OK, things have gotten interesting. Since we last spoke, Yi Jianlian and his agent, Dan Fegan, just about crawled under the table about 25 feet from where I am sitting when it was announced that the Milwaukee Bucks picked him No. 6. Yi made it clear he wanted to go to a bigger market with an Asian fan base. Yo, sorry, Yi.
Then it was Corey Brewer to Minnesota, Brandan Wright to Charlotte ... oh, who cares. The Knicks are close to making a trade, so let's not bury the lead.
The talks being wrapped up as we speak have Zach Randolph going from Portland to the Knicks for Channing Frye and Steve Francis. The Knicks also get guard Fred Jones as a throw-in to make the money work.
My first thought on this is that it's a good deal that makes the Knicks better, gets them off the hook for Stevie Franchise's $33.6 million over the next two years, and gives Francis a chance to revive his career out west. In Randolph, the Knicks get a player with some off-court issues -- but one who is an excellent low-post scorer to complement Eddy Curry.
That's it for now. Need time to get ready to cover the Knicks and Blazers in the 2008 NBA Finals.