The Knicks Fix

Alan, do you really think Nichols would go to the Celtics?

Let me rephrase that....

Alan, do you really think Isiah would let Nichols go to the Celtics for nothing?

Come on Alan....I can't see that happening at all.

I think Isiah would release one of our other players that are rarely used before he let's this talented kid just walk for nothing.

Isiah has to good an eye for talent to just say bye bye to Nichols. He would most certainly be a nice piece in a deal to get Artest. This may just work in the Knicks favor as far as getting Ron Ron.

Like I said before, I'm not sure if Sac is sold on Nichols especially with them already having Kevin Martin. I don't think Kevin Martin is going to be a star though. I do see Nichols being a star.

We shall see what happens. In my opinion, I say we keep the kid or at the very least try to include him in a trade for Artest.

I would rather cut Jerome James before I let this kid walk.

What about Fred Jones?

Why can't we cut him?

We're releasing Dikau and we should be able to release Jones also.

We cannot....I repeat....

WE CANNOT ....let this kid walk for nothing.

That would be the dumbest move Isiah could make.

Alan, why would you even throw something like that out there?

Is this a test to see if anybody is going to bite your bait (no homo) and start talking about it LOL....

Thank goodness we're releasing Dikau...he would do nothing here. He was just a pawn to get Zach here. Although Jones plays good defense SOMETIMES....

He was also a pawn to get Zach here. Addition by subtraction baby...

Come On Zeke...Pull Off One More Deal & Bring Ron Ron Home...(but keep David Lee and Balkman in the process)....

Also Alan...you said

"Isiah Thomas will have to make a decision: cut a vet and eat a bad contract or let Nichols and his sweet stroke go free to be picked up on waivers by any other NBA team."

But in the paragraph before that you said

"Nichols' immediate future remains with the Knicks. His situation will work like this: in the coming week or two, D-Nick will sign a one-year deal with the Knicks at a very affordable second-round scale. He'll go into training camp to compete for a spot."

Which one is it?

Or am I missing something here...

If he signs his 1 year deal with us in the next few weeks...how will he be free to walk to any other team?

Is the deal not guaranteed or something?

Oh wait...

The deal will only kick in if he makes the roster right?

Please help guys...I'm fricken lost.

Also...I would pay top dollar to get into one of those closed practices....

So Foyle signed with the Magic huh?

Not much concern over these parts...

I think the Magic are over rated as is D. Howard. That kid has no low post game at all. All he does is dunk the ball. Curry destroyed him this year and my main man Walt made sure everybody watching the game on MSG knew it.

However, the Magic do have the best sf in the East right now and that says a lot. Lebron James is not a small forward by the way...

Boston is one injury away from not making the playoffs and we haven't even got into pre season yet...that's sad.

How can people say Jersey got better with the addition of Kristic, S Williams and J Macglore and the subtraction of Mikki Moore, Eddie House and Cliff Robinson...call me crazy but I see them going 500 or at the most 4-5 games over 500 (just like they did last year)...

Chicago will be back and they will be good again....period.

Cleveland got lucky last year and that's no disrepect to what we saw in that game in Detroit when Lebron scored lord knows how many points in a row....(one of the best performances I've ever seen)..they will not make it back to the eastern finals as they will be eliminated in the 1st or the latest 2nd round.

Miami will be fine until Shaq goes down again with another early in the season injury that will require him to miss at least the entire first half of the season. He'll come back for the all star game and he'll start to try to get into game shape in time for the playoffs. Last year they got screwed with no vaseline by the Bulls because Wade got hurt and they had nobody to pick up the slack...even with Shaq playing.

Detroit will not be a top notch team next year because they will lose Webber. If they don't lose Webber they'll be just like they were this past year. If they lose Webber, they will make the playoffs but look for a very early exit.

Toronto is a good team and they will be top 5 in the East.

Philly is at least 2 years away from competing. Yeah they made a run late last year and even finished with a better record than us but we here all know why that happened. We all know injuries killed our season. (over 100 combined games missed by our KEY players)...

That's just my opinion on the wack east.

Indy, Washington, Charlotte and the rest of those teams downstairs don't even deserve to be spoken about.

Pro Knick Here

(take it back)
Not Proof Read !

By the way...team USA won tonight very easily.

The original dream team use to win games by averages of 40 or 50 points..(i may be off a few))..

I'm telling you..if you take the talent on this team and compare it to the original dream team...pardon me for saying this but it's very comparable.

Let's look at the tale of the tape shall we?

