I stumbled on this figured I pass it along see what you guys think.

The Grizzlies want Zach Randolph! Reportedly, the Knicks are talking to Memphis about a trade that would land Z-Bo in Elvis land and Darko Milicic being sent to New York in whatever package the teams could agree on. Nothing is imminent. If I’m Donnie Walsh I jump on the chance to dump Z-Bo’s contract and get a player like Milicic who would quickly pick up the European system.

This guy is a big goof but he certainly has potential. He could be the reason the Knicks are able to make this trade with Memphis.

The Knicks added two great basketball minds to the front office.

Mike D’Antoni recognizes he has his work cut out for him with the Knicks.

Legacy. The Knicks pulled the greatest trade of Donnie Walsh’s career off by trading Frederic Weis. What a joke! Who knew we even still had him on the books? Weis was one of the worst picks by the Knicks organization damn near a decade ago. Weis is one of those players who stayed in Europe so the Knicks kept his rights. He’s been there like 9 years and obviously will never be coming to the NBA to play so Donnie Walsh basically found a loop-hole to trade NOTHING for a young, hustling forward who also happens to be a Knick legacy. Ewing didn’t ever do anything great but he’s solid/average at everything. Who knows what he’ll be as an NBA player but he was a very solid defender in college. Ewing could be a developing bench player or not make the final cut but I cant see Walsh trading for Patrick Ewing’s son just for the sake of doing it. Ewing is Renaldo Balkman with a lot more upside so he could be a good pickup that pays off a year or two down the road. If, and that’s an if, if Ewing can give he Knicks at a minimum what Balkman brought to the table you have to think Walsh basically traded Weis for a 2nd round pick and two players later to be cut (see Knicks/Nuggets trade).

Regardless of what happens, you’d have to grade this as an A+ trade for the Knicks because trading nothing for something is a GM’s (Presidents) wet dream. They say you have to learn from the past so you don’t repeat mistakes in the future. The Knicks organization has NEVER BEEN THE SAME since Ewing was traded. Perhaps junior’s arrival will signal a change in fortune for New York Basketball.

Make sure you check out what Alex has to say on the subject.

So David Stern fixes his glasses and takes a walk to the podium and begins to say, “with the 15th pick in the 1999 NBA draft the New York Knicks select….” I started mouthing to myself Ron Artest BUT the unthinkable comes out of Stern’s mouth “Frederick Weis center from France.” Instantly I began yelling out 4 letter words on the top of my lungs.  These 4 letter words began getting louder when I listen to the draft coverage and they are saying that Weis is still under contract in France!!!!! I could not believe what had just happened this was definitely a sick joke by Stern.  This is not real life there is no way in hell.  I mean come on the Knicks were fresh off their improbable Finals run and the gritty defensive minded New Yorker would have been perfect for that squad.

There is just no way they selected a guy who probably will never play for the franchise with the 15th pick overall, right?!?!?! Can you imagine if the Knicks would have drafted Artest? They would have had a team with Ewing, Sprewell, Larry (THE REAL L.J.) Johnson, Houston, and Marcus Camby.  Also I believe Artest would have stayed out of trouble and that his career would have been amazingly different and more positive if he had stayed home.

 Are you still wondering why I am so negative towards my favorite team? There’s a long list of things that have happened over the past ten years since that improbable Finals run that has made the Knicks the joke of professional sports. I know what your thinking the Knicks still won 50 games the next season and 48 the year after that but so what? That mistake was the beginning of the end for the dominant Knick teams.

Donnie Walsh and the Knicks tried to get rid of my nightmares today by trading away the draft rights to Frederick Weis and in return receiving Patrick Ewing Jr. The Rockets must be crazy I mean have they seen this?

Oh yeah and trading Balkman away for a bag of jelly beans was pretty damn stupid.  However, I can not kill this regime this is the only move I have disagreed with so far.  D’Antoni and Mr. Walsh have done an excellent job overall….

