The Knicks Fix

Donnie Walsh has got his poker face going.

He's letting us in on only a little of what he's actually thinking but allowing us to believe anything is possible. And, quite frankly, I think anything is possible. But what does he really want to do?

You'll find out on draft night.

“Don’t try to figure out what I’m trying to do with what I’m saying!” he laughed.

He talked openly about players such as Eric Gordon and Danilo Gallinari, which means you can eliminate them as potential picks. (Joking, OK, half-joking). He said you have to be careful when drafting for "need" because the player you take "has to be a player there that you feel can be way above what you got now. That’s our job is to see which one of these players can do that.”

He even talked about how much he loves shot-blocking and, therefore, will have his eye on the top shot-blocking big men (DeAndre Jordan and JaVale McGee) in the draft.

See what I mean? He was purposely all over the place.

Walsh got here Thursday and the entire Knicks contingent -- they have 14 scouts here along with Glen Grunwald and Brendan Suhr -- will remain in Orlando through the weekend for meetings. It is Walsh's first chance to meet with everyone in the basketball operations side as a group and they will plot the strategy from there.

Along with the draft, Walsh also said anything is in play during the offseason. He said the pursuit of trade possibilities begins now, because you have the No. 6 pick and can shop it around a little. You can try to move up or move down or add picks. You can try to package it with another player to get a good player. Or you can just make the pick.

Walsh did say he plans to be active in talks among team executives here.

“I’m hearing teams want to move, but you don’t know until you find out," Walsh said. "I mean, everybody’s going to talk . . . we’ll find out who really wants to do it.”

Do you think there are teams that want some of your players?

“I don’t know," Walsh replied, "so I’m not going to wait for them to come and ask me.”

So you'll be calling them first?

“Yeah, of course," he said. "That’s not heresy, is it?”

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Got to know several players in the meet-and-greet on Thursday here. Really like Jerryd Bayless' directness and confidence ("You won't find a player in the universe more competitve than me," he said). Michael Beasley will be a great personality in the NBA, very warm-and-fuzzy kind of guy. OJ Mayo did a lot of "Yes, sir" and "No, sir" with his responses and stayed consistent, even through some tough questions about his agent controversy. Derrick Rose already carries himself like a superstar, but not in an arrogant way. Just in thay way that tells you he knows what he is and what he is about to be.

Kevin Love was very talkative. And the one thing I got from each of them is a huge smile whenever the words "Mike D'Antoni's system" were mentioned.

“I love it . . . I think it’s a good situation," Love said of the Knicks. "And those outlets, just getting that going, I think I can fit into that system very well.”

Love has a workout with the Knicks next week. I asked him if he could show a lot of his full-court intangibles in these workouts, which are mostly 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 games.

“It’s tough, you don’t do enough, really, of that full-court stuff. I’m just going to try to show all the intangibles I possibly can," he said, "and hopefully there will be enough tape on me where they can see those outlet passes as well.”

I reminded him that D'Antoni also loves shooters and Love, who has been involved in a dedicated regimine to trim up his somewhat dumpy body, smiled.

“I think I’ll surprise them when I go into the workout," he said, "and they can see how well I can shoot.”

We probably won't know until next week, but you can expect others such as Mayo, Bayless, Gordon and DJ Augustin to be brought in, along with Jordan and McGee, for individual workouts at the MSG Training Center.

Danilo Gallinari is not here at the NBA Pre-Draft camp, but people are talking about him. Ask some executives what they think and they'll tell you they're impressed. Is he better than Andrea Bargnani, as some have tried to promote? No. But is he a lottery pick in this draft? Yes.

And Fran Fraschilla, the former St. John's coach who these days does a lot of work for ESPN, gave the kid a ringing endorsement when we caught up with him Wednesday on the plaza outside the Milk House Gym (I told you everybody is here).

