SB Nation - Allan Houston

Who will be the next Knick All-Star?

Seth — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:47:59 -0000

Pop quiz: When's the last time the Knicks sent a player to the All-Star game? I'll give you a moment...

(Goes to pee.) (Doesn't wash hands.)

Alright, I'm back. Did you get it? If your answer was the year 2001, when both Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell were All-Star reserves, then you are correct. That truly sucks, eh?. Some brain-racking and a little research tells me that only the Bulls and Warriors have longer All-Star droughts (Baron Davis never made it as a Warrior? That's a shame.). All-Star selections are essentially a popularity contest, but it's pretty humiliating to go 8 years without trotting out a single player who the public feels is a top-30 talent. We're not here to dwell on the past, though. I'm wondering if any of the current Knicks strike y'all as future All-Stars. Which Knick do you see as the most likely to achieve the prowess and prestige necessary to earn a selection (don't say Lebron)? Check 'em out, after the jump:

Feel free to mention anyone else you deem worthy in the comments, but these are the handful of Knicks that have potential in my eyes. I'm not necessarily talking about this year...more like the foreseeable future.

Wilson Chandler- Wil's numbers are already fairly solid after his second season, and he might soon be a 20-point scorer with hard work and enough touches. Will the mild-mannered Chandler ever be a big enough name to gain national recognition, though? I don't see why not. Danny Granger did it.

Danilo Gallinari- Depending on who you ask, Gallo's either another flimsy European failure, or he's the second coming of Christ. I think you all know where I stand. I foresee Danilo playing all five starting spots on the Eastern All-Stars in 2011. You know, if he's healthy.

Al Harrington- I mean, he was the leading scorer last year.

David Lee- Whether or not Lee's a long-term Knick remains to be seen. Knick or not, Lee's as polarizing as Gallinari is. To some, the double-double machine has the potential to be a top-flight big man. To others, he's a dime-a-dozen garbage collector who benefits from an accelerated offense and a heap of missed shots. Don't forget that Dave was the MVP of the rookie game that one time.

Nate Robinson- Nate's probably the closest thing the Knicks have to a household name. He's a hit with the kids, has a few slam dunk titles under his little belt, and has the right combination of charm and jaw-dropping skill to steal the spotlight in the big game. That said, Nate would have to prove to the whole league that he's more than a novelty to get the coaches' vote.

Anyway, most of you probably didn't need my two cents to determine which Knick you feel has the most All-Star potential. In fact, most of you probably think this is a childish exercise. Cut me some slack. It's the end of a very long offseason. Vote your little hearts out and make yourself heard in the comments if you're leaning more towards another Knick. Maybe you favor one of the rookies? Maybe you're driving the Darko bandwagon? Maybe you are Gabe Pruitt? Speak up.

Poll

Which current Knick do you think has the best shot at one day becoming an All-Star?

Wilson Chandler

252 votes

Danilo Gallinari

285 votes

Al Harrington

44 votes

David Lee

367 votes

Nate Robinson

99 votes

Other (If you are Gabe Pruitt and would like to vote for yourself, choose this one.)

64 votes

1111 votes | Poll has closed

RaptorsHQ Talks with Jerome "Junkyard Dog" Williams - Part II

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:57:58 -0000

Yesterday RaptorsHQ's Ray Bala talked with Jerome Williams about his time with the Raptors and his NBA and college career. In part II today, JYD gets into some of his current and future off-court initiatives...

HQ: Now most players after they leave the game, they seem to fall off the map for most fans but in your case that's not true...and might I add, you've been busy doing some great things. Can you give our readers a rundown of what you've been up to since you've left the game?

JYD: Well, I guess it all starts with the JYD Project. My passion for the fans, my passion for giving back, it never fades. I truly appreciate every Raptor fan that cheered for me, that barked for me, that asked me for my autograph. When I got finished playing, that was of course my first passion - to give back. So the JYD Project has continued to grow on a national level, and an international level, just from my works and different things that I feel passionate enough to get involved in. I just go from project, to project, to project trying to improve the lives of other. My slogan is "building champions and changing lives."

HQ: Is there any type of project that you look for or is it just a general project to another?

JYD: No, I just go from general project to general project. As long as it involves helping kids, I start with that. Then I just get creative with the things I take on. For the most part, I've done project clean up days. I've done Habitat for Humanity. I've worked the US State department going on trips. I do car rallies for kids. Basketball Boot Camp for kids. In regards to what to I do, I encompass everything I like to do and it's all under the umbrella of the JYD Project.

And businesses have spun off of that because where there's a project, there are always going to be more requests. So I've basically learned to not only do things for charity but also for profit. So when I'm requested to do an event, I have no problem doing that and I do it. At the same time, there are people asking when's the next one? How do we keep this going? For that, where there's a basketball boot camp, there are also camps and clinics and JYD elite skills training to continue that. So they can always get what they want and there's always a free element to it where they don't have to pay. Like recently I did a car rally and car show for kids that was free. There also other events throughout the year that the big companies get involved with JYD at an Automotive Street Style level.

HQ: Now I want to get to that. Most guys after careers, in whatever sport, they tend to focus on what they know and like. You have seemed to branch out beyond your interest in cars to include a real estate development and transport company. Are these things you've become passionate about or have you just picked up the skills to develop this aspect of your business life?

JYD: It's something that I've picked up a passion for but as you said, it's really about picking up the skills to do it. Being around it helps you navigate the channels of doing that kind of business. Right now I'm working on a project like an extreme home make over but with a high school. This high school was built in the 70's and hasn't been upgraded since. For me to go in there to help that situation, it's gonna take a lot of knowhow since it's not my forte. Basically with me learning it, if I like I'll pick it up and continue to learn more about it.

HQ: You also have great passion for cars. Can you give your fans an idea of what Automotive Street Style and the car customizations side of JYD is about?

