The Knicks Fix

I feel like everything is just a bunch of smoke screens. Donnie is known for never showing his cards for the draft. I still think that he's either trading up to draft Mayo or trading down to pick up another pick/player. Maybe one of Memphis's three/four point guards...

File under "Beginning of the End"

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06232008/sports/knicks/marbury_speaks_116753.htm

So Zeke sends Marbury off thinking Dolan will pay for another migraine to go away, and lo and behold, Daddy has cut off his credit card. Could well have been when he finally decided HE was actually the captain of the Titanic and zeke was just the guy that sets up the chairs. Probably about when he decided to take David Stern's calls.

But moving forward........

I’m with Tim. I’m starting to think Walsh has something up his sleeve and everything we’re hearing is just smoke and mirrors to mask what he’s really planning to do on Thursday.

Then again, that might just be wishful thinking . . .

Alan, That don't surprise me man, I had said right after the first Knicks workout whoever the Knicks work out a second time would be the player they had their eyes on. As a matter of fact I actually said "when" they work out "that player" (Joe Alexander) a second time it will be because they are really interested in him. This guy JA is the real deal!!!

Joe Alexander, interesting. I thought every Knick fan agreed that our biggest needs were shotblocking, rebounding, and a floor general who could actually get an assist every now and again. We already have Q-Rich, Balkman, Chandler, and Jeffries and are supposedly holding out for another SF in James. None of our SFs are that good, but drafting another SF with your only pick doesn't seem to make too much sense if you are going to sign LBJ. DJ. Augustine is too small, Westbrook is not a #6 pick with his offensive limitations, and Lopez and Love are real potential busts. I would trade down for multiple picks if Mayo and Bayless are gone.
The Warriors trade exception would be perfect way for the Knicks to dump salary but Randolph, Davis, and Jackson on the same team would be crazy. Nellie would have a stroke. Curry might make more sense for them especially since D'Antoni wanted nothing to do with Shaq in his system. Also, if we did trade up for Mayo or he or Bayless somehow fell to us at six, we could always trade Crawford for T.J. Ford and Toronto's pick this year. I don't like T.J. that much but it would solve our PG problems and we wouldn't have to gamble on Westbrook or reach on Augustine. Makes both teams better next year too if we get Mayo.

Alan and Voice have a point here: no reason for the whole brain trust to be at that workout to watch a D-Leaguer, Hibbert and the etceteras. They must be looking hard at Joe. They might be trying to decide if he is "the best available" at 6, implying that Walsh is looking to improve the PG spot via trade, not draft.

Honestly, I like Augustin a lot. He can run the offense. He can hit the three. He's goo around the basket with his runners/floaters. He'd be a good candidate if we trade down.

We need to come away with a point guard and someone to help with the interior defense. Hopefully, we can dump some of our crappy players in the process.

The only name on the hidden workouts that surprising is Joe Alexander. He was a potential lottery pick that may move down. This tells me that the Knicsk may shop their pick if they can land a second round and a mid first round pick while unloading some cargo like The Zach Hole. I really hope they don't do this because this is what they have done in the past. Lets start otf to draft good talent and then work them into our system. Roy Hibbert has size - but that's all he has and the others are second round material.

Everybody thinks that D'Antoni needs a floor general the most but is it really true? The toughest job for a PG is to orchestrate in half court sets, in "run and gun' you only make one pass, maybe two. Which means that even a combo guard can do that job reasonblay well. And we do have 4 of those on the roster. Marbury, Crawford, Nate and Jones. Do we really need another one? I would say yes to Mayo because he is just a great talent but the others are not an upgrade over what we have. To me Mayo is clearly the best player in the draft. All others are iffy, Rose and Beasly are not that great, nowhere near Mayo in my opinion.

Perhaps taking Joe Alexander (JA) @ the 6th spot might be an insurance policy in case the 2010 LBJ scenario falls short. Thinking that perhaps nabbing JA will also free up some of our small fowards to be traded for a point gaurd or an early 2nd round draft pick. Perhaps Chandler was hurt worse than expected, and the failure to develop Balkman, never mind the rest of the rooks, means that the Knicks are looking to move foward and cut down our roster redundancy by using our overstocked 3s as trade fodder to address needs on this team.

