All-Star Saturday: Bibby out of play and Superman flies
That Dwight Howard dude is ridiculous. The Superman outfit? Like Renaldo says...
Aw man, crazy.
Howard did some amazing dunks that made you completely ignore the fact that this was a 6-11 man throwing it down. When he brought out the mini-hoop, I thought maybe he'd stick it at 12 feet and attempt dunking a miniball at 12 feet while dunking a regular ball at 10 (remember his request to have a 12-foot rim installed for the Slam Dunk contest was denied by the NBA). Maybe next year.
But a close second to that Superman dunk was Gerald Green's birthday cake dunk (more like a cupcake, but you get the idea). For those who missed it, Green had a cupcake put on the back of the rim. A candle in the cake was lit and Green went up, blew out the candle as he threw down a dunk. Gotta admit, that one was cool.
Jamario Moon? Disappointing. He shows a lot of MJ tendencies when you see him dunk. The jumpman split, palming the ball...I wanted more. Statue of Liberty 360 from the foul line, maybe. Something old school.
Again, maybe next year. The good news is, the Slam Dunk contest is back.
*
As some of you know, Mike Bibby is out of play. He was traded today to Atlanta (great move for Atlanta) for four players, including Shelden Williams (a big) and PG Anthony Johnson. Kings get younger, cheaper and deeper. But they're not a playoff team in the West.
Ron Artest told ESPN.com that he now wants to stay with Sacramento and "concentrate on winning a championship this year." Don't put too much stock into that. We know the Kings want to move him and have been talking about it. With Bibby already moved, Artest could be next.
On to your trade ideas.......(and a quick PS - typo by me. I said Donnie Walsh was the GM of Dallas. I meant Donny Nelson. My bad)....
@Eric: This is a perfect example of how the ESPN Trade Tracker can approve a trade by the numbers, but if you're the GM of the Denver Nuggets or Sacramento Kings, why would you make either of these trades? There has to be a win-win situation here, even if it's strictly financially motivated, such as Memphis in the Pau Gasol deal. Sorry Eric, back to the machine. The Nuggets don't get better with Randolph and the Kings certainly don't in adding Curry, when they already have Brad Miller.
@flybanjo: How long have you been sitting on that one? Well thought out and an excellent plan of attack. Get better where you need it. Miami could use a replacement for Shaq, so Curry makes sense. Jeffries helps them on defense where they miss James Posey. BUT, why would the Heat give up expiring contracts in Williams and Davis for Jeffries' overpriced contract and Curry's deal? Hard to believe Riley goes for this when he can let those contracts expire and have a ton of money freed up in the summer. I'm OK with the Cleveland deal. Crawford might fit well with LeBron and Malik Rose can help that team's frontcourt in the shortterm. Damon Jones is a diva, but he can shoot. Larry Hughes can score, but I don't know if he's an upgrade over J-Craw. The unprotected No. 1? Sounds more valuable than it really is. Not sure how this makes the Knicks better. The Memphis deal (Lowry) I'm all for.
Colangelo and D'Antoni? Good out-of-the-box thinking.
@Mike: I like your reasoning for Ben Wallace/Zach Randolph. One year less on contract and gives the ball back to Eddy on the low-post while also giving some defensive presence down low (tho you still don't have a shotblocker). People say Wallace is breaking down (knees are shot, one vet told me recently) and they also say he can mess up a locker room. One thing you can tell yourself is if Isiah makes this trade happen, he's definitely here for the long haul.
@Wash 08: Bibby is out of play, but even if he was, why would Sacramento want Stephon Marbury to keep the ball out of Kevin Martin's hands? Why would they want Curry when they already have a capable big man in Miller? Why would the Knicks take on all of that junk just to get Bibby and Artest?
@Matt: Not terrible. If any team can afford to eat a contract, it's the Knicks. To get Miller (a shooter) and Lowry (a point guard), it might be worth the trouble. Not sure, though, if Memphis wants to take on Randolph's contract and put him on a team with Rudy Gay (posts up a lot).
