Merry Christmas

The Real Reason Nash Won't Leave the Suns

Knicks Sign Bender

Luc Longley's Shrimp

Former Knick Luc Longley successfully bid on the right to name a newly discovered species of shrimp in Australia.

It all started when Anna McCallum, now a doctoral student at the University of Melbourne, discovered a previously unknown shrimp while working as an assistant on a research boat. Instead of naming it herself, she decided to auction the right to name the shrimp on eBay and donate the proceeds to the Australian Marine Conservation Society.

The bidding got hot and heavy with sea-life lovers like Bob Rosenberry, publisher of Shrimp News International, bidding up to $2,000. Still, the winning bid of $2,900 came as a shock.

“It was a total surprise that a basketballer would be interested in this little deep-sea shrimp,” McCallum told The Scientist.

Longley, who had participated in marine conservation efforts before, named the shrimp Lebbeus clarehanna after his 15-year-old daughter, Clare Hanna Longley.

The auction took place in March, and the description and name of the shrimp appeared in a recent issue of Zootaxa.

New Knicks Trade Proposal Forum

The KnicksMecca blog now has a new trade proposal forum that allows you to suggest a trade and/or vote on the suggested trades of others.

Try it at;

http://knicks.uservoice.com/



Just type in your trade proposal where it asks "I suggest you..."

Dec. 15 trade Speculation

For almost two years I have advocated the trading of Nate Robinson. Today, he's stuck on the bench and the innuendo is that the Knicks are winning by not playing him. I doubt that the winning streak is more than co-incidental.

Here at the Mecca, Nate Robinson is not a building block for a winning Knicks team. That doesn't mean he can't be very effective for an existing contender, merely that he isn't a building block that one can rise upon.

I expect Nate to be an early departure once the trading season starts. Orlando is a likely destination. Any other contender who experiences an unexpected PG injury will also be a suitor.

Darko is a goner sooner than later as well. He's an expiring contract that's movable.

Al Harrington is also becoming an extremely valuable trading chip. Over the sumer he can resign with the Knicks while playing for a contender this year.

If there is a God not named D'Antoni, Duhon will get moved as well.

If Hill can be exchanged for a first rounder in this upcoming draft then he should be moved with concierge service.

Jeffries has become become a Knicks version of Bruce Bowen light. I suspect he stays.

Three Out of Four

The Knicks are on a roll and one of the league's hottest team's over the past week. Although beating the Nets is not necessarily the highest achievement, beating Atlnata and Phoenix is no cakewalk.

Earlier this year, we asked our experts what the Knicks record would be if everything went right. The response was a collective 45 wins.

Well, since then virtually nothing has gone right.

Chris Duhon has become a remedial PG, Darko is in exile, Curry - injury-prone, N8 in the doghouse, Chandler playing like a lost rookie, Hill a project at best.

Yet the stellar play of Larry Hughes is raising the team into respectability. Hughes is rapidly moving into one of the top five or ten players to wear the Knicks uniform this decade. For the most die-hard of fans, Hughes is a dinosaur - a two-way player who is gritty and fearless.

Couple that with an All-Star year from David Lee, a rock solid year from Al Harrington, a limited but effective year from Jared Jeffries, and the emergence of Toney Douglas as a wildcard role player and we have the makings of a Knicks team threatening a playoff spot despite a dreadful early season.

Just One reason I Hate the Celtics

The video claims that Paul Pierce posterizes Bosh but this is just one more example of not only a flagrant foul but a sociopathic player whose ego and avarice are applauded instead of shunned.

Paul Pierce is a rotten apple who didn't deserve to win one ring, let alone be competing yearly for one. One can only hope that it all comes around for this bastard and that I live to tip a beer when it does.

An Idea for Fixing the Talent Gap

The NBA is broken. Teams tank to jockey for biggest loser position in the draft. Teams like the Knicks try draconian cost-cutting and ruthless player machinations to be cap friendly for Free Agent acqusitions. The result is ugly, anti-competitive athletic events.

The statistics are largely meaningless when the opponents are talentless hacks helping the opposing team win. The sport is bankrupt, corrupt, and a competitive travesty.

I've thought about this for a long time and have always thought the lottery was one talent constraint too much. But the NBA and the media love the spectacle and cost containment it provides.

So I think I've found a middle ground. The goal of this proposal is to make tanking less desirable and extreme cap space maneuvers unnecessary while maintaining some of the cost-containment features of the existing system.

My idea is that every year any team can recruit and sign one draft eligible player before the draft is held in open market style.

This allows a player like Stephon Curry to negotiate with the Knicks (as an obvious example) and sign a deal. Now, maybe the Kicks would sign someone else or no one.

But the total compensation paid to a pre-draft signing would result in a dollar for dollar contribution to the luxury tax aside from the cap limit. So the price for signing such a player would be considerable and temper this being a regular practice by any team.

Players so signed would simply not be eligible to be drafted but the draft would take place with as usual. In fact, this will increase the number of second-rounders who get drafted making the talent pool that much deeper.

Today, a team like the Knicks has spent two years in self-inflicted mediocrity to have a chance of signing a marquee player. There's no guarantee.

The draft is a crap shoot. There needs to be a way for a team to improve by simply acquiring talent on an open market. I think this suggestion goes a long way in resolving many issues.

Knicks Lose to Boston in OT

It goes without saying that I hate the Celtics when they're playing the Knicks. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than when the Knicks beat the Celtics. And Walt Frazier quipped, "This one feels like old times!"

The Knicks had significant leads during this game and finally succumbed to the Celtics on a blown non-call by the referees in the last seconds of the game. Kevin Garnett got away with a trip and shove of a Knick defender [Chandler] and David Lee abandoned Garnett to leave him open for a wide-open jump shot to win the game. Heart-breaking.

Curry looked good for the Knicks and added considerable muscle to the Knicks under the boards. An unnecessary but thoroughly satisfying shove of a pestering Rhodo went a long way in re-establishing the idea that the Knicks are not to be toyed with anymore.

Lee and Harrington continue their enigmatic patterns of good game/expect-the-unexpected play. At time sthe Knicks defense was outstanding. At other times the Celtics ran up big leadsThat had to be overcome.

Duhon and Chandler need to stop shooting and pick the few shots they should take carefully.

---

The Celtics looked awful. Garnett was limping and his knee looks questionable.

Rasheed looked awful and the team as a whole looked like it was floating downstream. They will be lucky to make the playoffs this year.

Not to Be

Hitler Finds Out About the Nets

Knicks Speak With Iverson

What Could Go Wrong?

Howard Beck's, Knicks and D’Antoni Appear to Be Undone by a Rebuilding Plan is a decent read. It unwittingly exposes the prima donna philosophy that Walsh and D'Antoni operate under.

When D'Antoni is being asked by reporters to take responsibility for the meltdown of all hope in the Knicks, Walsh interjects;

“I should take all of the responsibility,” D’Antoni said Monday. “My job is to get them to play well. So far, we haven’t done that. That’s about all I can say. I’m leading the team, and I haven’t led them anywhere so far. So I’ll take my part, definitely.”

Moments later, 20 feet away, came a sharp dissent. Donnie Walsh, the team president, said it was wrong to blame D’Antoni for the Knicks’ sad state.

“That’s unfair,” he said. “I’m happy with Mike. I’m very happy with Mike.”

It was Walsh who, upon being hired last year, called for a wholesale overhaul and began purging the roster of long-term contracts, with an eye toward the 2010 free-agent class. As a consequence, the Knicks have a roster that is designed not to win now, but rather to expire next summer.

Clearly, Walsh also wants the Knicks to be respectable in the present, which they are not. But he said he would not judge D’Antoni until “there’s something to judge him on” — i.e. after the roster has been upgraded. That time has not come yet.

“No, not even close,” he said.

Walsh lives in a a charmed, cloistered reality.

A few years ago, Larry Brown, under similar circumstances, accepted complete responsibility for the poor play of the Knicks and lost his job attempting to fix it.

Desperation moves such as trading for Steve Francis became a rallying cry for Brown's head. Yet today the Knicks are considering signing Allan Iverson and everyone debates this as a serious alternative.

So D'Antoni and Walsh have become MSG's new bubble boy duo. They live in a teflon-coated reality that is called "the plan". The plan is little more than a theory that advocates gutting a roster to bare-bones so that your team can 'sign' free agents or swing exciting deals and so on.

It is the equivalent of a bread-winner convincing their family to save all their money to buy a lot of lotto tickets all at one time. What could go wrong?

Beck like so many other mainstream journalists refer to Walsh's actions as a rebuild but its not.

The only thing Walsh has done is to clumsily and brutally dismember a Knicks roster that was imperfect but far closer to respectability than anything in evidence today. And the next move Walsh makes toward making this roster more competitive will be the first. He has not lifted a finger toward the "rebuild" part of the equation.

In fact, as the Beck article points out, he seems to be operating under the delusion that until he and D'Antoni assemble a roster of shiny Free-agent stars and complementary cast-aways that they should not be judged.

Walsh enjoys the hubris of Wall St executives who continue to mock the plight of the hungry by feasting like kings.

An anthropologist might call this magical thinking, this luxury of charging fans to watch sub-par basketball until all the right pieces are assembled so that the accountability clock can start ticking and counting on the good-will of those fans to just hold their breath.