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

I Wish I Were……

Imagine one day you wake up and all of a sudden you are 7’1” and listed as 280. You are coming out of high school and have never played organized ball before. You simply just excite people with your size and gifted athletic ability on the playgrounds just messing around with your boys. Then a local school Florida A&M takes notice of you and decides they want you to suit up. Nice a scholarship and you never played high school ball, it’s good to be this big isn’t it?

Then since you are 7’1” and can dribble between your legs as well as block shots, you get drafted in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft. You are now playing for one of the best teams in the league (at the time) the Sacramento Kings sounds great right? However, reality sets in and you realize that they already have Vlade Divac, Chris Webber, Corliss Williamson, and Lawrence Funderburke (and Oliver Miller haha he was on the team but I’m just kidding) so you are not going to be doing much but sit on the bench. Since clapping your hands and being a cheerleader bores you, you decide you don’t care to work out or practice. Heck you are still getting paid right? Then to no ones surprise the Kings cut you, after only playing in a few games (rumor has it you were handed a black garbage bag to clean out your locker, OUCH).

So after collecting a couple of checks from the NBA (not millions but pretty good for the average American) you are in need of a job so you try out for the Harlem Globetrotters. You make it of course after all you have played in the NBA. Why the hell not play for the Globetrotters? You’re 7’1 what else can you do but play basketball. While “playing” for the Globetrotters you are recorded as dunking on an 11′4” basket. This helps you develop enough buzz to sign with a real team in Montenegro. Yeah it’s Montenegro but at least you are playing real organized ball again. You end up playing only 10 games and average 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. This is apparently good enough to land you a try out with the Seattle Supersonics.

So guess what you made the team, and are back playing for a REAL league (no disrespect to anybody who played or plays in Montenegro but Montenegro is Montenegro). Now, you’ve signed a contract and you are back in the NBA and you no longer have to “struggle” financially. So you celebrate a little and start eating a lot and just sit back and enjoy life once again. You are constantly on your brand new leather couch playing video games and watching movies instead of practicing. You end up getting the starting nod but you are quickly tagged as a lazy player who commits too many fouls, you are sent to the bench. Well what did you expect if you don’t work out? As Walt “Clyde” Frazier always says, “When players are tired, they play defense with their hands and not their feet” this obviously leads to frequent foul calls which ultimately reduces your minutes. What’s the big deal anyway if you are sitting on the bench at least you are in the United States and getting great checks, right?

Then after three years in Seattle you earn another rep (on top of lazy and out of shape) the dreaded rep of selfishness. You are constantly called out by then Sonic Coach Nate McMillan for only caring about yourself. Then after a game you are asked the question of what you think about McMillan’s criticism you respond with, “I don’t know what he’s talking about, I just worry about (your name here).” Hmmmmmm.

Now it’s your contract year and your agent advises you that, ‘If you work out, play well and act like you really care some sucker out there will give you a huuuuge deal, I’m talking millions upon millions!!! Come on you’re 7’1”!!! Joel Pryzbilla got $3.35 Million over 2 years and you are ten times more talented then Joel Pryzbilla!!’ (This is not an actual quote).

Then you hit the gym, motivated more then ever by dollar signs. How can anybody blame you considering what you have gone through over the past couple of years? Then you end up playing real well and turn your career around in that one season. To top it off you play amazing in the playoffs better then ever before and it is against your former team the Kings. In game two you go for 19 pts, 9 rbs and a block. In game 3 you go for 22, 9 and a block!!! Then comes game 4 and you rack up 17 pts, 8 rbs and 4 blocks!!! CHA-CHING!!! This helps the Sonics beat your former team the Sacramento Kings 4 games to 1. CHA-CHING!!! So after the clinching victory you grab a garbage bag, wrap it around your neck like a cape and run around mocking the Kings. Who cares if we lost in the second round to the Spurs, life is great and you’re about to get a real deal NBA contract. I’m talking millions upon millions of dollars.