@ScottD: Respectable POV. Stay the course, let the expirings expire and make a smart pick. Can't say I believe that Mayo is the right guy for this situation, but there's plenty of time to scout for lottery gold.
@Harry: Again, the Memphis deals aren't bad. We're not hearing a lot of chatter involving the Knicks and Grizz, however. But adding Miller and Lowry would improve the team without losing anyone of major value. I'm guessing you'd start Milicic at center and play him with Z-Bo? Miller would start at the 3 and give you some needed outside presence and Lowry can defend at the point and set up Crawford. It's a start, but the Rose-for-Cardinal situation sets you back contract-wise. I don't know if it's worth all of this just to become mediocre.
@AR: Still trying to figure out Denver's motivation in adding Randolph to their team, with Iverson and Carmelo already there to eat up most of the shots. Knicks don't get that much better with your proposal aside from contracts. Keep in mind, all of you, the Knicks are already at the max 15 contracts. If you trade two for four, you have to cut two players from the current roster or buy out two of the players you acquire.
@Trane: Selling your soul to Ron-Ron? Sigh. I say you start with a mop, clean up the mess then see what you have before you start adding. It's like when you do a home remodel (I have experience, as you all know). You do demolition first. Tear it down to the studs. Leave only what is still useful. Everything else is wasted. Then start to build from there, because only then do you know exactly what you need.
@BAZ: Well thought out, from all sides. But you're adding O'Neal and McGrady, who oft-injured players who seem to only break down more often as they get older. That's a scary proposition. But maybe coming to New York gives them a little kick in the butt. I also like your suggestion that Marbury stay for his final year. Give him a summer to come back in shape and with lots to prove. Worse thing that can happen if it fails is these contracts come off the cap and you just keep drafting and developing. One caveat: Why would Larry Bird want to bring Zach Randolph to Indiana? The Pacers have made a concentrated effort into changing the culture there from a group of troublemakers they had to a - ahem - less threatening team. Zach hasn't had any of the off-the-court issues in New York that he had in Portland, but having him come home to Indiana (he's from Marion and has an offseason home in Indianapolis) would have to make any GM pause.
@kbrock, Ben Wogu: As I've touched on before, I don't know why Miami would be motivated to give up expirings for Curry or Randolph. I've also already said I can't see why Z-Bo would fit in Denver. Low-post scoring? OK, but we know he thrives on touches. Can you see Iverson and Melo allowing him to pound it in the post like he does?
@Julio: Q-Rich for Marshall an Newble isn't terrible. When he's healthy, not only can Q shoot it, but he can defend, which Mike Brown loves. Helps the Knicks, too, like you said, in contract situations. But, again, one-for-two means someone else on the Knicks gets cut (unless you just buy out Newble). But Z-Bo to Utah??? How the heck does he fit in that system, especially with Carlos Boozer? And Eddy for Okur?? My man, come back to us.
@Eric B: Amen brother. Amen.
Keep em coming!
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Comments (25)
David Aldridge to Newsday for Alan Hahn and Ken Berger.
The Philly Inquirer can swap Berger to The Plano (Tex.) Star Courier for two used copiers and a obituaries clerk.
The Inquirer can flat out cut Hahn, allowing him to pursue a career for which he's best suited:
Midnight-to-8 p.m. at Home Depot in Paramus.
What's the point in being a jackass, Anonymous? Get a life fool.
Anyway, Bibby was never in play and nor should he have been. We're supposed to be rebuilding here. No Artest's, no Mike Miller's, no Jermaine O'Neal's, no overpaid players with lengthy deals that do little to help the franchise in the present and future.
Stand pat, fire Isiah, hire a capable person to run the show, and REBUILD.
PS: Howard's dunks were crazy good. I love that guy,
What's the point in being a douchebag, Anonymous? Get a life fool.