The NBA has created a system of talent acquisition that is wholly dysfunctional. For the league to expect the wholesale deformation and retardation of a sports franchise just to acquire talent two and three years away then heads must roll in the league offices.

This is institutional malpractice of a public interest institution and fans would be well within their rights to demand a class-action suit against the league.

One Word: Rubio

Alan Hahn of Newsday gets it right. Walsh needs to make up for lost opportunities by making an overwhelming offer to Kahn for the rights to Ricky Rubio.

The expense of the transaction is inconsequential. The Knicks have nothing worth protected and if the deal is one-sided toward Minny, that's fine.

We need at least one player who can offer real hope, display immediate talent, and who can justify watching the Knicks another minute.

Short of Lebron James or Dwayne Wade, Rubio is the one that got away and that is a reversible event. Sure there are details but the need is immediate and urgent and will foil none of the Alice in Wonderland, 2010 fantasies.

In a league where Jordan can be teflon-coated from fouls, where referees can game the game, where Gasol can be traded from Memphis to LA, Rubio can become a Knick.

Whatever it takes for that to happen needs to happen. Enough is enough when it comes to the league's abuse of the Knicks. They have dumped injured players with huge on us, they have financed their fortunes on our luxury tax - it's about time for the league to get off this team's throat.

Worst. Start. Ever.

God only knows when the Knicks will play seven seconds or more of consecutively coherent basketball again.

Winning is almost completely out of the question as these early losses are the easier part of the season.

The Knicks are in free fall after losing to the GS Warriors tonight. There are no bright spots. What glimmers in the dust of mediocrity is fool's gold.

This is a team that needs a gifted GM. Walsh and D'Antoni have combined as a toxic duo who are incapable of evaluating talent. The proof is on the floor and with unlimited cap space coming their combined poor judgment is disconcerting.

David Lee deserves better. The rest deserve to be shown the door.

Knicks Beat Hornets - 44 to Go

Again, Larry Hughes is the story and a good one.

I was hoping Hughes would have a great season and it is something vital for the Knicks to contend this season. If the last two games become a sustainable, season long campaign for Hughes then one critical piece of the puzzle will be solved.

The next critical piece is getting Eddie Curry back on the floor and productive.

The other good thing happening is that this team is beginning to make sense in terms of playing time and roles. Harrington is playing very well with off the bench minutes AND he's playing smart basketball.

When the Knicks are driving to the basket good things are happenin'.

Knicks lose to 76ers

Another comeback that fell short.

The most important thing that happened in this game was that Hughes was reinserted into the lineup and paid big dividends. I was afraid D'an was going to give Hughes the Marbury treatment all year. Now we need to get eCurry on the floor.

Milicic looked bad. And our defense was non-existent most of the time. Not good.

Knicks Lose to Bobcats in Double OT

This gamne was so horrifyingly bad that I've been at a loss for words to write about it.

Before the season began D'Antoni lectured the media that the Knicks would have to play beyond expectations in order to make the playoffs.

What we've been witness to in the first two games is a team in utter chaos and certainly far from coming in with any expectation to play beyond their capabilities. Hahn reporting Duhon's commentary;

“We’re not that good. We can’t come in here and joke around and take the game lightly."

Inspirational stuff, eh? In other words, playing over our heads is not happening, we aren't good enough to beat a lousy team.

Thank god we didn't sign any PGs this off season.

It is true that the Knicks went down by 21 points or so and "came back" to tie. But the giddy excitement of eventuall taking a two point lead made them forget how to shoot, dribble, and just look like they weren't lost.

The game was a farce and if this is what major market teams have to do to hope to acquire talent then this league and the game is in serious trouble. There is no excuse for forcing this kind of vacant incompetence on fans who expect more.

Knicks Lose Ugly to Heat

After a reasonablt played first quarter and a poorly played but not disastrous second quarter, the Knicks experienced a total meltdown in the third and never recovered.

Chandler and Lee played well, Darko had spot minutes that shone and Gallo hit a lot of threes when the game was out of reach.

Good Lord we need anyone who knows how to shoot.

On the positive side Knicks are 0-1 but Cavs are 0-2.

Only 45 wins left to go.

Will Lebron Become a Celtic?

The Cavs lost to the Celtics last night and the Celtics looked like a Juggernaut.

And this is after the Knicks softened the Celtics up in pre-season. It doesn't look good for Cleveland this year to win much of anything. And that's why the stars seem to be aligning for the Cavaliers to trade Lebron in February.

By doing so the Cavaliers will be in a much stronger bargaining position than this coming summer when the free agents come available. After all, if they trade LeBron for some talent they can lock up with the advantages of having the rights to that player.

We'll make a bold prediction here that Lebron James will be packaged with Mo Williams in exchange for Rajon Rondo, Big Baby, Ray Allen, and a couple of Boston's future #1 picks come February.

Rondo isn't in the long-term Boston plans and Big Baby has been problematic. Ray Allen will assure the Cavs make the playoffs with no more or less success than LeBron will have.

LeBron will join a winning organization that's loaded for bear and Cleveland will receive two young players who in Rajon and Big Baby who they can build around, they'll have cap space galore with Allen, Z, and Shaq coming off the books.

Just thinking aloud.

Observations on the Knicks Win over the Nets

Last night, the Knicks pine brothers beat the Nets - just barely.

If last night was any indication of things to come, this is going to be less of a surprise season and far more of a shocking and wacky one.

The back court showed what they are capable of doing. Duhon showing he can score, Nate showing energy, and Douglas showing some offense. On the flip side, they showed a propensity for poor passing, turnovers. over-dribbling,and poor judgment as well.

Milicic and Nate continue to click nicely and Darko adds a lot to the defensive presence. Lee had an off night and Landry came back down to earth.

The second quarter showed what the Knicks can do to any team in the league and, that is, crush them with a rain of three pointers. The third and fourth quarters, showed how bad the Knicks can play when they deviate from SSOL.


This bi-polar Knick profile is likely to play out all year long for better or worse. Let's just not pretend we're surprised.

Observations on beating the Celtics

Given my well-known animus for the Celtics, this win is specially gratifying.

The Celtics have shiny stars for public consumption who are reinforced by a thuggish bench. Don't let anyone fool you in to believing this game means the Knicks are becoming an elite team but neither does it mean that the Celtics didn't want the win. They did and their second string players are as good and far rougher than many NBA teams.

The Knicks did well to win. Let's dig into some of the details.

First, the Celtics have been out to humiliate Galinari for the past two games. The Celtics announcers continue to hang D'Antoni's "best shooter" remark around Gallo's neck and took great pleasure in Gallo's early misses. By the third quarter, with Gallo getting to the line and sinking threes, they STFU.

On the court, both Pierce and Rondo took particular pleasure in physically intimidating Gallinari as if to question his NBA cajones.

While Gallo's offense was a welcome awakening, the truth of the matter is that Gallo is very raw. He is overly sensitive about calls and has an almost childish demeanor when hopelessly complaining. Gallo's scoring was his best reaction to Pierce, Rondo, and Daniels. But the idea that a whiny court demeanor will project well as a floor leader is dubious.

But Knicks fans getting too carried away with the offensive stats need to acknowledge that Gallinari was pathetically inadequate defensively. He got beat repeatedly and awkwardly on a number of occasions. He is two or three years away from being a high-quality player on defense. And even that depends on whether or not he can improve his quickness.

The second player worth mentioning is David Lee. The man is rock solid. At the very beginning of the second half, surrounded by three Celtics, Lee somehow manages to come away with the rebound. He is amazingly always around the ball.

For all of the talk about signing a second FA this summer, Lee remains the most unappreciated and underestimated talent in the league. When this game's stats are analyzed, remember that Lee's numbers came against Perkins, Big Baby, and Rasheed Wallace. Don't even begin to talk to me about inflated numbers for Lee. He makes this team go and his pick and roll [with Duhon] repeatedly paralyzed the Celts.

Nate Robinson was a dynamo last night. He had a very, very impressive performance with one troubling caveat. Marquis Daniels totally owned Nate when going to the basket. In any game where the Knicks have a lead, Nate will be a weak-link defensive match-up. Size simply matters.

Finally, Jeffries, though unspectacular, is becoming a lunch-pail warrior for the Knicks. He beings an array of intangible, disruptive defensive tools to the game. He alters shots and passes, rebounds, and uses his length to force turnovers. Knicks fans obsessed with his contract should open their eyes a crack to witness a comeback story in the making.

Observations On Beating the Nets and Macabi

As the pre-season goes on I find myself wondering where the Knicks will find improvement over last season. Fans of this blog agree that IFF (if and only if) the Knicks play above their abilities can they improve their record significantly. And fans hope they improve enough so as to make the playoffs.

But in the win over the Nets, there are few players looking as though they're in extraordinary condition, and fewer who look poised to have a breakout year. In fact of the players drafted by the Knicks playing in the Macabi game, Marcej Lampe was the most impressive of the bunch.

Yes, it is premature to judge the results of these games because much tinkering is going on and the quality of competition is almost laughable.

But the concerns I have are threefold.