Fraschilla says he has watched Gallinari since the 6-9 swingman was 16 years old. Here are highlights of our conversation:

- "The best way to put it is, he would have been a first-team All-American in college. If you compare the NBA to the Euroleague, the Euroleague would be Triple-A to the NBA and college, even at the ACC level, would be Double-A. He is already shown at a very high level, the equivelant of Triple-A, that he's one of the best players in his age group in the world. You might not say he's there with Beasley or Rose, but he's not far behind."

- "He's got a toughness about him that I think, sometimes, maybe people in the States don't normally relate to an international player. It's a certain toughness that I think is unique for a player of that age."

- "He's a small forward that can get to the rim, he can shoot it, make good plays and makes players around him better. He's obviously not a great athlete and that's probably the one thing that holds him back, but neither was Turkoglu, Nowitzki or Stojakovich. In terms of guarding people, he's going to have to do it in a team concept. But you can say that about a lot of guys coming into the league."

Many people here believe Gallinari will be there when the Knicks select at No. 6. But I've also heard the Knicks are putting an emphasis on working out the top point guards in the draft -- individual workouts begin next week.

* *

We wrote about the point guard situation today
and, Fixers, let me push this name a little more: Monta Ellis. Just keep an eye on this brewing situation in Golden State. Could get very interesting. Stay tuned . . .

* *

The offseason is the best time for honesty. We all could see that the Knicks had zero chemistry on the court and it was quite obvious they weren't the tight group they claimed to be off of it. And in a story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Gary Washburn, both Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson open up about the internal issues.

"I think with any team it doesn't matter how much talent you have -- if you don't play together, it doesn't really mean anything," Crawford said.

"I think it's a combination of everything -- hanging out more, giving yourself up for the team. If your role on the team is to score you have to come and do that every night. If your role is to set picks and get rebounds you have to do that every night."

Based on his conversations with the two popular Seattle boys, Washburn writes that many Knick players complained about playing time and how they were used, and it reflected in their effort.

Sound familiar, Fixers?

"Whatever it is, if we need to go to the movies with each other, on the road, team dinners, team functions, guys supporting guys, barbeques, every little thing," Robinson said. "Whenever somebody has something, everyone on the team should show up, that shows the love and bond as teammates. Guys just have to do it for each other and we'll be all right."

* *

The Miami Herald is saying that some Miami Heat officials are already concerned about Mike D'Antoni's enviable position with USA Basketball, which gives him private access to key potential free agents in that Class of 2010 which, as you know, includes LeBron James and Miami's Dwyane Wade.

Let the recruiting begin.

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Funniest scene while mingling among the NBA crowd here: Michael Jordan stops dead in his tracks when he sees Dominique Wilkins. They exchange a warm hello and then Jordan teasingly rubs Wilkins' very swollen midsection.

Jordan last season was carrying around a noticable gut last year, but this year the shirt is tucked in the pants and his waistline is a lot trimmer. I guess if you hired Sam Vincent to coach your team, you might lose your appetite, too.

The NBA Pre-Draft Camp is like an NBA mixer, far more than all-star weekend, which is mostly over-run with marketing and corporate types. This place is pure basketball people; coaches, scouts, executives. Just about everyone is here and all at an arm's length and no PR people to intercept you and no restricted access places they can hide.

I got in last night and went straight to the Milk House Gym, which is in the Disney Wide World of Sports complex. It's a pretty cool set-up and I think I might have explained it last year in the blog. Not really a place you can take the kids if you're down here, but it's more of a complex where events can be held -- the Atlanta Braves hold spring training here, for instance. Last night was just two hours of drills for the players who were participating (the projected lottery picks don't show until later in the week for physicals), but it was a great opportunity to mingle with NBA people. When the night ended around 8 p.m., the gym empties into a plaza between the different sports facilities and you can find just about anyone -- even Danny Ainge was here, despite his team's Game 5 tonight in Boston -- from every team in the league.

