Musings

Steve Adamek is reporting what may be the missing link to the logic of the Balkman deal.

Speaking of the Ewing family, reports indicate that Patrick Ewing Jr., drafted in the second round of last month's draft by Sacramento, may be sent to Houston as part of the deal that sends Ron Artest to the Rockets and could be waived thereafter.

Which means Donnie Walsh, who said he liked the younger Ewing, could snap him up and invite him to training camp.

Young Patrick probably becomes nothing more than a rotation player in the NBA, if he sticks at all, but he's one of those intangible players coaches and executives seem to like.

Inviting Ewing to camp makes sense as a gesture of goodwill and as a fan confection.

However, this still doesn't explain the roster cleansing move. Oh, yes, I understand that Balkman's lifestyle choices were keeping him from making professional progress on the court but I sense something more going on.

I don't believe for a second that Jerome James or Marbury will be around much longer.

To me this points to a multi-player deal being assembled behind the scenes and on the horizon. My logic?

Ewing and Roberson are strictly light-weight additions assuming either make it to opening day. Subtract Marbury and JJ and the Knicks are at 11 players or so. that leaves quite a bit of wiggle room in terms of accepting more contracts in than we might send out.

BTW: Sean Singletary has been waived and deserves a look. An undersized but interesting fellow.

The Year to Overspend

Given the hyper-inflation that is kicking in this year with the price of gas, food, and consumer goods, now is the time for the Knicks to overspend on a front-loaded contract.

All of the rules about staying under the cap are irrelevant this year because the luxury tax will be paid in inflation dollars that will represent a small percentage of an investment made now. For example, should the Knicks make the playoffs, the inflated profits will help reduce whatever luxury tax penalty in today's dollars the investment might require.

Now, Dolan and the front-office need to be smart enough to make the right move but, for example signing Lee now would be a smart move. If Josh Smith could be had by offering more cash up-front, the Knicks should not hesitate for a second if cash is the grease that makes the deal happen. Or maybe taking on Speedy Claxson's albatross contract.

Dollar inflation changes everything.

Balkman a Goner?

Alan Hahn of Newsweek speculates that Balkman will be involved in a trade soon.

An NBA front office source familiar with the discussions told Newsday Sunday night that the Knicks are considering trading Balkman to the Denver Nuggets for point guard Taurean Green and small forward Bobby Jones.

And while Ken Berger is hearing both would be cut to get the roster down to 15, I count Marbury spot on the roster as an open one.

My guess is that Taurean Green might improbably stick.

When the Money Runs Out

Pictures of Mike Tyson's abandoned mansion.

One of the Good Guys

Next week my son is going to attend a Kevin Ollie basketball camp in Windsor, CT. Ollie is one of the genuinely good guys in the NBA and there's a great Courant article about him in today's edition.

UConn and NBA fans will find it worthwhile. The article, Former Husky Kevin Ollie Honored As Role Model by Mike Anthony includes a video.

"I'm waiting for some of the big guys to sign and hopefully some of the crumbs will trickle down to me," Ollie said.

He smiled as he spoke. Ollie, 35, isn't so worried about what might happen, not like he used to be. He has made it, all the way from Crenshaw High in L.A. to Storrs as a member of some of UConn's best teams, to the NBA. Ollie has career averages of 3.8 points and 2.3 assists.

"He's dedicated himself to his job, he's committed himself to his family and he's committed himself to his community," said Allen, his former UConn teammate. "Those things are all commendable. Coming into college, coming into the NBA, he's a guy who could have petered out. But he's still around and we all take inspiration from that."

Allen, who was given the same award last year, introduced Ollie at the breakfast Thursday. He was funny, saying how the first time he saw Ollie was during a recruiting visit. Ollie was in a classroom.

"I always said that when he was sitting down, he looked 6-10," Allen said. "Then he stood up and I said, 'Oh, he's just a little guy.'"

But everyone looked up to Ollie.

