GULLIBLE’S TRAVELS: The Knicks’ 2010 Plan; Do You Believe That?

I have been searching high and higher throughout the blogoverse (the ever expanding blogosphere) for our friend Gullible Fanatic. I wanted to ask him personally, face to face, whether he actually believed all that he had been hearing the last two years about how the Knicks would reboot their fortunes by creating cap space for the Big Spend in 2010.

In my deepest and most melodic Gil Scott Heron voice, I want to ask “Do You Believe That?” I even wrote down how I would start the conversation with Gullible who is known to get a bit irate if  you challenge what he calls “faith in Knicks management”:

Hey, in this summer of our malcontent

Where the objective is not to be underspent

and we build a team of players for rent

To fit under the cap by twenty-ten (2010)

They sell us this line w/ little dissent

“Our fortunes will change when LeBron gets in

Or Wade or Bosh is  our cap-space occupant”

Do you believe that?

Do you believe that the stars will go where they can win,

Or do you believe they will agree to start all over again?

While we commit the unoriginal sin

Of building from without (a team)  instead of from within

Do you believe that?

Well, I know Gullible will laugh at me and dismiss my concerns as impatience when I finally catch up with him.  He believes that any move is acceptable so long as the ultimate goal of cap space is achieved.  Nevermind that cap space does not take the court.  Nevermind that the Knicks are unlikely to have enough cap space to give a max contract to a franchise player and attract solid support players.  Nevermind that under the current CBA, championship contenders are not built through cap space — they are built by manipulating the cap rules, through the draft and trades.  The evidence is abundant and clear.

Do You Believe That?

Gullible will probably ignore me and continue to insist that the Knicks will get lucky and David Kahn will help us build our team by generously forking over Slicky Ricky Rubio to run the offense.  I will ask Gullible what happened to the false belief that  Mike D’Antoni would attract free agents like Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant because they liked working with him? Gullible will probably  say that Donnie Walsh didn’t really want those guys.  I’ll ask him “Do you believe that the flirtations with Stackhouse and Tinsley were smart? He’ll ignore me and tell me to focus on the draft of young potential potentates JHill and Toney Douglas.

Nevertheless, I must catch up with Gullible to help synchronize Knick fandom with reality, because only together can we begin to put pressure on our team to build a winner the right way.  Yes, I too may be Gullible (or Gullible’s cousin) to believe that Knicks management will care what I say about their strategy, but I do know that alone I have no impact. Our only chance for change is to unite with all the Gullibles to put force behind our demands for a winning strategy.

So, I continue my search of Gullible Fanatic.  Gullible moves quickly, both figuratively and actually.  We all know that he changes his opinion at warp speed so that it fits his pro-Knick management conclusions (i.e. Knicks offer Kidd a contract which invades 2010 cap space. “Great move Walsh.” Kidd rejects the offer. “Great move, Walsh didn’t want him anyway”).  Gullible also moves from one blogstation to another rapidly, but he leaves a trail of stench as wide as an asteroid tail.  I’m on it.

My first stop was the “gottaread at least once in a while” Knicksfansite Posting and Toasting where we find Lord Seth pining over the positives he found in Gallo’s 412 minutes of professional ball.   Gullible was definitely here and he had a crater-type impact.  Apparently, he dropped some magic dust on 84% of 514 poll voters  who stated  that they had faith in Gallo as a star player in the 2009-2010 Knicks roster.

Strangely, I understand how they can believe that Gallo will be a star this upcoming season, despite coming off major back surgery in April and not playing real ball over the summer; despite him not possibly being in D’Antoni game conditioning; despite not really having a rookie season; despite not playing with his 2009-2010 teammates for an extended period to develop chemistry, I can understand why they would have faith that Gallinari would be a star this year.  Anybody that can shoot a perfect form Wii jumper like the Rooster  should have no problem averaging 24ppg, 6rpg and 5apg in his first real NBA season.

Somehow, I think Gullible had the advantage since I was trailing him.  It occurred to me that  he was trying to make me a believer when he took me to this impressive Gallo summer league interview.