I liken this event to the Final Four in that this is like a convention for coaches and executives who are looking to make conncetions and, perhaps, find another job to climb the ladder. At the Final Four, you have hundreds of coaches from all over Division I who arrive to swap cell phone numbers and touch base with the power coaches. Here's it's quite similar. Younger assistant coaches come here to get to know other NBA people and get face time with the power brokers -- you should see the receiving line at Larry Brown's seat -- and executives do the same, so, as we wrote today, you can expect Donnie Walsh to be a popular man when he arrives Thursday.

The Knicks have a small contingent here, led by Glen Grunwald, but it is mildly surprising that Walsh is waiting until Thursday to show. The Knicks only have a lottery pick, so it's not like they're trying to decide on someone among the players who are in the drills and games. Walsh will be here to see the lottery picks when they get their physicals and are available for interviews.

Mike D'Antoni isn't showing up at all. I find that interesting, but not nearly as interesting as Chad Ford's latest piece on ESPN.com. Ford has been pairing Danilo Gallinari with the Knicks in his mock drafts, but today writes "a Suns source swore to me Tuesday night that when they showed D'Antoni tape of Gallinari during the year, he wasn't a fan.

"Mike said he's just not sure the kid has what it takes to make it in the NBA," the source told Ford. "He said he'd be very nervous picking him in the mid-first round. I doubt he's become converted since he joined the Knicks."

Another source made an even more compelling argument: "Whether Mike loves him or hates him, Donnie Walsh is making this pick. He's the guy who has to take the heat and he's not going to pass that decision on to anyone else. What matters most is whether Donnie likes him."

I think we all agree that Walsh would take a high-end point guard first -- if, somehow, Jerryd Bayless slips by the Seattle/Oklahoma City Sonics -- and if D'Antoni isn't in love with Gallinari then he would pass. I would trust D'Antoni's opinion on international players.

Stay tuned there . . .

* *

Of course I sought out Patrick Ewing, who is here to watch his son, Patrick Jr., try to impress enough teams to be drafted. We asked him about the Knick job and he was clearly disappointed, but did not come off angry.

The Knicks don't own a second-round pick this year -- more on that in a minute -- but if they happen to come across one between now and the June draft, Ewing, Jr. would be a fun pick (they could also make him a training camp invitee if he doesn't get drafted). I asked Big Pat if his son wound up with the Knicks would he wear No. 33, like he did at Georgetown?

“He can wear anything he wants," Ewing said. "He is me. He wore it at Georgetown and they can take it down from the [Garden] rafters and put it on his back.”

Ewing just wants to see his son make it, but in many ways he already has.

“My proudest day was when I went down to Washington to see him graduate," Ewing said. "That was my proudest moment.”

Obviously there is no Isiah Thomas this year, but he is still very much in any conversation when you discuss the Knicks. I spoke with two executives who told me about how Thomas' overzealousness screwed the Knicks out of making a few moves last year.

The first was last year's draft. The Zach Randolph trade was a complicated one and part of the deal - though it was not directly connected - was an agreement that the Knicks and Blazers would work out their second-round picks so they would wind up with Taurean Green (remember we kept pushing that name last year). But Thomas kept tweaking the Randolph side that Portland brass got fed up and when it came time to talk about Green, they told Thomas they were done dealing with him.

The bigger of the two came hours before the trade deadline. Thomas had a deal to move Zach Randolph to the Denver Nuggets in another complicated trade, but there is no disputing a trade was ready to be made. But at the 11th hour, Isiah was at it again trying to tweak and adjust and squeak a little more out of the Nuggets, who eventually got fed up and called off the deal.

There are games today starting at 11 a.m. I'm sure most of you aren't interested in hearing too much about the obscure players, but if anything stands out I will be sure to present it here. In the meantime, I will continue to mingle with the NBA peeps. Maybe I should ask Chris Mullin about Monta Ellis . . .

If the Knicks do indeed keep the pick and don't opt for the best available point guard, here is the guy you can expect to get the jersey on draft night.

