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Post by irish2u2 on Jun 9, 2009 12:21:37 GMT -5
I am starting to think I have an idea of what Donnie Walsh is trying to do this off season to improve the Knicks while keeping the cap situation in check. I do believe the Knicks will pursue Orlando center Marcin Gortat with their Mid Level Exception. I think the trade rumors for Sergio Rodriguez have some traction. I think the Knicks will sign and trade David Lee. Gortat offers the Knicks an opportunity to play an offensive/defensive rotation of Eddy Curry and Gortat to maximize their post position play. I think that is why Walsh "dropped in" on Eddy to make sure he was sincere about getting into shape and contributing next year. I do think the Knicks will trade for Rodriguez and I think part of the price will be our #8 draft choice. I know the Blazers want to move up and I know they have their eyes on several players notably Jrue Holiday and Austin Daye. I think the deal goes down and the Knicks get the Blazers #24 and #33 picks plus pay Portland some cash. Portland has a plethora of youngsters on their team and they have 1 first round pick and 4 second round choices so they have some cards to play uncovering an unknown gem at bargain basement rates. This allows them to trade their 2 higher picks and Rodriguez to get a young player they are high on. I do think the Knicks are dangling David Lee to the Grizzlies for their #2 choice. I think Donnie Walsh is in Europe right now because he has his eyes on Ricky Rubio. Memphis has multiple draft picks too including one late in the first round and there are a lot of PGs in this draft. Somewhere in this mix we have Nate Robinson and he gets signed and traded either as part of one of these deals or as part of another. I'd be looking at Minnesota with their #18 pick. If successful the Knicks would have the #2, #18, #24 and #33 picks in the draft plus a defensive center in Marcin Gortat and a backup PG in Sergio Rodriguez. Add Rubio as the PG of the future and maybe the one single player in this draft with the most upside and then the Knicks can pick and choose with their other picks to fill needs. They won't need a PG so I think they look for a PF and a SG/SF swingman type. They could even take a chance on guys like Earl Clark and BJ Mullens. Ironman may be right that Chase Budinger is in play along with North Carolina swingman Danny Green, Texas SF Damion James and UNC PF Tyler Hansbrough. Georgia Tech PF Gani Lawal and SGs Wayne Ellington (UNC), Jodi Meeks (Kentucky) and Marcus Thornton (LSU) are considerations plus assorted Europeans too numerous to list though part of that list might be PF Victor Claver, PF Jonas Jerebko, PF Milan Macvan and SG Nando De Colo. My personal thoughts are a lineup like this for next year: Center: Eddy Curry and Marcin Gortat Power Forward: Al Harrington, Danilo Galinari, Chris Wilcox (re-sign him this summer) and Earl Clark (taken with the #18 pick). I'd keep Wilcox only because he can play some center too if needed and he should be cheap. Obviously I would not overpay here. Small Forward: Wilson Chandler, Quentin Richardson, Jared Jeffries and Damion James (taken with the #33 pick). Shooting Guard: Larry Hughes and Chase Budinger taken with the #24 pick. Point Guard: Chris Duhon, Ricky Rubio (taken with the #2 pick) and Sergio Rodriguez. I think Rubio is a no-brainer type of pick especially since with Gortat the Knicks don't need Hasheem Thabeet. Rubio has star written all over him. Earl Clark is a gamble but he fits the D'Antoni style (he has been compared to Shawn Marion) and he is a 6'10 uber athlete who can play both forward positions and he has some skills. His attitude has dropped him from the lottery but he is worth the chance. Budinger is another wildly athletic guy with legit SG size at 6'7. Like Clark he hasn't taken over the college game like some thought he might but he has all the physical ability and skills one wants in a pro SG and he would not be the first guy to underachieve in college and turn out to be a good pro. I like Damion James over Danny Green simply because he is bigger, stronger and more athletic. Ultimately Wilson Chandler could end up at SG so I want a more traditional type of SF as backup to that guy from Cleveland. ; ) We lose a lot of numbers with Lee and Nate. But we also don't over pay for them either. We improve defensively in the post with Gortat and add an offensive component with Curry that picks up some of the scoring we lose. With Harrington, Chandler, Wilcox, Gallinari, Jefferies and Clark we have a lot of mix and match possibilities. We can play Chandler at SG more. We can play Gallinari at both forward positions. We can play Harrington, Jefferies and Clark at both forward positions too. Wilcox can play the power slots. We have good scoring here especially with a healthy Gallinari. We pick up an elite type PG in Rubio who can be the second chair type superstar player championship teams need. Being that we have Duhon and Rodriguez we don't have to throw Rubio off the deep end of the pool. It should also be noted that Rubio has the size to play some SG too giving us some interesting match up possibilities. In one fell swoop we add our two deep PG rotation for 2010, add a backup SG to Chandler when he makes the full time switch and we now have a pretty big backcourt with the 6'4 or taller Rubio and the 6'8 Chandler. We have size in the frontcourt too. We are more athletic and hopefully better defensively. Most importantly we have added pieces to the LeBron puzzle while keeping cap room to sign him. Chandler, Gallinari, Rubio and Gortat make for some nice running buddies for King James and His Court. Right?  |
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Post by will1682 on Jun 9, 2009 17:30:54 GMT -5
Great analysis Bill. Things are sure to get interesting.