Now who wants to be that “sucker” that buys into a 30 year old having a breakout season?!?!? Hopefully it happens I mean you played amazing in the spotlight why can’t you get a deal? You are definitely deserving of a huge guaranteed contract, right? Then your agent sends you a text message saying, “How does $5.8 million a year for 5 years playing in New York sound?” (This is not an actual quote) You then jump up in the air and yelp out a big “YABA DABA DOOOOO!!!” because you are now financially secure now for the rest of your life with this guaranteed money…..NOW you have truly made it. So you go and sign that contract immediately before Isiah realizes what he is doing. Now it’s time to really drown yourself in the kind of comfortable furniture millionaire’s use. Psh why would I waste my time getting in shape for the Knicks? This team is horrible. Have you caught on? I am talking about Jerome James.

Now I ask you this, do you wish you were Jerome James? I know I sure as hell would love to be him. So now that James is back from whatever “surgery” he had on his “foot” you should have no reason to boo him. After all he is just living a dream and he beat the system. Is it his fault the system is flawed? He treats the NBA like a job not a sport. Why can’t players treat it like that if David Stern, the owners and all of the front office executives treat it that way?

Guaranteed contracts are ruining the NBA and Major League Baseball. Guess what sport doesn’t have guaranteed contracts, the most popular and best run league in American sports……the NFL. So from now on please don’t blame Jerome for going about his business the way he did. You can’t hate on him because he signed a contract that gives him guaranteed millions. Hate on the sucker Isiah Thomas.

James is absolutely the worst free agent signing in NBA history don’t get me wrong there is no doubt about that. But at least he is going to be known for something right. Look at Bill Buckner he has accepted being known for having a ball go between his legs and he embraces interviews now instead of running from them. Jerome has a legacy whether you like it or not. I’m sure he doesn’t care what he is known for or what his critics say. If I were Jerome James my life motto would be (taken from the late rapper Stack Bundles) “Haters call me a lot of names but never call me broke.”

On that show there was further speculation that Stephon Marbury will stick around and attempt to re-build his stock for a mid-season trade to a team looking for that one veteran to put them over the top. I guess that could work since we shouldn’t expect to start winning any games till next season at the soonest but I think we should part ways with Starbury as soon as possible. I dont care if he goes elsewhere and thrives. I think getting rid of him is addition by subtraction. What do you guys think?

Besides that the only simi-Knick news I have comes from a concert. I recently went to the Rock The Bells concert at the Jones Beach Theatre. It was a bonkers show with guest that just stopped by to hang out being even bigger names than the ones on the bill. The play bill was a NY who’s-who of NY Rappers (at least ones who get along-no 50 Cent or D-Block for instance). Acts like DJ Scratch, Immortal Technique, Dead Prez, Murs, Supernatural, B-Real, Pharcyde, Raekwon & Ghostface, Method Man & Redman, De La Soul, Nas, Mos Def and A Tribe Called Quest were all scheduled to be there and they all had great sets. They brought out guests like DJ Cool Kid, Slick Rick, Biz Markie, Busta Rhymes, Spliff Star, Capadona, Talib Kweli, Black Sheep, Jay-Z and others. It was quite a show. I bring all of that up for one reason and one reason only. There are three members of the headliner, A Tribe Called Quest. The most famous is Q-Tip but the other two are Phife Dawg (a very under rated lyricist) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Phife Dawg was wearing a blue Jamal Crawford jersey. Thats right, thats now sad the news is right now. The only thing I got for you is a rapper wearing a Knicks jersey. Sorry to disappoint.

On that note I open this comment section up to an open discussion. Who do you think will be on the roster? Who do you think will be traded? What will happen with Randolph, Curry, Marbury? Do you think Donnie Walsh will make a run at Jamal Tinsley since he’s available? I thought maybe they’d be down for swapping him straight up for Jared Jeffries….thoughts? What will the Knicks do if projected 2010 free agents re-sign with their current teams? Talk it up people! Lets see what you’ve got.

