Yes the Knicks have inquired about Sebastian Telfair, but as much as Telfair would love to play for his hometown team I'd say it's doubtful he'd want to come here if his cousin is staying around, too.
There has been enough evidence in recent months to suggest the apparent "feud" that had existed between Telfair and Marbury has diminished, but to have them in the same locker room, competing for the same job, would not be a healthy situation. Unless the Knicks are his only option, Telfair and his representatives have to believe anywhere else would be a better opportunity if the Knicks plan on keeping Marbury for the season.
Also, the Knicks are really looking for more of a playmaker-type and Telfair, while he's got a heck of a handle, is more of a one-on-one guy than he is a facilitator.
Then again, there's not much pass-first in the games of other supposed leading candidates, such as Roger Mason and Jannero Pargo. Pargo is an excellent athlete with quickness and defense, but not a floor leader with the skills to keep an offense moving. Mason isn't much of an athlete, but does see the floor well. (Yeah, previously I goofed and wrote Desmond Mason...Consider it an ID10T issue that was fixed).
Do the Knicks maybe take a chance on Jason Williams for a short-term (very short) look? Yes, his knees may be shot and yes, his defense will only get worse as a result, but the guy sees the floor as well as anyone and can pass with the best of them.
Otherwise, not much else out there as far as free agents that fit what you're looking for when it comes to passing guards.
Just bloggin'.
Comments (28)
Cheap FA -
DJ MBenga. Legit size at center, great feet, great speed, cheap lane clogger. With Diop going back to Mavs likely, they won't need him. Still learning to play, but incredible athleticism.
Chris Anderson. Already mentioned here, New York is the place to be for comebacks. Gotta hope the substance was not coke, I'm hoping it was psychedelics. If his background is clear now, do it.
I refuse to believe classy men like Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni would look to sign a thug and criminal like Sebastian Telfair. And Stephon Marbury is hated in that locker room. What kind of message does it send to sign his cousin?
Telfair in NY won't happen and thank God!
Orlando's offering Duhon 3 years for $10 mil. (Orlando Sentinal)
Its done, son.
Next!
If the Knicks sign Sebastian Telfair I'm moving to Canada and becoming a Raptors fan.
@ Alan - if the Spurs go after Maggette, that could mean Kurt Thomas would be expendable.
However, let us not forget that big Kurt and Mar-baby had a HUGE falling out before Thomas was gone. Pretty sure there's a BIG dislike there...
it speaks volumes that progress for our knick team might include re-acquiring players we had years ago.
Marcus Camby
Kurt Thomas
Anybody think we should also give Sprewell a call?
Just bloggin' Spree is done.
J. WIlliams has a nice shot and great court vision but is still a chucker. With him and Crawford the ball would never move. I like Telfair's game. He is not Stephon Marburry in either skill level or attitude. He has gotten into trouble off the court but his teamates don't despise him. Stephon is also much more skilled but Telfair makes more of an effort on defense and I think has improved since coming straight out of HS. He has amazing lateral quickness and can penetrate and dish with the best in the game. Remember the game against the Knicks where he almost shook Marburry's knees off over and over again. Stephon is one of the best finishers in the game though.
Thank you Duhon for moving on to Orlando. I felt like the Layden days when we took all of Utah's rejects with all the former Bulls we are trying to bring in. I think Pargo would be a great signing and would leave us enough money to bring in a shot blocker as well. Arroyo would also be a very good signing. Neither will take us to the playoffs, but will allow us to waive Marburry. As each day passes I hope all you Danillo fans see how hard it is to get a good PG which is why we were all criticizing the new regime for not drafting one. It just made no sense and set us back at the very least, one year!!
As I blogged last night, I wonder about Kurt Thomas. Remember D'Antoni loved him in Phoenix. Great locker room guy that this team needs. Will he have better options? Apparently the Spurs want him, but things happen.