I really thought Mayo would be more vocal about coming to NY. He's an outspoken male and he's driven by the spotlight. What better place to play BBALL then NY. Even by him not being the top pick by playing in NY he would become more of a household name the Rose. He could also make more $$$$. This has to be more attractive the Min.

I'm hoping that the deal is already done for Rose. Keep in mind that the fix is in for the knicks. Think about it!!!

AT the allstar break Strern is asked about the state of the knicks and this was his response. "although the knicks are a sore spot I truely believe that management will make the proper changes to turn the Franchise around."

Since that statement was made, Walsh became available and Dantoni shook loose.

Is this a coincedence??????

Joe Alexander makes sense if you wanna trade Lee.

From Chad Ford in his latest mock draft - David Lee and Malik Rose to Memphis for the 5th pick and Brian Cardinal.

DO IT!!!!!!!

As much as I love Westbrook, I have no problem at all with Alexander.

He makes sense if you need a young, quality 3...like we do.

Knicks' thinking is that we can obtain our pg via free agency, a trade, or the draft.

I still think it's a big smokescreen, however. Watch us select Brook Lopez!!!....

Just bloggin fellas......lol

Sergio, That would be one of the greatest trades in recent Knick history if we pulled that off without giving up a pick. Right up there with when we got Latrell and Camby. The trade for LJ would rank up there too if his career wasn't so shortened by injury. I think I would wet myself on draft night . . .

From ESPN (if we could only get them to take Randolph for the #14 and Ford):
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors have held discussions about a possible trade involving Jermaine O'Neal and T.J. Ford, according to reports in the Indianapolis Star and the Toronto Star.

The Raptors -- eager to move an unhappy Ford and make Jose Calderon their starting point guard -- also would include center Rasho Nesterovic and possibly their first-round pick in Thursday's draft, both newspapers reported.

One sticking point might be O'Neal's health. He played in 42 games last season because of a left knee injury, though Pacers officials said recently that O'Neal is healthy, according to the Indianapolis Star.

O'Neal, a six-time All-Star, averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a game last season, and is currently working out in Las Vegas.

A second issue might be the financial burden O'Neal poses. He is set to make $21 million this season and $23 million in 2009-10.

Multiple reports surfaced this past weekend about a possible trade that would have the Raptors sending Ford and their first-round pick (No. 17 overall) to the Phoenix Suns for forward Boris Diaw.

If we don't land Mayo or Bayless and we do trade down we HAVE TO pick up Chalmers... I think after Rose he's the most stable and ready to play point in the NBA right away; defends well, shoots extremely well, has his head on straight and he's a winner... I like Chalmers way more than Augustin; nothing against Augustin - I just see him as a solid backup, nothing more

Sergio & K4L -

I think that if you're going to trade Lee or Rose's expiring, you should also be dumping a big contract in the process. If they don't, I think it's a waste of some the very few assets they have.

After all, what do the Knicks have that others want? Lee, Rose's expiring contract, Marbury's expiring contract, and the #6 pick.

It's not pretty. And it doesn't make sense to me to move any of those without shedding some of the dead (heavy)weights they've got in the process.

So in the Sergio scenario we get the 5th and 6th pick i do it in a heartbeat... As much as I think David Lee is talented I believe that in Dantoni is thinking of playing better offensive and defensive players at the 4 spot and is thinking of grooming Chandler to be a Marion Type a quick athletic 4 that can hit the 3pointer... Something that Lee cant do, u add JA u got two players who can do that on the floor at the same time... Interchangeable at the 3 and 4 much like how ATL is... And then maybe u can get Mayo or Bayless to got with that arsenol... THATS CRAZY! Also what many people arent understanding is the only way you can get a Lebron or Wade is by getting rid of Lee he will demand too much as a free agent at least 9mil... That puts you out of the Lebron & Wade sweepstakes... The players from this draft will be on rookie salary for years...

yeah, but cardinal has a terrible contract.

enough with the bad contracts.

if it were lee straight up for the number 5, i'd do it. but i really hope the knicks don't dig themselves deeper into salary cap hell.

cardinal's contract only has 2 years remaining. it expires before 2010 so it doesnt affect the knicks long term plans at all. that memphis trade is a no brainer. if that rumor is true and walsh passes, he should be fired immediately.