1.) Duhon looks flat. If he plays above his head he will be merely competent and in pre-season he's not playing above his head. Complicating this, is the fact that the Knicks STILL have no competent backup for Duhon. Nate Robinson can be a spark-plug off the bench, it's true. But N8 is not necessarily a solution here.

And while Toney Douglas continues to impress, much of his ability to impress is based on how flat-out awful our back court is.

2.) There is not a competent two-guard on the roster. Swingman Marcus Landry has been more impressive that Chandler and Hughes. Toney Douglas looks to see a lot of playing time here and that is not a good thing.

3.) Of the handful of SF candidates, Chandler is devolving into a poor outside shooter at the sacrifice of his inside game which remains a strong point. Like Nate he appears to be more suited to come off the bench than start.

Gallo looks like an over-rated pick at this point in time. While he shows flashes of talent, it is not necessarily NBA talent. Fans who buy into the hype project an All-Star. He's looking more like the Darko Milicic of SFs, limited, useful, but not a key player.

Expect a lot of Harrington and Jeffries at SF. Jeffries and Lee being the only two players looking as though they will have breakout years thus far.

If the Knicks are to improve, it will be the success or failure of D'Antoni's system that will get them there.

Observations on Losing to the 76ers

This was largely an unwatchable pre-season effort by the Knicks yet they lost by just a few points.

Once again, the Knicks were stone cold shooters. The second quarter, however was a highlight reel for the Knicks. They played some nice defense, triggered turnovers, and took a lead in the game. This was a sneak preview of what we hope will become typical rather than exceptional and periodic play.

Darko was looking good on defense, passing well, and surprisingly, is beginning to have some very nice chemistry with N8. They may become a very entertaining vaudeville act before long skunking opponents on offense.

Lee continues to be tenacious. Harrington shows signs of playing for keeps as well. Douglas and Hill were engaged and playing like they mean it.

Hughes has yet to find his shot. Gallo is an enigma.

Chandler was disappointing on both ends.

Duhon is becoming an invisible PG - no impact. And that's the first red flag for this season.

Observations on Losing to the Celtics

This was an ugly and unworthy game.

Throughout the Knicks were not hitting open shots. The Knicks poor shooting had very little to do with the Celtics defense. Lee, Chandler, and Gallinari were stone cold for most of the game.

Hughes has yet to fire up his offense. Jeffries, Darko, and Douglas who shouldn't shoot as much showed why.

Hopefully the Knicks never have an offensive outing this bad during the season.

Bad as the offense was in terms of scoring, the bright side was that often these were wide open, uncontested shots. That bodes well for the offensive scheme. As Frazier pointed out in commentary, however, having a player who recognizes the need to drive and score during droughts would be nice.

The highlight of the game was Milicic's disruptive presence. He played noticeable defense and re-routed the occasional loose ball back to the Knicks. What he gives he sometimes gives back but still represents a positive presence.

Toney Douglas continues to impress on defense.

Late in the game, Jordan Hill showed some heads up play and demonstrated some promise.

Though the Knicks lost, the game remained close until Chandler and Lee were injured in the second-half. Both appear to be alright but the runaway Knick meltdown in their absence shows just how integral Lee and to a lesser degree Chandler are to this team.

The Celtics continue their tradition as a classless bunch of thugs and this game is not indicative of how the Knicks will play them during the season. Gallo got his first taste of these goons and Lee will have something to remember these guys by come season play.

It is too early to call the Chandler at the two-guard a bust experiment but Gallo did not look ready for prime time starters duty at the three.

And Boston likes to play rough. It would be sweet to have Eddy Curry in game shape when Boston comes around. Lee, Jeffries, and Milicic got roughed up pretty good for a pre-season game.

Knicks Lose to Boston

Meh. Pre-season.

Observations on Beating the Nets

I finally got an opportunity to watch the Knicks/Nets game that the Knicks 'won'.

First, the first half of the game was much better played than the second when different and secondary lineups were more likely to be clumsy.

However, what struck me is improved teamwork specifically when Lee, Harrington N8, Gallinari, and Douglas were on the floor.This both implied and demonstrated a greater trust in each other and the system.

There are a lot of Lee critics out there but this guy plays hard, plays smart, and has become a cornerstone of the current team.

The second big change in the Knicks is what one announcer called, the swarming defense. I'm one of the Toney Douglas critics eating crow this week. TD needs to learn when to shoot but his tenacity and hustle on both ends of the court is a much needed shot in the arm for those of us who believe defense is the cornerstone of winning. But the active hands and feet of the front-court players was a joy to behold. This must be sustained to over-achieve and to have any shot at the playoffs.

The biggest pleasant surprise was Jared Jeffries play. He is shooting with confidence and maybe finally settling in to being a Knick asset rather than also-ran. If Jeffries can be counted on to slow or shut-down some of the league's more potent offensive players then the Knicks by swarm and a rain of treys should squeeze out some surprise wins against the league's elite teams.

Darko Milicic looked as if he can be at least as good as Chris Dudley for us. His play is sufficient to provide the Knicks with a serious presence down low on a situational basis. And if he can do that effectively on a consistent basis, that's plenty from a pine bro.

I liken Wilson Chandler's play to Charles Oakley-lite. This guy plays the game like a silent, gentleman thug and I have to say it's a sublime experience. For many years we've lamented that the Knicks lacked toughness but Chandler is increasingly impressing me as a quietly tough and tenacious assassin.

In closing, we haven't lost a game in months. Let's keep it that way.

Wow, Just Wow

A story about Ted Williams' head has made the news and it ain't good. The Huffington Post reports in Ted Williams' Severed Head Abused In Cryonics Facility: Former Exec:

In "Frozen," Larry Johnson, a former executive at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Ariz., writes that Williams' head, which had been severed and frozen for storage, was abused at the facility. Johnson claims a technician took baseball-like swings at Williams' frozen head with a monkey wrench.

Personally, I find nothing funny about this story. The person responsible should be hung by their, well, excuse the phrase... balls.

Lenny, Lenny, Lenny

Click here (it's in Japanese but worth the watch).

I Miss Jim Carroll

Cablevision wants to Give LeBron a 'Channel'

Kinda like Stephon Marbury. Baby powder manufacturers are lining up as sponsors.

There's even talk of Oprah retiring.

Let's Get Optimistic

That's right. Let's get downright loopy.

While most of us remain dazed and confused by the bottomless void this summer has produced for the Knicks, let's dream the impossible dream before the season opens and stamps out any embers of hope we may have.

Marvel comics used to produce a series called, What If?

Let's borrow the concept and see what a dream season might look like.

Eddie Curry has long intrigued fans because of his sheer size and background as a gymnast. The perennial disappointment of watching him demonstarte apathy and indifference has long driven us all to just want him out of here.

But what if, Eddie Curry has an epiphany and suddenly becomes a low post presence? Even if he simply plays up to his best season performances, this would be a major improvement at the center position. In a realistic dream scenario Curry would become a scoring center, not much D and not many rebounds but a body to be contended with down low, five hard fouls.

That brings us to Milicic. Darko was drafted high for potential that came and went. He will never be a superstar. But in a dream season, could Darko become a Mutumbo-like presence who can tag-team with Curry on a situational basis? In other words can Darko bring rebounds, blocked shots, passing and just a little offense to the center position?

In a dream season he can and does.

Jordan Hill. You can't teach size. But in a D'Antoni playbook it may be Hill's athleticism combined with size that is the secret sauce to exhausting the other team's front-court. In a dream season, Curry would be the physical presence, Darko the defender, and Hill the pestering Rodman-like gnat who would be used against teams already tired by schedule or injury, a guy would draws fouls and dismantles the opposing team's starting front-court.

In a dream season, D'Antoni acquires some of the satistical smarts of JVG and wins not only with a system but with an attention to the details of how the opposing team fails. Are they tired, who's hurt, who's hot or cold - push the buttons.

At PG, Duhon will need to play in top form all season. He'll have to dry out and party a lot less often for that to happen. But it could. In a dream season, he is mentioned as a most improved player - let's not assume an elite PG but a steady, dependable one.

Nate Robinson simply needs to continue being N8 without the self-destructive antics that lose games, cast doubt on his maturity, or lose games.

Toney by virtue of Walsh's inaction may already be a backup PG. In a dream season, he realizes his value is in defense and is utilized to hold leads or shut-down opposing team's scoring runs. In a dream season he will have to be a reliable backup PG, no more no less.

The glut at the PF position will settle itself into David Lee starting and providing the bulk of minutes backed by Jeffries and Chandler. In a dream season Lee's offense continues it's pattern but david learns to be a effective defender. Chandler becomes an energy booster off the bench and Jeffries provides lock-down defense as needed.

At SF, Al Harrington finally proves he is a consistent day-to-day starter, Gallinari becomes an up-and-coming start and Chandler backs them both with continued growth.

At SG, Larry Hughes has a great year both as a scorer, passer, and defender. Situationally, he sits for Chandler who plays against the league's bigger guards.

All that speculation leads to the key question... How many wins does that team produce? Vote in our poll on the left.

Community Hard-on for Rubio?

When Ricky Rubio signed with Barcelona, a strange thing started to happen in the local community. Impulsively the entire community began creating, um, erections. Human erections.