Carlos Arroyo is an interesting alternative, but he doesn't make you that much better. Would provide depth. Basically takes Mardy Collins' place but not better than what you have.
Stay tuned..
P.S. -- My bad on the Desmond Mason/Roger Mason mixup...thanks to Alan Steiner for the headzup.
Man, I never thought I'd see the day that this franchise would sink to this level.
It's a sad day when the bar is set so low that Chris Duhon would be the "prize catch"....no disrespect to Duhon.
Why would he accept a two year deal from this dysfunctional outfit when a contender like Orlando is offering him a three-year deal? Like someone mentioned previously, he's not coming here. I wouldn't.
And on top of that, we're reduced to a short list of the likes of Chris Quinn, Bassy, Roger Mason, and Jenero Pargo, when we could've gotten a pg in the draft. WTF!!
Zeke set this franchise back a decade. Sad days loom ahead.
@bronxboy - seriously, man. I mean Duhon is a good player, but what a sad state we're in when a free agent (especially one like Duhon) chooses to be a backup with orlando instead of a starter with us. Not only that but orlando can offer him more money and more years to be bench player.
Oh yeah . . . and how can we sign Lebron, Wade, or Bosh in 2010 when we can't even sign Chris freekin Duhon in 2008. We have to become more competitive now. Three Steps:
(1) Portland is a premire scoring SG away from being a very good team. I would offer them Crawford and Collins for Bayless, Dorsey,a salary filler and a 2009 #1 pick. Hopefully Portland values Crawford enough to give up that much for him (but Roy would have to move back to the point).
(2) Then we can try to move Lee and Rose for a SG (Michael Redd, Vince Carter, Richard Hamilton) rather than the crappy PGs we are trying to bring in. They do the same things Crawford does but at least they get to the line (sets back the 2010 plan I dislike slightly). Bucks and Nets need a good PF like Lee, and I'm assuming Wallace is out in Det
(3) I would also sign Delfino and Chris Anderson as insurance policies w/ the MLE. We could then waive Marburry and J. James without breaking a sweat, and let F. Jones and Morris walk. Next order of business would be dumping Randolph, Jeffries, and Curry for the hope and pray 10' plan.
@ Knicks4Life, Please man, leave the drugs alone!!!
Ok the FA pool is not that good obviously considering our interest in Duhon... Why would he pick the Knicks over the Magic, because he could start here, not only that his stock and leverage could raise in 2years... If he doesnt come here, SO, WHAT... Whats all the doom and gloom about possibly losing him...All these guards are just average, and Pargo is a horrible playmaker by the way... Telfair is the best available guard after Duhon, he is a very good passer with a low turnover ratio... Roger Mason only got 1.7ast last year, please... Arroyo isnt bad, if he can focus, and bring back the game he lost in Utah...
I dont want Marbury on the team next year either but you dont let middle of the road talent(and im being generous) dictate what you do with an expiring contract... That makes no sense... Steph may still have trade value to the Knicks..
@K4L Dorsey got traded draft night, he is not on Portland...
I say make an attempt to trade for Kirk Hinrich. Probably never happen since there is a supposed rumor D’Antoni does not like Hinrich. Regardless, Hinrich is roughly a 6 assist to 2 turnover guy and shoots about 83% free throws. I think the biggest positive is that Kirk comes across as a good citizen, not a night life party man like Duhon. That does not make Duhon a bad guy, just not what the Knicks need in my opinion. I also think Hinrich will flourish in D'Antoni's player friendly system as opposed to Skiles boot camp. The second issue is working out the trade, but I would think the Bulls might be motivated to trade Hinrich since they drafted Rose.
To this Bronxboy whining guy,
You keep blaming Zeke for everything? Remember Larry Brown and Frank Layden? What happened? Did Zeke not sign an autograph for you? Oh thats right, you were in Md ...when Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley and Weatherspoon were our"BIG THREE" and Zeke came along to F%cK that Mighty Trio up! Good looking out!
are the Knicks inquiring about Shaun Livingston's health? Seems like it might be worth the risk.