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Post by axios on Jun 10, 2009 11:54:05 GMT -5
geez bill, that was a lot of thinking, great post. i dont want thabeet at 2, and man i hope rubio is the real deal. i almost think i just want curry so i dont have to be disappointed with rubio, but at this point, it's all on walsh to make some deals happen. i hope he can squeeze some value out of lee and nate.
just a question. why would memphis want lee when walsh couldnt give him to them last year for mayo, bc he said he wouldnt sign with them. is it bc he'd already be locked in with a contract?
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Post by ironman95 on Jun 10, 2009 12:11:47 GMT -5
I am not so sure that the "Mist" is clearing. First up Marcin Gortat. While Mark Berman of the NY Post states that he is worth the MLE, Alan Hahn of Newsday is just as adamant that he is not worth the MLE. Meanwhile Stan Van Gundy says he could start for a lot of NBA teams. Big differences of opinion there, and I am on the fence since there is not a good body of work to judge him by. As for the Memphis deal, I would still hate to give up David Lee especially for Ricky Rubio, who I am not sold on, although he has a lot of good plusses, his shot mechanics are a very big minus. I might be more inclined to take Thabeet @ 2, although that is also a big risk. As far as the Portland deal goes, I kind of like it, but would want to include Nate in the deal in a sign and trade and send him home(close enough). That deal looks to be in a state of flux as to what the Knicks would ultimately receive. Is it Rodriguez, Fernandez and Frye plus #24 and #33 for our #8 and I would offer Nate, Hangington and Hughes.........take your pick. I would draft along the lines of your proposal, Bill, as I like Budinger a lot. He jump out of the gym, can shoot lights out, and is an all-american volleyball player and can defend well enough. If we stay with #8, I still want Tyreke Evans, although I am noting that the Knicks have not worked him out(either no interest or a smoke-screen). I also question the clamor for Johnny Flynn. He is not taller than Lawson, not quicker, not stronger, not better defensively, and in floor generalship AKA point guard skills they are at least equal. In addition Lawson is a winner. I think the decisions should not be made until after the 7th pick is announced, as far as the Portland deal goes. No need to make that deal if the Knicks make the Memphis deal and draft Rubio. Big need to make the deal if the Knicks make the Memphis deal and draft Thabeet. If I am the GM, I wait for Evans, if he is not there, and no other shocking things occur, I look to trade down or acquire a 2010 draft pick where Jerome Jordan and Cole Aldrich will be there. I also want to resign Chris Wilcox, if the price is right. He has value at PF and some at center in a pinch. Making all the proposed moves, will still leave a question mark at center, as to who has NBA skills and who fits the system, but the rest of the team will.............well kind of look like a team, I think for a change.