JYD: I've been customizing cars since I was 16 years old hooking on stuff, putting on hubcaps, twisting wires in the radio, whatever. I never learned to be a master at any of this stuff but what I did do is develop an eye for customization and that's what I do. One of my favorites is my 1964 Impala that I did in Toronto. My guys at GT AutoWorks really put it down for me. They took my vision and my work and put some elbow grease behind it and it's been awards ever since. It's an Impala with GM performance parts, sponsored, and a 50 inch plasma molded into the trunk! Never been done. And I still have two pumps, eight batteries and two 12 inch super subs!

HQ: That's crazy! Now how hands-on are you with the customization? Do you do all the conceptualization with the client? How does it work on your end?

JYD: I do all the concepts, work with the client, get their vision and then present the vision back to them. And if they like it, I go to work. Some of my clients include Chris Brown, Eva Longoria, Fabolous, Al Harrington, Allan Houston.

HQ: What the craziest custom you've done so far?

JYD: I'd definitely say Al Harrington's drop head (Rolls Royce) Phantom. When you cut a $500,000 car, you better know what you're doing. It's not like taking a piece of junk and turning it into a master piece. It's more like taking a masterpiece and saying "I better not mess this up."

HQ: So what did you do to the car?

JYD: Man. The same thing I did to the '64. Cut up the trunk, put in subs, screens, carpeted it, molded it, fiber glassed it. I put on 24 inch Giovanni custom rims. I put a floating cap in his rims. I even customized his license plate with Protégé. Of course you've seen a lot of his Protégé shoes. Make sure you go cop a pair. Big shout out to my man Al Harrington.

HQ: With the moves that have gone on this summer who do you have pegged for the NBA Finals this year?

JYD: The finals this year? If you listen to Allen Iverson's press conference I'm putting Memphis in the Finals! (chuckles) Just kidding, just kidding all my Raptors fans out there.

Really, I'm gonna go with Cleveland. I'm not sold on Boston, their gonna be good team. Orlando's gonna be a great team as well. I think Cleveland is going to shock some people if they can keep Shaq healthy 'til the end. He's going to be a force with Dwight and I don't think anyone's going to be able to stop LeBron when he has a legitimate post player in there clogging things up. So I'll go with LeBron on the East.

On the West, I'd like to say the Lakers but I might think that San Antonio may have something to say with Manu Ginobili being back healthy.

HQ: Now let's go back to the home team, what do you predict for the Raptors this season?

JYD: Man, I want to see the Raptors get through the first round of the playoffs. I was a part of the only team in Raptors' history to ever get past the first round of the playoffs. I think this team that they have, with Hedo Turkogulu I think he could do it. What he did with the Orlando Magic, I think he can do with the Raptors. So between Hedo and Bargnani, they're bringing that European flare to Raptorland and hopefully more victories.

HQ: I recall that you liked wrestling when you were a Raptor so are there any plans to return to the ring?

JYD: I think that myself and Hulk Hogan are going to come out of retirement to battle, naw I better save myself. Me and the Rock are going to come out of retirement to take on the Big Show and umm ... who else is out there that gets on our nerves. Just throw somebody else with ‘em, I don't even want to throw anyone's name out there. But I know that me and Big Show have history so I owe him in the ring. Me and the Rock versus the Big Show and tell ‘em to put someone good in there and we'll take ‘em out!

HQ: So now what's ahead for JYD?

JYD: Next on the plate is visiting another country. There's a lot of kids that could benefit from the JYD Project and the US State Department is looking at sending me over to Russia.

HQ: And when's the planned time for that?

JYD: If it's up them it would be in a week and half! (Laughs) these trips usually take about five days to a week. And I go in and visit orphanages, do clinics for under privileged kids. If there are any military bases around the location I'm at I'll rally the troops on the bases - basically do ambassador work and help to improve US relations.

HQ: How was your recent trip to Bahrain this summer?

JYD: That was a great trip. I got a great friend over there who does a lot of work with kids. I'll definitely be visiting them soon.

HQ: You're doing the JYD thing on a global scare I see.

JYD: Hey man, it was global as soon as I crossed over that border to Canada!

HQ: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Jerome, and best of luck with all your future endeavours!

You can check out JYD's site, "the JYD Project" here, and can check out his custom car site with this link.

Vegas Redux: Jennings, Meeks and Alexander

Frank Madden — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:12:35 -0000

Summer League ended three weeks ago, but alas, I wrote most of my wrapup and then forgot about it. To take your mind off the riveting Ramon Sessions contract watch, check out my impressions below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Sadly, the Bucks' Vegas adventure is over. We've now entered the dog days of summer, with not a game in sight for months, but thankfully the Bucks' youngsters acquitted themselves pretty well, finishing 4-1 after a last second loss to Toronto in their finale. Apologies for not putting together recaps for the last two games, but aside from a technical problem that cut out part of the first half of one game, I did manage to see every other minute of summer league, including the first two games in person. So it seems obvious to recount the good, the bad, and the ugly in one bloated post.

Brandon Jennings
32.4 mpg, .379/.429/.778, 14.6 ppg, 8.2 apg, 2.6 rpg, 3.6 stl, 4.2 to, 3.0 pf

A month ago I wrote that Jennings scared me to death. After a stellar prep career and a forgettable season (production-wise) in Rome, I had no idea what to make of the guy. Aside from scouts, it seemed like no one had actually seen Jennings play, and even those who did catch a fleeting glimpse of him in Rome had no precedent against which to judge a 19-year old American playing in the upper echelons of Europe. To further complicate matters, Jennings wasn't even the primary ballhandler much of the time he did play in Italy.

Fast forward to the end of July, and I'm feeling pretty excited. And relieved. While he has the occasional tendency to rip off shots of questionable quality, the kid's a true point guard. Period. His first instinct is to pass, and he seems much more comfortable in the slow-it-down, halfcourt style than many suggested. Don't get me wrong, he loves to push it off turnovers or rebounds and that's where he's probably at his best. But he's certainly very capable of slowing the game down and running the offense. Given how many NBA players the Bucks brought to Vegas, he didn't have to carry the team from a scoring perspective, which is good since he won't be able to do it during the regular season either. As we discussed in the game threads, there's a lot of T.J. Ford in his game right now, though he's got more upside as a scorer and seems to have a kind of court presence that T.J. didn't have.

