About
2010, A CAP SPACE ODYSSEY
Welcome to the new home of Knicks Fanatics, the best independent Knicks basketball blog for fiery and usually intelligent fellowship. Here you will find avid Knicks fans able and willing to defend divergent, convergent, emergent and subversive viewpoints. Through hard times and great times, our Knicks are our bond. Hop a squat and get comfy for 2010 is on its way, whatever the hell that might mean to you. And while you wait for that day (you’ll know it, when if you see it) feel free to enjoy our collection of sounds, videos and fave websites below. If you want the latest news without traveling the long route through the blogosphere, check out Knicks Klippings. For the latest in hot action, rummage through the Vodpod while you wait for someone to respond provocatively to your brilliant insight. And if you don’t have brilliant insight, please feel free to say something stupid, because according to most Fanatics anything that doesn’t come from their keyboard is stupid anyway. LOL.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Knicks 2009-2010 Schedule
[clearspring_widget title=”Widget” wid=”49022a9858696414″ pid=”4ac742bb362c8f43″ width=”289″ height=”260″ domain=”widgets.clearspring.com”]
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2009 NBA HIGHLIGHTS
[clearspring_widget title=”T-Mobile Video Highlights” wid=”4a1c05552481edba” pid=”4a3618c474302153″ width=”400″ height=”300″ domain=”widgets.clearspring.com”]
RECENT COMMENTS
FANATICAL MUSICALITY
New York Times Pro Basketball- After NBA Bans Jontay Porter for Gambling, Some See Glimpse of Sports’ Future
- One Potential Key to Knicks’ Season: Friendship
- An Overlooked Championship Team’s Final Stop: The White House
- LSU’s Kim Mulkey Courts Controversy in Style
- How March Madness Upsets Can Bring Attention and Money to Universities
- A Big Year for Women’s College Basketball in New York
- For Women’s Basketball, Caitlin Clark’s Lasting Impact May Be Economic
- Max Hardy, 40, Dies; Helped Bring Chef-Driven Cuisine to Detroit
- Dawn Staley Is More Than a Basketball Coach for Her Players
- How to Sit Courtside at Madison Square Garden
Newsday- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
New York Daily News- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
Site Meter
KNICKS KLIPPINGS
LIVE BLOGGING EVENTS
FANATIC COMMENTATORS
-
igmknicks
-
livesinnewjersey
-
orangeandblue1
peaceman1
statesman2
steaddy
-
Knicks Fanatics 
Knicks Could Be Pursuing Rubio
Aug 17, 2009 10:38 AM EST
With Minnesota Timberwolves’ President David Kahn bound for Spain this week, some feel the trip isn’t necessarily to bring Ricky Rubio back to Minnesota.
One insider tells RealGM’s Alex Kennedy that Kahn could be working out a scenario where Rubio would be dealt to the New York Knicks.
“The Knicks have closed off negotiations with all free agent point guards until next week,” says the source. “I think they’re making a push for Rubio and if that fails, then they’ll reopen talks with their other options.
The Knicks have been in talks with multiple free agent point guards, most notably Ramon Sessions.
“Kahn and [Knicks’ President] Donnie Walsh are close and New York is looking for a cheap point guard who could help attract free agents next summer. Rubio fits that mold. I think that’s what this latest trip to Spain is about, working something out with New York.”
Rubio would make less than $3M during the 2010-11 season during the second season of his rookie contract.
That would make things very interesting, but someone is ignoring all the public comments by Kahn and Rambis who are far more interested in building their team than the Knicks team. According to both of Kahn and Rambis, both Rubio and flynn are a part of the New Wolves which will be a neuvo fast break version of the Lakers and Pistons. Kahn sees Rubio and Flynn as Dumars and Isiah. Rambis is there to teach the young boys to run. They have not indicated that the trip to Spain is to do the Knicks a favor.
Plus, that “one insider” is doing no more than speculating (“I think”) about the meaning of a flight to Spain. Sell that one.