@Sergio

if that is true...we should have done that trade yesterday.
i would do that trade in a heartbeat...
but it sounds too good to be true.

i like westbrook but joe alexander would be fine with me.
i watched them play alot this year and every game i saw i was impressed by alexander.

he is an athletic freak...his upside is HUGE.

Yeah, but jon, even so, how do you expect to get under the cap by 2010 if you give up two of your assets for one, and don't dump any contacts in the process?

they're still going to have to get rid of some combination of zach/eddy/crawford/jeffries to be able to get under the cap in time for 2010.

i don't think those players (aside from maybe crawford) are tradeable without pairing them with lee, an expiring contract, or their #6 pick.

Matt B

I believe the reasoning in the Lee and Rose for Cardinal (his bad contract and all) and the 5th pick is that Cardinal's terrible contract runsout before 2010. For the Grizzlies that terrible unproductive player and contract hurts the team, the Knicks can absorb the bad contract long enough for it to dissapear and for the Knicks to pursue the 2010 free agent sweepstake.

Hence, the trade is not a misguided Isiah Thomas acquisition of a bad contract just to obtain a player, (in this instance a top 5 lottery pick), with potential. Rather the scenario is to do the following:

1. Exit and or avoid the possibility of overpaying for Lee's services to the detriment of the 2010 objective.

2. Obtain another lottery pick thereby increasing the possibility that one of the two top six picks get will pan out into a star calibur player.

3. Reduce the salary pool by playing young inexpensive cheap players who will not encumber the 2010 objective- as one blogger noted.

4. Absorb one bad contract as the sour that comes with the sweet but that won't have a post 2010 aftertaste.

If the deal is for real then I also say

DO IT!

Still think it's gonna be tough to move their own bad contracts without Lee to sweeten the deal, but you guys are convincing me.

And maybe I'm just hesitant cause I have a man crush on Lee... haha.

Having a 5 and 6 would be great start to the rebuilding process... wonder if it's legit.

Either way, I'm pumped for Thursday.

the 5th pick is a far better asset than lee. it has even more value in a package with an albatross contract than lee does. two lottery picks would give the knicks a ton of flexibility.

I can't even believe we are debating this. Lee is nowhere near as valuable as a #5 pick, even if we end up using it on a stiff like Lopez. We have the potential to draft Bayless and Mayo, and trade Crawford for a big man, Mayo and Lopez, and trade Crawford for Ford. That deal is just sick.

As somebody else pointed out in another blog entry, we don't have to dump Randolph, Jeffries, Curry, etc. now. We still have two years until 2010. I doubt even Memphis GM, after getting ripped for the Gasol trade, is dumb enough to do this though. This is something IT would do for like Ron Artest or something . . .

DRAFTEXPRESS has the knicks picking Jerryd Bayless at #6

any thoughts?

I like the trade for the Memphis #5. (Would Memphis do it?) THEN we either stick with the #5 and #6 . . . or trade down for some version of the 3-way trade I proposed on the last thread:

Portland gets Barbosa. Phoenix gets the #6. New York gets #15 from Phoenix . . . #13 from Portland . . . AND our own second round pick back that we sent to Portland last year for Nichols.

That would give us: #5, #13, #15 and a high second round pick in a deep draft. It’s a new dawn . . . a new day . . .

@Trane

i would love for that trade to happen...
that would give the knicks a new
life blood to inject into this lifeless team.

but it sounds too good to be true...

call me cautious...but when things sound too good to be true
then it is problably just a fairy tale.

i wish that would happen...if walsh could pull this off he would have
jump started the knick's fan base

thur is gonna be exciting...

That Memphis trade..ohhhh, don't get my hopes up. That deal seems to good to be true. The Ghost laid it out perfectly. If we do need something to sweeten a deal to unload a contract either this year or next, the potential of the 5 or 6 spot will be worth more to most teams than Lee, who's a very valuable role player on a good team, but not a star. And the Ghost is very correct in pointing out Lee's value is partially due to his low salary. That will be ending soon and we will be left with the tough decision of how much is he worth to us vs. how much he is worth on the open market. We could be forced to let him walk if another team wows him next off summer and we don't want to committ 8, 9, 10 million for a role player.