Jennings' performances did however highlight a number of areas where he needs to improve. A more fundamentally sound jumper is an obvious one, as Jennings has a tendency to get off-balance unnecessarily and his follow-through is inconsistent. While he made a an excellent 43% of his three pointers, he made just 16/45 twos, which was in part due to a lack of comfort shooting mid-range jumpers.

It's also somewhat related to his body. At 170 pounds, Jennings doesn't have a great ability to absorb contact when he gets into the lane, meaning he's limited in his ability to score around the rim (unlike a bigger guard like Ramon Sessions). He reminds me a lot of T.J. Ford in that regard, as his athleticism doesn't always show in the halfcourt. Jennings' ability to finish also seems to be limited slightly by the fact that he's a two-footed leaper. Watch any highlight reel of Jennings dunks and you'll see what I mean. When he has a moment to gather himself, his leaping ability is breathtaking, but it's rare that you see the same above-the-rim stuff when he's jumping off one foot. And since it's generally more natural to go off one foot when you're accelerating past a defender to the hoop, it would seem that affects Jennings' ability to get up as high as he might on a breakaway. When he does use his speed to create an angle into the lane, he's more likely to skip the ball out to an open shooter or use a floater.

On defense, Jennings can best be described as a pest. Overall he looked like an enthusiastic defender most of the week, which will certainly help his chances of getting meaningful minutes as a rookie. Jennings likes pressuring the ball and has extremely quick hands, as evidenced by his Vegas-leading 3.6 steals per game. His lack of size was exposed most notably by Tyreke Evans on a few occasions, and while he'll no doubt benefit from adding 10-15 pounds, he'll never be a big guy. Fortunately, he's pretty crafty. One of my favorite moments of the week was after Evans had powered through him a couple times on the block and was looking to do it again on the left side. Fronting Evans, he skied to pick off the entry pass one handed, immediately rocketed off on the break and found Joe Alexander for a layup.

His quickness should allow him to prevent penetration better than most guards, but he was inconsistent in that regard in Vegas. On the wings he frequently overplayed opposing PGs to force them baseline or to their offhand, but there were also times when bigger players caught him off-guard and drove right around him. As with so many talented young players, it's less a matter of tools and more a question of focus, coaching, and learning to make the right reads.

Where does Jennings fit in come regular season? As a general rule it's not the best idea to count on major production from 19-year old point guards, and I'm not quite ready to make an exception to that rule based on just five summer league games. Still, the idea of Jennings starting at some point this season no longer seems far-fetched, though Scott Skiles also doesn't seem like the type to hand the job over in training camp. The fate of Ramon Sessions will also no doubt factor into Jennings' role, though I would expect Ridnour to be gone by November if Sessions is somehow retained. Either way, Jennings should be getting no less than 15-20 minutes per game and possibly a whole lot more.

Joe Alexander
32.0 mpg, .397/.250/.737, 16.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.2 stl, 1.4 blk, 3.0 pg, 1.0 to

Joe's week can be broken into two parts. There were the first two games, when he made just 5/25 shots and made you want to pull your hair out. Enough said. Though there were some redeeming aspects to his game--getting to the line a lot, creating decent looks--overall it was just tough to watch, especially when Anthony Randolph score 42 points and led the league in scoring despite not even seeming to break a sweat.

Fortunately, the last three games were much more promising. Alexander looked much more comfortable in averaging 20.3 ppg (22/43 fg), 6.7 rebounds, 2 blocks and turning it over just once in 101 minutes. Obviously we have to hope his finish to the week is a better representation of his progress, but there are still plenty of rough edges.

There's never been a question about his physical talents, and there certainly weren't any in Vegas. The difference is that this time around Joe showed a much better feel for, you know, how to play basketball. Alexander did most of his damage in isolation from 18-20 feet out, where his handle and quickness consistently gave defenders fits. Of course, this is still summer league and he was often matched against PFs, so he won't always have the same advantage in terms of footspeed.

But even here he had moments where his lack of feel was exposed. When he's facing up his defender in isolation it's not as apparent, but with his back to the basket or when help comes he's liable to do something...awkward. For that reason he gets his shot-blocked more often than he should given his athleticism. And his explosiveness is mostly north-south, so when forced to change directions he's not nearly as effective.

I know most people have latched onto the idea of Joe as a natural small forward, but at this point he seems like a combo forward who should be seeing minutes on more of a matchup basis. Against PFs who aren't post scorers, Joe will almost always have a footspeed advantage offensively without getting taken down to the block defensively. Meanwhile, less offensively gifted small forwards aren't generally going to be as strong and are less likely to expose Joe's weakness as a perimeter defender. And that's kind of the problem--from what we've seen so far, he's just not at the point where you can pencil him in for major minutes at a given position. For that reason it's perhaps not surprising that Gery Woelfel and others have questioned whether Alexander will even still be a Buck in November.

Jodie Meeks
32.2 mpg, .557/.533/.818, 19.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.0 stl, 1.4 to, 2.0 pf

If Jennings wants some advice on how to shoot a basketball, he doesn't have to go far to find a good role model. Meeks' shooting was even better than advertised, which is saying a lot considering he came in neck and neck with Steph Curry as the best pure shooter in the entire draft. But while Curry never got his mojo working in Vegas, Meeks was the model of consistency. Meeks' quick release makes him ideal for running off screens or taking one or two dribbles before he fires away, and his posture is almost always textbook--feet squared to the hoop, balanced, and vertical (he also made a couple off-balance shots for good measure).

Most importantly, his production was also consistent, making 50% or better of his shots in each game and leading the Bucks with 19.0 ppg. It wasn't all jumpers either, as he also got into the lane and scored with his off-hand a few times as well. That said, he's a shooter and anything he can do beyond that is gravy at this point. In a perfect world Meeks might develop into a Hersey Hawkins or Allan Houston-like pure shooter/scorer, but if he can be a taller Eddie House that would certainly be a useful thing right off the bat.