The ironic part of this deal is that Balkman was selected with the 20th pick two years ago by Isiah Thomas who claimed he had to reach to get Balkman because Phoenix was also hot for him but now that former coach of the Suns, Mike D’Antoni, is with the Knicks they decide to ship Balkman out of town. D’Antoni must have been as impressed with Balkman in Vegas as I was because Green and Jones are not prized players. It could be questioned if either will make the final roster. I expect Green to definitely make it and basically take Stephon Marbury’s roster spot. Jones will have to work for it because small forward is one of the rosters strong spots.

If this two-for-one deal goes through, it would leave the Knicks with 17 players under contract. Green and Jones have non-guaranteed contracts making them easy to waive if needed. If D’Antoni/Walsh decide neither will help them they basically just found a way to dump Balkman’s contract. If they did decide to cut Green and Jones outright it would save the Knicks Balkman’s $1.32 million against the salary cap and allow them to get to a 15-player roster.

Green, 23, appeared in only 17 games last season with Portland and Denver combined, spending some time in the developmental league. However, he is a ball-moving point guard who could add more competition at the position in training camp if the Knicks can find a roster spot for him.

I like this trade. One, Balkman was very likable but he never seemed to improve. He seems like a player who brings energy and little else. In my eyes he’s more of an athlete than a basketball player. In Green I really think we get a talented young player who can easily make the roster considering our current situation. I think he’s worth a long look because he was an impact player in college (another Florida player) who just needed more time to develop and the Knicks, with its new system, would be a perfect spot for him to show what he’s got. Bobby Ray Jones is a SG/SF who has played for 6 teams in 2 seasons and is little more than roster fodder. I don’t expect anything from him.

ESPN is further speculating that a second-round draft pick in 2010 has also been added to the package of Green and Jones headed to New York. Talk about overpaying for a marginal talent. If this is true this is a phenomenal job by Donnie Walsh. He not only got two more players to take a look at for a while but also saves Balkman’s $1.32 million salary cap hit AND gets a 2010 draft pick! Don’t get it twisted, even though it’s a second-round pick that’s a big deal because Isiah Thomas devastated the Knicks’ drafting system.

At the end of the day, great job by Donnie Walsh. Mike D’Antoni will now have another young guard to match with his style and a future draft pick instead of a body (Balkman). Even if neither Green nor Jones ever make the roster, shedding salary and getting a future draft pick makes this trade a win-win for the New York Knicks.

*Disclaimer*
To all of the loyal and respectful members of the Father Knickerbocker blog please ignore this notice. To those filling our discussion areas with quotes like “this site sucks” and “its been a whole 2 days, where’s the update” or “you guys need to step your game up” this is for you.

You do not have to come here. No one forces you to read our blog and if you’re to continue in your pattern of negativity you will no longer be welcome here. Alex and I do not get paid for this. We don’t have press passes. We don’t intern for the Knicks. We do this because we are fans and want to give and get Knicks information. A blog is an interactive environment. It is not a place you read an article and leave. You start discussions and have civil debates over your thoughts. If a writer doesn’t post in a few days you should bring up a topic in the message area and discuss it with your fellow readers. Badmouthing the writers is not a way to get anything done. My last post was on the 16th. It’s now the 28th, only 12 days later, and some members are screaming bloody murder. Does it matter that I’ve been working 16 hour days since the 17th and getting out of work at 6:30 AM so I basically go home and sleep just to get up and go back to work? Does it matter that we didn’t cover the last couple Vegas games? Here, Summer Basketball is a joke! Game 2 the Knicks looked horrible and after that they looked like chickens with their heads cut off. Chandler, Collins and Roberson all had good summers. Gallo got hurt and sat out. Holland showed some skill but not enough to make the squad. Nate showed up late and looked okay at best. Paul Miller is pure hustle and could sneak in to one of the last roster spots considering our lack of big men. That’s all I got for you. After that there is NOTHING GOING ON UNLESS WE MAKE A TRADE OR RELEASE. So stop complaining or go away. You won’t be missed anyway because readers like that makes blogging a bad experience and Father Knickerbocker should be a positive one. –Matt Agne

Marc Berman of the NY Post disagrees with me though. He described Collins play saying he “looked sweet on the court, pushing the pace, showing the speed and athleticism completely missing from his game last year.” I agree Collins lacked all those things last season but I didn’t think he looked nearly as good as Berman did. He did push the ball but so did anyone who brought the ball up. Chandler, Gallinari, Roberson, Balkman, whoever found the ball in their hand pushed. Maybe I’m being hard on Collins but I wasn’t impressed.