"He had a lot of people on the team who followed him," Allen said. "Kirk King was my roommate. Every night I would look up and say, 'Where did Kirk go?' Kirk looked up to Kevin so much that he would sleep on his floor. Kevin's a great leader, not only with his speech but by his actions."

That's how Ollie feels about his family. He talked about his pride in his wife, who went back to school to study nursing and recently took a job at St. Francis Hospital. The family doesn't need the money, but Stephanie wanted her own identity. He talked about his daughter's compassionate nature, how she's always giving. He talked about his son being sedated for six weeks after he was born because of a birth defect. When Ollie thought he had it rough during that time in 1996, he would think of Jalen.

"Every time I went to the gym, I was like, 'I'm going to be just like my son. I'm going to get stronger today,'" Ollie said.

In closing, Ollie told the crowd, "Don't be a treadmill person. Don't keep walking only to get off right where you started. Be a person that embraces the elements outside the box."

Good stuff.

On Guard

Barbara Barker writes in Newsweek about Marbury:

I predict this to be the summer of the jerk-cleansing in New York, and that the Knicks will be the next team to tidy up their house by finding a way to make sure that Marbury is not on the roster come training camp.

Contrary to popular belief that stylized-looking No. 3 that Marbury recently had tattooed on the side of his head did not refer to his assist per game average. But it might refer to the maximum number of months he now has left as a Knick as the team continues to explore every possible avenue that could lead Marbury out of town before the start of the season.

The most likely avenue remains a buyout, because a trade would mean taking on equal salary, which makes no sense for the Knicks. It also makes no sense for whatever teams might be interested in Marbury because it would be a much better move for them just to wait until he's cut and then sign him with a mid-level exception or the veteran's minimum.

Of course this will cost some money, but the Knicks have spent money on much more foolish things before.

The Courant's Mike Anthony provides more insight into the Marcus Williams trade than any other sports outlet in the country.

Marcus Williams was traded from the Nets to the Warriors Tuesday, a move that should give the former UConn point guard a chance to rejuvenate his career.

It was becoming clear that Williams, selected by the Nets with the 22nd pick after his junior season in 2006, would have trouble earning minutes next season in New Jersey. The Nets acquired Keyon Dooling Monday from Orlando, and Williams would have had to fight just to keep his backup job behind Devin Harris.

Williams, 22, will likely be a backup in Golden State, too. The Warriors — reeling from the loss of Baron Davis, who signed with the Clippers — have committed to playing Monta Ellis at point guard next season. But the backcourt situation is not as crowded and the Warriors, who led the NBA in scoring last season, play an up-tempo style under Don Nelson that suits Williams' game.

In return, the Nets received a protected draft pick. According to The Associated Press, the pick is protected if it's in the top 14 in 2011, top 11 in 2012 or top 10 in 2013. If the Nets haven't gotten a pick by then, they will receive Golden State's second-round picks in 2013 and 2015.

Williams was basically traded for equal value, in other words, another mid-grade draft pick.

Finally, Hahn at Newsday speculates that Chauncey Billups is in play as a trading chip and that makes sense. Detroit hasn't won anything recently and is an aging, expensive squad. With the blossoming of Rodney Stuckey, Billups will be given away as a salary dump as soon as the season demonstrates anything less than a winner.

There are also rumblings of Artest coming back to Detroit which puts Prince's status in jeopardy as well. One cannot help but think that fiscal reality will soon dawn in Detroit and we'll see a significant domino effect of veteran trades taking place there soon.

They have little of value to the Knicks these days though even though Hahn's intuition may be correct. Billups to NY is an unlikely destination in all respects except the fact that NY can afford him and, like Duhon, he's the best Donnie can get for what we're offering.

And the idea of Artest returning to Detroit sounds like a desperate agent's attempt to move Artest somewhere, anywhere. Let's see new coach - check. Bring Artest back - check. Recipe for disaster - guaranteed.