Magic.......Kidd
Jordan......Kobe
Bird........Lebron
Charles.....Bosh
Hakeem......Howard

Besides the center position (which is clearly a mismatch in favor of the old timers)...every other position looks tight.

I don't want to hear about Charles taking Bosh everytime because of his size because Lebron can do the same thing to Bird. There is no way Bird can stick Lebron. Even if say Lebron was to get into foul trouble..there is no way Bird can stick Mello either.

Yes, Jordan was the best player of all time...that doesn't mean he can hold up to a dose of the Black Mamba followed by the Flash backing him up...wow !!!

Magic could post Kidd all day but Kidd would sill get his teammates involved on offense.

I know Ewing, Stockton, Malone, Mullin, Pippen, Robinson, Drexler, Earvin Johnson and Laettner.

Compare that to Carmello, Wade, Arenas, Joe Johnson, Billups, Jamison, Brand and Boozer.

That would be a very, very good match up.

Of course I'm going to use this as a segway into talking about my favorite player...

"The Lord Of The Rings"

You know what?

I don't even want to talk about Kobe because there are more important issues going on right now that we can speak on.

We've spoke about the Vick situation and I think we all agree it's a terrible situation but it's one he put himself in and now he's going to have to serve the punishment....moving on shall we ?

Stephon Marbury said what he said and now we should let it rest. Nothing will or can happen to Marbury. The entire Knick brass know how moody this guy is...if you slap him with a fine it's only going to make matters worse for him and in the long run it's going to make matters worse for the Knicks.

People kill me with the whole "Steph should hire a new publicist"...that is so funny to me.

Why should he hire someone to speak for him or tell him the politically correct way to answer a question?

I guess some of you would hire such a person because you care that much how you get viewed by others....stop worrying about what everyone else has to say about you.

Did anybody catch my post a few weeks ago about the Nuggest competing in the West?

Iverson
JR Smith
Carmello
K-Mart
Camby

Does that not stand out to anybody else except me?

Man I hope we get Ron Ron..that 2nd game against the Nuggets is going to be a fun one to watch. First one will be good also....

I have no comment on all these former Knick players turning out to be nice players for other teams....it does kind of make me sick to my stomach though.

Does anybody else see this kid D Williams from Utah as the next best thing at the PG position?

Hey Alan, you didn't have to ban Mark and the other guy so soon LOL...

I was speaking with Isola the other day and he told me dealing with those 2 is like taking it in the a$$....it hurts at first but after a while you just tend to ignore it.

I looked at him with disgust !!!

Keep up the good work Alan...once you get us behind you...you can do no wrong...

Peaceman..I'm all with you in regards to the Nichols trade for Artest bro...

Pro Knicks

Man...a hour straight of talking to myself..I think I'm going crazy...

It's 3:15 in the morning...

I'm going to take the garbage out...

Night fellas....

I'm sorry guys....

Something was bothering to the point where I couldn't sleep.

I couldn't quite put my finger on it so I decided to think very, very hard about it....

It finally came to me...

I forgot to mention Amare on the list of players on the current USA team...

I have used my last box of tissue, crying over Mark's demise from this Blog. Don't feel bad Alan. Mark ended his tenure here with a bold face lie. He stated that " a friend told him about your comment." It's a big lie because Mark has no friends! Mark is none other than Isola's alter ego. I was the first to call him out on that, followed by confirmations from African and others!

Good post about Nichols AH!
Davonn, we are teammates again! I'm Shaq your Kobe. LOL

I agree that D-Nichols needs perspective, but if he wants to get into the league now, firing his agent was clearly a good move.

This is really a test for Isiah. A little reading between the lines suggests that we are a ways off from an Artest deal because Dickau would have been a nice Chit to trade. Dickau ws never here for a longterm roster spot. Can we assume that Zeke did not tell Nichols that he could go to the D-League or Europe until he pared the roster down by trading three players for Artest?

This is a test for Zeke because I get the sense that he is still being hardheaded about Jerome James. I have not heard James' name mentioned in those team workouts. Is James going to come back out of shape again? Does Zeke think he needs James as the Curry insurance policy? I would rather have no policy. He's gotta want to trade that guy.

He wants to keep Fred because Fred is ready to play the Zeke way. And given the competition you can be sure Fred will work hard. Nichols is not ready. He will be, but I don't think this is going to be a good season for rookies. This is a must win season for Zeke. Or see ya.

I bet Sacramento wants Nate at the least. Just speculating of course.

C'mon Zeke show us some GM skills and figure out how to keep this Kid.