With Charlie Bell as the only other shooting guard on the roster behind Mike Redd, Meeks will no doubt get an opportunity to show his stuff this year. Bell has started slowly the past two years and the Bucks are very short on perimeter scoring, so it sure seems like Meeks will have every opportunity to regular burn as a rook.

Amir Johnson
24.4 mpg, .567/.000/.545, 9.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.4 spg, 1.4 blk, 3.2 to, 7.0 pf

Sure, it would have been nice to see Johnson have a monster summer league to fuel our hopes that he finally puts things together. But in the end, Johnson's fifth trip to Vegas didn't suggest anything we didn't already know about him: he's raw but somewhat talented offensively, has the tools to be a good defender, and fouls way too much. Johnson probably wasn't as amped up about being in Vegas as his rookie teammates, and he managed only a couple good games over the course of the week. The high point come came against the Bulls, when he made 5/6 fg in scoring 17 along with eight boards. But he was also rather anonymous for long stretches.

He had a handful of short jump-hooks (usually on early post touches) and even showed the ability to drive to the hoop and finish a few times. But overall I don't think it's fair to expect more than athletic garbageman at this point, especially given his stop-start tenure in Detroit. Johnson should benefit from playing with a creative playmaker like Jennings, and the Sacramento game was an obvious example as Jennings served up to alley-oops and a breakaway dunk for Johnson.

Defensively, he took a lot of fouls challenging guys around the hoop, so I'm not as worried as some are on that front. He might not be able to stay on the floor for 35 mpg with that style, but I don't see him playing those kind of minutes anyway.

His starting gig at PF is very much in doubt now that Ersan Ilyasova and Hakim Warrick have been added to the roster, but he brings a different look than either of those guys and can also play center in small lineups. At the very least Skiles has better option than playing Malik Allen, Francisco Elson or Dan Gadzuric at PF next to Bogut.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
30.0 mpg, .417/.000/.625, 7.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.5 bpg, 1.5 to, 3.0 pf

Mbah a Moute was the young player I was least concerned with coming into Vegas, as he already has a well-developed NBA skill (ie defending anyone). I realize that begs the question of whether he can develop an offensive game to match his defensive wizardry, but I've generally assumed that he wasn't going to dramatically improve in that regard, and Vegas didn't provide much evidence to suggest otherwise. Getting Mbah a Moute involved didn't seem to be a big priority with the coaching staff, and so it wasn't surprising that he failed to stand out.

Mbah a Moute will always be limited by a lack of comfort handling the ball, though he's pretty shifty around the hoop, particularly in the way he uses pump fakes. And while he hit a handful of jumpers in Vegas, it's obvious he's not yet a reliable shooter unless wide open. I know that's been a point of emphasis in his work this summer, so hopefully it becomes more apparent in the preseason. But as John Hammond told me, he's really got a power forward's game offensively; In this case that says more about what Mbah a Moute can't do than what he can.

Largely by default, Mbah a Moute remains the obvious favorite for the starting small forward spot, but his lack of prototypical small forward offensive game could complicate the Bucks' plans somewhat. My instinct is that he'll need to be paired with a PF who can shoot from deep (ie Ilyasova) to create proper floor-spacing, so I'll be curious to watch how Skiles ends up parsing out the minutes at the forward spots.

If These Knicks Could Tweet

Seth — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:28:05 -0000

Twitter has ruled the summer of '09. This offseason has already seen some prominent transactions and noteworthy media stories, but it seems that even the least plugged-in of basketball fans have migrated to the social networking site for their NBA fix. And while sportswriter feeds are popular, it's been the players themselves that have made the platform worthwhile. Stars and role players alike use Twitter as an outlet to promote their various enterprises, react to events around the league, and communicate with fans. It's remarkably entertaining and often endearing, partially because of the "Stars! They're just like us!" aspect, but mostly because a lot of these guys are flat-out hilarious. Such unfiltered access to our favorite athletes keeps the offseason interesting, and should be a real boon to league PR. Twitter is, in fact, "public relations" at its very essence.

Which brings me to the Knicks. For a team with its share of characters, the Knicks are frustratingly underrepresented on Twitter. Joe Crawford tweets only on occasion. Nate Robinson's feed comes and goes. Since his run of UStream fame, Eddy Curry hasn't posted much outside of what appears to be an argument with his sister. Wilson Chandler was at odds with a fake account in his name, and seems to have disappeared entirely. In fact, the best we've got might be Allan Houston, who's supposed to be too old for this game. And let's not forget Twitter's finest, whose internet antics would probably stop James Dolan's heart if he was still in NY. So, some Knicks make appearances on Twitter, but the all-around effort is too spotty and half-assed to command any attention.

I'm not sure if the dearth of Knick tweeters is just bad luck, or perhaps the result of organizational pressure. In either case, I think most of us would agree that some Twitter presence is needed. To the players: We want to know what you're up to. There's no basketball to watch and we're bored. To the organization: The idea of unfiltered player access is probably scary in the wake of the Isiah era, but most of these guys are perfectly innocent and plenty hilarious. What better way to broadcast that than through Twitter? Grab your laptops and Blackberries, Knicks. Make yourselves heard. Please.