Camby a Clipper

Thirty-four year old Marcus Camby was dumped as an aging diminishing return by Denver onto the Clippers. The Clippers assumed some salary in a Pyrrhic trade that gives Clipper fans the illusion of rebounding from the loss of Elton Brand.

As a Knicks fan I love Camby but he's done. The Clippers are a mediocre lot to begin with and reuniting Camby with Tim Thomas this many years later should give you a good idea of how old and out-of-touch the Clippers will be in the West.

The Knicks fans who demand instant gratification (usually the notion of giving away assets) are upset that Walsh didn't give Zach away -yawn-.

What they're missing -as usual- is the broader dynamic of fielding winning basketball and swapping asset for asset.

By moving Camby, Denver may be readying to move Iverson as well. I've spoken before about Karl being the kind of coach who might roll with Marbury as a last run for a title. Given Denver's trade exception, they might swap for Marbury whose contract would expire with Ivy's giving them a total rebuild option in a year or they might swap Ivey for Marbs to shake it up even more.

Likewise, Denver might just want a Zach kinda guy (20 & 10) now that Camby's gone. Karl wants a ring and Zach is a throwback to Seattle's glory days prototypes.

Finally, given Chandler and Gallo on board I don't anticipate an Artest move but it could happen. Ron-Ron is straddling the third rail out in Sacto and before long he'll be there for the taking for a second-rounder.

Maybe I'm crazy but I think Gallo is a year or two out before he contributes significantly. The bad back scare is a clue that he'll need time. And that's why a guy like Artest who adds muscle might actually give Gallo, Chandler, Curry, and Lee the breathing room to develop without getting too hammered. The Knicks could do worse than acquire an Artest.

It's very encouraging to hear that Q, Jeffries and the rest are showing up looking great. Isiah's team is a good one and many of them need a crisis free season to prove it.

The Clippers Summer

What a strange year this is going to be for the Clips. Mike Dunleavy insists the Clips got punked by Elton Brand - that Brand had agreed to a contract.

And now they're pursuing Zach Randolph as well they should. Zach may be the best of the lower first-tier power forwards in the league. But Zach won't come free nor inexpensively and that's as it should be.

Isiah may not have assembled chemistry but he amassed a stockpile of first-class talent in his tenure. Zach ain't chopped liver.

However, should the Clippers fail to get someone significant soon, one has to wonder if Baron Davis may request an immediate transfer to NY. Davis wanted NY as a first option but it was impossible at the time. The Knicks could send Randolph and Crawford for Davis and a trade exception and both teams might be more stable for the exercise.

I think Davis is on a bubble of deciding to stay and lose or join an upcoming team with an offense he's drooling to play under.

Spike Taking Things Into His Own Hands

This morning's Courant has a great article - Spike Lee to Shoot Biopic on UConn Professor by Grace E. Merritt about a UConn professor developing a Time Machine and Spike Lee's interest in creating a biopic of this man's dream.

STORRS — - Imagine picking up the phone and Spike Lee's on the line and he's telling you he wants to make a movie about your life. Not just a small, arty film, but a major motion picture.

That's exactly what happened to Ron Mallett, a University of Connecticut physics professor who has developed a theory for time travel that could be a blueprint for a real time machine.

It seems the award-winning filmmaker read Mallett's memoir and was captivated by the tale of an African American boy so traumatized by the death of his father that he was driven to try to build a time machine so he could go back and save his father's life.

Mallett's memoir is a frank, personal journey about growing up in the Bronx, facing poverty and racism and eventually becoming among the first African Americans in the country to earn a Ph.D. in theoretical physics.

Now, those of us know that Spike's interest in this Time Machine goes way beyond the movie.

I think Spike wants to send Pat Riley a message telling him to sit John Starks' ass down for awhile during the playoffs and maybe intercept that Freddie Weis recommendation, and...

Chip Stern and the Knicks City Dancers

Just got an email from chip with some footage of a piece he's putting together to celebrate Stephon Marbury joining the summer league team..