It is unclear if Ricky's signing with Barcelona triggered some kind of heretofore unknown ritualistic response or if this is just an attempt to change very high light bulbs without the use of a ladder. Click the link to see more.



Imagine what could happen in New York! Maybe that's why Walsh is hesitant.

Loyalty

The Washington Post reports the state of affairs in pro sports:

Hill says, her beloved Redskins are forcing her into bankruptcy.

Last year, Hill's real estate sales were hit hard by the housing market crash, and she told the team that she could no longer afford her $5,300-a-year contract for two loge seats behind the end zone. Hill said she asked the Redskins to waive her contract for a year or two.

The sales office declined.

On Oct. 8, the Redskins sued Hill in Prince George's County Circuit Court for backing out of a 10-year ticket-renewal agreement after the first year. The team sought payment for every season through 2017, plus interest, attorneys' fees and court costs.

Hill couldn't afford a lawyer. She did not fight the lawsuit or even respond to it because, she said, she believes that the Bible says that it is morally wrong not to pay your debts. The team won a default judgment of $66,364.

"It really breaks my heart," Hill said, her voice cracking as the tears well and spill. "I don't even believe in bankruptcy.

"We are supposed to pay our bills. I ain't trying to get out of anything."

Hill is one of 125 season ticket holders who asked to be released from multiyear contracts and were sued by the Redskins in the past five years. The Washington Post interviewed about two dozen of them. Most said that they were victims of the economic downturn, having lost a job or experiencing some other financial hardship.

from John Grimaldi's, For Redskins Fans, Hard Luck Runs Into Team's Hard Line.

The fan? A 72-year old grandmother. Redskins fan since 1960.

Nice.

Deja Rubio

It has become abundantly clear this summer that the lost opportunity to sign Ricky Rubio is the biggest Knick blunder since over-paying Allan Houston.

Minnesota sportswriters are already speculating that both Walsh and Kahn can save face bu scratching each others backs. Rubio continues to be a perfect fit in NY and even Europeans are advocating such an obvious match.

While local sportswriters continue to scoff at the idea, the acquisition of Rubio takes enormous pressure off Walsh and the Knicks should "the plan" implode in the coming year. With Rubio in tow, Walsh would need but one major signing and still have change in his pocket.

A resigned Nate Robinson and Jordan Hill should do it.

Breath of Fresh Air

Brooklyn judge actually follows the law when it comes to foreclosures!

From Michael Powell, the NYTimes, A ‘Little Judge’ Who Rejects Foreclosures, Brooklyn Style:

Every week, the nation’s mightiest banks come to his court seeking to take the homes of New Yorkers who cannot pay their mortgages. And nearly as often, the judge says, they file foreclosure papers speckled with errors.

He plucks out one motion and leafs through: a Deutsche Bank representative signed an affidavit claiming to be the vice president of two different banks. His office was in Kansas City, Mo., but the signature was notarized in Texas. And the bank did not even own the mortgage when it began to foreclose on the homeowner.

The judge’s lips pucker as if he had inhaled a pickle; he rejected this one.

“I’m a little guy in Brooklyn who doesn’t belong to their country clubs, what can I tell you?” he says, adding a shrug for punctuation. “I won’t accept their comedy of errors.”

The judge, Arthur M. Schack, 64, fashions himself a judicial Don Quixote, tilting at the phalanxes of bankers, foreclosure facilitators and lawyers who file motions by the bale. While national debate focuses on bank bailouts and federal aid for homeowners that has been slow in coming, the hard reckonings of the foreclosure crisis are being made in courts like his, and Justice Schack’s sympathies are clear.

He has tossed out 46 of the 102 foreclosure motions that have come before him in the last two years. And his often scathing decisions, peppered with allusions to the Croesus-like wealth of bank presidents, have attracted the respectful attention of judges and lawyers from Florida to Ohio to California. At recent judicial conferences in Chicago and Arizona, several panelists praised his rulings as a possible national model.

His opinions, too, have been greeted by a cry of affront from a bank official or two, who say this judge stands in the way of what is rightfully theirs. HSBC bank appealed a recent ruling, saying he had set a “dangerous precedent” by acting as “both judge and jury,” throwing out cases even when homeowners had not responded to foreclosure motions.

Justice Schack, like a handful of state and federal judges, has taken a magnifying glass to the mortgage industry. In the gilded haste of the past decade, bankers handed out millions of mortgages — with terms good, bad and exotically ugly — then repackaged those loans for sale to investors from Connecticut to Singapore. Sloppiness reigned. So many papers have been lost, signatures misplaced and documents dated inaccurately that it is often not clear which bank owns the mortgage.

Justice Schack’s take is straightforward, and sends a tremor through some bank suites: If a bank cannot prove ownership, it cannot foreclose.

“If you are going to take away someone’s house, everything should be legal and correct,” he said. “I’m a strange guy — I don’t want to put a family on the street unless it’s legitimate.”

Insulting

Bruce Jennings in his SF Chronicle blog has nothing good to say about the Knicks in analyzing Stephen Jackson's remarks:

So Stephen Jackson wants out of Oakland. There's a story to that effect on the wire this morning, quoting Jackson in Dime Magazine, generally a decent source for NBA gossip. Jackson said he "loved" playing in Don Nelson's system, because "it gave me a chance to show everything I could do on the court. It was great for me, but at this point, I'm 31 years old. I have four or five years left. I want to be in a situation where I can continually be in the playoffs and get another ring [he won one with San Antonio in 2003]. So that's where my mind is at right now."

Jackson didn't want to take it much further than that. "It's not about a decision I made, it's just things are in the air right now. I really can't get too much into it right now."

(Update: On his "Inside the Warriors" blog, Bay Area News Group writer Marcus Thompson II said a club source confirmed Jackson's demand, and that Jackson has hired an agent to help find him a deal.)

I have no doubt Jackson is exasperated with the Warriors' recent malaise, but I'd also bet he gives an entirely different interview the next time around. Jackson speaks from the heart, and he does it honestly, but his opinions often depend on his mood. When Jackson appeared on KNBR a few weeks ago, he sounded excited to get back with Monta Ellis and the rest of his teammates. Now he wants out? Oakland became a safe haven for Jackson when he arrived from Indiana, the place where he resurrected an unsavory reputation. He should take a moment to realize that without Nelson, Baron Davis and the enviable mood surrounding the 2006-07 Warriors, his career might have continued to spiral downhill.

Jackson spoke with the magazine during a visit to New York for a promotional event, and he was hanging out with former Warrior teammate Al Harrington. Later, as Jackson mingled with fans, someone asked him about the Warriors' playoff chances. "I don't think I'll be a Warrior next year," he responded. "I'm looking to leave."

According to the wire report, Jackson said he would welcome a trade to Cleveland, Dallas or Houston, and with Harrington standing by, he also mentioned the New York Knicks. "I'm just looking to go somewhere where I can go and win a championship."

As valuable as Jackson is to the Warriors, his absurd contract ($36 million owed through 2013) is a burden to their salary-cap situation and a testament to unbelievably rockheaded strategy. In these difficult financial times, other teams are looking to acquire expiring contracts (readily dismissed from the books), not anything in Jackson's range. So I'm not sure a trade could be worked out with anyone. Tell you one thing, though: If Jackson wants out, the Warriors should try to accommodate him. We've all seen what a tough-minded player he is, but if you get on his bad side, you're in for a nightmare.

I'm sure Harrington got in Jackson's ear about getting as far away from Nelson as he could. The two of them probably talked about building a championship team in New York, a comically misguided prospect just now. Harrington seems to think he's a lock to survive the summer of 2010, when the Knicks attempt to clear the decks to make room for a high-priced free agent, but he's no favorite of coach Mike D'Antoni. The ugly financial climate, in tandem with a major drop in the salary-cap limit, is likely to restrict the Knicks' flexibility. There's no way they would take on a player with Jackson's contract, and the way their roster stands right now, the big available stars -- LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh -- would be crazy to go there.

All in all, it's just another ugly episode along the road for the Golden State Warriors. Given that Jackson and Ellis are so close, you wonder what Monta's feeling right now. None of it bodes well for the coming season.

*This* Is Dribbling!

NESN on the Knicks

NESN's Liam Martin has written an interesting analysis of the Knicks:

All that said, much about the system remains broken.

New York, for one, is in danger of losing Lee, its leading rebounder, and Robinson, who punched in 17.2 points per game in 2008-09. Foregoing Lee would leave the Knicks without a leader; foregoing Robinson would leave them thin at the point.

More worrisome is New York’s defense, or lack thereof. The club ranked 28th in the league last season on defense, ceding 107.8 points a game, and were out-rebounded by four boards per contest, the NBA’s fourth-worst differential.

And the offense, for all its standout numbers, was incredibly inefficient. The Knicks ranked 28th in field-goal rate at 44.5 percent -- a function of a fast-paced approach that had New York attempting 86.5 shots per game, the most in the league.

Even scarier? Twenty-eight of them were 3-pointers, also the NBA’s highest mark.

Adding Milicic, Curry -- even Lee and Robinson -- to that mix certainly won’t completely fill those holes. But better than 32 wins? Even Nate Robinson can’t screw that up.

When it comes to questions like "Is there any way for the Knicks to be worse?", Knicks fans know too well:

Way?

Wayyyyy!