After the jump, some imaginary mock-ups of what we're missing:

ToneyDouglas Just woke up. Doing what Toney Douglas do. (3 minutes ago)

AirSENEgal 140 characters? Horsefeathers! Any thinker worth his salt would feel totally shackled by 140 measly characters. My eloquence will not be lim (8 minutes ago)

Mr_Al_Harrington What up tweeps? Y'all know where a player can find some nunchucks? (30 minutes ago)

DLee42 Lady's coming over. She better not forget the lotions, bro. (38 minutes ago)

larryhughes0 Watching Return To Me for the third night in a row. Vintage Duchovny. (About 2 hours ago)

ToneyDouglas Naptime. (about 3 hours ago)

IL_GALLO Just beat my papa in badminton. PUMP IT UP! (about 3 hours ago)

ToneyDouglas Doing what Toney Douglas do. (about 4 hours ago)

JaredJeffries I am away from my computer right now. (about 4 hours ago)

ToneyDouglas Doing what Toney Douglas do. (about 6 hours ago)

ToneyDouglas Doing what Toney Douglas do. (about 7 hours ago)

TheRealChrisDuhon I'm SINGLE and SEXY! Plz check out my new pics! http://twitpic.com/asdf (about 10 hours ago)

Yes, Chris Duhon is a spambot.

Thursday Angwantibos

Seth — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:05:48 -0000

Photo Source

Hello again. A joyous Thursday to all. It's been a quiet week for Knicks news, but I've got a couple odds and ends to share before things get too wild.

- Nate Robinson just returned from overseas (presumably Greece), and sounds determined to stay in the states, and preferably with the Knicks. From his Twitter:

and ill be have n lunch wit my boy david lee to talk about our future with the knicks,this should be an interesting lunch, hope we stay n ny

- In a couple of Vegas interviews I missed, Herb Williams and Jordan Hill himself both weigh in on the development of the Knicks' eighth pick. The best line comes when Herb is asked how his 22 year-old self would fare against Hill today: "What kind of question is that? 22? Have you seen my numbers at 22?". (Some research reveals that Williams put up 16 and 8 his senior year at Ohio State. I'm taking Herb).

- Those of you who missed Stephon Marbury's brilliant "Have At It" live performance on UStream the other night need not fret. You'll have another chance to witness greatness. Said Steph last night: "I will be doing a 24 hour live chat on TWITTERBURY via ustream. I'm about to change the game from 6 am fri to 6 am sat. Don't miss it." If you don't make an attempt to catch at least part of this, then you will be making a terrible mistake.

- Knickerblogger's report card of David Lee will make you hungry.

- In a guest post at BDL, a Vegas attendee identifies the source of the Knicks' futility:

Worst Fashion Statement

Allan Houston wearing Crocs while taking in a Knicks game. I realize the dude made more than $100 million in his career, so he could wear a Snuggie in public and care less, but come on, Crocs?

There you have it. No wonder the summer league squad went 0-5. Hell, that's probably why the actual Knicks went 32-50 last year. Those things need to be wrapped up tightly and launched into space, and then all Knicks personnel who laid eyes on them needs their minds erased, Men In Black-style.

That's all I've got for now, you rascals. Check back later for any free agency updates and my own forays into other media...

Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks: The Rivalry part 3

DolPhanDave — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 04:15:08 -0000

The 98-99 season was shortened to 50-games due to a lockout, and it didn't begin until February 5^th, 1999. The Heat were able to claim the 1^st seed in the East, finishing with the same 33-17 record as Orlando and Indiana, but held tiebreakers that allowed them to finish ahead of both teams. The Knicks didn't find their groove until late in the short season and squeaked into the playoffs, finishing 1 game ahead of the Charlotte Hornets.

The Knicks got an early jump on the Heat, ending any ‘1 seed always dominates the 8 seed' thoughts. They beat Miami by 20 points at the Miami Arena in Game 1, and took Game 3 in New York as well, and looked to shock the Heat with a would've been series ending Game 4 victory. Miami overcame an 8-point deficit and rallied to beat the Knicks by 15, sending the series back to Miami for a decisive 5^th game.

A defensive struggle, the teams fought back and fourth in Game 5 until the Heat held a 1-point lead in the final seconds. Fate would then step in for the Knicks, as Allan Houston hit a running jumper that bounced on the rim a few hundred times before finally falling with only 0.8 seconds left, propelling the Knicks to an improbable series victory that would be the beginning of a Playoff run that would take them all the way to the NBA Finals, where the Knicks fell in 5 games to the Spurs for their 1^st NBA Title.

The following season would see the Heat win their 4^th straight Atlantic Division title, but this time the Knicks were not far behind, grabbing the 3^rd seed in the East. The two teams breezed through the 1^st round, with the Heat sweeping the Pistons and the Knicks sweeping Toronto.

This would make it the 4^th straight year that the Heat and Knicks faced each other in the postseason, and for the 4^th time Miami hosted Game 1. The series was very evenly matched, and the teams would split Games 1-through-6. One memorable moment from those games came in overtime during Game 3. After Patrick Ewing sent the game to OT by hitting a clutch jumper with just two seconds left, then hit a couple free throws to put the Knicks up by 1 in the final seconds of OT.

It was then time for rookie Anthony Carter to make a crazy shot that would again stir up controversy. He drove the baseline and put up a shot from behind the backboard, which traveled over the glass, hit the front rim and dropped in with 2.1 seconds left. Of course, the Knicks would protest but to no avail, and the two points by Carter would be the deciding ones of the game.

The rest of the series would be a sequence of missed Heat opportunities. Miami held a 15-point halftime lead in Game 6, leading the series 3-2. The Knicks would battle back and take a 2-point lead in the waning moments, and Anthony Carter missed a 3 at the buzzer that would've ended the series had it gone in. Game 7 was a similar story, with Miami going up by double digits in the 1^st half only to see New York battle back yet again, culminating in a Patrick Ewing dunk with just over a minute left that put the Knicks up by one in the final minute.

The score would stay that way into the final seconds when Miami held the ball with another chance to win the series. Whatever play the Heat called must have fallen apart, because of all people, Clarence Weatherspoon took the final shot for the Heat, which of course fell on the way side.

This would mark the end of the Heat-Knicks playoff rivalry, and really the rivalry all together. The Knicks and Heat have not both been good at the same time since then, and all the ‘heat' between the two teams has fizzled out. The closest thing to excitement between the two teams has been thanks to Dwyane Wade. He hit a cold blooded buzzer beater in Madison Square Garden in March of 05, getting right in the face of uber Knick-fan Spike Lee.