It was only an interview,  But. I thought that if Gallinari could play as good as he sounded there was a chance that Lebron would want to play with him, Chandler and whoever else the Knicks could afford with left-over cap space. How can you not cheer for Gallo, I thought?

I think I accidentally ignited  the random search engine when I thought about cheering because it lead me off course, at hypertense-warp speed, to a cheer-leading squad, that was not the Miami Heat Dance Crew. This is how they do what they do in New Jersey.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “The NJ Nets Senior Citizen Hip Hop Te…“, posted with vodpod

I looked into the New Jersey crowd and I didn’t see anyone who looked like Gullible.   In fact, I didn’t really see anyone because most of the Gullible Nets fans were in Brooklyn waiting for the new stadium to be built.  Perhaps that explains why the Nets dance team looks so mature in anticipation of when the move will actually happen.

I asked the computer to take me to a more thrilling dance team, but perhaps I should have been more specific.  Somehow I ended up in a prison in the Philippines  stuck in the middle of a Michael Jackson tribute.

That was definitely a thriller, but Gullible was not there either.  Perhaps, if I go back in time, I thought, I could catch Gullible.  I told the computer to take me to the 2009 NBA draft where I knew Gullible would be, waiting for the Knicks to draft Ricky Rubio or Stephen Curry despite much evidence that it was not going to happen.    I fell right into the Green Room with Louisville swingman Terrence Williams, a good friend of recently media-convicted traffic menace Nate Robinson.

Terrence Williams, Twill, Nets #11 draft pick 6-6 Swingman

I enjoyed Twill’s guided tour through the draft where he was picked at the 11th spot by the New Jersey Nets, (I wonder how he’ll like the Dance Team), but I could not find Gullible because there were so many disappointed look-a-likes when Curry and Rubio left the board before the Knicks drafted Jared Hill.  I think Gullible snuck out through the press room where they were serving brownies, cheese and alka-seltzer water.  Still, it was amazing to see all these  young boys right before they were to become millionaires.

As Jony Flynn expressed, the draft is such a special time, a culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication.  Unfortunately, given all the accolades and good fortune these youngins are facing now, it is inevitable that someone on the bus is eventually demonized by the same media that promotes and exalts them.

From our friend RichyRich at “the best damn sports comedy” blog, I found the list of most hated athletes and amazingly the top eight are either black or Latino, which led me to real world redemption for one of the most hated athletes of all-time — Jack Johnson.

It took a racially motivated conviction to defeat and destroy the career of flamboyant and culturally defiant boxer Jack Johnson, the first African-American world heavyweight champion.  Now Congress is poised to erase that defeat from the record books.  The Senate and the House passed a concurrent resolution encouraging the president to give Mr. Johnson a posthumous pardon for his conviction and one year prison sentence for violation of a law prohibiting the transportation of a woman across state lines for immoral purposes — in his case, having sex with a white woman.

Once again, I could not find Gullible, but I found redemption.  With that theme in mind, I felt a kind heart towards the Knicks.  It may take another five years, but my team will be a contender again.   There is nothing wrong with faith, but I still believe that some use faith as an excuse for rejecting  responsibility for one’s Fanaticism.   It is still my responsibility as a fan to tell my team that my faith and fanaticism deserves honest nurturing, care and love from the targets of my affection.

So, I will head back to Knicks.com and leave the following message for Gullible and Donnie Walsh.  Build my team, but I don’t want . . .

“No Scrubs”

A scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me
And is also known as a buster
Always talkin’ about what he wants
And just sits on his broke no game ass
So (no)

I don’t want your low numbers (no)
I don’t want to give you mine and (no)
I don’t want to meet you nowhere (no)
I don’t want none of your time and (no)

[Chorus:]
I don’t want no scrub
A scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me
Hanging out the passenger side
Of his best friend’s tryin to steal a ride
Trying to holler at me from a winning team
I don’t want no scrub
A scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me
Hanging out the passenger side
Of his best friend’s

tryin to steal a free ride
Trying to holler at me from a winning team

But a scrub is checkin’ me
But his game is kinda weak

PEACE.