I hate blog bickering, but I gotta stick up for Bronxboy on that one man.
It is sad to see how difficult a situation Zeke left for everyone (especially with the Zach trade, which I had whined myself about a day or two ago on this blog).
*Scott* Layden was terrible too. But his teams at least were better than 23 wins.
Carlos Arroyo would be the best suited to run D' Antoni's offense. He can score, penetrate, and at times take over a game..just ask Marbury..
Steve Blake has always been a decent playmaker and good passer..and can hit the occasional 3..
I'd be happy with either one..
Make it happen Donnie..
@VOR Isiah valued Curry and Marburry enough for two unprotected # 1 picks, why can't Portland's GM fall for it? Somebody has to be dumb enough, plus Portland, Denver, and Phx all owe us one for fleecing our past incompetent Gms. Thanks Kid, I forgot Dorsey got traded.
Three kids the Knicks could probably acquire inexpensively are:
Petterri Koponen, Sergio Rodriguez (both Portland), or Will Blalock (last with Detroit).
Koponen's skills might be eye-opening.
@ Alan - Who's getting the summer league invite? Also, what happens to the D-Leagued Demetrius Nichols...he is stuck for 1 year?
I am not up to speed on how that works...
This is exactly what is was talking about
and why i am down on walsh
walsh really screwed up on draft night!
you cannot negotiate from a point of weakness
by not drafting a PG the knicks now are in a
situation where we "need" a PG
and that gives us no leverage in negotiations and trades
everyone knows you do the best deals from a position of power
not weakness
if Pritchard for the Blazers was our GM he would have drafted DJ Augustin and used him as trade bait for rayond felton
everyone knew Charlotte was going to draft DJ
(hell i don't even work for the NBA and i knew that from reading
nba blogs and papers)
or we could have drafted Bayless with the idea of trading him to a team that coveted him(like the blazers)
this would have put us in a position of power
because that was the player charlotte really wanted
(besides westbrook) and the player the blazers really wanted
in Bayless
by drafting a "another forward" we now have a glut of forwards
and and a shortage of Guards
the only way you draft gallanari on draft night is if you had a deal in place to move a forward in exchange for a PG
this was just bad GMing...
why would a NBA player turn down more
money to play for a winner
and take less money to play for a loser?
i can't fault duhon that is just smart buisness
People can stick up for walsh if they want
but i call it like i see it
Walsh was not my first choice -Colangelo or Pritchard
would have been my first choice
The way we handled the draft to me is not a good sign
walsh is suppose to be a great Basketball mind
but if look
at his track record in Indiana maybe he has last a step
seems to me the best GMs in the league are young guys
Pritchard,Bryan Coangelo,Buford from San antonio
Maybe the league has past walsh by
Matt B, good lookin' out, but I can handle these lightweights...
@ Neil,
Like I said, no knock on Duhon...I happen to like his game, I merely meant that it's sad when one of the proudest franchises in ALL OF SPORT can't even compete in a bidding war against a small market team like Orlando because of the position ZEKE put us in, that's all.
@ Bklyn Man still here (lol)
While I wasn't a fan of Layden's either, couldn't stand his apathy, I'm equally pissed @ Zekes' gunslinger mentality and his mortgaging our future with deals for over-the-hill, one dimensional ballplayers that could give a rat's azz about themselves or the team, ie:
Tim Thomas
Steve Francis
Fat boi Eddy Curry
Zach Randolph, and last, but not least,
Steph "It's so lonely at the top" Marbury...your homie from Bklyn
On top of that, you can tell he tried justify his decisions as GM by the decisions he made while coaching this team, which severely stunted the growth of the young guns, particularly Balkman.
Am I lyin'? I can go on, but I think I made my point.