Then this past season Wade and the Heat slapped the Knicks twice in Miami, with Dwyane led the Heat back from a 16-point 2^nd half deficit with 24 4^th quarter points in front of a packed house. Then in April, Wade scored a career-high 55 points against the Knicks, falling just 1-point short of the Heat franchise mark set by Glen Rice in 1995. Could any of that spark a new rivalry? Probably not....at least not until the Knicks re-enter the world of competitive basketball.

Every series between the two teams went the full amount of games, and each deciding game came down to the final minutes. It's really a shame that the rivalry didn't last longer because it has the making of something that could last a very long time, especially with all the transplanted New Yorkers that live in South Florida.

Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks: The Rivalry part 2

DolPhanDave — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:15:07 -0000

The first big Heat-Knicks game of the 96-97 season came in April with the two teams battling for the Atlantic Division crown. A controversial 3-pointer by Sasha Danilovic that would've tied the game in the final minute was ruled a 2 after the referee's convened, and the Heat ended up losing by one. Miami still managed to hold off the Knicks for their first Division title and the 2^nd seed in the East (of course Chicago was #1). New York didn't fall far in the standings, claiming the 3 seed.

Before the teams could meet in the playoffs, the Heat had to first get past Orlando in the 1^st round. A series that was much better then some would've thought saw the home team win each game, including a series winning 5^th and deciding game for Miami. Meanwhile, the Knicks breezed through a 1^st round sweep of Charlotte, and the 1^st ever Heat-Knicks playoff series was set.

Game 1 was close until the very end, but Patrick Ewing put the game away in the final minute with a big dunk. The Heat rebounded in Game 2 thanks to a big three-pointer by Jamal Mashburn, and the series was tied heading back to Madison Square Garden. It was there that the Knicks took hold of the series. It was Ewing again in Game 3, but this time it was his defense. He came out to the three-point line to block Tim Hardaway's game-tying 3 attempt, then secured the ball and the game for New York. Game 4 was pretty much all Knicks as they cruised to an 11-point win and a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Game 5 is still probably one of the most memorable Heat games in the franchise's history, and it certainly had a lasting effect on this playoff series and the Heat-Knicks rivalry as well. During the 4^th quarter of a lop-sided Heat win, Miami forward P.J. Brown and Knicks point guard Charlie Ward were jostling for position after a missed free throw, but Brown flipped Ward over his shoulder, body slamming the smaller player. This led to the memorable brawl between the Heat and Knicks, which took place under the basket in front of the Knicks bench, leading to several Knicks leaving the bench to join the fight. Unfortunately for New York, those players were Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, John Starks and Larry Johnson, all of whom were suspended 1-game for leaving the bench during an on-court altercation.

Ewing, Houston and Ward all missed Game 6 while Johnson and Starks sat out Game 7. The Knicks were unable to be as competitive without their core group of players, and the Heat came away with an improbable win against a Knicks team many thought were poised to take down the mighty Chicago Bulls (who beat Miami 4 games to 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals).

Needless to say, the rivalry was in the midst of its most heated times. The following season Miami won their 2^nd straight Atlantic Division crown, while the Knicks fell all the way to the 7^th seed. This meant that the Knicks wouldn't have to wait until the 2^nd round of the playoffs to get another shot at Miami, as the teams would meet in round 1. As if the Knicks weren't mad enough after the way the previous years playoffs went down, New York was also denied a victory by NBA Officials when a would-be game winning tip in by Allan Houston was waived off, apparently being touched after the buzzer. Replays would show otherwise, but the NBA denied the Knicks protest.

With the Heat poised to make another run at the Bulls and the Knicks falling in the standings, the 1^st round series was still surrounded by drama following the previous year's playoff meeting. However this year the Knicks would be without Patrick Ewing, who was out with a wrist injury. The teams split the first 4 games, with neither team looking amazingly better then the other. Game 4 would be another memorable one, and again it was due to a fight. This time it was between former Hornets teammates Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson. If you recall, neither landed a punch despite about 20 being thrown, but the lasting image is of Jeff Van Gundy hanging on Zo's leg during the fight.

Unfortunately, this led to suspensions for both players and the Zo-less Heat lost Game 5 at home despite making a crazy comeback attempt. The Heat trailed by 20 at the half, but thanks to a lot of clutch shooting by Timmy Hardaway drew within 2 points in the 4^th quarter. The Knicks would again take over and soon the lead was back at 13, and the game was out of reach for Miami.

The teams were now even at 1 win apiece in Playoff meetings, but little did they know that destiny was not finished messing with the Heat and Knicks.

Remembering the Free Agent Madness of '96

Seth — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:37:21 -0000

I was 7 years old in the summer of 1996. I remember when the Knicks ~~signed~~ traded for Larry Johnson and signed Allan Houston, but I don't have much memory of the context. I've been doing a little research, though, and have turned up some artifacts of what ended up being a wild few months of free agency. Those of you who were fully past wetting the bed in '96 likely remember the scenario. Many of the league's superstars were up for new contracts: MJ, Shaq, Payton, Juwan Howard, Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning, Steve Smith...the list goes on and on. Mike Wise's excellent article from the June 30, 1996 NY Times previews the free agent madness. It's excerpted heavily after the jump...

It is not a hostage situation, but it is close. It is not a high-profile college program in need of an all-American or an art auction, but it has elements of both. The greatest collection of National Basketball Association free agents officially put their services up for sale on July 8.

With more than one-third of the league's players eligible to go elsewhere -- including Shaquille O'Neal, Jordan, Howard and Gary Payton -- the league's power structure into the 21st century is at stake. Merely that.

"I'm talking to everybody," Ewing said earlier this week, referring to his off-season job as the Knicks' recruiting coordinator. "I expect us to be in the running for Juwan Howard and a lot of guys. Reggie Miller. Allan Houston. No question. We can catch the Bulls."

If the Knicks spend their money right, so can perhaps the Lakers, another team significantly under the league's $24.3 million salary cap.