(The video is a bit grainy and distorted...but if you look close you can get an idea of what this kid is all about).

We have a story about Danilo in Tuesday's editions of Newsday, which include quotes from his father, Vittorio, who emailed me over the weekend from his home in northern Italy. Neither one of us fluently speak the other's language, so we agreed to email and translate electronically.

By now you know the story -- Mike D'Antoni has history with Danilo's dad, Vittorio. The two were longtime teammates on a very successful Olimpia Milano team in the 1980s. Vittorio said he mostly wants to see his son achieve his dream of playing in the NBA, but to have him play in New York and for D'Antoni would obviously be an added bonus.

"I think that Danilo can fit very well in Mike's system because he has enough skill to be ready for that," Vittorio Gallinari said. "For sure he need to get confidence with a new life and NBA system, but I believe that he can do it . . . And if it's New York it's more exiting because he can play with one of my teammates and in the big city with a great Italian community."

Vittorio was known more as a defensive player and admits his son has surpassed his own abilities.

"I was a completely different player from Danilo; I was a defensive player with poor talent," he said. "[Danilo] is a very talented player and he can defend too. He takes my toughness and intensity and like me he is always under control."

The positives about Danilo Gallinari is his size (6-9) and high basketball IQ, along with the European trademark of being fundamentally sound (kid shoots 85 percent from the stripe). The questions start with athleticism: can he explode to the basket at the NBA level and, more importantly, is he quick enough to defend at this level? He is a good shooter, but not great from long range, which is also somewhat of a concern.

I've heard comparisons that range from Detlef Schrempf (from NBADraft.net) to Toni Kukoc (from a European media friend) to Hedo Turkoglu (from a scout).

Most people believe the connection between D'Antoni and Gallinari is too strong to ignore (though both admit they have mainly stayed in touch over the years via mutual friends), not to mention how well most feel Danilo would fit in the D'Antoni system. But you can't overlook that the Knicks already have Wilson Chandler, who also plays the three-spot and showed a lot of athleticism, strength and a decent shooting touch when he started to get regular minutes late in the season.

Stay tuned....

ESPN's Chad Ford brings up a very interesting scenario regarding the Miami Heat's plans with the second overall pick. While the Chicago Bulls will keep their decision with the first overall choice very close to the vest -- as we said in the previous blog, it's no given that the Bulls go with hometown kid Derrick Rose over power forward Michael Beasley -- it is being suggested by Ford that if Rose winds up in Chicago, the Heat might pass on Beasley and look for another point guard to pair up with Dwyane Wade.

Now you don't pass on a talent like Beasley at No. 2, so the obvious thing for Pat Riley to do here is trade down or work out a deal where they take Beasley with a previous agreement with another team to draft a point guard they want, such as OJ Mayo. Then after the Mayo pick is made, flip Beasley for Mayo and another pick or player.

Now the question we have to ask is, how do the Knicks get involved in this?

The Knicks would have to send something to Miami to sweeten the pot. We don't see too much on the current Knick roster that would interest the Heat outside of, perhaps, David Lee, who would then have to play behind his former Florida buddy, Udonis Haslem. Lee, remember, is headed to restricted free agency next summer.

Another thought is the Knicks could give up next year's first-round pick (lottery protected, right Isiah?) along with choosing Mayo at No. 6.

Of course there are no guarantees that Mayo would still be on the board at No. 6 and if you are Seattle, Memphis or Minnesota you also want to get in on this. Some draft forecasts have Memphis taking Mayo.

If anything, perhaps this kind of talk could lead to Italian rising star Danilo Gallinari being available for the Knicks at No. 6.

Or, again, the pick is traded as a means to unload some contract.

Expect to see several of these types of scenarios over the next few weeks leading up to the draft. Donnie Walsh has made it clear the Knicks will explore every option with the pick.

* *

Today we reported that Baron Davis has put out feelers to gauge interest around the league while he considers his options in Golden State. We discussed this on the blog recently and I did a little more checking into it.