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Post by irish2u2 on Jun 10, 2009 14:41:55 GMT -5
Iron The Blazers have stated several times they have no interest in Nate Robinson. In fact they are one of the teams angling for David Lee the most out of all the teams interested in him. Thabeet is more NBA ready than almost anybody in this draft. If we don't sign Gortat, and the jury by and large thinks he is NBA starter type quality plus he beat out a good player (Tony Battie) for the Magic center backup job, Thabeet is a good choice even with his flaws. Rubio reminds me a lot of Gallinari. They are from Europe but they have a definite American vibe to their games and both are a lot tougher than most would think. I'll let the workouts answer the Lawson/Flynn question and I still like Demar DeRozan over Tyreke Evans but I'll be happy with whoever we pick. The irony is i'd like the Rodriguez trade more if he were a better shooter but if he was a better shooter Portland would not be willing to trade him. Right now my personal choice if we keep our pick is Jrue Holliday. Rodriguez, like Duhon, is a top notch backup PG but Holliday could be special. Maybe even Rubio-like special. BTW, I'm humming "I Can See Clearly Now" so for me at least the mist is lifting. |
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Post by ironman95 on Jun 10, 2009 16:06:59 GMT -5
Bill; I can live with Jrue Holliday quite nicely, as I believe he is 6'4" with true point guard skills. While Tyreke Evans may not have quite the point skills as Holliday, he is 2 inches taller, better defensively and has mad penetration skills and athleticism. If you think the pick and roll works well with Duhon and Lee, it will be better with Evans and whoever. Seems like there are 3 scenarios in play here. 1. Stay at 8 draft a guard, sign Gortat. 2. Do Memphis deal, draft Thabeet, then do the Portland deal, and do not sign Gortat. 3. Do the Memphis deal, draft Rubio, do not do the Portland deal and sign Gortat. I still like Evans and Holliday over S. Curry, and I like Lawson over Flynn. In all 3 scenarios, unless one of those big men the Knicks signed last year emerges in the summer league, I want to re-sign Wilcox, so we have at least one athletic big man for insurance purposes. I still don't see much need for Hangington(especially) and Hughes(to a lesser extent) and Nate(he has entertainment value however). Also acquiring either Thabeet or Gortat leaves little space for Jeffries. Walsh has the Mobley contract(80% covered by insurance), and the expiring contracts of Hughes and Hangington and even Q to sort of work with, this off-season. But he is still saddled with the albatross-like contracts of E. Curry and Jeffries. I hope he is working hard on some package that gets rid of 1 of the albatrosses and regains 2010 pick, while making the team more competitive in 2009. Unfortunately, even an in-shape Eddy Curry, long-shot that it is, still leaves the offensive problem of, no jump shot, and the tendency to force his way in, committing offensive fouls along the way, not playing defense, and minimal rebounding skills. Gortat might beat him out for the starters spot. Just as an after thought: what would we do with Thabeet and Curry both on the team?
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Post by irish2u2 on Jun 10, 2009 17:47:13 GMT -5
If we want to be competitive next year we need Al Harrington and his 20ppg. He's a 45% shooter from the field and 36% behind the line with 6 rpg. He puts up the kind of numbers we expected and would have loved from Tim Thomas. I like Al and think he played hard for us. He also made the same dumb mistake twice in a season so I'm not going to lobby much we keep him either. ; )
Eddy Curry was supposedly working on a jump shot last summer. I hope so because if not you characterized him pretty accurately.
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Post by garyd on Jun 11, 2009 12:47:31 GMT -5
Boy Im still lost in "The Mist" and thats a really scary movie BTW. What we do know is that the Knicks ned a front line PG or at least one that can share valuable minutes with Duhon.
If they really do package Lee they will lose tons of rebounds and I dont see Harrington, Eddy Curry. Galinari or Wilson Chandler making that up. They lack an inside defender in the above group as well.
From the draft to me there is no sure fire starter, although I admit to being knowledge deprived on Rubio except for the Olympics in which he looked more like a pass first , somewhat frail PG, and not a natural shooter. And if (a big if) we eventually get James, he plays PG. My thoughts here are to pick a good PG/SG thats young and that to me is likely Holliday (he was #1 PG out of HS along with Brandon Jennings). That may be moot if they are dead set on picking Curry. To me he is not PG worthy but could slide easily into the SG role if that doesnt work out. Darren Collison is a fast , good shooting and defending PG but about 6-0 and available in the second round if the Knicks pick up a draft choice.
As to defender and rebounder Gortat is athletic and a worker but not a starter despitwe what Stan VanGundy says.. Guys who work the boards are Hansbrough (not a natural scorer) and a guy named Taj Gibson who averages 15ppg, 12rpg and 4 blocks per game from USC.