It makes no sense to trade a future second round pick for Nichols and then simply let him walk away. Remember, Thomas knew he had 17 players when he made the Nichols trade.

With Jerome James still on the roster, the answer seems simple. Cut Dickau and admit the mistake that is James. Cut him as well and you have your 15 man roster.

Clearly, the Knicks are not dealing for Artest, since Dickau would be an asset in that deal. The Kings are serious that they won't trade him unless they receive a Lee in return, and the Knicks are not stupid enough to do that. Thus, the roster you see, is the roster that we'll enter the season with.

If things break the Knicks way, they will be 41-41 and sneak in as the eight seed.

is Bosh even playing ?
I dont think he is.

I know we're all blogin' and speculatin' but come on guys! I'm getting like DaVonn J just by reading the double-dutch cadence here. Some of us have it as a definite that Dan D will be bought out or that is the only option for JJ. Beyond insurance, recall that your roster gives you a scout look (orange vs. blue where no outside eyes can see). We will just have to wait and see what IT does with this pickle.

I would only suggest that the new Nichols agent is beginning to angle for his player through the media. This soft "threat" had to have come from D-Nice's agent. And yes, I agree wholly that IT et al. know talent too well to lose that second rounder for squat. I'd be on the lil' general and very unsteady if that was to happen. We will not put up with more saboteurs/sabotages in NYK. We got rid of that old coach, we got rid of the blog cancer, together and steadily, we will be back to NYK prominence and on Top of the F'n hill.

KFL

DaVonn J
I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid on your comparison of The Dream Team to this year's Team USA. Magic was twice the player Kidd is; I don't remember Kidd playing center in the Finals and dropping 42 on anyone. Kidd doesn't have the outside game to get 42. Kidd's passing and rebounding skills are comparable, but offensively, the nod goes to Magic.
Jordan vs Kobe might be the closest matchup, but in the clutch, who are you going to go with? I'm not betting against Jordan (and either would an NBA ref.)
What Bird would give up in athleticism, he would make up for in passing, guile, and team play (See his battles in the 1988 playoffs vs Dominique.)
Barkley might give up 6 inches in height, but would not give up anything in the paint versus Bosch. In Barkley's LAST yearin the league, he averaged as many rebounds and assists as Bosch did last year.
Hakeem versus Howard? Please. Hakeem has forgotten more moves than Howard currently owns. Hakeem would tear his sh** up.
The 2nd Team of Ewing (or David Robinson), Malone, Stockon, Pippen, and Mullin would fare well also.
There's a reason that team was referred to as The Dream Team.

Anonymous,

Absolutely agree. Hey Davonn, maybe you shouldn't post after 2 a.m. I think you needed to rest. This USA team wouldn't win one in a 7-game series. The only player on the current Olympic team to match the Dream Team is Kobe.

It's interesting to see that M. Lawrence made an appearance to trash Marbury. It really is on a ridiculous level right now for those DN guys. Can they at least pretend to write with objectivity? Even Alan knows you don't have to be a fan to report, but this looks like propaganda. They should work for the Boston Globe.

The roster is only a problem if Isiah can't admit what EVERYONE on Earth knows...Jerome James sucks and doesn't deserve to be in the NBA. Just cut him and Dan D and we'll be set. Either that, or trade Jones, Dan D, (both expiring contracts) and Malik for one player.

BTW DaVonn,
Was that Hakeem inclusion on the Dream Team a typo? Ewing was the center on the original Dream Team in 1992. After that, it was more Dream Team redux.
I agree Anon, Howard is an up-and-comer. He will improve tremendously under Ewing's tutelage.
Too bad the lil' general would not add Ewing on the coaching staff this year. We're keeping tabs here and watching very closely.

KFL

Why does everyone want to cut Jerome James? We have roster issues but that is not the answer. Jerome is 31, a legitimate 7' player. He has disappointed, is still needed. His contract takes him to 34 yrs. Last year, we had another 7' for practice squad and backup (can't remember his name). He can fill that role also. I remember players like Mark Eaton having a long career in the NBA. He could fill that role. I also remember our team looking like an And-1 team in 1999 (no big man). Although we went to the Finals IT won't cut him; that is called "insurance."

Hey, Davonn--

Are you high? Rashard Lewis the best small forward in the East?

Did Paul Pierce, Luol Deng, Tayshawn Prince, Caron Butler and, yes Lebron James (that is his position, by the way -- what do you think he is, a guard?) do something to upset you today? I'll give you Lewis over Richard Jefferson, maybe, but not over those others, not even close. James, Pierce and Deng especially are at least two classes above Lewis, who might be the worst defensive forward in basketball.