While the most likely scenario will be that Davis remains with the Warriors, plays out his final year at $17.8 million and then signs an extension for a lesser amount, it is always worth exploring a guy like Davis on a short-term situation.

But the Knicks might be more interested in another Warrior, Monta Ellis, who is a restricted free agent.

Stay tuned . . .

So your Knicks are not going to have a chance to draft Derrick Rose. And maybe even Jerryd Bayless won't be on the board by the time the sixth overall pick comes around.

But there are options out there to improve the point guard position and find a player who can run that Mike D'Antoni system somewhere near the way Steve Nash did it in Phoenix.

The name is Theo Papaloukas.

The guy has added a new chapter to Greek mythology and is considered by just about everyone in Europe to be the best player outside the NBA. He's 6-7, 215 pounds and has tremendous court vision and solid ball-handling skills. Not an outstanding athlete, but good enough. Not great shooter, either, so he's really mainly a drive-and-kick, pass-first point guard.

He is also 31 years old. There have been NBA teams in the past interested in him -- Lakers, Clippers, Bucks and Heat have inquired -- but so far no one has taken the leap of faith to throw enough money and lure him away from his current team, CSKA Moscow. He makes $3 million Euro a year, which calculates to $4.7 million U.S. He can opt out at any time, so interested NBA teams will not have to pay for his buyout.

Papaloukas is a bit of a risk because you'd have to invest some cash -- mid-level exception, at least -- and also guarantee him floor general status. His weak shooting makes him useless as a two or a three, so Papaloukas would have to be the point guard. He'd have to be your guy.

Isiah Thomas was over in Europe on a scouting mission to take a gander at Danilo Gallinari and a few other prospects, but he also saw Papaloukas. Some compare his game to Tracy McGrady. Some think he's overrated.

There is a widespread belief that the Knicks will buyout Stephon Marbury only if they can find a better option at the point for next season. Obviously there are other options around the NBA -- the Raptors will likely have to move T.J. Ford if they make a major committment to Jose Calderon and Memphis is committed to Mike Conley, Jr., so Kyle Lowry will certainly want a new address and if Chicago drafts Rose, Kirk Hinrich might be on the block.

* *

Upon further review, I'm not so convinced the Bulls should go for Rose. Obviously he is a tremendous talent with a huge upside, but if you consider which player has the chance to make an immediate impact, I might think Michael Beasley fits better. You could start him at the four next to Joakim Noah, who is more of a shot blocker and rebounder, and have Luol Deng at the three. That's an athletic frontcourt that also has Tyrus Thomas and Andreas Nocioni on the bench (or available as tradable assets).

But we know the Bulls aren't happy with Hinrich, who took a step backward last season, so to pass up on a dynamic point guard wouldn't be an intelligent decision. And here's something to consider if you are wondering if the Knicks would make a play for Hinrich if he became available: I was told Mike D'Antoni was down on him when he was discussing the Bulls job.

There was no fix for your Knicks tonight. No instant karma moment that had their number come up first. Put away your daydreams of Derrick Rose running the point; reality hit with the Knicks at Six.

But it's all good, you see. Donnie Walsh says this gives him "options" . . . which is easily translated to suggest that Walsh will most certainly field offers for the pick. If he had a No. 1 or No. 2 in his hands, you can get a player to help you next season. But with the right move, that No. 6 can just as well help next season, but in a different way.

You have contracts that are considered tough to move, none more than Zach Randolph, who, let's be quite honest, doesn't fit in the Mike D'Antoni system. By himself Randolph is almost an impossible trade unless you are willing to take back an equally hefty contract that someone else doesn't want. But package him with a lottery pick . . .

"I think we’ve got to look at all the options we have in front of us as far as the players that are involved, what other moves we might be able to make around the pick and, so, I think this begins the second stage of our rebuilding toward next year,” Walsh said. “At six you have more flexibility."

