Ben Gordon in a New York state of mind?
Bulls fans may want Derrick Rose, but there are a few Bulls who would prefer John Paxson select Michael Beasley with the No. 1 overall pick.
Ben Gordon says the reality of drafting Rose means there will be one guard too many and in this story in the Charlottesville (Va.) Daily Progress, Gordon also talked a little Knicks.
“Would playing for New York be something interesting? I think if you ask any kid if [they want to play in their hometown], anybody would like that; it’s your hometown," Gordon told the paper. “But right now I’m a Chicago Bull. I love playing for the Bulls, but I don’t know what’s going to happen around draft time. Crazy stuff can happen.”
The Mt. Vernon native also gave a little shout-out to Mike D'Antoni, who almost became his coach before he chose the Knicks.
"I think people automatically take what D’Antoni did in Phoenix and assume he can’t coach any other way,” Gordon said. “I think somebody who was Coach of the Year — I’d like to give him more credit than that and think that he can adapt to different situations. I don’t think it’s fair to say he can only coach that Phoenix way."
Gordon's shot-making ability is tantalizing, but he's not a fit with the Knicks. He's clearly better suited as an off-the-bench scorer. It'll be interesting to see what Chicago does with Gordon, who is a restricted free agent, but I don't see a fit with the Knicks.
The Suns might be willing to part with Leandro Barbosa and/or Boris Diaw to get another first-round pick, but take a look at the contracts for these players. Would the Knicks surrender the No. 6 pick to add either one of those salaries without shedding some money along the way?
Both have done well in the D'Antoni system, but this type of a move only adds to the bloated payroll.
* *
There were some rumors that Danilo Gallinari might pull out of the draft if he did not get a guarantee that he would be a top 10 pick. Danilo's father, Vittorio, said in an email on Monday that Danilo decided he would stay in the draft.
That might suggest that Gallinari did, in fact, get some type of confirmation that he would be a top-10 pick. He worked out for the Nets and Knicks and made it clear New York was his preferred destination (not that he has a choice in the matter). But after some thought he agreed to also work out for the LA Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies over the weekend.
There was one rumor that suggested the Nets, who have a pick at No. 10, gave Gallinari a guarantee.
A person who has intimate knowledge of the Gallinari situation said the fact that the player would only participate in solo workouts for only a select few teams was somewhat of an issue. "It won't hurt his standing [in the draft]," the person said, "but it doesn't help it, either."
Among the 48 college players who withdrew from the draft on Monday, only one -- Arizona's Chase Budinger -- worked out for the Knicks. Memphis' Robert Dozier, who also withdrew, was scheduled to work out for the Knicks but the workout was cancelled at the last minute.
North Carolina oughta be the preseason No. 1 next season. Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Long Island's Danny Green each pulled out of the draft and will rejoin Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough for the Tar Heels.
Click here for the complete list of the NBA draft withdrawals. It also includes international players.
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Comments (23)
Gordon doesn't exactly = Crawford
Having seen him play at UCONN his biggest issue was inconsistency and pulling a disappearing act from game to game. The guy can be a great scorer, but he could have 30 in a game and 2 in the next.
I don't think anyone ever figured out how to keep a consistent fire lit under this kid. If Jim C. couldn't do it, nobody can...
... and consistency is Crawford's biggest issue. I think that's where the comparison comes.
Crawford is the player that I'm most curious about in D'Antoni's new system. It's a pipedream, but I wonder if he could re-invent him the way he did with Nash.
Crawford, to me, has a lot of the skills necessary to be a good point guard. I wonder if it would be an experiment worth trying (assuming they don't pick up a real PG in the draft or via trade). Commit to Jamal as the everyday point guard, not just a guard that could bring up the ball every once and a while. see if he could re-invent himself.
i like gordon but his game is better off the bench.
his defense is suspect but he can drain the three
and he always seems to torch the knicks
at best i think he would be a great 6th man
@Matt B
i don't think that crawford has the vision to be starting PG
the only guy he seems to be able to pass to is eddy curry
and he is extremely turnover prone
his game is more suitable for a SG
he is turnover prone, but i guess i always see that as a fixable problem that a new coach could take care of (kind of like tiki barber, who stopped fumbling after tom coghlin came in)
i see flashes of a really good court vision (as you alluded to with his connection with curry), incredible ball handling skills, the ability to take over the scoring in a game himself if he's got the hot hand, and he's very fast. I just wonder if he spent the summer committed to taking on this role, gaining a similar connection with other players as the one he has with Curry, whether or not D'Antoni could turn him into a PG.
@ Willis & AR,
The NBA put handcuffs on Derrick Harper when they "Out-lawed the hand check rule!" Harper would foul out of every game before the 3rd in todays NBA!
Ben Gordon? ....He's not a PG....and if the Knicks do take one of the "Pure ones" in Augustin.....Gordon,,can't outplay Nate!
Inside word is that D'Antoni has found a "Black Nash" with
DJ!......We shall see! I could be very wrong ..but I doubt it!
I could also be very wrong ...but tonight I believe the Lakers win..
because Boston has too many Excuses!