Loved Zeke as a player...was one of my top three all-time, in fact. I just hate the condition he left this franchise in. At least when he inherited it, we had SOME assets, something to work with.....can you say he left it that way?
I didn't think so.
Bronxboy don't whine....he calls a spade a spade
Out here.
Matt B, good lookin' out, but I can handle these lightweights...
@ Neil,
Like I said, no knock on Duhon...I happen to like his game, I merely meant that it's sad when one of the proudest franchises in ALL OF SPORT can't even compete in a bidding war against a small market team like Orlando because of the position ZEKE put us in, that's all.
@ Bklyn Man still here (lol)
While I wasn't a fan of Layden's either, couldn't stand his apathy, I'm equally pissed @ Zekes' gunslinger mentality and his mortgaging our future with deals for over-the-hill, one dimensional ballplayers that could give a rat's azz about themselves or the team, ie:
Tim Thomas
Steve Francis
Fat boi Eddy Curry
Zach Randolph, and last, but not least,
Steph "It's so lonely at the top" Marbury...your homie from Bklyn
On top of that, you can tell he tried justify his decisions as GM by the decisions he made while coaching this team, which severely stunted the growth of the young guns, particularly Balkman.
Am I lyin'? I can go on, but I think I made my point.
Loved Zeke as a player...was one of my top three all-time, in fact. I just hate the condition he left this franchise in. At least when he inherited it, we had SOME assets, something to work with.....can you say he left it that way?
I didn't think so.
Bronxboy don't whine....he calls a spade a spade
Out here.
Wait Bronxboy we had no, none, not one asset when Isiah got here, I think you have some selective memory issues... I agree he has put Walsh in a tough position but, the Knicks are better now, then when he showed up, I'm sorry to inform you... Bash him all you want because he deserves it, for his arrogance and one sided way of looking at trades, and horrid FA signings... The truth is he would have been a genius if he protected the 1st pick top 5, even top 3 in the Curry trade... He would still be here if he did...
He is the best drafting executive we have had in 20years... Yes 20 years, do the research none of the guys drafted before he got here are even in the NBA, that says it all... Dont tell me about the guys he didnt or could have drafted because his players are still in the NBA, all of them...The Knicks doomed themselves b4 Isiah or Layden showed up because they put no emphasis on drafting, none what so ever... Which started Layden with no young talent, and he only continued the cycle, and compounded the problem...
@ The Kid,
While I hold fast to my opinion of Zeke. you make some valid points, particularly about his eye for talent and getting us younger. I think he loved some of his acquisitions so much that he neglected to dot I's and cross T's, hence not lottery-protecting future picks.
With regards to his arrogance, it still pisses me off that we went on that useless 3-game winning streak at the end of the season, that cost us lottery position. But who knows, it might not have made a difference anyways, with our luck.
Very true Bx, he did neglect to dot the I's and cross the T's... And you know that 3game winning streak, was him not wanting to have the worst record in franchise history... The meaningless wins gave him and LB equal horrible records, which im sure he was aware of... Extremely aggrogant and short-sighted...
My humble opinion is to keep Marbury and let the contract run out naturally. Only in the event of a sign and trade where we imporve our big man situation should we consider shedding him at this point. Randolph Curry Jeffries and even Q RIchardson should be shopped Heavily! Could a deal of Nate and Jeffries work for an Artest? His contract has only the one year left, and it essentially means dumping Jeffries' contract at the expense of losing Nate. Perhaps we could add a boatload of cash and get a 2011 pick as well? Or maybe Curry, Balkman, Nate and some cash for Kaman and a future pick. The point is, dumping contracts for even more youth and picks, should be a priority and set the sights a bit further down the road. Our pick in '09 is protected, and we should have no expectaions of a good season this upcoming year. Avoid the quick fix at all costs and continue with youth and cap flexibility. This would give the remaining players continued time to develop an identity as a team, give the new coach an opportunity to establish a culture, and set the stage for many years of above average/playoff caliber performance