The players and owners agreed to the terms of a six-year collective bargaining agreement on Friday, but a moratorium has been placed on all free agent signings and trades until July 9. Instead of preparing contracts this weekend in anticipation of July 1, general managers have another week to plot and dream.

"We want to add a consistent scorer," said Ernie Grunfeld, the Knicks' general manager. "That's our main priority."

The Knicks have nearly $9.5 million to spend -- after they sign their three first-round draft choices -- but the figure is a bit of ruse. For example, they could give $5 million of that figure to, say, Steve Smith in his first season.

With the regular 20 percent annual raise kicking in, they could offer the Atlanta shooting guard $37 million over five seasons -- an average of $7.4 million a season.

That would leave them with about $4 million to spend on a second-tier free agent, say, Houston's Mario Elie, Miami's Chris Gatling or Washington point guard Robert Pack.

"We might also go with two second-tier players, too, depending on what scenario plays out," Grunfeld said. "A lot of teams will be calling the same players, but everything could happen in a matter of days."

The club also has a scenario in which they would have about $3 million left over to sign the 34-year-old point guard Derek Harper to a two-year deal or a maximum three-year deal. If Harper goes elsewhere, the Knicks would probably go shopping for a point guard through a trade or perhaps go after a free agent stopgap like, say, Kenny Smith.

Payton is also available, but that is a ruse as well. In the free-agent wars, you can do one of two things immediately: put yourself in an instant position to give the Bulls a run, or give your fellow general managers a good laugh at your expense.

If, say, the Knicks were so bold (and naive and incompetent) to use all of their money on Jordan, they could dangle a three-year deal worth $34.6 million in front of His Airness, only to have it rejected once the Bulls offer him $40 million for two seasons. In such a scenario, Chicago would be exercising the league rule in which a team may spend any amount it wishes to re-sign its own free agents without it counting against their cap.

I don't have much of a point to make. It's just interesting to look back at a free agency period that rivaled the forthcoming summer of 2010 in importance, both for the Knicks and league-wide. We all know what happened following this article. Jordan re-signed with the Bulls (for one $30 million year, I think), and went on to win a couple more championships. Shaq left Orlando for Los Angeles. Payton and Mourning signed lucrative deals to stay put in Seattle and Miami, respectively. Long story short, the additions of Johnson and Houston in 1996 were momentous, but relatively tame in what was a massive free agent market. Nonetheless, the teams that included those two were the last Knick squads to truly contend. With 2010 looming large, and a long list of free agents hitting the market, this bit of history can serve as a reminder to keep an open mind. Granted, the team we'll be looking at next summer is quite different from the '96 roster, but history does show us that help can come from all different directions. The first and most important step is cap space. What happens from there is anybody's guess.

Six reasons why the Wizards aren't looking to cut salary when they put the fifth pick on the market

Mike Prada — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:09:52 -0000

More photos » by Evan Vucci - AP

8 months ago: Washington Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld, left, looks on during an introductory news conference for new Washington Wizards head coach Flip Saunders Thursday, April 23, 2009 in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Browse more photos »

Dear writers and fans of opposing teams;

I've noticed in my daily reading that some of you are still set on the Wizards using their fifth pick solely to get under the luxury tax. I don't necessarily come here to say you folks are dead-wrong, because none of us are prophets. It's true that the Wizards currently have 76 million dollars committed to 14 players for next season, and it's true that the luxury tax level is likely to go down (perhaps way down) from the current level of 71 million thanks to the possibility of the league losing as much as 10 percent of its revenue. It's also true that Abe Pollin, the Wizards owner, was very much against paying the luxury tax as recently as last summer prior to re-signing Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison. Finally, yes, it's true the Wizards won 19 games this year and haven't advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2005.

But times have changed. There are too many facts pointing in the other direction -- the Wizards are trying to add salary, not cut it -- to properly infer that the Wizards will sell away the pick just to get under the tax level. Six of those facts are below the jump. Read them, please, and then come back to me if you are still not convinced.

1. Abe Pollin's health

This is the single biggest factor at play here, and yet nobody has come out and made the proper inference. I understand why nobody has yet -- after all, Abe hasn't given too many interviews and the Wizards are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to leaks -- but all signs point to Abe Pollin's declining health as the major reason why the Wizards aren't going to cut salary.

During the Wizards' first-round playoff series with Cleveland in 2008, Mike Wise reported that Abe, then 84 years old, was suffering from progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative brain disease that slowly impairs motor skills and balance. Wise wrote at the time that the disease is "not directly life-threatening," but corrected himself in a March 10 column this year, writing that "the progressive nature of the disease leads to trouble swallowing, the deterioration of eyesight and eventual death." The second column was written on the date of Pollin's last public appearance, when he was honored by George Washington University's business school. The 85-year old Pollin was wheeled out to the podium, and his voice was barely above a whisper. In short, he looked like his health was declining significantly.

While all this has happened, Abe has made his desire to win an NBA championship pretty clear. He later told Mike Jones of the Washington Times that he would be willing to go over the luxury tax to make it happen. Abe's been called cheap by his detractors, but it takes a lot to question the sincerity of his desire to win at this point. Abe's attempts to improve his ballclub historically have certainly been misguided, and he certainly has struggled in trying to balance his socially conscious actions with the need to win at all costs. But Abe is not Donald Sterling, interested only in his team profiting. He wants to win, and he'll put down his own money to do it (he did pay for the Verizon Center out of his own pocket, after all). When he says he desperately wants an NBA championship, he desperately wants an NBA championship.

What's my point? Abe Pollin is not going to sit through a rebuilding effort, not with his health declining so much that he won't have many more seasons left to win a championship. Selling the top draft pick just to go under the luxury tax line is akin to rebuilding. Teams that want to win a championship don't sell top-five draft picks for nothing. They do everything they can to improve on the foundation they built.

