rubio with the 5th pick, a player who you know is temperamental about where he sees himself playing, along with the notion that he has to earn enough money to buy himself out of his Euro deal.

You get him excited about the prospects of being a lead and starting NBA guard for about, oh, 4 minutes, then pick the next best point guard, immediately infuriating Rubio’s camp instead of filling a need with another position player (Stephen Curry) who can get your fanbase excited for years to come.

Then you tell the media the two point guards can play in the same backcourt together and you expect them to.

Like a new car that is about to be driven home Rubio’s trade value, which was a major reason to draft the kid, isn’t any higher than it is now, yet you don’t pull the trigger on a deal and Rubio stays home to live in his parent’s basement.

Then you sign ANOTHER point guard to compete with Flynn for the next four years?

Wolves fans, you better hope that Mr. Kahn gets proper value when he ultimately trades Rubio.

At the end of the day, if the Wolves were hoping that Kahn would come in and bring solace to a rocky organization, then you can’t be overly comfortable after his first off season.

“…The Knicks clearly expressed a strong interest in Sessions, but they were unwilling to do anything to compromise their chances of signing LeBron James or another elite free agent (Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh) in the summer of 2010. In a two-year contract offer to Sessions, they could only make an 8% decrease in the second year of the deal, leaving them with less flexibility next summer.

The only way the Knicks could have signed Sessions to a one-year deal would be if the Bucks rescinded their qualifying offer. And why would the Bucks want to help an Eastern Conference foe by essentially handing New York the promising point guard?..”

This whole thing is unprecedented as far as I can tell. Last year, as a form of reference, Ben Gordon AGREED to play for the qualifying offer, but my first question is what if he didn’t? Granted, Gordon was a first round pick and that has CBA implications as well, but could he have then become unrestricted and signed with a team at that point? Can the Knicks, then, offer Sessions a one-year raise that won’t cut into the 2010 budget should he reject the qualifying offer October 1st? There’s zero reason to believe that he would want to return to Milwaukee with the current roster then have to go and do this all over again next year. As the JS post states, as a second round pick and lack of service, he won’t be unrestricted next season should he return on the qualifying offer. Wouldn’t this situation bring more suitors, like Miami, into the mix as well?

Obviously, then, the same would hold true for David Lee and Nate Robinson.

It seems like a simple and overlooked point, so as we sift through the CBA for the answer, I just thought I’d throw it out there.

Discuss.

But there are several key factors in play here.

First, David Kahn worked for Donnie Walsh, so you figure some of the patience that fans in NY have become accustomed to has rubbed off on the Wolves GM. He can field plenty of offers while his property is playing overseas. But, can he allow for the bad PR?

Secondly, don’t expect the Knicks to overpay. Walsh likes Toney Douglas and any deal, to me, would have to include Wilson Chandler, who the team is extremely high on. He can be had in the right deal, but the team is in no rush to deal him. Nate Robinson would also be a huge draw in Minnesota, who can leverage his Krypto-Nate image. He’s popular here, but I’d think that the fans in Minnesota would have an exteme soft-spot for the 5’8 underdog.

But it depends on how much Walsh sees the need for Rubio. I’ve recently heard that the team was higher on Stephen Curry than Rubio during the draft, which contradicts a source who told me that Rubio was the target. I believe they would have been happy with both, but judging on how they have chased point guards this summer, you’d have to think they would lean towards Rubio over Curry, as he has more experience at quarterback. Plus, D’Antoni himself admitted that Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Jason Kidd all noted that Rubio was “the real deal” at the Olympic games.

Without question, Rubio would be a fit under the right circumstances, and the two sides have reportedly talked plenty, but it would seem tonight’s rumors are coming more from Rubio’s camp than anything in a last ditch effort to have his client where he should be.

Stay tuned.

Sure, Walsh has to be careful, and we know he’s patient, I just have a feeling that something is brewing.

Why? Well, call it a hunch. Let’s forget about the having to deal a player in order to bring in Ramon Sessions, the fact that the Knicks haven’t pulled the trigger on a one-year back up point guard option like Carlos Arroyo, Jamal Tinsley, Jason Williams or even Allen Iverson (even though we’ve been through that), I just feel a move coming.

Big or small, I don’t know, but it just seems like this team is prepping to light a fire under it’s fanbase as training camp nears and it has options that are being withheld. Remember, most trades happen when the media least expects them.

Sure, Toney Douglas would gain valuable experience if they don’t bring in another point guard, and Jordan Hill would have to get his legs quickly under him should Lee be signed and traded. As long as the deal is right, I’m not opposed to either scenario.

I’m just saying, I feel a move coming…

In the beginning of the summer, the Blazers target was Andre Miller, an upgrade and veteran leader the team desperately lacked at the point guard position. That was  until it appeared that Hedo Turkoglu could be had. My source tells me that the team felt Turkoglu, coming off an impressive playoff, became attractive because of his “perimeter length,” which has become a trend in the NBA these days.

Regarding Lee, the team was and is interested in a sign and trade, but was never interested in an offer sheet because, after Turkoglu headed north to Toronto, the team knew it could get Miller at a reasonable price. In fact, as much as Donnie Walsh is lauded for his patience, the Blazers feel that waiting out Miller was equally savvy business, feel they played their cards right and significantly upgraded at the point.

Which is to say the Blazers were never in a position to offer Lee and if they did, one would really have to wonder if the Knicks would have matched knowing what we know about 2010. 