Lee Like Nash

There's a quote that's getting some attention on REALGM that comes from this Arizona Republic column.

On Mark Cuban letting him go from Dallas: "It was strange to me after all the contracts he had overpaid that the buck would stop with me."

Considering the stalemate David Lee is in one has to wonder if Lee will not someday also be scratching his head and asking why he is where the Knicks suddenly decide "to draw the line".

Alice in MeccaLand

Let's make a list of everything that would have to go right for the Knicks this year to make the playoffs.

1. At the point guard position, Duhon will need to play the best basketball he played last year, ALL YEAR. Duhon, while no all-star, *can be* as good as any of the second-tier talent in the league.

But for Duhon to accomplish such a feat, he will need a more than capable back-up. Nate Robinson will need to get serious and Douglas Toney will need to mature quickly to provide quality rest minutes for Duhon.

With all of that being said, the Knicks still need a starting point guard. Should Walsh sign Ramon Sessions, he will be a minor upgrade from Duhon. But the true value in such a signing will be that Duhon, in a back-up role, will be a seamless second-option that few NBA teams enjoy and it frees Nate to be a spark-plug scorer off the bench instead of a cool-headed ball-handler.

As for the speculation that Sessions has potential, doubtful. If Milwaukee is willing to let him walk then they've seen something we're missing. And quite frankly, Rubio remains a prize the Knicks need to pursue as aggressively as the LeBron fantasies.

Ideally, the T-Wolves make a playoff run but need a critical player that the Knicks can provide come Feb. That discussion needs to involve acquiring Rubio's rights.

2.) Larry Hughes *may be* the most under-rated key to a successful Knicks season. Hughes plays 'D' and *can play* inspired basketball. He needs to play consistently great. In a fantasy year, Hughes would have to bring a Duane-Wade-ish season to his career.

If the PG position can be resolved without involving Toney, then Toney may find the best opportunity for playing time behind Hughes and N8 at the two with far less pressure to bring an 'A' game every night.

In D'Antoni's system Chandler is mentioned as a two. But what D'Antoni s really proposing is playing dual small forwards who bring a very different look to the game. It could morph the traditional two spot into a more freakish, physical, athletic, and aggressive presence.

Such an experiment can either succeed or fail spectacularly. Should it succeed, watch out.

3.) Dark City - Eddy Curry (eCity) is losing weight and *looking* more physically fit. The fantasy that Knick fans refuse to speak aloud is that if the weight loss is matched by a return of quickness and skill around the basket, then Curry finally becomes the elite center he has always been projected and expected to be.

Darko Milicic, like eCity, has been a disappointment for years. Like Curry, there's still an unspeakable hope that Darko under D'Antoni's wing can mature into the player he can be. That is, a shot-blocking and junkman scorer under the basket - a complement to Curry.

If both players fulfill the fantasy expectation, D'Antoni will be able to play arguably the most intimidating dual tower twosome since Robinson and Duncan patrolled the basket in San Antonio.

The Dark City fantasy is as extreme as it gets in basketball, yet both players have the unteachable tools. Should the will and desire follow suit, things get interesting.

4.) The final arrival of Gallinari. Should Dani Gallinari and Al Harrington provide a consistent source of scoring from the 3, eCity will have a kick-out option worth exercising and the inside/outside game *can become* deep-playoff worthy.

Gallo has a lot to prove and not everyone believes he'll stick around the NBA long. Does he have what it takes?

5.) Last year, a Celtics commentator discussed Doc Rivers' philosophy for winning. He said Rivers treated EVERY GAME like a necessary win and that early wins when lots of teams are still goofing around provided the easiest wins. Such padding insulated the Celtics from losing too much ground later in the season should they experience a drought. It also made mid season experimentation a little less painful.

The Knicks need to treat every game like a playoff game. WIN. Learn to win. Take no loss as inevitable or acceptable.

The ultimate fantasy - win every game.

It's Like Watching Grass Grow

The Knicks are not very exciting in the off-season. I hope it's not indicative of the rest of the year. It's become a hard act to care about.

While waiting for LeBron, here's some grass you can watch instead of the Knicks.

Not Carlos Boozer

Quite frankly I don't give a large care as to what kind of money David Lee gets. Just sign him.

there's some noise out there about a possible Carlos Boozer sign and trade possibility. Here at tthe Mecca, we'll pass on that.

Here's a very humorous Carlos Boozer flowchart originally published by the Clutchfans website;



Hat Tip to Vegan Fish Tacos for discovering this gem.

The Jason Kidd Allure

Last year, I suggested a straight up swap of Marbury for Jason Kidd.

My thinking was that Marbury, having something to prove, might be just the ticket for Mark Cuban's Mavericks to go deep into the playoffs.

And for NY they could try Kidd out and see where it went from there.

Today the Knicks are pursuing Kidd as if he's a key to 2010. I highly doubt it.

OTOH, Kidd is a tremendous upgrade to Duhon who will benefit from the additional help. However, it is a mystery as to how the Knicks, having two first rounders, managed NOT to draft a young PG.

Strange stuff.

A Change of Pace

Invite Alex Renfroe

An undrafted talent that the Knicks need to invite to summer league is Alex Renfroe.

I blogged earlier about this kid. He's perfect for D'Antoni and he's as fast as anyone drafted, played more ball than Jennings and at a far higher level, and is a budding professional.

If the media is talking up the elderly Jason Kidd then we have NOTHING, and I mean nothing, to lose anymore.

I gave Walsh an 'F' for last season and I'm giving him an 'F' for this draft period.

Do something right please. Give this kid a look.

Another Year of Hell on Earth

The drafting of Jordan Hill is a huge disappointment. The highlight reel could have been taken at a high school basketball camp for big men. If he ever gets the hang of playing basketball, maybe the Knicks have drafted a 2015 star.

I have yet to understand trading for the #29 pick who turned out to be Toney. Couldn't he be had after getting cut by someone else? He's all ours now.

The Darko trade ensures that we're at least as good as last year's Grizzlies. Thank god for small favors.

I find fewer and fewer reasons to care about this team. The Knicks are an accounting firm first and a basketball team second.

And, quite honestly, I don't like LeBron so if he doesn't come I'll have at least one reason to remember this decade's Knicks fondly.

KM Mockapalooza Mash-up! 2009

There is no chance that anything in the following NBA Draft Mock-up will happen.

OR WILL IT? (many Thanks to the Escape From Elba crowd: http://forums.escapefromelba.com/)

#1)Lakers from Clips - Blake Griffin. The Lakers dump Bynum on the Clips to retool with a more inexpensive piece allowing for the resigning of Ariza and Odom for Phil Jackson's last year as head coach.

#2) Minn via Memphis - Ricky Rubio. Ricky decides to stay in Europe. Minn trades #5 and #18, cash, and a future first-rounder.

#3) Dallas via OKC - Hasheem Thabeet. Dallas trades J. Howard +#24 for Krstic, Watson, and #24

#4) Philadelphia via Sacramento - James Harden. Philly trades Delambert and Lou Williams +17 for Beno Udrith, Kenny Thomas, and #4

#5) Memphis via Minnesota via Washington - Jordan Hill.

#6) Minnesota - Tyreke Evans.

#7) Golden State - Earl Clark.

#8) New York - Stephon Curry.

#9) Toronto - Jonny Flynn.

#10) Milwaukee - Jrue Holiday.

#11) New Jersey - Austin Daye.

#12) Charlotte - Gerald Henderson

#13) Indiana - Ty Lawson. TJ Ford traded to PHX for #25

#14) OKC via Phoenix - BJ Mullens. PHX Gets #25 and OKC's 2010 #1

#15) Detroit - Tyler Hansbrough.

#17) Sacto via Philly - Jennings.

#29) PHX via NY via LAL - Wayne Ellington. NY trades #29, Duhon, Al Harrington, and Chandler for Amare.

Backstage Negotiations Before the Draft

KM Mock 3.1, All Hell Breaks Loose

This time we'll explore the wildest of speculations just to see what shakes out.

#1)Clips - Blake Griffin. Camby to Charlotte for Gerald Wallace +12.

#2) Memphis - Hasheem Thabeet. NY gets Darko for Q.

#3) OKC - Ricky Rubio. OKC will turn Rubio into Chris Wilcox & N8 in a week or so.

#4) Sacramento - Stephon Curry.

#5) Minnesota via Washington - James Harden.

#6) Minnesota - Tyreke Evans.

#7) Golden State - Jonny Flynn

#8) New York - Jordan Hill. PHX ships Nash to NY for Mobley and Duhon.

#9) Toronto - Earl Clark.

#10) Milwaukee - Jrue Holiday.

#11) New Jersey - Austin Daye.

#12) Charlotte - Gerald Henderson

#13) Indiana - Ty Lawson. TJ Ford traded to PHX for #25

#14) OKC via Phoenix - BJ Mullens PHX Gets #25 and OKC's 2010 #1

#15) Detroit - Tyler Hansbrough.

#16) Bulls - Jeff Teague.

#17) PHX via Philly - DeJuan Blair Philly gets Stoudamire for Jason Smith, Elton Brand + 17. Shaq ships to Cle for Ben Wallace, Pavlovic.

Knicks 2009 Theme Song?