Anyway, Bibby was never in play and nor should he have been. We're supposed to be rebuilding here. No Artest's, no Mike Miller's, no Jermaine O'Neal's, no overpaid players with lengthy deals that do little to help the franchise in the present and future.
Stand pat, fire Isiah, hire a capable person to run the show, and REBUILD.
PS: Howard's dunks were crazy good. I love that guy,
What's the point in being an a-hole, Anonymous? Get a life fool.
Anyway, Bibby was never in play and nor should he have been. We're supposed to be rebuilding here. No Artest's, no Mike Miller's, no Jermaine O'Neal's, no overpaid players with lengthy deals that do little to help the franchise in the present and future.
Stand pat, fire Isiah, hire a capable person to run the show, and REBUILD.
PS: Howard's dunks were crazy good. I love that guy,
test
Bibby isn't an impact player. He can score but doesn't run a real offense.
As for the Knicks, they appear to never, ever be willing to rebuild, dooming themselves forever.
Alan,
Thank you for the respectable POV review regarding my plans for the Knicks.
I don't get to watch the college game, but the player I meant to draft was not OJ Mayo, but Derrick Rose.
What is you perception of Rose, if a player like him were available to us in the draft.
What would you do with the PG spot in the upcoming two years if you were the gm?
Thank you
Hey Alan!
I know my trade of Curry for Okur was out there...however, Okur hardly goes low in the post which would leave ZBo plenty of space to do his damage in the block area...the trick is, teaching ZBo to pass out of the double teams so Okur or the perimeter plays can knock down the shot....yes, I know this trade is still a long stretch from ever happening in our lifetime but stranger trades have happened...think Pat Ewing to Seattle
Have a good one
Hey Alan!
I know my trade of Curry for Okur was out there...however, Okur hardly goes low in the post which would leave ZBo plenty of space to do his damage in the block area...the trick is, teaching ZBo to pass out of the double teams so Okur or the perimeter plays can knock down the shot....yes, I know this trade is still a long stretch from ever happening in our lifetime but stranger trades have happened...think Pat Ewing to Seattle
Have a good one
Hey Alan!
I know my trade of Curry for Okur was out there...however, Okur hardly goes low in the post which would leave ZBo plenty of space to do his damage in the block area...the trick is, teaching ZBo to pass out of the double teams so Okur or the perimeter plays can knock down the shot....yes, I know this trade is still a long stretch from ever happening in our lifetime but stranger trades have happened...think Pat Ewing to Seattle
Have a good one
Sorry about posting the comment more than once! My laptop was going nuts for a minute.
I realize that Artest has become a cliché. And I certainly agree with cleaning house first. The problem with anticipating things like this, especially when you need as much as the Knicks do, is that you have to be flexible, depending on what’s available. Isiah has always gone for players he’s wanted. As a result, he’s never gotten the players we need (to complement our other players). That’s why we don’t have a team. So I’m certainly not making Artest the cornerstone of anything. And yet . . . No matter how I project this team changing, he seems to fit into it. So I couldn’t help myself. I believe we’d be better. But I’m against anything that ties the hands of the new GM. And I’m in favor of anything that gives him more flexibility.
The sad fact is that we need practically an entire starting unit. Once the first piece or two comes together, it could change everything as far as the other players we’d need to complement those building blocks. (Yes, I’m a sucker for Artest because I don’t know who he doesn’t fit in with, unless it’s a premier small forward. And, frankly, I still haven’t gotten over the fact that we passed on him for a French guy – being a Francophobe from old school of Francophobes .)
In all honesty, I don’t know how you go about getting an entire new starting unit. Let’s not minimize the enormous mess Isiah has created. And the huge job awaiting his replacement. If I’m wrong about that, show me one player on the current roster who is a legitimate starting player on a legitimate contender. Crawford is a quintessential second unit player, as is Nate. At the moment, Lee is too. Maybe he’ll still develop into a starter but he’s still too one-dimensional. Certainly not Curry. Again, maybe you can live with Randolph while you build. But he’s not the answer either.