In the footage you can see Chip on standup bass and the Knicks City Dancers on vibes:

Marbury Deals?

They are hard to imagine just given the size of the contract involved but there are a few theoretical ones worth considering. And while these deals work straight up, my feeling is that the Knicks would have to do a side deal of Balkman for a future second-rounder to make it worthwhile talent-wise for the other team to consummate the deal.

Deal 1 - Extremely unlikely - Stephon for Kidd; Kidd never delivered the ring last year, maybe Cuban cuts bait (not that he ever does).

Deal 2 - Unlikely but intriguing - Stephon for Iverson; Denver hasn't won anything and is loaded for bear. Do they change the mix one more time before a wholesale rebuild?

Deal 3 - Unlikely but intriguing - Stephon for Odom and change; Odom didn't win it for the Lakers last year (maybe LA cuts bait). Bigger question is whether NY wants another SF, an aging one at that.

Deal 4 - A stretch but possible - Stephon for Redd and Villanueva (Balkman in side deal); Milwaukee is tying up a LOT of money in Jefferson and Redd. Marbury would spell Redd for a lot less money and shorter time. Villan wants out with no takers. For the Knicks, Crawford would be the next domino. Redd rain at the garden.

Deal 5 - A stretch but possible - Stephon (Balkman in side deal) for Artest and Thomas; NY eats Thomas' contract, Ron-Ron gets a NY audition. Again, does NY want another SF?

Wow! Duhon a Knick!

I like it. He made a smart decision. He's exactly the kind of point guard the Knicks needed in that he has a few years under his belt and should be entering a period of confidence and competence at the PG position.

My gut tells me the Knicks will never look back with Duhon. I suspect he becomes a keeper and an All-Star in the near future.

Congratulations to the management, nice signing.

Update; Duhon's agent is floating the idea that Duhon signed because he's being given preference at PG over others. The more obvious answer is that Duhon signed an excessively generous offer. The Knicks will be paying him the entire MLE for two years.

While I like Duhon the player and I think he may start his agent would do well to get Duhon into a alcoholism treatment program if the rumors circulating on the blogosphere are true. Much will be expected of Duhon at MSG and showing up to play in top form is not an option but a requirement. If he performs, a world of opportunity opens, if not a legion of fans will hound his every move. He and his agent should work together to make him a lasting star. That will require self-control on and off the court.

Two Bozos Gone

One, Jesse Helms, the ugliest kind of conservative ever to disgrace this country.

The other an entertainer who created a persona that the ugliest kind of conservatives have come to be identified with.

Happy 4th

Kazoo In The Hoo Hoo !

See more like this on kontraband.com

Artest Gets Kicked in the Stomach

According to the Sacramento Bee, Ron Artest met with Kings officials the day after he decided not to opt-out of his contract and was given the impression that he was not in the future plans of the team.

Given that the Kings have no future anyway, one can understand Artest's bitterness. Had he known their antipathy two days before, Artest could have at least guided his own future. Today, his fate rests in the hands of indifferent team bureaucrats.

Nothing good can come of this. Artest will likely not put his heart into a season of trade speculation and the Kings look more like ingrates for leading him on. I'm guessing this signals an everything must go sale in Sacto. They are a team going nowhere with an aging, pathetic roster.

Brad Miller and Artest are sure to leaving soon. Thomas and Rahim are untradable -cough- assets.

Marbury, where has the time gone?

Today's sports pages rustle with speculation about what will happen to Marbury.

The Post's Berman doesn't quite connect the dots because he's too busy with the dots. He gives us two tidbits. One, marbury is coming to camp. Two, the team is concerned about the health of the ankle.

Rather than buy Marbury out, my gut tells me that Marbury will end his career due to a medical exception. There's no way Marbury's ankle will support the kind of stress a D'Antoni run offense will require.

This may be the best resolution of all. The insurance picks up his salary, the Knicks get the medical exception, and Marbs can sell sneakers with Allan Houston.