I suspect that if Lee is traded, a big center comes in as backup to Curry along with a low first/early second round and an expiring contract.
Guys Im not that sold on in the draft...Thabeet looks more like Mutumbo than anyone else to me and thats not worth a #2. Brandon Jennings (based on what I saw 2 years ago). I havent seen enough of some of the other Knick maybes to comment.
Gary
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Post by irish2u2 on Jun 11, 2009 14:03:24 GMT -5
Gary
I think the Sergio Rodriguez trade would shore up PG quite nicely and make the position a strength if we can draft a good PG. Jrue Holliday is a great choice. I like his size, athleticism and upside. Stephen Curry might be an inspired choice. While he lacks the athleticism of Holliday he makes up for it in smarts and that special intangible I like to see in players...humility. He knows he is not the player he could be and is willing to work towards that end. He may not be an uber athlete but he is a good athlete who can get better. His skill set now is impressive but he knows it still needs work. A season behind Duhon and Hughes to get experience and work on his game and Curry could eventually be the Nash-like guard D'Antoni wants only Curry is a better defender which IMHO is a good trade off to make because Curry will never be as creative as Nash. The ideal situation is draft Curry if he is available and then sign Nash in the summer of 2010 to mentor Stephen till he is ready.
Resign yourself to the fact that Lee is gone. We replace Lee by committee. Lee averaged 12 boards a game. Between Gallinari, Curry and Gortat, if indeed he is the MLE target, we can make up those boards and with Gortat we have a better defender down low. Curry and Gallinari can certainly make up for the scoring. In fact, again IMHO, Gallinari is better than Lee in every phase of the game save one...rebounding. Since rebounding is mostly sweat and experience I believe Gallo can be at the very least average off the boards and maybe better than average. Again we compensate for the loss of David Lee by having more than one player take his place.
We are stuck with Curry. I agree Gortat appears like a good backup center type but maybe he is perfect as caddy to Curry. My opinion of Thabeet is a little higher than yours but he is no Dwight Howard type choice. If we can somehow make Curry become a factor with this team, a long shot I know, and rotate him with Gortat we get a decent pivot rotation. The only issue is neither is a good passer and that is a key component in the offense. To that end my hope is Curry shows enough so we can trade him. I am singular in this opinion but I believe ultimately Gallinari can be a center. He will never be a banger down low but his ability to shoot and pass make him a unique weapon in the post IF he can learn how to score down low and he gets stronger, healthier and adds some bulk. He's a legit 6'11 now. At 245lbs he'd be a hand full. But it's also Catch-22 with Gallo. He has back issues now and extra weight on top of a back problem is usually a recipe for disaster. My hope is that a gradual increase in bulk and strength plus a regimen of back strengthening exercises gets Gallo over 240lbs. A guy who shoots and passes like Gallinari seems like a perfect high post center for this offense. Now add a rebounding/defensive power forward with size which leads to another scenario.
Larry Brown is highly enamored of Stephen Curry. He also thinks Eddy Curry can be a player in this league. Curry, David Lee and our #8 for Boris Diaw, Omeka Okafor and the Bobcats #12 pick. We get a tough rebounding defensive PF in Okafor, his natural position, or center, his current position, to guard the gate alongside Gallo plus a veersatile guy in Diaw who can do a bunch of things. There is an excellent chance of a good PG being available at #12, maybe even Holliday.
I can still dream. right? ; )
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Post by will1682 on Jun 11, 2009 17:38:50 GMT -5
For myself, David Lee not being a Knick is going to take a while to get over. I know all the pros and cons of having him. A solid 10-10 player every night, but when it comes to defense and shot blocking it just isnt going to happen. I often wonder if Lee could be an asset at the 3 full-time, another big front court similar to the Ewing, Oakley and Johnson lineup of 97. But lets face it, the rules are different today, JVG and Dantoni's styles greatly vast, and Lee will never have the post-up game and athleticism (although damaged by then) that Johnson had.