After more than 4 years of turning over this roster like it’s a grilled cheese sandwich you don’t want to burn . . . Isiah hasn’t brought one legit starter to New York. Shameful.
Hey Alan. Sorry to support a competitor on your own blog, but I had to make an exception here. I got to write a guest entry on Dougherty's blog, and I wanted to invite you to leave a comment. All of you actually. Its fun to flip the script for a day.
http://knicks.lohudblogs.com/2008/02/17/admirable-gullible-laughable/
Hi Alan,
Thanks for the feedback on the trade proposal. You were correct on the Darko on the outside to complement Z-Bo's inside game(hopefully). Then again after I sent it my thoughts turned to why would you trade one set of players from a losing culture for another set of players from an equally as bad culture. That's where it really has to start. When you look at the roster how many of these Knicks has come from a successful program whether college or pro?
Your article today put it all in perspective. Even a little hard work can pay dividends. It starts with the top. Instill a culture that has a chance to suceed and it might only take 1 or 2 moves to become a winning team. The NBA has a history of teams who have done just that.
Fool?
I'm not the one who hit the ENTER key three times, George.
I am the one who typed that Hahn ought to work midnight-8 p.m. (sic) at Home Depot in Paramus. Midnight-to-8 a.m. would be a better shift. That way, Hahn could slide over to his new day job at Ira's Aluminum Siding in Elmwood Park.
Of course, George, we could always trade you. But, aside from Isiah Thomas and the Newsday editorial board, who wants anything loud and worthless?
I guess this is a bit complicated, however the idea behind my plan revolves around the four guaranteed contracts we have for the 2010-11 season (Zach, Eddy, Crawford, and Jeffries). Get rid of two of them and you should be able to put yourself in position to be under the cap for the 2010 offseason. Further, even if you do sign someone to a max contract, the other two contracts of the four will come off the next year and allow you to be under the cap for the 2011 offseason as well.
The trades:
1. Eddy Curry ($31M over next 3 years) for Mark Blount and Daequan Cook ($16M or so guaranteed after this year). I don't think you're getting an expiring for Curry, so instead you shave off a year of Curry's contract and get a SG who can (according to his scouting report) really shoot. It also helps keep Miami from thinking Center in the draft, which is where I think the Knicks should go.
2. Q-Rich and Jerome ($32M) for Big Ben ($28.5M). I THINK the Bulls are desperate to get Big Ben and his contract gone. If they ask for Malik instead, you ask for a youngin' like Sefolosha. My thought here is that getting rid of Big Ben for them is an addition by subtraction (locker room issues plus it frees playing time up for Noah, Gray, and Thomas). Ideally, I'd like to hold onto Malik for another trade.
3. Crawford and Fred Jones ($31M) for Larry Hughes and Cedric Simmons ($28M). Cleveland needs someone else who can create his own shot and run some point. The contract values are almost identical but we shave off the 2010-11 year. Crawford fits a lot better for Lebron than Hughes, I THINK. I don't know much about Simmons (such as how high Cleveland is on him), but he shows as a defensive rebounding specialist on his scouting report.
4. Malik Rose ($7.64M) for Brian Cardinal and Kyle Lowry ($14.1M). Memphis shaves a year of salary and we pick up their 2nd or 3rd string PG (in theory).
In these exchanges, you end up with one additional player, so you waive/cut/buyout Randolph Morris for peanuts.
I'm not sure if you save or take on more salary through all this. It's probably about a wash. And do we win a lot more games? Probably not. But what IS accomplished:
1. You shave off Eddy and Crawford's 2011 salaries. For 2011, this now leaves you with guaranteed contracts for Zach, Jeffries, Nate, Lee, Balkman, Chandler, Lowry, and Cook which shouldn't amount to more than $45M and which should leave you around $15M under the cap. The next year Zach and Jeffries come off which is another $24M and again, you should be considerably under the cap.