KM Mock 3.0 (updated)

You know our mock drafts are customized toward the interest of Knicks fans. Good lord, somebody has to care about knicks fans.

The draft is looking grimmer. Minny has leap-frogged the Knicks by snatching #5. Walsh, according to Berman, plans on making no trades and thinks Gallinari and Chandler are building blocks... crist, what's Kevorkian's number?

It don't get much more hopeless in Knicksland.

Our official pick is eight. Let's speculate based on the latest information.

#1)Clips - Blake Griffin.

#2) Memphis - Tyreke Evans. Snubbed by Rubio and Thabeet, Memphis takes talent that's tradable.

#3) OKC - Hasheem Thabeet.

#4) Sacramento - Stephon Curry.

#5) Minnesota via Washington - James Harden.

#6) Minnesota - Ricky Rubio. They can waste a pick on a disgruntled draftee. Rubio will soon sign his sneakers, "All alone and freezing"

#7) Golden State - Jonny Flynn.

#8) New York - Ty Lawson. There's no reason to be this optimistic here, given the talent evaluations we've been treated to but we can still dream.

#9) Toronto - Jordan Hill

#10) Milwaukee - Earl Clark.

#11) New Jersey - Austin Daye.

#12) Charlotte - Gerald Henderson.

#13) Indiana - Terrance Williams.

#14) Phoenix - Jrue Holiday.

#15) Detroit - Tyler Hansbrough.

#28 NY from Minny) Brandon Jennings

KM Mock 2.2

You know our mock drafts are customized toward the interest of Knicks fans.

Our official pick is eight. Let's speculate based on the latest information.

#1)Clips - Blake Griffin.

#2) Memphis (to NY) - Ricky Rubio. Memphis will trade #2 and Marko and Darko for #8 and Mobley and Jeffries realizing a financial windfall in the transaction.

#3) OKC - James Harden.

#4) Sacramento - Hasheem Thabeet.

#5) Washington (to NY) - Stephen Curry. NY rebuilds the backcourt. Etan Thomas and #5 swapped for Chandler, Duhon, and cash. Duhon moves closer to the White House. Thomas a buyout.

#6) Minnesota - Tyreke Evans

#7) Detroit via Golden State - Jonny Flynn. Rip Hamilton and #15 goes to GS for Crawford and #7.

#8) Memphis via New York - Jrue Holiday

#9) Toronto - Jordan Hill

#10) Milwaukee - Terrance Williams.

#11) New Jersey - Earl Clark.

#12) Charlotte - Gerald Henderson.

#13) Indiana - Ty Lawson.

#14) Phoenix - Jeff Teague.

#15) GS via Detroit - Tyler Hansbrough.

#48) Knicks from Phoenix) John Bryant Knicks acquire Shaq and this pick for Hughes and Q.

Do the Knicks Need a Draft Day Life Line?

Last year's disastrous signing of Anthony Roberson has me more and more nervous.

An awful lot of the names being floated as potential Knick targets this year show up on Hollinger's likely bust list.

Jack McClinton (83 of 60), Jordan Hill (26 of 60), Toney Douglas (62 of 60), and DeMar DeRozan (54 of 60) keep coming up in the Knicks blogosphere.

I'm comfortable with D'Antoni as a coach but I'm getting suspicious of his talent evaluation if these guys are in our future.

I hope Walsh invites Isiah to have dinner with the Knicks in the draft war room and help guide the picks - just in case.

Knicks Examining Rubio Contract

McGrady, Slowly I Turned, Step by Step

In February I commented that a McGrady trade might make sense if the cost to the Knicks was inexpensive. More recently Isola wanted to overpay.

Today, I have a harder time seeing McGrady being a Knick mostly because it seems pointless.

But if Curry and Q secured McGrady and the 2010 Houston second round pick I'd be okay with it.

This would add some short term expense but free up a roster spot and rid relieve us of Eddy Curry once and for all. Q is just odd SF out anyway.

The 2010 Knicks Clues

This YouCube Video is the first of our collection of strange clues about the direction the Knicks will take in the coming months.

So far the Knicks clue board includes:

1.) David Letterman asking Steve Nash where he's going to be next year. Nash replies "Right Here". Played Backwards "Right Here" sounds like "In MSG".

2.) From Alan Hahn's Newsday blog, "Another one of LeBron's pals, Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia, said he probably wouldn't get involved in the attempts to lure King James to New York, but SI.com's Jon Heyman (a former Newsday columnist) shared an interesting tidbit via twitter yesterday:

"asked cc sunday if his buddy lebron will come to #knicks, and cc said, "and bosh, too ... it'd be good for (lebron).''

Juicy...."

3.) "Yes, that's a clear indication Steph wants to be a Knick, and would prefer the seven teams drafting before New York pass over him. The Currys see Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo system as a great fit and whatever salary Steph would lose initially by lasting to No. 8, he'd make up several times over with the marketing opportunities New York represents.

Don't get the wrong idea; this process is still in the hands of the teams, not the player. But there's no doubt where Steph Curry wants to play."

4.) Alan Hahn discovers an easter egg clue in LeBron's 2010 Nike commercial. A blue and orange bird can be seen poolside metaphorically taking LeBron to the Garden.

The Floating Fix Continues

Isn't it funny how the technical foul orgy has disappeared completely from the playoffs?

Not at all. It has been replaced by an even more subtle fixation. That of obsessing as to whether 3 point shooters are stepping on the line. Let's see what team does that kind of micro-scrutiny distress. Hmmm. Let's see...

Yes, replay after replay is scrutinized to ensure Orlando's points are shaved as often as possible.

Yet, here in game four overtime, Kobe Bryant clocks Jameer Nelson with such force that Nelson is almost knocked unconscious. No flagrant. No call. Furthermore, play continues so that Fisher's three is counted.

Funny isn't it. Play can be stopped for minutes at a time to scrutinize from every angle whether or not someone's foot is on the line, yet a player is writhing on the floor and not one ref has any interest as to why.

Amazing doesn't just happen, it's manufactured.

KM Mock 2.1

Our mock drafts are unique in that I will attempt to customize the remarks specifically toward the interest of Knicks fans.

Our official pick is eight. But increasingly speculation is growing that the Knicks have something up their sleeve. Let's specualate based on the latest information.

#1)Lakers from Clips - Blake Griffin. The Lakers dump Bynum on the Clips to retool with a more inexpensive piece allowing for the resigning of Ariza and Odom for Phil Jackson's last year as head coach.

#2) Memphis (to NY) - Stephon Curry. Memphis will trade #2 and Darko for #8 and Mobley realizing a financial windfall in the transaction. Curry joins soon to be signed Steve Nash as NY's new backcourt.

#3) OKC - Hasheem Thabeet. OKC happily sticks.

#4) Sacramento - Ricky Rubio.

#5) Washington (to NY) - James Hardin. NY rebuilds the backcourt. Mike James and #5 swapped for Duhon and cash. Duhon moves closer to the White House. James a buyout.

#6) Dallas via Minnesota - Jordan Hill. Minnesota as usual trades something of worth for crap.

#7) Golden State - Earl Clark. Any taker of Cory Maggette's contract might buy this pick.

#8) Memphis via New York - Tyler Hansbrough. Memphis grabs their PF.

#9) Toronto - James Johnson Toronto bank on size and need. From WY, Johnson might be a great fit in Toronto. This pick could easily be moved.

#10) Milwaukee - Tyreke Evans.

#11) New Jersey - Chase Budinger. Thorn rolls the dice.

#12) Charlotte - Gerald Henderson. Best talent on the board.

#13) Indiana - Jennings.

#14) Phoenix - Eric Maynor. Looking past Nash.

#15) Detroit - Jonny Flynn.

#24) Knicks from Portland) Dejuan Blair. Knicks acquire Sergio Rodriguez and this pick for cash and minor roster fill.

Referee Bias

An academic study of officiating in the NBA yield some surprising results via the Oregonian's Researchers' NBA officiating study detects biases, but not necessarily the ones fans suspect by Rachel Bachman.

The researchers looked at six seasons of turnover statistics. They used ones where referees wield relatively little influence, such as a bad pass or steal, as a "control" group, and compared them with ones where referees wield greater influence, such as traveling and offensive fouls.

The researchers found that each type of favoritism -- home, trailing in a game and trailing in a series -- resulted in a 5 to 10 percent advantage in "discretionary" turnovers, or ones over which referees have the most influence. The researchers do not attempt to explain what the percentages could mean in actual wins and losses.

Still, the study concludes that the detected referee biases, though probably unintentional, could increase the league's revenues through additional ticket sales and television appearances by reducing the number of blowout games and making televised games more compelling.

"We can say with fairly high confidence that the results are not just due to randomness or (statistical) noise, that even teams facing elimination have an additional advantage in these referee-based turnovers, discretionary turnovers," said Daniel F. Stone, assistant professor of economics at Oregon State University and one of the study's authors.

NBA executives condemned the study, which is dated March 2009 and has not been published in a scholarly journal, criticizing its methodology, tone and conclusions. The league, whose showcase event, the Finals, starts tonight with the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Orlando Magic, rigorously monitors officiating and does not condone favoritism, said Joel Litvin, the NBA's president of league and basketball operations.