________________________________________________

Previous Related Posts:

NATE ROBINSON TWITS APOLOGY FOR FAILING TO PAY TICKET LEADING TO SUSPENDED LICENSE

Where Am I? Another Fanatic Hit By A Turtle

KNICKS SO-CALLED 2010 PLAN COULD STAY ON POINT WITH A LITTLE “WHITE CHOCOLATE”: A JASON WILLIAMS/CBA DISCUSSION

RIP Van Donnie Tourtoise’s 2010 Tunnel Vision Conundrum!

THE BOOK OF FANATIC PAUL ON WALSH, D’ANTONI, LOPEZ and the DOGGED DAYS OF PRESIDENT OBAMA

Knicks Pick Up Jordan Hill at 8, Toney Douglas at 29 and Milicic at the Q.

Last Night at MSG’s WaMU Theatre was filled with excitement and anticipation as days of speculation about the selection order of the NBA draft climaxed into one of the most bizzare drafts in years. The draft was highlighted by the selection of three of the best point guards, Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn and Ty Lawson, in the first round by the Timberwolves who had stockpiled the 5th, 6th 18th and 28th picks. Minnie’s maneuver left the Knicks with either selection option C or D as they picked up big man Jordan Hill with the 8th pick and found a guard in Toney Douglas with the 29th pick which they purchased from the Lakers for 3 Million or so dollars.

Jordan Hill goes to Knicks at 8th Spot

Jordan Hill averaged a double, double with Arizona his last year.  He is undoubtedly raw, but eventually should be a much better and more defensively imposing option than Jared Jeffries.  According to DXEpress’ situational analysis, the things that stands out about Hill are his upside, energy and size. He is working on everything else and seems to have heart:

Situational Statistics: This Year’s Power Forward Crop
April 23, 2009
Looking over the numbers of our top power forwards, we noticed a number of players who are projected as lottery picks that don’t look the part on paper. Sitting just behind Griffin in our rankings, we find  Jordan Hill, who’s overall Points Per Possession of.94 places him slightly below the mean of .98, not quite what one would expect from a potential top-5 draft pick. Looking deeper, we realize that Hill ranks right around the average in a number of areas. He surprisingly connects on just 63.87% of his finishing opportunities not including post ups, and only scores on 49.6% of his logged possessions –sitting just off the mean in both categories. Much of Hill’s lack of efficiency can be attributed to the fact that he only gets fouled on 10.4% of his possessions and gets very few touches in transition (16th at 1.1 Pos/g) and basket cut situations (15th at 1.8), two scenarios where he’s effective ( 1.33 and 1.43 PPP respectively). The other factor working against Hill is his jumper, which we’ll discuss later.

Clearly teams are valuing Hill’s upside quite a bit. He’s already a productive rebounder and has a lot of potential long-term as a defender, but his offense doesn’t stand out amongst his peers. He’s raw, but some teams see his physical profile and athleticism and assume he will be a player that develops into a bigger threat on the next level.

The Toney Douglas pick put the Knicks far down on their point guard list, but Douglas is a good selection who has the potential to be a solid role player. He is not a true point, not a great passer and does not create his own shot nearly as well as the other guards. However, he can score an he has a defensive mindset. DXExpress has this to say about Douglas:

Situational Statistics: This Year’s Point Guard Crop
May 8, 2009
Toney Douglas, was one of the most efficient players on our list, using over 20 possessions per game (20.7). His overall PPP of 1.04 was the second best of all players, while his PPP as a finisher of 1.22 was sixth best. As a jump shooter, he scored 1.41 PPP on unguarded catch and shoot attempts, and 1 PPP on pull ups. A gifted off the ball player who scores 1.23 PPP (5th) shooting off of screens and 1.14 PPP in spot up situations, Douglas is only an average shot creator (.85 Isolation PPP), but he doesn’t turn the ball over in the half court almost at all (9.7%, 2nd), has experience running the pick and roll (5.3 Pos/G, 2nd), is an excellent defender, and seems like an ideal complement to a taller ball-handling guard. His stock has risen in recent months, and will be interesting to how his limitations as a distributor (he ranks dead last in amongst all passing metrics amongst draft-eligible PGs) factor in to where he’s selected on draft day.