-Holland, who I’m hoping will step up and make the roster, was looking to pass too much which is actually a good thing to complain about. He isn’t showing enough to make the squad with performances like that but it’s early.

-The Knicks need to learn to box out.

-This competition is a joke for Chandler. He’s going to have a great season. I can honestly say I’m very confidant in our 1 through 3 with Duhon, Crawford and Chandler.

-Roberson started at PG and showed a good handle and range on his jumper. He played a few games with the Golden State Warriors but mostly in Israel & Turkey last season. He’s 6-2, 190.

-I can honestly say, with a straight face, that I don’t think it will take long to turn the team around with D’Antoni’s system and young players like Duhon, Crawford, Chandler, Gallinari, Lee, Balkman, etc. I think we’ll be much improved this season from last and will only improve so 2 years is not an unrealistic plan.

-The Knicks played some sets where Gallinari and Balkman were the 4 &5; pick and choose which was which.

-Nate Robinson was at an Alonzo Mourning fundraiser in Orlando so he’ll show up later in the week. Some say he may choose not to play after missing the time.

-Balkman looked kind of goofy to me. I’m a fan of his but he just seemed off to me.

-Robert “Tractor” Traylor hasn’t looked as good as he did today since I saw him at the NIT in MG back in his Michigan days. On a side not, I met him after that NIT championship and he’s one of the biggest men I’ve ever met. I’ve met bigger men before who, on paper ma, make Traylor seem small but that man is huge! He is wide and tall and was a pretty nice guy if anyone is interested. He still look very fat though and just because he can beef his way through the summer league doesn’t mean he’ll work against the real NBA players.

-Q Rich is thin! He’s back down to his Phoenix weight, which should help his back and knees. He’s shaved his head and facial hair only leaving a pinstripe mustache. He said he’s been working out with Curry in Chicago. Hopefully Curry’s lost some weight as well. Then again, maybe lost weight because Curry ate both of their meals.

-Song-Tao looked athletic but 6-10 is too small for a center. He’d have to play forward in the NBA. He ran flat-footed and seemed lost in the offense. His legs seemed short from his knees down. Maybe that isn’t true but that’s how it looked to me. He got rejected with a little over 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter but hustled to get the rebound and made a nice pass to clear the ball our of traffic and set up the offense. He might be able to play but he’ll need lots of development. But again, even though he’d only be a bench player I’d rather have him over Jones off the bench.

-Danilo had a MONSTER dunk with about 50 seconds left in the 3rd quarter. After that he showed a lot more confidence and started showing off offensively.

-Marbury showed up and said he’d be playing next year if it’s in NY or elsewhere so he’s not worried. He said he’d like to end his career in NY but if he doesn’t he said there will be not hard feelings. Walt Frazier reported Steph saw some time at SG in practice. I still think they’re going to buy him out but Steph could be a monster SG off the bench if they so choose. The Knicks can save an estimated $11-13 million by buying him out though so that’s the way I expect them to go with him.

Steph was sporting his new sneaker logo tattooed on his left temple. Listen, I like tattoos and it’s an okay symbol but Bam Bam Bigelo was the only guy I’ve seen with a skull tattoo that I didn’t think was stupid. And God rest his soul, Bam Bam would have looked dumb had he grown old.

-Von Wafer looked bad which should make KNICKS (our reader) happy.

-Roberson was very impressive both with his PG handling skills and his shooting ability. I don’t want to jump to conclusions but the Knicks might have found something there. Roberson clearly outplayed Mardy Collins in my opinion. He is suppose to be a horrible defender so maybe the truth will come out but he might be able to be a backup.