Hmm, just for fun, if this Memphis trade were to go through (crossing my fingers and toes), who would YOU pick at #5 and #6?

We can assume that the Big Three (Rose/Beasley/Mayo) are off the board. Chad Ford has Westbrook going at #4 though that seems high to me.

Would you go "high octane" in Bayless/Alexander? "High risk/low risk big men" (pick from Gallinari, Love, Randolph, Lopez)? Two guards (pick from Augustin, Gordon or Bayless)? A guard and a big man? The possibilities are endless! :-)

I get the feeling that if this scenario came to fruition, D'Antoni would likely favor the "high octane" picks that fit his system.

Clearly the rumored Memphis deal is either completely wrong, or is missing info. There is now way Memphis give up the fifth pick in the draft for David Lee andes, rad a few million in near term savings. That pick would definitely yield more than just Lee.

Although its fun to talk about trades, the Knicks just don't have assets that interest other teams other than their draft pick this year and next, and they'd be crazy to deal either.

My guess is that they draft Gallinari or Bayless/Westbrook (whomever is still on the board at six).

Regardless, Thursday is the first day of the new Knicks era. Let's hope it doesn't start with a McDyess/Randolph type dumb draft deal that we've seen from previous Knick eras.

@NYC – no argument – it’s total fantasy land. And yet . . . my 3-way, at least, is based on need and expressed wishes. Portland covets Barbosa (and doesn’t want rookies). Phoenix covets, I think it’s Westbrook, but whoever it is, #6 should do it.

For New York, it would give us 3 significant picks. We need talent. With #13 and #15 we have a shot at a potential star. And at least we should expect some solid core players. Something we have very little of. I don’t have a clue about Memphis. But you add a #5 to all that and . . . wow.

What a great way to flush the Isiah Thomas years down the toilet and start fresh. It’s a new dawn . . . it’s a new day . . . and I’m feelin’ good.

If you had a 5th and 6th pick would you trade both of them for the No.3 and a chance to pick Mayo or Beasly or even Rose possibly. No one said he couldn't drop to 3 if neither Chicago nor Miami wants him.

I wish Alan and other scribes stop digging and trying to find out what the Knicks are really up to. I mean, Walsh can accomplish things much better if every proposal he is working on does not come out in the open. Chances of getting these deals done are much better if they are done quietly.

We the fans are curious and want to know as much as possible. But it definitely hinders Walsh and diminishes chances at success. The minute other teams hear about it, they will jump on to the teams and offer other proposals which may or may not be better, but in any case ends up disrupting the deal.

So, I suggest we should stop the speculations and hold our breadths collectively till the end of Thursday. Then we can rejoice in what has been accomplished. I know it is not fun, but I would rather sacrifice 2 days of fun and to have fun for the rest of the year.

anyone who believes that the griz would trade the 6 pick and cardinal for lee and rose needs to have their meds checked. that is just STUPID. for crying out loud, lee becomes a restricted free agent after next season, meaning the griz would lose him for sure.
the knicks would be lucky if they could package lee and rose for the 15th pick plus a bad contract. forget about the fifth pick. yes the griz are poor and poorly run, but that trade fantasy is just criminally negligent.

@ sec11
after following this team for the last few years, I've had to have my meds increased many times! Anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, you name it. But nothing has done me any good until IT was sent packing. I'm just giddy we might actually either make an intelligent deal or just pick a good player. Happy days are here again... So if we're a little overly optomistic, well, indulge us. We're excited.

Wallace, despite disputing Ford’s report about ownership pressure to cut salary, seemed to be preparing for the possibility of trading the #5 pick in a package for an established player.

“We tend to take for granted the talent already in the league,” Wallace said about the focus on the draft. “We have a whole team of [former] first-rounders. You have to be careful about getting so wrapped up in the draft that you forget about veterans.”

Wallace acknowledged the importance of coming out of Thursday’s draft with a core piece to add to the team’s talent base, but suggested that piece didn’t have to come at #5.

Wallace allowed that, with the draft three days away, that moving up in the draft is still a possibility, in addition to staying at #5 or trading down or out of the draft.