Costs be dammed. As insensitive as this may sound, Abe cannot take his money to the grave. He doesn't have time in his life to wait around for a rebuilding effort, so he's wiling to go all out in order to make one last run at a deep playoff run with the roster he's got.

2. The Wizards haven't been trying to actively cut salary yet

Let's review the actions of this organization since the end of last season.

Re-signed injured superstar Gilbert Arenas to a six year/111 million dollar contract
Re-signed 32-year old Antawn Jamison to a four year/50 million dollar contract
Fired Eddie Jordan after a 1-10 start, eating as much as eight million dollars if Eddie did not sign on to coach another team
Traded Antonio Daniels, who was set to make 6.6 million dollars in 2009/10, for Mike James (6.5 million dollars in 09/10) and Javaris Crittenton (1.5 million dollars in 09/10). To review, the Wizards sent out 6.6 million dollars in salary and added 8 million dollars in salary. That's a net gain of 1.4 million dollars in 2009/10.
Declined to trade Antawn Jamison or Caron Butler to Cleveland (or elsewhere) in exchange for Wally Sczcerbiak and his 13.8-million-dollar expiring contract. Such a move would have cut the Wizards' 2009/10 total team salary down to just over 62 million, which would have put them under the luxury tax.
Hired Flip Saunders, the top coach on the market save for possibly Avery Johnson, and gave him a four year/18 million dollar contract. This, of course, occurred before the 76ers selected Eddie Jordan to be their head coach. Remember, the Wizards must pay the difference between Eddie's current contract and the contract that he had here before he was fired. If Eddie didn't sign anywhere, that's at least eight million dollars.

Do these sound like moves made by an organization desperately looking to cut salary?

3. Where's the market?

Technically, the Wizards have until the 2010 draft to get under the luxury tax for the 2009/10 season. But as soon as the 2009 draft ends, that task becomes incredibly difficult.

Why? The best way to get under the 2009/10 tax line is to trade for contracts that expire after the 2008/09 season, not the 2009/10 season. Contracts that expire in 2010 count on the 2009/10 tax bill. The last real chance to trade for contracts that expired in 2009 was at this year's trade deadline. The Wizards didn't do that.

Now, there are only a few options available for the Wizards to cut salary. One would be to trade for a contract that is only partially guaranteed in 2009/10 on draft day. The only players that have contracts over 2 million dollars that are partially guaranteed are Jerry Stackhouse (7.3 million, only 2 million guaranteed), Greg Buckner (4.1 million, but only 1 million guaranteed), Chucky Atkins (3.8 million, not sure how much guaranteed), Steve Nash (13 million, all non-guaranteed), Steve Blake (4 million, non-guaranteed), Travis Outlaw (3 million, non-guaranteed), Bruce Bowen (4 million, non-guaranteed), Fabricio Oberto (3.8 million, non-guaranteed) and Matt Harpring (6.5 million, not sure how much guaranteed). The Wizards would have to trade a matching salary for one of those players and then cut them in order to save in 2009.

Another way would be to constantly be on the low end of the 125 percent rule. NBA rules dictate that salaries must match by 125 percent between two teams that are over the salary cap. The Wizards could constantly take in just 75 percent of salary, but that would have to occur in multiple trades to make a significant impact.

The final way to cut salary would be to dump a bad contract on a team well under the cap. Currently, the only team under the cap for 2008/09 are the Memphis Grizzlies. If the Wizards wait until after draft day, they could deal with Atlanta, Detroit, Minnesota, Oklahoma City or Memphis, all of whom are under the projected 2009/10 salary cap. But which of those teams wants any of our bad contracts? Atlanta needs their cap space to sign Mike Bibby, while Detroit is hoping to make a big splash in free agency. Etan Thomas is not a big splash.

If the Wizards really wanted to cut salary, they would have started earlier when more options were open. Now, there aren't too many ways to get under the tax threshold. Either the Wizards are incompetent or they don't really mind that they're over the tax. I'm leaning towards the second one.

4. Flip Saunders

We talked a bit about Flip's contract, but another piece of the puzzle is this: why would Flip take the job if the team was looking to shed salary? Flip had his pick of several openings, or he could have just sat on his contract from the Pistons and not taken any position. Instead, he took the Wizards opening quickly. A coach with the pedigree of Flip Saunders would only do that if the Wizards would do everything possible to try to win.

5. Ernie Grunfeld

Ernie's record in previous stops indicates he doesn't really know the meaning of the term "rebuild." In New York, Ernie gave out large contracts to role players like Chris Childs, Chris Dudley, Allan Houston (not the max contract offer, the one in 1997) and Charlie Ward. He did trade old for new once with the Charles Oakley-Marcus Camby trade, but otherwise, he was spending freely. Then, Ernie moved on to Milwaukee, quickly build them into a solid team, and then gave out huge contracts to Tim Thomas and Anthony Mason. When he left the Bucks, he left a team with tons of bad contracts and no real prospect of rebuilding. They're still paying for it now.

Ernie Grunfeld is not a GM who really knows how to cut salary or is interested in doing so. That's what the record says. So unless he gets fired, I doubt we'll see him actively engaging in a rebuilding effort.

6. They still believe in this team

The Wizards have a built-in excuse for last season: injuries. They played the entire year without their best player (Gilbert Arenas) and their best defensive player (Brendan Haywood). They played most of the year without their previous starting shooting guard (DeShawn Stevenson). They saw guys like Andray Blatche get hurt during the year. In response to that, you keep hearing management talking about how they still believe in this team. It could be a smokescreen, but it's a pretty damn big smokescreen to pull.

For all these reasons, I doubt the Wizards really cut salary on draft day. It's far more likely that they'll morgage their youth in order to bring in a high-priced veteran. The bias of this organization is against youth, not money. They're trying to trade the fifth pick because they don't believe a rookie can help this team much, not because they can't afford him.

So if you're very enamored with Nick Young, Andray Blatche, Javaris Crittenton, JaVale McGee or the prospects with the fifth pick, feel free to offer your overpaid veterans. That's far more likely to happen than a move to cut salary.