Can you tempt Denver with it for Carmelo? Would Memphis, who already sits fifth overall, take it for a package that brings in Mike Miller and Kyle Lowry? Would Toronto consider moving restricted free agent Jose Calderon or Andrea Bargnani for something involving the pick?

You can go through just about every roster in the league and come up with ideas.

"It's an asset," Walsh said. "A good asset."

It's something Walsh can use to accelerate the effort to get under the cap by 2010. And if he can use it for that cause instead of adding another young player, you have to believe he would. It's also something Walsh can use to improve the Knicks immediately, by filling a need or adding a player who fits the D'Antoni style.

Of course the Knicks will also consider what player could be available to them at No. 6. Next week is the Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando -- we'll be there, of course -- where most of the lottery pick candidates won't play, but they will be involved in team interviews and the combine. It is also there where Walsh and Glen Grunwald can begin researching the interest in their pick as well as what players will likely be taken with the first five picks. If a point guard like Jerryd Bayless (Arizona) sounds as if he somehow might slip through (really, how does Minnesota not take him? Would Kevin McHale instead go for a power forward to play along side Al Jefferson?), you have to think the Knicks might prefer to keep the pick.

With such options, you might see Walsh move a little quicker than expected in naming a general manager. They're gonna need all hands on deck.

Stay tuned . . .

* *

It's a snarky question, but someone had to ask it. So as D'Antoni wrapped up his media scrum after the lottery, I said, "Is there any irony that the winner was Chicago, one of the teams that you decided not to go to and come to the Knicks?"

"Nah," D'Antoni said with a laugh. "You guys can make that story. That's on you guys. That's easy, that's a layup for you guys."

D'Antoni did reveal one little nugget: during his legendary career in Italty, he spent eight seasons as a teammate with the father of Italian prosect Danilo Gallinari. D'Antoni and Victorio Gallinari were even roommates for three years. "So I know him a lot through family," D'Antoni said. "But I have not watched his kid a lot being over here."

Still, he will tap into his vast resources in Italy to get as much information on Danilo Gallinari, a 6-9 forward who has good post-up moves, good range and is a terrific ballhandler. Some compare him to Toni Kukoc.

* *
On one of the dining tables in the hospitality tent was an autographed photo of Kiki Vandeweghe from his days with the Portland Trail Blazers. Kiki happened to walk by and I said, "When I was in high school I would have given anything to have this." It's true. He was one of my favorite players and I was happy when he was traded to the Knicks in 1989.

Kiki smiled and replied, "Yeah, and now you're using it as a place mat for your dinner."

* *

One entertaining scene at the draft lottery came in the studio during a commercial break, before the picks were revealed. Jay-Z, who was there representing the Nets, started tapping out a beat on the dias. Dwyane Wade started bobbing his head and Rudy Gay picked up on it. Jay-Z kept the beat going and added a line of "uh...uh...uh" into the rhythm as if he was ready to freestyle.

Jay then suddenly stopped and the players broke up into laughter.

The NBA. Where Jay-Z's next hit happens.

The infamous, inaugural NBA Draft lottery, which was the first and only won by the Knicks, who earned the right to draft Patrick Ewing. It goes with our story in the Sunday Newsday about the draft lottery.

Fixers, the Knicks have been regular participants in the lottery since that 14-year playoff run ended in 2002. And the past two seasons -- when the Chicago Bulls had the rights to the pick as part of the Eddy Curry trade -- you might have only watched with morbid curiosity. The Knicks didn't win, but they had the No. 2 overall choice in 2006 -- their highest finish since '85 -- and the Bulls took that pick to select LaMarcus Aldridge.

That 1985 lottery was a desperate time for the Knicks and they are now. Though there is no Ewing in the draft, there is a player whom the Knicks feel fits the Mike D'Antoni system and could fill a spot for the next decade: Memphis point guard Derrick Rose.

So, the question is, how does David Stern rig it this year?