-Overall there was some good and some bad but its nice to get a win for the first game of the D’Antoni/Walsh era, even if it’s a summer game in Vegas. Chandler looks way to good to be playing there. I almost hope they reduce his time to get a look at other players. I noticed Gallinari started playing better once Chandler was out because D-Lo got to touch the ball more and gin confidence and play in rhythm. The Knicks look good running but they need to keep in that mentality. They have a tendency to start playing one-on-one and they will have to stop doing that for this system to work.

-Gallinari looked good and the thought that he’s at the level he is at just 19 makes me happy for the future. He definitely needs to improve on his physicality, defense and rebounding but he’s definitely going to turn some heads with his offense this year.

-Bottom line, it was a good day for the Knicks organization.

-On a side note, the Cavs had a young big man playing named Hickson. He as all over the place and it looks like the Cavs found a new big man. A guy like that would be valuable in the D’Antoni system.

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Rotoworld reports:

Marcus Camby has been traded to the Clippers for a conditional second round draft pick.

The Nuggets shipped him off for the right to switch second-round picks in 2010, or to put it simply: “nothing.” Camby’s contract expires at the same time as Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas, giving the Clippers a ton of cap space during the “Summer of Lebron.” Nene Hilario and Kenyon Martin figure to benefit most from the increased playing time in Denver, while it will be interesting to see how Camby and Chris Kaman co-exist. This also means that a Josh Smith deal is off the table for the Clippers. Jul. 15 - 9:39 pm ET
Source: Rocky Mountain News

This could impact the Knicks because it’s basically the same deal they offered for Randolph and getting rid of his contract would have helped the Knicks a lot. Walsh might have just messed up. Would the Clippers still want Randolph? Would the Knicks do the deal if it meant taking Camby back? What do we do with Randolph if they don’t want him?

It’s hard work being a Knicks fan. You have so much and so little to deal with at the same time its ridiculous. I often feel like I’m playing catch up. Okay, so far this off-season the Knicks have moved in the right direction. They removed Isiah Thomas from view. They replaced him with the new Knick brain trust of president Donnie Walsh of the Pacers and coach Mike D’Antoni of the Suns. So far so good. Walsh is highly respected in basketball circles and D’Antoni has a European-style up-tempo offense that makes the most inept offensive players thrive. At least now if we’re going to lose it wont be because we can’t score.

The first matter of business was the draft. Unfortunately we only got the #6 pick so my wish list of one of OJ Mayo or Jerryd Bayless Russell Westbrook virtually turned into a hope and a prayer. They both went before the 6th pick so instead the Knicks picked the much-rumored Danilo Gallinari from Italy. I was kind of bummed over the pick but at the same time I felt he’d probably be a good player in the long run if Walsh/D’Antoni thought he’d be a solid guy to select as the first pick under their control. I figured, like most European basketball players, he’d be skinny, soft and defensively prone. I was happy to see a young kid who jumped out on film. He was clearly at a higher level than the European league. He’s tall, energetic and surprised me with his handle and explosiveness towards the rim. Usually, those European players fade away and make circus lay-ups but D-Lo, as I’ve named him, dunks on people every chance he gets! I was totally surprised. He seemed to be developing his body still, which is great because he will only get bigger and stronger. Only time will tell if D-Lo will work out but any guy being compared to Detlef Schrempf just makes me gitty because I remember growing up loving Detlef’s game. If he can live up to that label I’ll be thrilled!

Okay, so we got another forward but whose going to run the offense? I didn’t think Stephon Marbury was a PG in a half court system let alone in D’Antoni’s system. Walsh/D’Antoni used their mid-level exception to make an offer to the Bulls’ Chris Duhon. Duhon was nice in college. He ended up just being a backup in the pros with Chicago but he’s got some real skill. He ended up accepting the offer, despite rumors of Orlando’s interest, and now we’ll have a true point guard with a pass-first mentality, who can shoot the three and play defense. God forbid! The only thing I don’t like is at first he was offered a half-exception but Walsh upped it to a full exception. I would have personally waited till he got another offer to up mine but I understand what Walsh was thinking. I don’t mind, even though it doubled his last salary, both Walsh and D’Antoni thought the other options were not in Duhon’s class. Duhon was not only a non-max or high wage player, he’s known as a great team mate, he’s young, he’s great in the community and he’s an upgrade at the PG position in both passing and defense. I think he’s a perfect signing. His offense can only get better in this system.

Now, with no more contract exceptions, the roster needs to be changed via releases, trades and cheap signings to get the kind of talent needed for D’Antoni’s system. The Knicks have been connected to several players still available. I still think the Knicks will sign another PG such as Carlos Arroyo, Tyronn Lue or Sebastian Telfair when Stephon Marbury in inevitably traded, released or bought out. There’s a chance to save somewhere between $11 to $13 million if Marbury is bought out. That alone justified spending more to bring in Duhon. We’ll see. I’d love to have Telfair especially out of that group to add to our bench. Even though he’s known as more of a one-on-one type guard he still almost averaged 6 assists per game for Minnesota. I even found this video of Telfair crossing Duhon over and thinking about both of them in blue and orange makes me smile at the possibilities. One can only hope.

Elton Brand just signed with the 76ers, which is a good thing and a bad thing. Its bad because he’s a beast and makes the East instantly stronger but it helps because Walsh might be able to dump Zach Randolph’s contract on the Clippers now. The Pistons could be another potential trade partner. Skill-wise Zach’s probably the best forward available right now but his attitude worries teams, as it should. I think he’ll be traded eventually and I can’t see any reason why the Clippers don’t match up with the Knicks on a possible trade. Even my version isn’t that well thought out and its one of many those two franchises can make for that trade to work. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Either way the Knicks have to move at least one of Randolph’s, Jared Jeffries’ or Jamal Crawford’s contracts in order to get the cap under control. It sounds like Malik Rose and David Lee could leave via trades as well.

The Knicks are trying to get Jerome James to retire for injury reasons even though he doesn’t want to. They are practically begging him and I have to admit I’m joining them. He’s horrible. Hopefully Walsh can beg someone enough to have Eddy Curry taken off his hands. The Heat were connected to him at one time. Ron Artest is not happy in Sacramento and could be a possible trade target. I’ve heard the Lakers are offering Lamar Odom for Artest though and if I were the Kings I’d jump on that deal. We can’t offer them someone like him. Rudy Fernandez is one player I think we could trade for cheaply.

The next thing to look forward to is the summer league. The roster has been widely published. Because of the new system and our roster situation I’ll be watching very closely to this summers team. Usually one guys fights for a roster spot but I wont be surprised if more than one of these guys ends up making the team. I know that sounds crazy but after looking into some of the invitees I think the team did a great job of getting skilled guys this year to look at. There are the typical free agents, minor leaguers (lol, I love calling them that), and European players. Just based off D’Antoni’s system you’d have to figure these European players will get a real look. On the list there are players better than others but there are couple I’m looking at closer than normal. I seriously expect AT LEAST one of Dan Grunfeld, Delonte Holland, Zhang Songtao, Von Wafer or Antione Johnson to make the Knicks roster, maybe more. Grunfeld would definitely make the team but his knee injury really hurt his ability to move on offense and defense so I don’t expect him to make it. Wafer is an athletic guy who can really shoot but I don’t know if that will be enough to get him a contract. Songtao is 6-11 center that has more meat on his bones that Yao Ming and surprised me with his athleticism but I don’t expect much from him. It could be interesting though with our lack of centers and European style because if Songtao shows ANYTHING he could find himself on our bench. The two I’m most going to watch is Holland and Johnson. Johnson is a pure point guard who could easily play in D’Antoni’s system. I think he’s going to end up outshining Mardy Collins and might give him run for his roster spot. No one is safe. The guy I really love though is Holland. If I were Donnie Walsh I’d write him onto my regular roster already. Holland is another DePaul player like our own Wilson Chandler. Holland is offensively a beast. Who knows about his defense but from a SF position Holland can bring the ball up like Scottie Pippen use to and he attacks the basket like Vince Carter use to. I’m not even kidding. I can’t believe this guy hasn’t gotten a chance anywhere. I’m really, really hoping he makes our team. I found this video of Holland against D-Lo and they just go back and forth.