The Jordan Hill pick received a mixture of cheers and boos, while the Douglas pick met a slightly more disappointed chorus of boos from fans who thought either Stephen Curry of Rick Rubio would be available after Tyreke Evans was the first guard taken at 4 by the Kings. Still, the buzz around the Garden was that the Knicks were going to be involved in a trade that would bring Rubio to New York.

Knicks Going to the Darko Side

In addition, the Knicks picked up another big in Darko Milicic, the disappointing lottery pick turned back-up while getting rid of Quentin Richardson who has been reduced to a role player after back surgery a little over a year ago.

Overall Evaluation and Grade: Incomplete. (Chad Ford says B+) This is one of those situations where a grade is a little more inadequate than usual. The draft has limitations especially when one is relegated to the eighth spot and is outmaneuvered by the likes of the Timberwolves who picked up the 5 spot and two of the best guards in the draft. The picks the Knicks made were considered among the best on the board at the time and they addressed their need for a mobile, defensive big. They also took a stab at getting a serviceable guard with defensive capabilities. These are truly choices which must be viewed over time. On the other hand, it is a little hard to tell whether the Knicks are building a competitive team yet for 2009-2010 or an attractive team for the top free agents in 2010. In Milicic, the Knicks continue to collect other teams undesirables as in Hughes and Harrington. They failed to make a move, yet, to pick up a guard to replace Duhon to run the D’Antoni system. And the big they picked up in Hill is not going to shake up the division in the first year. I would feel comfortable giving Walsh an incomplete until we see what else he does in free agency and with trades into October or perhaps February. But I will note that other teams are clearly improving, while the Knicks not so much, yet.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Buzzer Beaters . . .

Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson.  You were an inspiration to many.  We have a little more MJ on our fantastic playlist. . . .Check out the Fanatics Live Blog of the Draft.  It is fabulous.  The participants, lead by O&B included Peaceman, Bronx in Maryland, DLT Knicks, Post p Prince, Tman, Modi, Paula and Jay Bee.. . . I see you guys didn’t pick up my Tweets in the LBE. I’ll have to show the LBE administrator how to include me next time, but I was tweeting to 46 Twitter followers. Although, my fingers are too big for Blackberry keys and the fans around me wanted to talk shop, I did a fair job of covering the action. . . . Knicks Fanatics hits are growing rapidly — yesterday we hit a high of over 200 hits and we’ve been linked by Fanhouse and other blogs that recognize the energy and quality of the community. . . .Bronx is the man.  At 7:33pm, on the live blog he said “I think they’ll go big with the   8th pick, and get a guard at 29.”. . . I sat in the second row right in front of Mark Jackson, Jay Bilas, Mark Jackson (the camera’s blocked my view of Stuart and David Stern for the most part). . . . Then I went and hung out in the press room (Play by Play) where the press had the hook-up (courtesy of some friends with cred). They had free fruit, brownies, thirst quenchers and lots of big screen TVs, but damn I couldn’t get wifi to work. I will not be quitting my day job(s). . . . I got lousy picks of two tall guys with baseball caps as they walked by me and some security folks near the interview room. They looked like Brandon Jennings and Stephen Curry. Actually they were. I tried to tell them to look out for me at the summer league, but they were in a rush. . . . Cleveland trades for Shaq.  Cleveland still in need of more mobile big at the 4.  If Shaq comes to camp in shape, Celtics and Magic beware. . . . Oh yeah, did the Magic screw up by getting Vince Carter or what?. . . . Rubio threatening to go to Europe instead of cold-azz Minnie. . . .O.K., I’m outta pocket for a while because I need to do some real work that will feed Alpha Jr. and make Ms. Alpha not hover over me while I’m on the computer in July. . . . Thanks to IGM for the work on the draft scouting reports. . . .Peace out.

WALSH SPEAKS ON THE UPCOMING DRAFT

Donnie Walsh Transcript

compiled by Ricky Henne, NYKnicks.com

Posted Jun 22 2009 3:oo p.m.

Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh addressed the media on Monday, just three days before the 2009 NBA Draft. Below is a transcript of what Walsh had to say regarding the draft, the Knicks and the NBA in general.

Question: Why would you have (Jrue) