Time to Put Lipstick On...

Well, McCain has "suspended" his presidential campaign to further dress up negotiations in Washington. A recent Jill Greenberg photo shoot as reported by BuzzFeed catches him looking dapper.



And of course in Knicksville Stephon Marbury is quoted as saying, "They're going to give me all my money."

It takes a lot of lipstick to make that sound pretty. I'm assuming he has a great year.

Memphis, Memphis, Memphis

As longtime readers know I would far prefer keeping Zach Randolph than Eddie Curry.

And no I don't buy into the premise that Zach is a troublemaker. Portland was a troubled franchise and traded Zach for a promising 4th round pick and Steve Francis who later proved to be truly washed up. So no, IMO, ZBo is both talented and a highly productive player.

Now, are there chemistry problems on the Knicks? Yep. But giving Randolph away doesn't solve a thing.

That brings us to the Memphis trade scenarios. I warmed to the idea of trading Zach for Darko, straight up with the Knicks getting a trade exception. It's a good trade for both teams. Memphis gets a guy who will transform their front-court, maybe even make a contender of the team.

The Knicks get closer to cap space and get a guy who could improve under D'Antoni enough to block shots and relieve Eddie when Eddie sucks (which is a lot).

But as time went by the trade -cough- evolved. Suddenly the Knicks were to acquire Jaric in addition to Darko. Okay. Jaric is superfluous and adds no value but okay. No big deal. Advantage in the trade now is overwhelmingly to Memphis.

Next, Memphis wants some cash. By now this writer is sighing because this is becoming a shakedown. But OKAY. It's the cost of doing business but in the back of my mind I'm remembering the Gasol *trade* in which Memphis got anally raped and said thank you to LA. But OKAY, its a few bucks.

But as a Knicks fan I'm getting uneasy. Jaric is a fifth wheel. But in looking around, the Warriors need a spare guard, they have a large contract to lose (Harrington), a Jaric for Harrington deal works. The Knicks bloat the payroll a hair this year but Harrington expires nicely, and his pickup is a great excuse to lose Jerome James once and for all. For GS, Jaric is a much cheaper contract than Harrigton, and Monta's absence is covered.

So there are possibilities.

But today, I read Memphis wants a first-rounder as well. Memphis has gone too far.



A first-rounder! are they sure they don't want to move to Brooklyn as well. I mean, c'mon, a FIRST-ROUNDER, ZBo, $3M, Headlines that the Knicks got raped, Charles Barkley sarcastically saying "I told you" so all season long, AND A FIRST-ROUNDER for, for...
Darko and his sidekick Marco!

Let's step away from the ledge and not do this trade.

Is Marko heading elsewhere?

The delay in the Zach trade may be because the deal is expanding.

Everybody wins if Marko heads to GS and Al Harrington goes to NY.

GS gets their temp PG, New York gets a shorter contract.

Crawford's Epiphany

Jamal Crawford has a blog on Newsweek and I have added it to the blog list column here.

I have been a critic of Crawford's for about a years or so and have called for his trade . In his blog he addresses the well-known criticisms many of us share. I must say that I'm impressed with his ability to confront the criticism.

Here's some of what I like in his initial post.

THAT I'M NOT A WINNER: First off, you win as a team and you lose as a team...but I do understand that the better players and leaders on your team have to provide more then a younger player would. No, I've never played on a winning team since college. BUT this year I'll be playing for my ninth coach in nine seasons.

I've had a few disappointments along the way in Chicago and New York and also bad timing with injuries. I thought my best chance was two years ago, but then injuries to myself, David Lee and Q-Rich happened. What other team could lose basically three starters at one time and still have a chance to get to the playoffs? Then last year was a total mess. We never recovered from all that off the court stuff that happened! And that's not an excuse, that's just a fact. I still tried to come to play every single night. I didn't always play without making mistakes, but I was there every single night.

I know I have this label and I don't want it. I don't think I've ever been the kind of player who looked satisfied with losing.

New Minnesota sport

Lindsey Beyerstein's Flickr photo exposes latest street sport in Minnesota; watching protesters get hammered.

There is a God!

The Knicks acquire Patrick Ewing Jr for - GET THIS - the eternal rights to Fredrick Weis.

FREEEEEEE_ DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDIE!

First Chenowith, now this. Give me a minute to compose myself.

Okay.

Okay.

I'll be alright.

Ewing, Jr is an upgrade over Freddie in that he will physically appear to compete for a Knicks spot.

I guess this means that Jerome James can be moved - and I do mean moved - at some future date.

An angel has just earned some sporting goods points.

ZBo to Memphis, Part Deux?

In a previous post, I talked about my feelings about a potential Zbo to Memphis trade.