The people this summer league is really interesting for is our returning veterans. I’ve heard just about every Knicks player say he might show up. I’m waiting for Willis Reed to report to duty in Vegas. This team is most important for Renaldo Balkman, Wilson Chandler, Mardy Collins and Nate Robinson. This is their chance. They get to either make a case for them sticking around or single handedly eliminating their own jobs. Chandler should be our starting SF come regular season based on last season but he’ll have to prove himself to D’Antoni. Balkman should be safe but he can’t play poorly for his first impression. Robinson is going to attempt to show he can run D’Antoni’s offense. Collins will try to do the same. All four of these players have to bring their A-game to Vegas because they will all be auditioning for both D’Antoni but for other teams as well. Shoot, D-Lo’s the only one without pressure in Vegas. He just needs to show if he can or can’t hang with these guys. Either way his roster spot is secure.

Father Knickerbocker, you’re the only one who listens to me. Until next entry, I’m out!

–Matt Agne AKA gianthinker

Guards (6): Mardy Collins, Jamal Crawford, Chris Duhon, Stephon Marbury, Quentin Richardson, Nate Robinson.

Forwards (7): Renaldo Balkman, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Jared Jeffries, David Lee, Zach Randolph, Malik Rose.

Centers (2): Eddy Curry, Jerome James.

At this count, Walsh doesn’t have to release anybody yet but he’s a long way from done. Right now we’re looking at a potential backcourt that includes Duhon and Crawford starting with Robinson and Richardson coming off the bench. In my opinion, that’s not too shabby going into our first re-building year under the D’Antoni/Walsh era with very little money to work with. Duhon can play defense and shoot three’s while being a pass-first point guard. Crawford is a beast of a scorer that will thrive as a shooting guard under D’Antoni as long as he isn’t traded before the start of the year. Robinson is built for an up-tempo system. He’ll be playing in Vegas to show he can run this offense if needed. He should be a quality player off the bench. Richardson has seen his better days come and go but he had some of his best years under D’Antoni in Phoenix and will be the only player who already knows the system. He should be a valuable bench player, which is where he should be at this point in his career anyway.

The Knicks also contain a lot of talent at the forward positions. Balkman, Chandler, Gallinari and Lee all have it in them to do well in this system. Jeffries can only get better after being such a disappointment. I’d love to see him traded. Randolph is an absolute beast of a forward with rare stat capabilities, and I was happy when we got him, but he does not fit D’Antoni’s system and should not be around long enough to prove it to everyone. I’d be very surprised it Randolph is around when the season starts. If he is, he’ll be a very highly paid bench player. Rose is a hustle player with little basketball skill. He’s a gamer. He’s got an expiring contract. I wouldn’t mind keeping him purely to have his contract run out at the end of the season but don’t be surprised to see him in a package being sent somewhere.

Our centers are horrible. James is a waste of space and Curry’s idea of defense is eating to expand his reach. Both need to go away. Watch for Curry to be shopped. Maybe Walsh can dump him on the Miami Heat who’ve tried to get him in the past.

Who are our current starters?

PG-Duhon
SG-Crawford
SF-Chandler
PF-Gallinari
C-Curry? Lee? Randolph? Rose? Robinson? Collins?

Clearly, we need to make a move for some kind of center. Lee wouldn’t be a horrible stopgap starting center in this system but he very well could be traded any second for any number of players/picks. Any acquisition would probably have to be a trade. A sign-and-trade for the Nets Nenad Krstic? What the hell happened to Randolph Morris? I’d rather watch him than Curry or James any day! Something has to happen with our big men.

For those interested in the 2010 FA class, the Knicks will have to move Zach Randolph and at least one other player already under contract through 2010-11 (Jamal Crawford, Eddy Curry or Jared Jeffries) in order to get far enough below the cap to make James a max offer.