And I love how perennial playoff team Washington isn't even worth talking about, while perennial lottery team New York is a lock for the playoffs. Apparently injuries scuttled New York's season, but Washington playing in the playoffs without Butler and Arenas wasn't a big deal.

Funny stuff, very funny stuff.

M

I love to see "fans" laud zekes eye for talents only to turn around and act as though it is, of course, second to the posters eye for talent.

I think it is VERY safe to say that no one here has a clue compared to Zeke and if he thinks Nichols isn't good enough guess what....He isn't!

If the reporting is true and Zeke drafted him with a promise that he would play in Europe for a year than things have changed and Zeke will have to reevaluate his options.

The idea that his play in the summer league is "proof" of anything is really funny. The humor some of you come up with is awesome!....unless you really believe it.

BTW - Not to extend a horrific topic but I've been a Marbury fan through everything! Until the Vick issue. F%&k Marbury!

Question.... Would James be worth the minimum as the 15th guy on the bench? Just as health insurance?

I sure think so! The idea that people want to cut him just because he is overpaid is pure stupidity. Rate the players on their skill, position and need. Unless your name is Dolan why does the salary even matter unless you are the type of person who drives 55 in the left lane to keep the rest of us honest?

PS - I didn't proof either!

Hey Davonn,

Matt may give you a pass on Richard Jefferson but I won't. RJ's got a jumper, an outside shot, can post, can catch the ball on the break and finish strong around the rim (no homo, HA!) and he's got size (no homo). He can defend and he can play inside or outside on the offense. He's been to and through the playoffs most of his career too. And I agree with Matt's list too. And now that Jason Richardson is in the East, he's better than Rashard too.

And I like Rashard.

We won't argue over this because I think we already had this conversation before.

Just want to reiterate what HarlemDudein Maryland said... After 2, go to sleep dude. You need your rest. Next time you can't sleep, give me a call and I'll come over with a glass of warm milk and soft chocolate chip cookies. Read you a bedtime story if that'll make you feel better too.

Ha!! Yo, your dream team comparison was arse too. The didn't call them the dream team for nothing. Magic and JKidd is the closest match-up and my undying devotion to JKidd (just a little homo, HA!) is well documented but Magic is the prototype big guard. At any size, at any time, the dude is a star. You heard the saying, he has eyes in the back of his head?

His head was one big eye. Should of called the Magic Owl or something. Some passes you couldn't even tell when he peeked to see his teammates. He just knew they were there. Oh, and he could score. Clutch too. Man, he WAS Magic.

No way Ron Artest is coming to New York any time soon. Doesn't make sense for Sacramento unless they get David Lee. Not a good move for the Knicks. Which is why Dan Dickau was released. His expiring contract, which could have been used in a Ron Artest trade, is no longer needed. Now, without Dan Dickau's expiring contract to make the salary cap numbers work, the Knicks would have to send the Kings Nate Robinson, Fred Jones, David Lee & Renaldo Blackman (or Wilson Chandler). No way are the Knicks pulling that trigger. The Ron Artest to the Kings trade possibility is officially over.

As for waiving other players to make room for Nichols, that doesn't appear likely. Fred Jones is the only other Knick with an expiring contract but he'll be kept because he can actually play basketball. Jerome James is a big waste of space who is still owed almost $19M over the next three years. No way is any team going to touch that. Malik Rose is owed about $15M over two years. But worst of all is that Jared Jefferies is owed $25M over the next four years! It just doesn't make any kind of financial sense to cut any of those guys.

Which leaves Mardy Collins and Randolph Morris. Both have very modest contracts (less than $1M/year). So the question is who would the Knicks prefer - Collins, Morris or Nichols?

The only other option would be to trade Nichols for future draft picks. The Sonics are starting over and could use a promising player. And they have 4 2008 2nd round picks. Two of those picks should be pretty good (Seattle's & Portland's). So another option would be to trade Nichols to Seattle for a 2008 2nd round pick.

HarlemBoyinMD--

Mark Eaton was actually a good player. He won defensive player of the year more than once. He worked hard and cared about his job. James doesn't care enough to at least get in shape, even with all the millions he's making. Eaton averaged 5.6 blocks one year! No comparison between Jerome James and Mark Eaton. Jerome has got to go.

David--

Who cares if it doesn't make financial sense to cut Jerome. We have to pay him whether we cut him or keep him, but at least if we cut him we can sign D-Nick, who may actually contribute something. The money is a sunk cost, were stuck with it no matter what, so we may as well make something of the roster spot.