Hey Peaceman: Good to see ya.I also read that he likes Mayo and Bayless.Alot! With all the rumors of the past month,I see Draft night as a possible tradefest with us trading up or down or doing multiple deals. We shall see.
Hey Peaceman: Good to see ya.I also read that he likes Mayo and Bayless.Alot! With all the rumors of the past month,I see Draft night as a possible tradefest with us trading up or down or doing multiple deals. We shall see.
Sorry bout the Dbl post guys.
I think that the knicks should draft russell westbrook if
OJ Mayo is off the board.
his size and athletism would fit great with the knicks backcourt
my 2nd choice would be joe alexander or anthony randolph
CHECK OUT THIS LINK FOR RUSSELL WESTBROOK:
http://www.nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/russellwestbrook.html
Peace,
how do u like the serious beating u recieved last month?
begging for a truce peaceman. no dice
i kicked ur butt @knicksdefense
i’ll hunt u down and bitch slap u and ur ancesters some more everywhere u go
Ur a reetarded turd and nothin more
Alan,
Rumors out there that Donnie Walsh is itching to make a
move.
Donnie please be patient, shed the salary, keep your
# 6 draft pick & select Russell Westbrook.
If you trade anyone trade Zach randolph for expiring contracts
and trade david Lee for another #1 draft pick in this draft.
Alan remember all the terrible trades the Knicks have made
with giving up #1 picks.
kiki to the Knicks for cliff robinson
gerald henderson to the knicks for len bias
sidney green to the knicks for scottie pippen
nene to the nuggets for antonio mcdycess
the eddy curry trade.
donnie please be patient add young, athletic, flexiable
players to the roster to get ready for lebron in 2010.
how pathetic are boston sports fans? in the waning minutes of the game crowning their championship season, they can think of nothing better than to serenade the lakers with "nananana heyheyhey, goodbye". what a bunch of bush leaguers, exposing themselves as the provincial bumkins that they are.
Who's your Daddy, Kobe?
Who's your Daddy?
The Diesel is a Man.
Kobe is a Chump.
Right again. As always.
And without a doubt whenever matched against the Marbury blind worship crowd.
sec11
The Celts have the title.
The Knicks have a chronic whiner at the point, a bricklayer at shooting guard, an overweight thug at power forward, a pansy at center, and a sexual predator in the front office.
Personally, I'd take Boston's starting five and a ring.
But you be cool. Be down. Be legit. And take the Coney Island crowd, losers and all.
@sec11rowH
when you beat a team by 39 points in the clinching game in the
finals your fans can chant whatever they want.
if the knicks beat some team by 39 points
esp a team that i hate
(remember Boston and the Lakers are arch rivals)
i would also chant "nananana heyheyhey, goodbye"
the lakers were an embarassment.
i picked those fools in 7
kobe got shut down by pierce and posey
what a bunch of punks.
the whole kobe and MJ
talk just came to a close TONIGHT!
for a second they looked like the knicks when they got blown out by almost 50 points.
but this was the finals...so if you lose by 30 points in finals
you "Get what you get".
Posted this below, but here is the video of Gallinari's workout with the Knicks. Pretty good head on his shoulders and he wants to be a Knick no doubt. Donnie, draft him!
http://iptv.nyknicks.com/nyknicks/launch.htm?type=fvod&id=479&catid=4
is peace still swallowin isiaih's cumm?
isiiah's dead and buried
What do you guys think of the following way to fix the knicks:
First start with a three team trade with the bucks, Pacers.
Pacers get Redd from the bucks and Jefferis from the knicks
Bucks get Zach from the knicks
Knicks get Jermaine Oneil from the Pacers.
I know everyone is saying they dont want JO but his contratc expires after next year so in a sense he could save us over 30 mil and get us under the cap by 2010, while possibly being competitive next year. At the end of next season Marbury, Rose and JO will be off the cap thats almost 49 mil coming off the cap. In this senario we get rid of zach and jefferies long term contract, Indi could use a prolific scorer and we all know the bucks want low post scoring and they wanna get rid of redd also. I say draft OJ or Randolph and sign Duhon to a very small free agent contract. let me know what u guys think
@GeorgeM,
Good to see you! Visit the Knick Fanatics blog when
you get the Chance.
@ Nyc 2 infinity,
your right. If the knicks ever beat the Celtics by 39
points...I'd join the crowd singing the same thing.
Congrats to Doc Rivers, he brings hope because he went
from the worst record in the league last year to a Chip,
The Knicks can only go up from where we are at!
On to the draft!
Congrats to Celtic, Phil a small guy and it appeared after the Laker collapse in Game 4 he knew it was over. Lakers need to make trades this summer and get a couple of hard hats with heart to replace odom and the kid from france. They need a point guard too, a setup guy, i.e. Tinsley.
@ j. The owner of the Bucks already declined on Randolph because of character issues. I doubt he pulls the trigger now for Randolph while giving up his best player. Randolph would also stunt the development of Bogut and Yi just like he did with Curry and Lee because he never passes the ball. JO would also be a bad fit with his bad knees in a running system, which is why the Pacers want to dump him. I don't like the trade, but I like the idea of dumping Randolph's salary for one that expires in 10'.