2. You don't sacrifice Lee, Nate, or Balkman.
3. You add some defensive presence to the starting lineup in Big Ben, Larry Hughes, and whoever takes the starting SF position (Jeffries or Balkman).
4. You add some more youth in Lowry, Cook, and Simmons.
5. You open up more playing time for our young players. Big Ben and Hughes are likely to play less minutes than Curry and Crawford and Q-Rich is moved out of the starting lineup.
6. Salary is about a wash and you don't have to buy out anyone but Randolph Morris, which costs almost nothing.
7. You give Miami a Center which increases our chances of drafting Hasheem Thabeet.
Hope someone read that all,
Marc
"@flybanjo: How long have you been sitting on that one?"
Ha ha, a few days now -- I kept checking and checking and checking, waiting for you to send out the invitation to post trade proposals. Finally!
Re: the Miami trade, if I'm Pat Riley and I can get Eddy Curry to play the five, and all it costs me is the burden of taking on Jared
Jeffries' contract, seems like a no-brainer. Haslem, Wade, and Marion are all top-flight defenders and rebounders for their respective positions, so they can cover Eddy's shortcomings, much like Chicago did when they closed out the season with that ridiculous 47-25 run (or something like that) in his final year there. Meanwhile they get a low-post monster -- then, they can either draft Derrick Rose or Jerryd Bayless, or trade the pick for an established PG (Jason Kidd? Yikes. Getting the matching salaries would be tough, though; tell Alonzo Mourning not to file those retirement papers just yet! He could get one more huge NBA paycheck!).
Talk about rebuilding on the fly: Kidd, Wade, Marion, Haslem, Curry. (Wait, I thought we were supposed to be rebuilding the Knicks?!?!)
Re: Cleveland trade: Crawford, Hughes, Jones, etc. who cares. The only name in that conversation that matters is LeBron. If I'm NYK GM, I'm scouring every roster for bad contracts that expire in 09, and see if I can con a GM into a swap where they get talent and NYK gets cap relief for the magical summer of '10. (It's what half the league did to Isiah for the past four years.)
Frightening to hear the report from one GM who thinks Zeke will be
back. Please. Please. No.
P.S. Marc, love your ideas. Probably cuz we think alike!
I have a feeling the Knicks may not make a move before the trade deadline. This will confirm for me that Isiah already knows his fate. He is a marked man and will take the Heat for another losing streak in the Knicks history. Look at will happen after the all star break.
Facts: I'm usually right!
Knicks will lose more games than under Larry Browns Team Titanic season.
Isiah gets fired and settles for a reduced amount after the last game of the season.
Knicks launch a big hunt for a GM
Knicks search for a head coach.
Most of the players will demand a trade or seek a trade to another team.
Marbury will be bought out and leave barking at the organization.
Steve Mills gets fired.
70% of the team will not be playing for the Knicks next season.
Knick will receive a better pick in the lottery than they anticipated.
New head coach puts new demands that this is a work in progress.
Note: the only thing that will prevent this fate is if Isiah has the Knicks play over .500 ball and come close to the playoffs. That may buy him some more time.
One problem with a lot of the trades is that it can be hard to see why the other team would want to do them. Take Eddy - he is a known quantity around the league - a no-d, no-rebounding underachieving centerpiece on a perennial lotto team who hasn't improved significantly at all. Saying Miami needs a center isn't much to justify taking him on. He doesn't set screens, clog the middle or play any semblance of team ball. The Heat offense runs through Wade - adding Eddy, even with some good defenders around him would not help them. My guess is Riley realizes that. Same with Zach - the Knicks were the only team who wanted him before everyone saw his performance here and what happened to Portland when he left. And he has four years on a max deal. Expirings are obviously more valuable than him - LA parleyed one into Gasol (although Wallace is arguably more inept than Isiah) - with all the players in the league who might be available, why would anyone want to add him to their payroll?