Litvin also dismissed the study's suggestion that fans influence referees' behavior, a finding that echoes those in research about European soccer. The basketball study finds that the home-team advantage in discretionary turnovers increases by 1 percent for every 1,000 people in attendance.

and...

After collecting data for the latest study, culled from play-by-play accounts on ESPN.com, the researchers stumbled into the "home" and "close-game" bias findings, Stone said. Price said the study's most interesting conclusion is that officials might exhibit biases -- conscious or unconscious -- that could benefit their employer.

The researchers also found foul advantages for home teams and teams trailing in a game, but did not emphasize them in the study.

"Our results on fouls are weaker since we can't draw the same distinction between whether they're referee or player-driven as we can for turnovers," Stone said.

NBA referees are paid salaries during the regular season and also for each playoff series they work, according to a league spokesman. So they have no apparent financial motivation to make calls that would extend a playoff series.

Referees must be selected to work the playoffs, however, and are chosen based on experience and regular-season and playoff performance, which is evaluated by league and team officials.

More playoff games typically produce more ticket and television revenue for the NBA. Consequently, officials could make calls to enhance those revenues in order to please their employer, the study says. It also says referees "may have made calls in attempts to please the crowd or players, without being cognizant of their effects on league profitability."

Litvin called the suggested link between referees' calls and league profitability "preposterous."

"But people still think we fixed the Ewing lottery, so I guess nothing surprises me," Litvin said. The 1985 draft lottery gave the large-market New York Knicks the No. 1 pick (and superstar college player Patrick Ewing) despite one-in-seven odds. Wild speculation surfaced that the league froze or bent the Knicks' envelope to make it identifiable by touch.

For five years, the NBA has used observers to log and scrutinize every call. It amplified its study of certain calls in the wake of referee Tim Donaghy's 2007 guilty plea to criminal charges in a gambling scandal involving games he worked and bet on.

"It's really a matter of whether or not the referees are correct in their calling," said Steven Angel, the NBA's senior vice president of league operations and officiating. "And we find that they are."

Finally...

The study notes that it did not examine another fan theory -- that referees favor star players -- because the researchers chose to focus on team-related biases.

Bruce Blonigen, Knight professor in social science in the University of Oregon's department of economics, also reviewed the study at The Oregonian's request. He praised its detailed data (taken from about 3,500 games, from 2002-2008) and the use of "non-discretionary" turnovers as a control group.

"All in all, I find their analysis very compelling and would not be surprised to see it land in a top economics journal," Blonigen said.

The study concludes with suggestions for the league, including increased monitoring of discretionary fouls, clarification of the rules and inclusion of traveling and offensive-foul violations in box scores.

Playoff Armaggedon

The fix pattern I have been describing holds true.

The refs take out Dwight Howard and Pietrus and on alternate nights Nene and Billups.

Clutch point gifting abounds.

The fact that Cleveland or more accurately Lebron and 4 mannequins can repeatedly defeat and compete with a loaded and excellent Orlando team or that the Lakers, an aging and pathetic shell of a franchise can be beating a brilliant Denver team led by Carmelo, Nene, and JS Smith is very real problem.

And this is because, year over year, this tired manufactured 'Amazing' show will look more and more like what it is becoming, a Globetrotters vs Peoria Dribblers contest.

By denigrating actual fair competition for sneaker-inspired outcomes, the NBA is creating marketshare at the cost of integrity in sports.

I don't expect integrity to win.

New York Magazine

Interesting article about the Knicks out at the New York Magazine called "Leitch: How the Knicks Can Survive the Next Eighteen Months" by a guy named Will Leitch.

In part he says, "Stay Patient" right after saying "Trade for Tracy McGrady"

Just shoot me.

NBA Armageddon

The Cavaliers provide more slapstick than a Drew Carey episode. They flop, cry, piss and moan more than Republicans on tax day and are richly rewarded for the tantrums.

Orlando need simply look upset and are slapped with technicals and phantom fouls. The commentators sit at the sideline wringing their hands about "how tough it is" to watch the keystone cops of basketball barrel over, tackle, smack around, and tumble into Orlando's players.

We're being conditioned in these playoffs to accept another decade of dual standards in the NBA. LeBron James and Company will be treated with entitlement and the opposing teams will have to prove they can beat his team despite preferential treatment.

I predict the Orlando Cleveland series will go seven games and here's how it will play out. In the next game, at a crucial part of the game, Dwight Howard will be slapped with his seventh technical. He will miss game six. In game seven he will once again be slapped with a technical and Orlando will lose the series. A liberal sprinkling of "how amazing" LeBron is will accompany each ever-more manufactured 'victory'.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Can anyone explain to me how LeBron got to the line by tripping over his own two feet tonite?

I thought so.

Techno-rama

The proliferation of technical fouls and players approaching the magic number of seven technicals has got to have sports fans worried.

For the first time in playoff history, the NBA may approach a finals championship in which players are either too timid to play their game or absent for having played hard and with conviction.

The suspension rule attached to the technical fouls is slowly and corrosively having an adverse effect on these playoffs.

Piss off a referee and you may eliminate your team from competing. It's all good and well to insist on good manners at the dinner table but to expect teams facing elimination to not show emotion is absurd.

The NBA is rotting from the head down.

The Floating Fix

There has been much discussion on TNT about the lack of quality officiating in the playoffs but quite honestly, I'm only suspicious of the Cavs/Orlando series.

I like LeBron James and respect his game and I think he belongs and should stay in Cleveland.

However, (and I don't know the motivation) the referees of this series are calling an asymmetrically imbalanced game that favors the Cavs. For all three games Dwight Howard is being taken out of the game by dubious, ticky tacky foul calls. Now if these were being calling consistently across both teams, I would have no complaints but clearly Dwight Howard is being systematically vilified in this series.

Last evenings flagrant call was absurd. The idea that the referees are settings themselves up to have the ultimate power over Howard being suspended a game is ripe for crooked officiating.

And the review of the play in which Howard cleanly blocked LeBron's shot was reviewed to ensure LeBron got three unearned free throws deserves to be investigated for complicit, brutal NBA stupidity. To review a play and to ignore the obvious F'up to grant free points is wholly inexcusable.

____________________________________________________

On a lighter note what about that stupid gaming commercial where Barkley plays Dwight Howard and Wade declared Howard pulls a Hammy. My son asked me why Howard is holding the ankle.

Do commercials get any (pardon the pun) lamer?

Acquiring Rubio

The media is starting to catch up with the obvious. I have speculated for weeks that the Knicks have the wherewithal to secure Ricky Rubio and with Memphis holding the pick this is actually a much easier task than it may seem.

I'll use this post to more clearly elaborate the pros and cons for Memphis aside from the latest speculation that Rubio has no intentions of buying out his contract to play in Memphis.

On Hahn's blog, I elaborated by saying;

The Knicks need superstar potential. The East is going to be a monster division for a long time. Consolation picks aren't going to get the job done. And Curry, though smart, is a little too smug and fuzzy for my taste. Ty Lawson is a certifiable winner. If Curry is a Mark Jackson type then I prefer the Rod Strickland, Ty Lawson prototype.

But trumping both of these guys is a Maravich clone. I mean, how do you not pull out all the stops in securing this guy for MSG? In New York this personna prints money. In Memphis, it will be a career of "what a shame such a talent is wasted".

If the Knicks can secure Rubio this year, sign Lee, and tinker around the margins enough to make the playoffs then we're in great shape in 2010 (and I expect nothing to happen) and going forward.

If D'Antoni can get Darko and Marko straightened out, the Knicks, as Hahn is fond of reminding us, the Knicks "have a chance".

I have nothing against sCurry but realistically, Rubio is the prize. Here's a guy who has that superstar potential, will fill the Garden and the papers with glam, and he's playing a key position that gets locked down for a decade. Rubio is to the Knicks what Jeter was for the Yankees.

So let's break down the deal:

First, neither David Lee nor N8 are involved in any way shape or form!

The deal is a swap of picks - Memphis's #2 for #8 ***AND***
Mobley, Chandler and Duhon for Darko and Marko.

Why Memphis does it? answer: 1.) cash flow, 2.) better contracts for worse, 3.) equivalent draft talent at a more inexpensive (e.g. long-term affordable) price.

Let's take the last thing first. Yes, the Grizzlies would lose Rubio but Rubio is already calling that shot anyway. So, the next best thing is to secure another close pick to compensate. At #8, Jennings, Clark, Lawson, Hill and a parade of PG candidates are available and Memphis can have their choice. Chances are that they'll get a very good prospect.

But Memphis's operational problem is cash and some contracts that are more expensive than profitable; Darko and Marko. And yes, there are lots of potential trading partners but none have the kind of kicker the Knicks have in Mobley's contract.

A Darko M. and Marko Jaric swap first needs to work and many teams could offer player for player matches but that means Memphis still foots the bill for that amount. Unless the team swapping is giving up lots of inexpensive talent for two contracts gone bad then the swap is not so desirable either way.

But the Knicks can offer Duhon and Chandler in addition to Mobley's contract which reduces Memphis's cash obligations by millions this year and next (Jaric erased).

So, now, Memphis fills out their starting unit with Chandler (very inexpensive) to look like: Conley, Mayo, Gay, Chandler, Gasol. They add Duhon as a backup PG and work #8 pick into the mix. Not too shabby.