I have said it before and I will say it again, if I was pulling the strings my main concern would be a defensive 5 at this point. Had we had that benefit this past season, I firmly believe we would had been in the playoffs. However, I know other positions are not set either. I believe Chris Duhon did MUCH better than what most thought, but there is a reason he was only signed to a two year contract. My motto going into next season is that we must make the playoffs. We all know it will be the huge 2010 summer, but those big FA's will need to have a reason to come to New York. We must show that we are on the rise. And not only that I believe Utah is owed our first rounder as well. Whatever happens, I know Donnie Walsh is aware of everything this team needs and will do his best to address everything. But with the draft coming up, hopefully we can strike gold sooner than expected.
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Post by greatgates on Jun 11, 2009 18:55:41 GMT -5
I am starting to think I have an idea of what Donnie Walsh is trying to do this off season to improve the Knicks while keeping the cap situation in check. I do believe the Knicks will pursue Orlando center Marcin Gortat with their Mid Level Exception. I think the trade rumors for Sergio Rodriguez have some traction. I think the Knicks will sign and trade David Lee. Gortat offers the Knicks an opportunity to play an offensive/defensive rotation of Eddy Curry and Gortat to maximize their post position play. I think that is why Walsh "dropped in" on Eddy to make sure he was sincere about getting into shape and contributing next year. I do think the Knicks will trade for Rodriguez and I think part of the price will be our #8 draft choice. I know the Blazers want to move up and I know they have their eyes on several players notably Jrue Holiday and Austin Daye. I think the deal goes down and the Knicks get the Blazers #24 and #33 picks plus pay Portland some cash. Portland has a plethora of youngsters on their team and they have 1 first round pick and 4 second round choices so they have some cards to play uncovering an unknown gem at bargain basement rates. This allows them to trade their 2 higher picks and Rodriguez to get a young player they are high on. I do think the Knicks are dangling David Lee to the Grizzlies for their #2 choice. I think Donnie Walsh is in Europe right now because he has his eyes on Ricky Rubio. Memphis has multiple draft picks too including one late in the first round and there are a lot of PGs in this draft. Somewhere in this mix we have Nate Robinson and he gets signed and traded either as part of one of these deals or as part of another. I'd be looking at Minnesota with their #18 pick. If successful the Knicks would have the #2, #18, #24 and #33 picks in the draft plus a defensive center in Marcin Gortat and a backup PG in Sergio Rodriguez. Add Rubio as the PG of the future and maybe the one single player in this draft with the most upside and then the Knicks can pick and choose with their other picks to fill needs. They won't need a PG so I think they look for a PF and a SG/SF swingman type. They could even take a chance on guys like Earl Clark and BJ Mullens. Ironman may be right that Chase Budinger is in play along with North Carolina swingman Danny Green, Texas SF Damion James and UNC PF Tyler Hansbrough. Georgia Tech PF Gani Lawal and SGs Wayne Ellington (UNC), Jodi Meeks (Kentucky) and Marcus Thornton (LSU) are considerations plus assorted Europeans too numerous to list though part of that list might be PF Victor Claver, PF Jonas Jerebko, PF Milan Macvan and SG Nando De Colo. My personal thoughts are a lineup like this for next year: Center: Eddy Curry and Marcin Gortat Power Forward: Al Harrington, Danilo Galinari, Chris Wilcox (re-sign him this summer) and Earl Clark (taken with the #18 pick). I'd keep Wilcox only because he can play some center too if needed and he should be cheap. Obviously I would not overpay here. Small Forward: Wilson Chandler, Quentin Richardson, Jared Jeffries and Damion James (taken with the #33 pick). Shooting Guard: Larry Hughes and Chase Budinger taken with the #24 pick. Point Guard: Chris Duhon, Ricky Rubio (taken with the #2 pick) and Sergio Rodriguez. I think Rubio is a no-brainer type of pick especially since with Gortat the Knicks don't need Hasheem Thabeet. Rubio has star written all over him. Earl Clark is a gamble but he fits the D'Antoni style (he has been compared to Shawn Marion) and he is a 6'10 uber athlete who can play both forward positions and he has some skills. His attitude has dropped him from the lottery but he is worth the chance. Budinger is another wildly athletic guy with legit SG size at 6'7. Like Clark he hasn't taken over the college game like some thought he might but he has all the physical ability and skills one wants in a pro SG and he would not be the first guy to