Lives
Don’t you get the sense that by now any new “hot headline” about Walsh’s pursuit of this or that commodity is all but Koolaid pellets slipped to desperate Knick Fans by MSM reporters.
How many times do they intend for us beaten down Knicks Fans to chase our own tale when a “hot story” breaks?
%#^@Q(*% Please!
It’s not that he wants to help build the Knicks. It’s that Rubio will not be a Twolf; therefore, they have to trade him. Rubio being a part of their future is Kahn talking out of his azz.
Lives,
I don’t know why anyone would fly to Spain to help another team (unless he is banging some super hottie over there).It doesn’t make sense.But,again this is the same guy who drafted 2 PGs (Rubio and Flynn are not Isiah and Dumars).Why not draft Curry or Hill,but not 2 point guards back-2-back.Dumb.Then he continued drafting PGs with later picks.Just dumb unless….
I think he drafted Rubio as an asset to trade.Trying to create cap space with a trade of that pick..otherwise…….it just doesn’t make sense.
Hahn’s Blog is broke, where are the facts? Who says that Rubio will not be a Twolf. Not Rubio, not now. Rubio is trying to get to the NBA. The team he claims he will play for says there are irreconcilable differences and Rubio is not in their plans. If not the Twolfs and not in Europe where? Where is the evidence?
DLT, how do the Knicks get Rubio? Sign and Trade with Lee? That would need to be a $9 million transaction both ways. Who else would Kahn Trade?
To create cap space? I don’t understand. Minnesota has significant cap space in 2010-11. How does trading Rubio help create more cap space? A draft pick is worth $0. The Knicks don’t have a 2010 draft pick to exchange. Can Minnesota convince the Knicks to take on a contract that extends past 2010? If they could do that, Walsh would sign Lee to a multi-year deal.
Rubio and Flynn probably makes sense to Kahn like Z-Bo and CUrry makes sense to Isiah, except that Kahn’s experiment will be much cheaper and much more entertaining. He needs to get people in the seats. He is not going to win a championship this year or next, but Flynn and Rubio will only make them better.
I love the idea of Rubio and Flynn together. It’s a no lose proposition. He can’t do too much harm to the value of either and it just might work. His big problem is four years down the road when they both are demanding very high contracts. He will lose somebody or trade them the year before.
Let me ask you who says Rubio will be a Twolf? Where is the evidence?
Kahn can talk all the BS he wants now, but once the season nears and missing are the two traded away, plus Rubio; it will make losing a constant reality while Rubio will continue to flip him off. Forget Rubio in Minny and not too many will want to be in their shoes. It took a rookie GM to find himself in this predicament, maybe he likes the attention; maybe he wants his name in the news. He should have known or should know by now, Rubio will not be a T’wolf. Rubio wants to be a Knick.
Is that your evidence? Your opinion that Kahn is unbelievable because Ricky wants to be a Knick. Stick around. Let’s see how that works out.
I aksed for your evidence. What is your evidence that Rubio wants to be a Twolf?
O.K., I asked first. You show me yours and I’ll show you mine.
Ah forget it. I know you have nothing but pieces of a dream.
See Minnesota Public Radio on Rambis hiring:
Timberwolves says he’s ready to build a winning team, but he also wants to win fans back. Kurt Rambis came to Minnesota today to lay out his vision for the T-wolves.
“Kurt Rambis is renowned around the league as being committed to player development, as a hands-on teacher, a guy who will go out on the court and work with them,” said Kahn. “He is passionate and believing of a running style of play, which as you heard me say is something I think we have to do here with the Timberwolves.”
Exciting play is something Rambis is promising, not only to his new team, but to fans as well. He knows winning fans back after years of losing seasons is key to the Timberwolves’ overall success.
“It’s a brand of ball that’s going to bring the fans back into this arena. And as we add the pieces to this team, we’re going to build a championship team here in the future,” Rambis said. . . .
Rubio, 18, is a superstar in Spain, but Minnesoa doesn’t appear close to signing him. Rambis says he’ll do whatever he can to get Rubio to Minnesota. . . .