And yes, Travis Outlaw would certainly be involved in any deal, along with Steve Blake. Like Hahn said, Walsh would be wise to hold out for Rudy Fernandez, who was incensed that the team was courting Turkoglu, but now seems to be okay. Rudy is an absolute fan favorite, and the Blazers are unwilling to move him because of that and especially if they are primed to offer LaMarcus Aldridge a contract extension. But where does Rudy fit? With Miller there now and Brandon Roy there long term, the starting back court seems set. Plus the team has plenty invested in Martell Webster and I’m hearing second-year man Jerryd Bayless “is not available.”

It will be interesting to see what happens as Portland is a fit for a sign and trade, but unless the Blazers are willing to move a 2010 draft pick along with Blake and Outlaw, or include Fernandez, who would thrive under Mike D’Antoni and fit the bill at the two position, a sign and trade involving Lee seems unlikely.

With no apparent sit downs planned, the Knicks may move on as Donnie Walsh isn’t prepared to dig too far deep into the 2010 budget for Sessions. We should have seen this coming, I mean if he’s not doing it for David Lee or Nate Robinson, why would he do it for another player who isn’t a proven winner and who also has limitations?

But my question is why wouldn’t Sessions agree to a significant payraise for this year and less for next? Why wouldn’t he want a guaranteed starting spot with the Knicks, without blocking a path for a major free agent next year? I mean the guy was in the D League two years ago. To be fair, I guess I could say the same for Lee.

Whatever the case for Sessions, it appears clear that there are no trades on the horizon as it was reported that was a roadblock hindering a Sessions addition. Moreover, if Washington does still have a crush on Jared Jeffries, which we’ve heard so much about, without Sessions in the fold wouldn’t it make sense for Walsh to pull the trigger on a Jeffries for Mike James deal?

Maybe that could go down during the year, which is an important point to remember. Walsh did make deals in November last year, completely out of nowhere. So Sessions may be out of the picture for now, but there’s still plenty of time to make changes, the changes fans are craving.

“…However, this is where it gets interesting. Here is a link to Robinson’s verified Twitter account where you can see the post.

But, to follow that up, the Twitter feed of Goodwin Sports, the agency that represents Robinson, had this post a couple hours ago:

“Contrary to the NY Post, Nate Robinson/reps will NOT be meeting with the Knicks. Responsible reporters RESEARCH.”

(UPDATE: You will no longer find this on their Twitter feed. It must have been manually deleted after being up for about three hours.)

In a word, harsh. Obviously there is some kind of disconnect here between Robinson and Goodwin Sports. Nate thinks he has a meeting and the Post confirmed a meeting with someone inside the team. However, Goodwin Sports is adamant such a thing is not going to occur and called out the journalistic integrity of Berman and the Post…”

Perhaps Robinson is meeting by himself without his reps, and it was assumed by the Post the reps would be there since Donnie Walsh is the Knicks general manager, Robinson is a restricted free agent, the Knicks have a $2.9 million qualifying offer out to Robinson, and all sides would really rather see Robinson a Knick in 2009-10, even if it is only for one season. It’s a logical assumption given the situation.

Twitter: No new on the kinks my tweeps but I meet wit mr donnie walsh wed keep ur fingers X !! Hope it goes well..18 hrs ago.

NY Post:

“…Free agent Nate Robinson and Knicks president Donnie Walsh will meet tomorrow to discuss Robinson’s status with the team in the wake of his arrest by the NYPD last week for driving without a valid license.

It is expected one of his agents, either Aaron or Eric Goodwin, will be present and perhaps a resolution can be reached on his status. The Knicks have a one-year qualifying offer on the table for $2.9 million and they can not pull it back. It is believed that Robinson does not have other options…”

I think it’s clear that if Sessions is still on the docket, then Nate is the contract that Walsh is actively trying to move. I’m shocked to see who the takers are.

August 29, 2008- Acquired forward Patrick Ewing Jr. from the Houston Rockets for the draft rights to center Frederic Weis.

July 24, 2008- Signed guard Anthony Roberson.

July 10, 2008- Signed guard Chris Duhon.

June 29, 2007- Acquired forward Zach Randolph and guards Dan Dickau and Freddy Jones from the Portland Trail Blazers for guard Steve Francis and center Channing Frye; acquired the rights to forward Demetris Nichols from Portland for a 2008 second-round pick.

September 11, 2006- Waived guard Ime Udoka.

August 9, 2006- Signed forward Jared Jeffries, who had been with the Washington Wizards.

August 16, 2005- Waived forward Jerome Williams and designated him their amnesty player.

August 3, 2005- Signed center Jerome James, who had been with the Seattle SuperSonics.

June 29, 2005- Acquired swingman Quentin Richardson, the draft rights to guard Nate Robinson and cash considerations from the Phoenix Suns for forward Kurt Thomas and the draft rights to guard Dijon Thompson.

August 19, 2004-Re-signed free agent forward Vin Baker.

Aug 6, 2004- Acquired guard Jamal Crawford and forward Jerome Williams from the Chicago Bulls for forward Othella Harrington, guard Frank Williams and centers Dikembe Mutombo and Cezary Trybanski.

July 24, 2003- Traded guard Latrell Sprewell to Minnesota; Signed center Slavko Vranes, a second-round pick in the 2003 draft.

August 8, 2002- Signed free agent center Michael Doleac, who had been with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

May 14, 2002- Promoted Anucha Browne to senior vice president marketing and business operations.