AND, they can resign their own FA's with the money saved in Mobley's contract ($10-20M depending how you slice and dice it).

For a financially fragile outfit, this is as compelling as it gets.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The assumption is that the Rubio pick is worth it. Here, at the Mecca, it's a risk worth taking. Rubio is a potential superstar caliber player that is out of reach unless an extraordinary effort is made to secure his services.

Forget all the bullshit about endorsements and so on. The Knicks need a star worthy of the franchise's more esteemed history. Rubio appears to have the goods.

The suggested trade is an overpayment for the right to sign this kid so care would need to be taken in getting assurances but it looks legitimate to date.

In forum conversations, some fans object to trading Chandler and I understand their sentiments. We're so beaten down that our found gems are the players we're most proud of. And Chandler is blossoming.

But the Knicks need to start winning ball games and we need some changes.

If D'Antoni can straighten Milicic out, the Chandler risk is remediated. Lee can go back to the PF position. And expensive as Jaric might be, he's another guard who has some game left in him.

In another Hahn blog response I explained it this way:

I think Chandler makes such a trade possible and fair. The key word being fair. Knicks fans cannot believe that Rubio will be acquired cheaply. Make no mistake about it - this would be a blockbuster and the money saved by Memphis is extraordinary.

First, Donnie would have his (potential) superstar no matter what happens in 2010 (Kobe being more likely than James, Wade, or even Bosh).

But Larry Hughes is being vastly underrated by the Knicks fans. If the trade goes down as I speculate. The Knicks look like:

Rubio/*Nate*
Jaric/*Hughes*
Gallo/*Harrington*
Lee/*Wilcox*
Darko/*eCurry*

Are you really going to miss Chandler? I think there's a starting five in that bunch of players that can compete. And such a trade makes the resigning of Nate possible because Duhon is moved as well. All the players within asterisks are still on the summer trading bubble no matter what.

And if your backbone is going to be Rubio, Lee, and Gallo then this summer the main job is securing a center candidate - say, Gortat who can tag team with Darko should Eddy stumble.

Suddenly, the Knicks are LeBron-friendly for lack of a better term.

You've got to give to get.

I hope this clarifies the details.

Interesting Floater

Draft Express is reporting the Bulls shopping Tyrus Thomas and Hinrich as a package deal:

-The Chicago Bulls are reportedly heavily shopping Tyrus Thomas around the league, trying to see what kind of value they can get for him after the solid season he’s coming off of. It appears that they don’t see him fitting into their long-term plans as he’s too similar to Joakim Noah, and they aren’t interested in giving him a long-term deal that would put them over the luxury tax. It’s possible the Bulls look to package Thomas and Hinrich together and land a big time power forward.

I've never advocated trading David Lee but Thomas AND Hinrich for dLee might be an offer the Knicks can't refuse.

The same article says Rubio's agent is saying no to Memphis and pointing Rubio toward LA instead. I would sure like to see Fagan consider New York as well.

KM Mock Draft 2.0

Our mock drafts are unique in that I will attempt to customize the remarks specifically toward the interest of Knicks fans.

Our official pick is eight. It seems that the basketball gods have dealt us a blow but upon closer inspection, Mr. October may have added enough draft day english to final sequence that the Knicks, in fact are in great shape. Read on to see what I mean.

#1)Clippers - Blake Griffin. These bastards should be banned from the draft. They use it like someone else's credit card. Sure they'll take Griffin but this team is saddled with lots of bad contracts that the Knicks will have only limited use for. If this pick travels expect it to go to Dallas. Cuban can absorb Baron Davis to team Nowitski with Griffin. Cuban needs something bold.


#2) Memphis - Ricky Rubio. Aside from actually getting into the top three, New York couldn't ask for a better scenario - let's thank Reggie's good luck charm for this fortuitous opportunity.

I believe there is a strong chance that Memphis and New York will exchange picks. Memphis does not need another point guard nor the overhead expense Rubio's buyout and satisfaction will incur. The Knicks can.

On draft night Memphis will be $8-10M+ better off. Here's how I see it going down. Two foundation pieces will be in play - I suspect Rubio for Jennings. Jennings is a longer term prospect with an equally compelling future. Jennings should fall through to eight. So far a fairly even trade. Memphis saves the buyout.

Additionally, the Knicks take Darko and Marko (2 yrs.) off the Grizzlies hands for Mobley's contract, Duhon, and Chandler. Instead of paying Marko and Darko, Mobley's contract is paid by insurance in addition to being a nice bargaining chip that can be used again by Memphis.

here, the Knicks pay a steep price but it is the kind of price that fits into the kind of resource that no one can tamper with and that is Dolan's ability and obligation to pay premium dollars for world class talent.

#3) OKC - Hasheem Thabeet. OKC happily sticks.

#4) Sacramento - Stephen Curry. Udrith is a huge disappointment, Curry looks like up.

#5) Washington - James Hardin. Gilbert meet James.

#6) Minnesota - DeMar DeRozen. Minny fills a need.

#7) Golden State - Earl Clark. Any taker of Cory Maggette's contract might buy this pick.

#8) New York - Brandon Jennings. Trade bait with Memphis who can afford to wait.

#9) Toronto - James Johnson Toronto bank on size and need. From WY, Johnson might be a great fit in Toronto. This pick could easily be moved.

#10) Milwaukee - Ty Lawson.

#11) New Jersey - Chase Budinger. Thorn rolls the dice.

#12) Charlotte - Gerald Henderson. Best talent on the board.

#13) Indiana - Jordan Hill.

#14) Phoenix - Eric Maynor. Looking past Nash.

#15) Detroit - Jonny Flynn.

Too Little, Too Late?

A RealGM article by Elrod Enchilada about Boston's dilemma underscores New York's problem as well.

...a little context is necessary. LeBron James is 24 and Dwight Howard is 23. Their teams are going to be powerhouses next year and for the next half-decade. There are other teams in the east that are improving. Even if Danny fields a very strong team, even if he does his job brilliantly, he may have trouble just getting to the Eastern Conference Finals, even the second round of the playoffs. The bar is very high. The Cs now are in the situation faced by the superb Sidney Moncrief Milwaukee Bucks teams of the early 1980s: no matter how well they played the Celtics and Sixers were always a tad better. Had that Bucks team been assembled in the late 70s, it might have won two or three titles. In the early 80s it got lost in the shuffle. That could well be the Cs fate for the next two or three years.

So if the goal is to actually defeat Cleveland and Orlando and the other rising teams, not simply win 54 games and make it a round or two in the playoffs, Danny has his work cut out for him. As we learned this year, he will need more than a little luck.

If Boston is in trouble then what about our Knicks. In the East the top three positions are in a dogfight, Miami has Wade, Philly may sign Thibodeau or JVG, and the rest of the East is not sitting on its hands either.

Ten years ago, many of us on the New York Times forum discussed this very problem and its only gotten worse.

The problem is this; if you are a contending team without a superstar you get stuck in an NBA purgatory. You cannot win enough to be a true playoff contender and you cannot lose enough to qualify for a reasonable lottery selection. To further complicate matters, your team is probably operating close to the cap.

This is why I have long advocated the elimination of the draft. The salary cap is sufficient top keep teams in line. In a free for all, these purgatory teams could finally make a signing they need to advance or ultimately fail. But this is beside the real point.

What this all means for the Knicks is this. The Knicks face a hostile NBA front office. For example, this year the Knicks were not allowed to fill Mobley's spot with a player exception allocation. Is there a team that has suffered more at the hands of NBA fools than the Knicks?

Secondly, unless the 2010 plan succeeds in decapitating one of these front-running teams what chance do the nicks have of escaping pugatory with Bosh or any of the remaining dwarf talents?

To me the answer is obvious and that is to return the vision to the roots. The original Knick champions were built around very talented complementary players. Rather than expecting to sign someone else's pampered stars, the Knicks need to develop and trade for hungry team-first players who understand the challenge and won't let the odds get in the way.

The Basketball Gods Have Spoken

I have never liked the Celtics so I'm feeling good that they were finally eliminated last night. But a certain degree of satisfaction comes from the idea that the Celtics collusion with Marbury was not rewarded.

Not too long ago, stories were floating around that someone in the Celtics organization had put the bug in Marbury's ear that if he were released by the Knicks he could join a Celtics championship squad which is exactly what happened.

Now I was never a Marbury hater but there was no excuse or explanation for his behavior this season except to put it in the context of this alleged Celtics collusion story. This probably didn't qualify as organizational tampering but nonetheless, Marbury was playing the Knicks as if he had an ace up his sleeve all the while professing his love for the team.

In any case, the Knicks have been getting dumped on for years by this league and by sports fans everywhere because the Knicks are the one NY sports team that hasn't produced consistent winners. This "dumping" has taken on many forms with the worst being the trading of injured or impaired players with brutally bad contracts to the Knicks where their short-comings are immediately exposed and their contracts become untradable assets.

So when the rumor that Marbury had a back channel escape hatch to the Celtics, my attitude changed about him. This sounded and felt like just another cheap shot at a Knicks team that has been on its knees for nearly a decade.

So today I celebrate a Celtics playoff elimination and I wish them many more. And believe me, I do know what that feels like.