On rumors that Rubio will not play for Minny (same demand made by Starbury) read the Brownsville Herald:
There was talk initially that Rubio did not want to play in the chilly, small market in Minnesota. But Kahn, who traveled to Spain to meet with Rubio’s family and officials from Joventut, echoed comments made by owner Glen Taylor last week that that is not the case.
Kahn called the buyout element “the singular issue” that is preventing Rubio from joining the Wolves
. . . .
FromTwinCities.com:
The Timberwolves and Ricky Rubio’s representatives haven’t given up on getting the 18-year-old point guard out of his Spanish contract for the coming NBA season. A little birdie says Rubio already has $600,000 in endorsements lined up if he legally can get to Minnesota.
Although Rubio’s DKV Joventut contract has a $6.6 million buyout, that’s expected to be negotiated down to about half that with the team, and loans to Rubio would allow him to pay them back over several years.
And try CBS.com on August 10th
But Rambis’ hiring will be overshadowed by the Ricky Rubio soap opera until a resolution occurs. Will Rambis be coaching Rubio or not? Well, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told CBSSports.com Monday that the door is “wide open” for Rubio to join the T-Wolves rather than stay in Europe for the 2009-10 season. Otherwise, Rubio’s Spanish team, JKV Joventut, already would’ve announced his transfer to another European club by now.
Now, what you got that says he will be a Knick?
Lives,
Minny has 8 players with expiring contracts in all different price ranges.I don’t think Minny will do good in the FA market.Many big name players like the NY,Chi,Miami,LA thing well before they choose Minny.That being said,I think Minny’s best chance to obtain a great players will be by trade.Lee in a sign-n-trade will work(Blount 7.9mil,Cardinal 6.7mil,Atkins 3.4mil,Wilkins 3.4mil) or some combinations of these could sent Lee to Minny.
I don’t know much about Rubio,if he is worth the money,but my trade would be:
Lee and Duhon for rights to Rubio,Blount and Atkins.I would also see if I could dump Jeffries in the deal somehow.
I don’t know DLT. You said above that Minny was trying to create cap space. Getting Lee does not create cap space. My point is they already have it.
You might be right, but players do play in Minnesota. It is a job and Minny can pay. TO top that off, to boast Jefferson, Love, Flynn and Rubio is better than bragging about Duhon, Hill, Gallinari and Chandler. As we saw this past FA season, the elite players want to be winners. Heck who wants to play in Cleveland? Anybody that wants a chance to win? How often did New Yorkers claim that MJ or Kobe were coming to NY because it was NY? That notion is a crapshoot.
Intersting trade proposals, but with Love and Jefferso, do they really need Lee?
Knicks Waiting Out Sessions
Aug 17, 2009 6:27 PM EST
With the Bucks’ acquisition of Carlos Delfino and Roko Ukic, the team appears to have little financial or roster room left to retain Ramon Sessions.
According to Alan Hahn, Donnie Walsh has set a firm limit on the contract amount he’s willing to offer Sessions and is waiting for the restricted free agent to meet the Knicks’ terms.
Hahn believes Sessions’ options are running out at this stage of the off-season but some rumors persist that the Clippers remain interested.
Lives,
Maybe I’m a Knick fan,but I like the Knicks’ younger core better than the Minny younger core.I’m not sold on that Flynn/Rubio backcourt.If Chandler and Gallo have big years this year,NY could be very attractive.
As far as a trade, the Knicks also have that contract of Mobley(9.5 mil expiring contract)which could be used to free-up more cap space.Maybe a 3 team trade.Lee could work well with Jefferson with Love as a backup 6th man.I will also listen to offers for N8 too.The Knicks can offer N8,Lee,Duhon,Douglas,Hill,Mobley’s contract and 3.5 mill in trade exceptions.Something has to work.
…Interesting,in the Bucks-Raptors trade today,The Bucks acquired another PG in Roko Ukic….What about Sessions?….things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I think the Turtle has Sessions right where he wants him.
Walsh has made 3 moves already. Some of you guys need to relax.