I didn't believe the pieces were there. Now, i find that Milicic is not 100% having suffered an achilles injury earlier this year.

But after reading the pros and cons written by the old NYTimes group, I'm warming up to the idea despite the talent tradeoff (Zach being far more valuable to Memphis than Milicic to NY).

Here's the skinny. If NY just takes back Milicic, it solves the 2010 salary cap problem nicely. Memphis can afford to absorb Zach without handing back salary to the Knicks - a very good thing. The Knicks would no longer need to juggle roster just to save money going forward. And Memphis makes out like bandits talent-wise.

But let's assume NY has to take another body - probably an inexpensive PG - so what? NY cuts the worst PG on the roster (to eliminate clutter) or buyout JJames. None of Memphis's PGs have blossomed into anything special yet and Roberson and Mardy are on the bubble.

Better yet the Knicks should acquire a Memphis 2010 protected (1-3) #1 pick to make the deal a bit more even because I'm confident Zach will shine wherever he lands.

As for Milicic, once he's healthy - say Feb. the knicks can dump JJames without regret in trade or as a mercy buyout.And if Milicic simply blocks some shots and gets a few rebounds, I'm good with the deal.

Duhon and Obama

Last night I was watching post-Monday night Democratic Convention news and there's a segment about a fellow who has become Obama's right-hand man for logistical issues. This guy occasionally plays some pick-up basketball with Obama and while in Chicago apparently stays with Chris Duhon.

In any case Duhon also plays a bit when these pick-up games occur.

Interesting, no?

Gambler's Blues

I came across a link weeks ago of a guy who digitized a lot of 78 rpm records from the old days.

He used to allow people to download what they wanted but his provider discontinued that. However there is one tune available, a good one and one that certainly will remind everyone of the NBA referees.

Marbury, Cuban, and Italian Thunder

We have all heard Starberman's proclamations that echo Marbury's "love" of Italy. But the more I read of what's going on in Italy, marbs might reconsider his career choices.

In his customary midday Sunday address, the pontiff expressed concern at "recent examples of racism" and reminded Catholics it was their duty to steer others in society away from "racism, intolerance and [the] exclusion [of others]".

On any other day, his remarks might have been seen as no more than a restatement of official Catholic doctrine. But they came instead in the midst of a furious dispute over an editorial published by Italy's bestselling Catholic weekly, Famiglia Cristiana.

In an editorial on Friday, condemning recent government moves against immigrants and Roma, the magazine said it was to be hoped fascism was not "resurfacing in our country under another guise". The jibe outraged Berlusconi's supporters, many of whom are themselves pious Catholics.

As I read Pope warns Italy in danger of returning to fascism by John Hooper, I wondered how a wallflower like Stephon Marbury would fare in a country that is making the church squeamish.

As I daydreamed a scene from the comedy Tropic Thunder comes to mind. Toward the end of the film in which Ben Stiller's character, Tugg Speedman, waves the helicopter off from a bridge he's standing on. Tugg, after being re-educated by his captors believes he has found someone who cares about him, Little Half-squat. Tugg turns and returns to his captors.

The crew is stunned but resign themselves to living without Tugg [Stephon]. No sooner than the helicopter is about to take-off there's a ruckus coming from the bridge. In a flurry of angry captors chasing Speedman, the crew watches as Little Half-squat is firmly clinging to Tugg's back stabbing and choking him. By now Tugg can't leave his captors fast enough. He grabs Little Half-squat and tosses the kid over the bridge, sprinting to the helicopter.

It is not hard to imagine Marbury going to Italy, aggravating the fans, and chasing a plane out of the country with a horde of blood-thirsty euro-fascists clinging to his body as he flings them off.

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I have written about this before but it's bubbling up again. Mark Cuban thinks Jason Kidd will deliver a championship in Dallas. I don't think so. Kidd will pout subliminally all season long without a contract extension. No money, no honey.

Marbury is a better, more hungry player than Kidd and a one-for-one swap makes sense. The Knicks can rent Kidd for a year or two with no grandiose expectations. Marbury may very well finally win a ring and redemption in Dallas.

It's a hellish deal but one that makes sense. If Marbury fails... well, Cuban rebuilds with no hard feelings.

Imagine the conversations Mark could have with Marbs (with apologies to Tropic Thunder):

Marbs: There were times while I was playing [with the Knicks]where I felt...
[pause]
Marbs: ...retarded. Like, really retarded.
Cuban: Moronical?
Marbs: Yeah!
Cuban: An imbecile?
Marbs: Yeah!
Cuban: Like the dumbest motherfucker that ever lived?
Marbs: [pause] When I was playing [with the Knicks].