I'm not trying to be obnoxious - if I was a jackass I'd lurk anonymously and post moronic, repetitive and irrelevant insults - but I'm having a hard time seeing why anyone, no matter what their team needs, would give up any sort of asset to bring Zach or Eddy on board. Not without real sweeteners. Personally, I'm sick of giving up draft picks and prospects.
At this point the current team is going nowhere. A real rebuilding plan is needed. I'm for any trade that swaps longer contracts for shorter ones, but it isn't likely that anyone sees our deadwood as desirable.
LMAO@EVERY1 GETTIN CAUGHT UP IN P.G
THE KNICKS NEEDS A GUY THAT LOVES THE GAME TO DEATH A BORN SUPERSTAR.
DID THE BULLS NEED A P.G?
ALL U NEED IS THE RITE COACH.
IS TONY PARKER THAT GOOD.
INORDER FOR THE KNICKS TO REBUILD U GOTTA START WITH ZEKE.
EXPIRING CONTRACTS AND DRAFT PICKS.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE KNOWLEDGE
Anonymous, you must be the unwanted tool in your family that attempts to be witty but instead falls flat on his face. If so, I pity you.
what everyone here seems to forget in their "dump salaries-get under the cap-keep balkman/n8/lee scenariors" is that by the time you get under the cap, you're gonna have to sign lee/n8/balkman to new contracts, which is gonna eat up the cap space you just cleared for wade/lebron/kobe.
see, it ain't so easy. that's why the espn trade machine sucks, and that's why the nets trade of kidd is brilliant. they got their point guard of the future and 2 #1's for a 34 year old fading star. sure kidd will help the (desperate) mavs this year and maybe next, but that's about it. as for the nets, they're well on their way to rebuilding in time for brooklyn, specially if they can dump carter (that will be tougher, they were stupid to resign him last year).
after having read everyone's ideas in hear, in all modesty, the scenario i posted yesterday is best:
trade curry/randolph for bush/cheney, try, convict and execute the traitors for their war crimes. not only will the families of our dead soldiers receive some justice for the loss of their children in the name of war profiteering, but the knicks will create much needed cap space.
sec11rowH
There are plently of other blogs where you can express your lack of politcal acumen.
Are you hoping that Hillary or perhaps Obama are the next GM's of the Knicks?
If that happened, then the players when injured would probably settle for the same health care as us,and only wait seven or eight months to fix that bad knee.
Perhaps we could hand out more free money and better contracts to the players who don't show up to work as it is already.
Imagine when the extremists (Boston) are coming to kill us?
We would respond just like the team does now,like sissies.
I think that it is time to actually bring a more Conservative GM to New York, and actually show these Berkeley acting ballers how to really fight like men.
Let it go, and next time let's stick to basketball.
Pretending that the above Anon. isn't the same sophomoric half-wit who seems so enamored with his embarrassingly unfunny Home Depot and Jessica Simpson drivel - here is a tip.
You need some sort of name - if only to let others differentiate the unwanted Ann Coulter wannabe from the unwanted poster of repetitive inanities. Maybe "Anon" and "L'il Annie" or "So Unfunny I'll post it Again."
The problem is the Knicks have MAJOR issues regarding how the team was built. Eddy is terrible defensively, and now has no offense because Z-Bo is a ball hog who takes too many jump shots without ever trying to move the ball.
So, Eddy is basically useless on this team, and Z-Bo is a shoot first, pass later player that disrupts the whole flow of the offense. On the other hand, Lee is too small to play the Center position effectively and Jerome James couldn't even play in the NBADL.
This results in having no legitimate center on the team, yet having 3 players who rotate in a position that none of them really know how to play.
On top of that, you have Crawford playing the 1, when hes a 2, and Nate is basically just a younger, more energized Marbury.
You have center, no point guard, not even a true shooting guard because hes playing the point..
The team is an absolute mess. You can't just through talent together and take a bunch of forwards and combo guards and think your going to win games.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, they are also the highest paid team in the league.
I swear, you couldn't make up a better disaster story than this.