Somebody please cut Alan Hahn from the Newsday team for writing like he's from the street. Especially after he started the nickname 'D-Nick' for a guy who can't play.

Reading Alan's original post, I gotta say that D-Knick (and where else should he play with a perfect nick like that?) in green would be a nightmare scenario - paired up with BOS' Big Three, that would be a situation that would bite back at NYK hard.

On the other hand... I'm willing to let Zeke think this one through and ultimately do what must be done.

Dickau's release is a start. I go with the consensus here that Jerome James should be cut as well - he's never shown the desire to actually earn all that money. The front office should admit the mistake, eat the contract, and move on with the Young Guns - Demetris included.

Dan--
I agree with you and I said this before, CUT James.We are paying for NOTHING and getting NOTHING from him.With Curry,Zach,Rose,Lee,Jeffries and Morris,we should be able to handle the 4 and 5 spots.Or play "smallball" if we have to.Last thing we need to do is let boston(small "b") have more help.....from us.

Maybe now we have to revisit a 2 for 1,or 3 for 1 trade for Artest.But keep the Kid!!!

Very astute analysis Dan--the JJ contract is sunk cost. It does not add one extra dime on the juju beans and chicken sandwiches at the Mecca on 33rd. If JJ is cut/waived/bought out or whatever, he will be picked up in NY minute. Bigs are luxuries in the NBA. IT has got this and if he falters, I for one will be steadily watching.

KFL

hey Alan,
Since you are one of the writers who made sure to make sure that Marbury's quotes on the Vick situation became mainstream. You are obligated to post Marbury's retort to the reaction to his comments. In which he said that what Michael Vick did was 100% wrong. If you don't post this then you are an not objective and I will have lost all respect for you.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08232007/news/regionalnews/marbury__vick_is_100_percent_w.htm

This guy is a gem, why isn't cutting Kelvin Cato a no brainer at this point?? he plays the least and has the cheapest contract to eat...Nichols is going to be one of our better players if we cultivate him right...WAIVE CATO!!!

Danny--

Cato is an unrestricted free agent and I'm pretty sure he's not on the Knicks anymore, nor has he been for a while.

James should get a week or two in camp to prove he deserves to be on the roster. He should be coming to camp in shape, not using camp to get in shape (Which he's never been in while a Knick.) As far as trading him, please. The only GM who would take him (at $5-6 million per, X's 2 with the luxury tax) already has him. It would seem his roster spot is the one most likely to open up. Just don't expect anything but a roster spot in return. As a free agent, at the veteran's minimum, sure, someone will pick him up.
With Q supposedly healthy, I wonder how much run Nichols will get? If Q is healthy, with way he is capable of shooting, rebounding, and defending, he has to get 30-35 minutes a night. I know it's a bunch of ifs, but playing time is going to be tight all around.

I certainly hope that the team does not support Mr. Marbury's position condoning Michael Vick's illegal activity. Dog fighting is cruel, illegal and not related to hunting at all! There are a lot of hunters out there, most of them probably have dogs, and believe me, they understand the significant differences between the two activities.

I wonder if Mr. Marbury also condones illegal gambling? Does he participate in illegal gambling? Has he "taken in" any dog fights? It makes me believe that he has since he condones the activity. Maybe the team should investigate Marbury.

I hope that his comments give the team pause to reflect on what kind of person would find such brutality acceptable and question if he is the kind of person they want on their team.

We will make sure our children know that Marbury is not a person whose character they should respect and use him as an example of a person who lacks the ability to make reasonable and appropriate moral evaluations.

Hey Don,
I will post again. I know ignorance is bliss, but wake up and smell the coffee, stop being a puppet of the media.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08232007/news/regionalnews/marbury__vick_is_100_percent_w.htm

meant for 3 minis,
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08232007/news/regionalnews/marbury__vick_is_100_percent_w.htm
I will post again. I know ignorance is bliss, but wake up and smell the coffee, stop being a puppet of the media.

here is marbury's full response to the reaction and press his comments have recieved. You better write marbury's full response mr. Hahn, your credibility depends on it.

http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/knicks/archives/2007/08/marbury_vick_is.html#more

There goes Bermy blowing on Steph's balls again.

"From what I hear, dogfighting is a sport."

"From what I hear" implies that he does not claim first hand knowledge. Which means, I don't know anything about dog-fighting but...(insert my opinion here)

i think its a matter of the American public having a problem with basic reading comprehension. They don't read what was said. They believe what they want to believe when they read.