“Everything’s in play,” Wallace said.

http://www.cmimemphis.com/grizblog/

looks like the grizz want to move the pick for a vet, and they want to cut salary. add that to the fact that they have a terrible gm....it makes me hold out hope for that 5th pick.

Good stuff Fixers.
I really am on board with the possibility that Walsh may
have something up his sleeve come draft night.....
besides a blood pressure cuff!
If nothing special.....take Augustin and Run!
All though I'd love to pick up multiple picks like Chalmers and Dorsey, Augustin addresses our PG need....remember it's not the size of the Dog, it's the size of the fight inside the Dog!
No matter who or what we do.....I'll still be cheering on my team!
Lets Go Knicks!

Dudley's Jumper - you have to get "Best Handle on the Fix" award. Hilarious.

Interesting article, especially when I scrolled down and was reminded that Memphis adds Marc Gasol this year. So they already have a "pick".

Remember, there are teams (Clippers most famously) who have to keep salary down to make ends meet, and to whom winning is a secondary consideration to keeping the lights on. They traded Pau for a ham sandwich, remember.

Just finished looking around and it appears there are many potential suitors for the Memphis pick, including the Heat with their #2. Knicks could be bringing a knife to a gun fight here.

Willis- if memphis wants to get up to #2, they arent unloading cardinal's contract. in fact, theyd have to take back a bad contract (mark blount) to get to 2 and give up some other premium talent (mike miller, lowry) so that isnt happening.
it may not happen, but i think this rumor is probably legit. for those who doubt it, just look at the heap of garbage the grizz got back for pau. all theyre about is cutting costs.

The Grizz are so young already would a # 5 pick outside of Mayo or Beasley really help them that much. They don't need another PG or Combo guard and if Minn takes Love (unless they actually like Lopez and think he will be better than the guy they just spent all that money on . . . Darko) I think they are better suited trading down or trading out. I think Minnesota is in a terrible spot too b/c Mayo or Bayless doesn't make sense for them either. I think McHale would get burned at the stake though if he passed on Mayo. Draft night should be very very interesting. It all hinges on who Seattle takes at 4.

looks like the rumor has some legs

As per Andy Katz of ESPN

"A potential deal with Memphis and New York apparently has some legs. The Knicks, who have the No. 6 pick, would get the Grizzlies' No. 5 pick, David Lee and other considerations to Memphis. New York would then select UCLA's Russell Westbrook and Italy's Danilo Gallinari with its No. 5 and No. 6 picks. If Memphis selects UCLA's Kevin Love, that is a strong indicator that the Grizzlies are keeping the pick."

http://thatknicksblog.blogspot.com/

i dunno. i would rather pick vanilla sky than dino.

Dudley's J,

"i dunno. i would rather pick vanilla sky than dino."

I concur with that. If we could land both Westbrook AND Alexander, it would indeed be the beginning of the "flushing of the toilet" of the Zeke era.

Let's just hope that the Grizz gives us some love by and selecting him.

I think gallinari is the better pick for us. i like alexander but gallinari and westbrook would give the knicks both toughness and flexibility on offense. somebody needs to be a head out there. dino would come in and right away hed be our best offensive facilitator. plus this would give us 4 guys that can initiate offense (gallinari, westbrook, crawford, nate). sounds very d'antoni to me.

If Alexander is a lock down defender than I can see him as a Bill Bradley / Debusschere
like player. We need a three that can defend like a cement wall and score on the other end at will. I see Galinari as a big shooting guard or small forward. Cant really be a floor leader and more of a role-player. Galinari is a work-in-progress and we have enough of those.

Westbrook only had one good year in college and is not really a point guard and is projected to be no more than a backup. The engine D'Antoni seeks will not be available in the draft. Anthony Randolf is projected to be too unskilled and may be a bust. Jason Thompson looks like the solid rebounder they really need. Go ahead and laugh! Brook Lopez might give them character and rebounding but he seems like a project. The engine doesn't seem to be out there. Starbury will probably have to be the man this season.

DTR

The point that the Knicks need to run this show is in next year's draft. His is name is Ricky Rubio. We should try obtaining Memphis's pick next year because they will probably be in the lottery again.