underachieve in college and turn out to be a good pro. I like Damion James over Danny Green simply because he is bigger, stronger and more athletic. Ultimately Wilson Chandler could end up at SG so I want a more traditional type of SF as backup to that guy from Cleveland. ; ) We lose a lot of numbers with Lee and Nate. But we also don't over pay for them either. We improve defensively in the post with Gortat and add an offensive component with Curry that picks up some of the scoring we lose. With Harrington, Chandler, Wilcox, Gallinari, Jefferies and Clark we have a lot of mix and match possibilities. We can play Chandler at SG more. We can play Gallinari at both forward positions. We can play Harrington, Jefferies and Clark at both forward positions too. Wilcox can play the power slots. We have good scoring here especially with a healthy Gallinari. We pick up an elite type PG in Rubio who can be the second chair type superstar player championship teams need. Being that we have Duhon and Rodriguez we don't have to throw Rubio off the deep end of the pool. It should also be noted that Rubio has the size to play some SG too giving us some interesting match up possibilities. In one fell swoop we add our two deep PG rotation for 2010, add a backup SG to Chandler when he makes the full time switch and we now have a pretty big backcourt with the 6'4 or taller Rubio and the 6'8 Chandler. We have size in the frontcourt too. We are more athletic and hopefully better defensively. Most importantly we have added pieces to the LeBron puzzle while keeping cap room to sign him. Chandler, Gallinari, Rubio and Gortat make for some nice running buddies for King James and His Court. Right?
Do you prefer Budinger over Ellington?
Gortat has one of the fastest cars in the league a BMW M5 that he has upgraded( he has worked as a mechanic) and seems to be a very good guy. )
Clark scares me but his skill set is outstanding.
I don't understand why most folks are so down on hansborough?
Rubio might have the size to play 2 guard; but not the shot. However you may be able to match him defensively on 2 guards, if that was beneficial.
The roster you put together would make the battle for minutes intense, always a great sign.
Outstanding post. |
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Post by greatgates on Jun 11, 2009 18:59:44 GMT -5
geez bill, that was a lot of thinking, great post. i dont want thabeet at 2, and man i hope rubio is the real deal. i almost think i just want curry so i dont have to be disappointed with rubio, but at this point, it's all on walsh to make some deals happen. i hope he can squeeze some value out of lee and nate. just a question. why would memphis want lee when walsh couldnt give him to them last year for mayo, bc he said he wouldnt sign with them. is it bc he'd already be locked in with a contract? |
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Post by greatgates on Jun 11, 2009 19:08:22 GMT -5
I am not so sure that the "Mist" is clearing. First up Marcin Gortat. While Mark Berman of the NY Post states that he is worth the MLE, Alan Hahn of Newsday is just as adamant that he is not worth the MLE. Meanwhile Stan Van Gundy says he could start for a lot of NBA teams. Big differences of opinion there, and I am on the fence since there is not a good body of work to judge him by. As for the Memphis deal, I would still hate to give up David Lee especially for Ricky Rubio, who I am not sold on, although he has a lot of good plusses, his shot mechanics are a very big minus. I might be more inclined to take Thabeet @ 2, although that is also a big risk. As far as the Portland deal goes, I kind of like it, but would want to include Nate in the deal in a sign and trade and send him home(close enough). That deal looks to be in a state of flux as to what the Knicks would ultimately receive. Is it Rodriguez, Fernandez and Frye plus #24 and #33 for our #8 and I would offer Nate, Hangington and Hughes.........take your pick. I would draft along the lines of your proposal, Bill, as I like Budinger a lot. He jump out of the gym, can shoot lights out, and is an all-american volleyball player and can defend well enough. If we stay with #8, I still want Tyreke Evans, although I am noting that the Knicks have not worked him out(either no interest or a smoke-screen). I also question the clamor for Johnny Flynn. He is not taller than Lawson, not quicker, not stronger, not better defensively, and in floor generalship AKA point guard skills they are at least equal. In addition Lawson is a winner. I think the decisions should not be made until after the 7th pick is announced, as far as the Portland deal goes. No need to make that deal if the Knicks make the Memphis deal and draft Rubio. Big need to make the deal if the Knicks make the Memphis deal and draft Thabeet. If I am the GM, I wait for Evans, if he is not there, and no other shocking things occur, I look to trade down or acquire a 2010 draft pick where Jerome Jordan and Cole Aldrich will be there. I also want to resign Chris Wilcox, if the price is right. He has value at PF and some at center in a pinch. Making all the proposed moves, will still leave a question mark at center, as to who has NBA skills and who fits the system, but the rest of the team will.............well kind of look like a team, I think for a change. |