On another note, cut James already and quit on Artest if the deal includes any one of any value. Not Nate, Balkman or Lee. I like the guys and they like NY.

I know the Vick thing has been talked to death but I'm getting sick of hearing that he is being treated unfairly because he's black. Do you reverse-racists actually think if Steve Nash was busted for funding illegal dog fighting ( a disgusting "sport" if you ask me ) he wouldn't be in the same trouble ? It is in no way the same as hunting. Are we in fear that dogs have become overpopulated ? What Vick did was on a par w/ electrocuting a boxer for losing a fight !

Don't be blinded by color when it comes to judging someone for being a sh*theel. You all who defend him so vehemently are probably the same idiots who cheered when they freed OJ ! Wake up morons, Vick is no pillar of society.

sticking up for a fellow athelete is commendable, supporting dog fighting is not. Since stephon is not a dog fighter, and only said a few remarks when baited by a reporter, I don't see where all the hatred is coming from with some of these people, surely it must be coming from within their hearts.

how much do you want to bet (okay maybe not "bet" because of it's double meaning in this case) that nameless decroded piece of crap that baited marbury with this question was paid by nike? is it suspicious to anyone that this person's name has been omitted from all reports?

I can totally see it. first they get lebron to talk smack about starburys. nobody cares what he thinks, people still buy the starburys in mass numbers, so nike has to come up with a new way to destroy the positivity of starbury marketing: send a spineless hack slimeball reporter to the starbury promotional tour to ask him a question about a touchy subject and hope for the worst. after all, stephon has been saying some crazy stuff lately, right nike marketing?

BINGO! now you've got the jackasses at Fox news, crucifying another rich black athelete for matters of opinion as opposed to actually participating in illegal activities. You've got people on blogs calling for heads to roll, you've got people on this blog that are now showing up, they don't even belong here in any other case, yet they just want to let everyone know how much they hate stephon and michael vick.

Even when Marbury does the damage control interview with Berman, the headline is "marbury backpedals" when it should have been "marbury points to teachings of forgiveness."

Yet they report precisely what they want to when bush "points to veitnam as a reason to stay in Iraq."

Somebody's got to go down, if it's Kobe, Martha Stewart, Michael Vick, Stephon. As long as its not the chief and commander, persecution sells newspapers in this country. People buy newspapers on their way to church where they ignore the messages of forgiveness, compassion and atonement of sins.

steady,

I agree with you that james would be picked up by another team when he's bought out (that has always been the case with new york buyouts), but would that necessarily be a disadvantage to the knicks when they play that team? Jerome James is literally waiving to be pulled out of games after only being in for maybe half a quarter of a game. I saw it last year, the guy's got no fire and desire, not someone I'd want around Curry long-term. they might start eating together.

Reporters ask questions. That's what they do. It's not their fault if someone says something stupid, or doesn't know better than to just say, 'no comment'. Face it, Steph messed up by talking about his opinion. Its his own fault. He should have kept his mouth shut.

"James is often cited as one of many questionable signings done by Knicks General Manger Isiah Thomas. Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld wrote "James was universally panned as the worst free-agent signing of the summer (and in the pantheon of all-time worst.)"[1] He is also sometimes cited as an example of the "contract year phenomenon", where an athlete with impending free agency plays at a higher level than he ever has before, only to return to his normal level of play once he joins his new team. Dan Zink of NJ.com wrote that "Jerome James is a nice example of the contract-year player."[2] Chris Mannix of CNNSI.com wrote "James was a chronic underachiever who cashed in on a brief moment of excellence". He also wrote that the Knicks signing James "was a mistake before he ever took the court at Madison Square Garden. The day the Knicks announced his signing, they were universally panned by executives, experts, journalists -- really anyone with a voice box."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_James

I'd rather cut Jerome than trade away Jared Jeffries in a package. that's just me though.

Dan
I look at the big picture a little more than that. When this nonsense first happened, I, like you, said stephon messed up and shouldn't have said what he did.

But who determines what is important to report? A player recently died, rest in piece , but this story is getting much, much, much more coverage than that one.

Its ethics, coincidentally. The same ethics that say it is cruel to breed animals to train them to fight or kill them for not performing well. It's unethical to take a basketball player's comments and run with them like they're anything of real magnitude. He's not a political leader, he's a basketball player. It just so happens right now that his shoe company is a threat to one of the most greedy corporate empires in the world right now. but hey, that's just a coincidence. Nike's not worried about starburys. not anymore, at least.

