The following is a guest piece from avid TKB reader and huge Knicks fan, Zachary Story.

Since being left standing at the alter by “He Who Shall Not Be Named” our beloved Knickerbockers have made a series of intriguing moves this summer, one of which was the sign and trade of David Lee to Golden State, that brought Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Randolph, and Kelenna Azubuike to the Big Apple.. Kudos to Donnie Walsh on that one…

Much of what I have been hearing out of the Knicks camp since the deal though, is that Anthony Randolph the prize possession in the deal, who i believe to have the most upside of any player on our team will be coming off the bench as the teams 6th or 7th man, with Ronny Turiaf starting at center and Amare at the 4 or vice versa… Now you might think Im crazy when I say this.. but I truly believe that for the Knicks to try and make that jump into the East’s elite they must utilize Randolph as a starter with Amar’e at center… Here are some reasons

1) I think that if Randolph comes off the bench, he could easily get lost in Dantoni’s infamous “Rotation”, which i think as Knicks fans (and Larry Hughes) know is not a good thing..

2) I think Randolph’s run and gun style of play, will definitely benefit Dantoni’s uptempo offense rather than a less mobile Turiaf out there..

3) Confidence… This guy rides off confidence ever since he was at LSU, and to be out there having your named called in the starting lineup, in the world best city, with the worlds best fans, would be a great start

4) He would also take some pressure off of Amar’e, with another threat down low in the post, and i think the fact that he can run the floor will benefit Felton and continue to aid Tony Douglas, in the hopes of one day being a starting point guard in this league..

5) I’m not a huge supporter of this reason but…. Randolph could definitely boost his trade value in which he could possibly become the center piece of a deal for Carmelo, which I believe the Knicks are now no longer the front runner or the second option of the Nuggets.

This is a very opinionated post, and of course i know there are just as many reasons as to why this guy should probably come off the bench.. But i truly believe in my heart that he should be on the floor during tip off against the Raptors for the season opener… Now let the debating begin…

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Via ZagsBlog:

“I still think the curiosity factor and him coming to New York and being a part of the Knicks, I think that…people would’ve just been drawn to watch to see if he could do it.”

Asked if he thinks LeBron seriously considered joining the Knicks, Thomas, who was part of the Knicks’ recruiting team for King James, said, “Yeah, I think so.”

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Via NY Times:

Mozgov, 24, is an athletic 7-foot-1 late bloomer whose performance for Russia during pool play at the world championships has been one of the surprises of the tournament. Coming off the bench behind the former Kansas star Sasha Kaun, Mozgov scored 18 points in Russia’s victory over Greece on Thursday, has averaged 11.8 points over all and has helped lead a Russian team without any N.B.A. players to a 4-1 record.

“I think it’s going to be easier for him in the N.B.A. than in Europe,” Blatt said. “He’s not going to have to be a lead player, and they’ll probably put him in a small area of the game where he has to pick and cut or run the break hard, which he does extremely well.

I know some think that the Mozgov coverage in the media has been slightly excessive, but his contributions this season can really play a huge role in how well the Knicks do. Think about it: If Mozgov can play a Robin Lopez role, rebound, defend, and finish, that allows Amar’e to play his natural position and provides the Knicks with a five who can guard other fives, because Anthony Randolph can’t. Of course Turiaf can do the same thing; it’s all about depth.

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If you have any more questions for Larry, hit him on his twitter account.

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Via the legend of Pav

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Via NY Post

But the Nets have enough pieces, including 10 draft picks over three years and young players, to devise a trade for Anthony.

In recent years, that has been the way teams have gone if dealing franchise players — seeking picks and cap relief over star power-for-star power deals. Whatever the price, it appears Brook Lopez would not be allowed to enter the equation and is the Nets’ lone untouchable.

Should Denver gamble and keep Anthony, the Nets would be in position next summer with roughly $20 million in cap space to make a free-agency pitch.

Interesting.

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Via RealGM

Alan Hahn of Newsday writes that, “So several NBA insiders have suggested to me that Portland will exhaust all other options before they’d even consider doing Rudy a favor and sending him exactly where he wants to go, especially if the Knicks aren’t offering anything they really want. And what they want is a first round pick.”

The Blazers’ asking price has always been too high for the Bulls and the Knicks, higher than just a first round pick, which the Knicks don’t have to shop. Apparently, the Knicks turned down sending Anthony Randolph in the deal.

Via Daily News

According to a team source, Knicks president Donnie Walsh recently rejected a three-team deal that would have sent Anthony Randolph to Indiana, a first-round pick to Portland and Fernandez to New York.

Because the Trail Blazers are insisting on receiving a first-round pick in return for Fernandez, the Knicks likely need to recruit a third team in order to complete a deal. The Blazers apparently have little interest in Wilson Chandler. Fernandez, who is currently playing for Spain at the world championships in Turkey, was fined by the NBA for publicly asking for a trade.

Randolph for Fernandez would not have been a good trade.

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Via ESPN

The Nuggets and new vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, just introduced Tuesday to the local media, are not close to announcing a Carmelo Anthony trade.

Sorry to disappoint again: Anthony isn’t even on the market.

Not yet, anyway…The Nuggets can do nothing to prevent the future of Anthony – along with Chris Paul and Deron Williams (“I have a feeling he’s next for all these trade stories,” one Western Conference team official said of D-Will) – from becoming the new season’s sidebar obsession to the actual basketball. But they can tell teams that call about Anthony that they’re not ready to discuss potential Melo trade scenarios.

Let the CP3-D-Will debate begin…

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Via Slam

If your head is spinning, think of it this way. If an NFL team has a free agent whom they don’t feel confident they can re-sign to a long-term deal, they hold the card of applying the franchise tag and either retaining the player’s services for another year — albeit at a high price — or receiving two first rounders, depending on how the scenario develops.

Given the power exerted by NBA players during this summer’s free agency period, and the power plays Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony have attempted on their current teams, the franchise tag would seem to be an appealing option for owners if they want to keep a star player from leaving via free agency. One former general manager agrees.

“The franchise tag would be a huge hit for the owners,” said Steve Kerr, who returned to TNT’s broadcast booth as its lead game analyst after three years as general manager of the Phoenix Suns. “One of the biggest issues they’re trying to accomplish with this next CBA is cutting down the length of guaranteed contracts and getting rid of dead money — when a guy signs a $100 million deal and he gets injured.”

Or basically the Eddy Curry situation…Look, it’s a good idea and we know football is a different animal but most players, particularly stars, hate the franchise tag. It causes great friction. But that’s because NFL players need guaranteed money in lump sums. I believe it could be good for the league, but I don’t know if the players would ever sign for it.

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