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Post by greatgates on Jun 11, 2009 19:19:50 GMT -5
Boy Im still lost in "The Mist" and thats a really scary movie BTW. What we do know is that the Knicks ned a front line PG or at least one that can share valuable minutes with Duhon. If they really do package Lee they will lose tons of rebounds and I dont see Harrington, Eddy Curry. Galinari or Wilson Chandler making that up. They lack an inside defender in the above group as well. From the draft to me there is no sure fire starter, although I admit to being knowledge deprived on Rubio except for the Olympics in which he looked more like a pass first , somewhat frail PG, and not a natural shooter. And if (a big if) we eventually get James, he plays PG. My thoughts here are to pick a good PG/SG thats young and that to me is likely Holliday (he was #1 PG out of HS along with Brandon Jennings). That may be moot if they are dead set on picking Curry. To me he is not PG worthy but could slide easily into the SG role if that doesnt work out. Darren Collison is a fast , good shooting and defending PG but about 6-0 and available in the second round if the Knicks pick up a draft choice. As to defender and rebounder Gortat is athletic and a worker but not a starter despitwe what Stan VanGundy says.. Guys who work the boards are Hansbrough (not a natural scorer) and a guy named Taj Gibson who averages 15ppg, 12rpg and 4 blocks per game from USC. I suspect that if Lee is traded, a big center comes in as backup to Curry along with a low first/early second round and an expiring contract. Guys Im not that sold on in the draft...Thabeet looks more like Mutumbo than anyone else to me and thats not worth a #2. Brandon Jennings (based on what I saw 2 years ago). I havent seen enough of some of the other Knick maybes to comment. Gary
Taj rebounds and he is long but he only weighs 37 lbs and has no vertical. i am also unsure if Gortat has starter skills. BTW i do like hansborough alot. |
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Post by irish2u2 on Jun 11, 2009 23:56:49 GMT -5
Some quick before I lay my head down to rest answers...
I do like Budinger over Ellington. You get more size, at least equal athleticism and a good shooter with Chase. Ellington is the better defender.
I don't see Gortat as a future All-Star but I do think Tony Battie is a decent player and Gortat beat him out as Dwight Howard's caddy. I also don't think Manhattan is the right place for a souped up Beamer. ; )
Quick story. Some rich guy in Ocala (which is just south of where I live) bought his son that souped up Beamer. The kid already had a Porche and a 'Vette and he was only 18 but Dad bought him this 160+ mph road rocket.
Sonny takes the Beamer and 3 friends out to a place in Anthony, just north of Ocala, where they entered a development called Jumbolair. This development is an airplane community. Folks pull up their planes to the houses just like cars only Jumbolair is the only private airport community that can support big jets. John Travolta lives there and parks his Boeing 707 right in front of the house.
So this kid gets on the runway, which is about a mile and half long, and he lets loose. The problem is there is a berm at the end of the runway and the kid doesn't know about it or how long the runway was so he was balls to the wall at more than 150mph when he hit the berm which acted like a launch pad and set the kids and their car up 20+ feet in the air. The flight didn't last long. They hit a tree and basically the car, the kids and most of the tree was somewhere between "destroyed" and "vaporized".
You should have to take a test before becoming a parent.
Back to the post....
Rubio's shooting may be suspect but he is still so young and the easiest thing to fix in basketball is a jump shot. His shooting isn't the biggest problem with him. It's his weight and strength. He's a decent athlete but skinny. Real skinny. Almost Manute Bol skinny. The skills other than shooting are top notch and the kid is a dogged defender. Rubio is a gamble but anybody after Blake Griffin is a gamble.
BTW, Darko has an expiring deal and his contract would work perfectly. He has even more upside than Eddy Curry but like Eddy just never developed. It would be great if we got Darko and he was a late bloomer. ; ) He has it all except that special something that separates stars from average players.
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