Rest in peace Eddie Griffin.

yo alan,

they called you Ken Berger over at realgm.

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/47737/20070823/nichols_could_end_up_with_boston/

Starburyfan-

I totally agree with you that there are more important things going on in the world than Steph's opinion on Michael Vick. My whole point is just that Steph should have just said "no comment". It would have been better for him to do that than to deal with this mess, and I just think it was his own choice to answer the reporter's question. I don't fault the reporter for asking the question at all though, even if it was a pointless, stupid question, because that is what he is supposed to do.

Dan-
Respect -I basically agree with you. its just a little weird that he was doing a promotional tour for his kicks and somehow Vick comes up. A little fishy.

Ok..where do we start off...

@ Sunil

You say
"is Bosh even playing ?
I dont think he is."

Your right he's not playing due to injury,however he is a part of this team.

@ Anonymous

You say
"Kidd doesn't have the outside game to get 42."
What have you been smoking on? Jason Kidd doesn't have the outside game to get 42? Do you even know Jason Kidds career high in points?

Let me give you a hint...it's higher than Magic's....LOL

Do you think Magic would be able to keep up with Kidd?

Then you say
"What Bird would give up in athleticism, he would make up for in passing, guile, and team play "

In other words, Bird would get killed by Lebron and his back up Mello.

Don't get me wrong..I'm not saying Bird would be shut out or he wouldn't be effective....Lebron would probably foul him out or he would literally manhandle him if they were to match up.

Then you say (this is the funniest part)
"The 2nd Team of Ewing (or David Robinson), Malone, Stockon, Pippen, and Mullin would fare well also."

So in other words your saying..they would lose right?

When you say they would fare well...that doesn't sound to confident that they would be able to match up with Mello, Amare, Arenas and Wade.

@ HarlemBoyinMD

You say
"This USA team wouldn't win one in a 7-game series."

I don't think you think that. You cannot sit here and say this team won't win one game against the Dream Team.

That's just being rediculous. I'm not saying we would win the series but we would win 1 game for sure. Come on man...don't make statements like that. If your going to put up a debate..at least be fair about it....

@Anonymous the rest of your points are perfectly right and I can't argue with them. (I'm not even joking with that last statement bro)...

@Steady

You say
"BTW DaVonn,
Was that Hakeem inclusion on the Dream Team a typo? Ewing was the center on the original Dream Team in 1992."

You are right..I apologize about the error.

@Matt

You say
"Hey, Davonn--

Are you high? Rashard Lewis the best small forward in the East?

Did Paul Pierce, Luol Deng, Tayshawn Prince, Caron Butler and, yes Lebron James (that is his position, by the way -- what do you think he is, a guard?) do something to upset you today?"

Rashard Lewis is better than every player on your list except Lebron James.

Your right LBJ is a sf and Lewis is not anywhere near better than Lebron.

All them other players you named maybe with the exception of Paul Pierce are no where near Lewis.

You will see this year.

Lewis made it as an all star in the west...nuff said.

I love u guys (no homo)...

Nichols sucks, that's why Portland was glad to include him in the deal.

Whoever made the point about keeping James for insurance purposes is more than a little.....right.

You make a valid point about never having enough 7 footers on the roster. I think we keep him..this way if God forbid something was to happen to E-City...we would have him. I actually think he would do ok playing next to Zach. Zach would be our low post threat and we'll just have Jerome James cleaning up on the glass.

Ok..I'm switching my stance from trade or cut James to keeping him as an insurance policy. Good stuff man !!!

So who do we cut...Jones?

We have to get rid of somebody to make room for this kid Nichols.

If we're not going to cut James, I can't see anybody else on the roster that Isiah wants to just out right get rid of.

Hey Allan, do you think Isiah and Magic are working on something behind closed doors that nobody knows about?

Isiah speaks with Magic...Magic speaks with Mitch and Buss....and so on and so on....

I don't even want to think about it....get's me to excited.

DaVonn J
Are you old enough to have seen Magic, Bird, and the rest of the Dream Team compete? If you think Kidd is Magic's equal, you haven't seen enough of Magic's game. To trash Bird as slow and not athletic is to not appreciate Bird's abilities. LBJ or whomever would be chasing Bird around the court.
I don't know your age, but your comments sound as if you don't have the perspective to know better.

Lebron James chasing Bird around the court.....

Anonymous...

Larry Bird was a great player. I'm not taking anything away from him.

In my honest opinion...Lebron James is a better player than Larry Bird.

It's ok to disagree with me but at the same time...you can't act like I'm comparing Jamal Crawford to Larry Bird. Lebron James is a player that will arguably be the greatest ever and he's not even half way into his prime.

I think you know James wins that match-up.

Another thing....

I never said Kidd was better than Magic.

However, you can't dismiss Kidd so easily.

Kidd is right up there with Magic, Stockton, Isiah and the rest of the legends.

You know...you acting like you don't know.

You're a big man to come around like you did DaVonn. Wish others would stop hatin' on JJ though he brings some of the critics to righteousness by his own actions. Still, if the GM/Coach is not calling him out or deactivating him, you can trust that he's following the script as handed to him. Has any of you ever heard of game checks? Look into that and let me know. I believe they get paid to play or vice versa.
Both Harlem Man and I would like the NYK fans to see the merits of having serviceable bigs on your roster. Plus, money is not an issue anyway. May the best players play and once again--IT has got this. RELAX folks.

KFL

DaVonn J,
I think the way to say it is "Lebron may end up being a better player than Larry Bird." but at this point, 4 yrs after high school, game on the line, the ball is going to Bird, plain and simple.
I can't believe as a Knicks fan I'm supporting someone I despised from the first time he put on a Celtics uniform. Bottom line, Bird could bring it against anyone.
I respect Kidd's game for what it is, but I don't think, having seen Magic play throughout his career, anyone played the way he did. Magic could play every position, and add a dimension to it that other players couldn't.
A quote from Coach K, taken from today's ESPN : "That's in the past, and that was beautiful," Krzyzewski said Wednesday. "But like in music, there's one Woodstock. If you want another one, you have to go out and create something special of your own. We are the U.S. national team. What we want to be called is not a 'Dream Team.' We want to be called a 'championship team.' The other one will not happen again."
Word.

Anonymous,

you either need a name (if you're new) or you need to put your alias on (if you wanted to engage Davonn anonymously)

its okay if you davonn hates you a little.

Hey Anonymous....

what happens if the game isn't on the line?

If it just so happens to be on the line...don't you think the ball would go to Jordan or even Magic before it went to Bird?

I would let Kobe take the last shot before I'd let Bird do it.

Before you guys jump on me...try to remember how many game winners Kobe has....

When the game is on the line...Kobe is clutch....period.

Thanks BARF, but I'm done here. What can I say that Coach K hasn't already said?
Peace

All's I'm saying is that we can't all be presidential candidates. It's okay to disagree. Unless, of course, you're Davonn disagreeing with yourself.

That's just weirrrrrd.

Anyway...it was fun ya'll. Later!

Who would've thought? All this from a Stephon soundbyte.

Houston Says Comeback Is A Go
August 23, 2007 - 8:19 pm
USA Today -
Allan Houston says he believed in his heart that his career wasn't over when he retired two years ago because of knee problems.

Now he says his heart and body are on the same page and the former New York Knicks captain is ready for a comeback.

"I'm going to give it a shot," said Houston, whose foundation on Sunday will sponsor a Father Knows Best Retreat, a faith-based event in Harlem designed to strengthen father-son and mentor-mentee relationships. "I'm working out every day. I just have to figure out where it's going to be. In my heart I always felt it wasn't over. As I started working out, I felt my body was catching up with my heart."

Houston said playing for the Knicks isn't out of the question and that two teams have contacted him. The 6-6 guard said that while several teams, including Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit and Miami are going to be good, going to a good team doesn't guarantee a title. [READ]

Three Knicks must go!
1.Dan D..I don't know how to spell his name and could care less!
2. Malik Rose. His time has past with the young "Guns 2" in NY! I know he's a great human being, but so was Ghandi..but I'd cut both from the Knicks in a NY minute!
3. Fast Fred Jones. Do I need to say more?

I watched some rewind of D-Nice from a fellow Cuse classmate! NO way we let this guy go unless it's for Artest and a future #1 with rose and the Portland throw ins!

BTW....our bench from the origional Dream Team ..would sweep anything from the years 2005-07 in 20 out of 20 games! No Joke ..I'm serious!

Peaceman,
Malik played on an NBA champion. The Knicks need a level-headed veteran who knows how to win.
Curry would benefit from Rose by learning his patented step-away, pull on the shorts move. Rose gets away with that every game.

No comparison between Jerome James and Mark Eaton.

Their was a typo in the post you responded to, Dan.

I think it should have read 'Mark Eatin'. That would explain the comparison, no?

The comparison was a simple one: both JJ and Eaton were space-eaters on the court. It would be silly to compare their basketball skills.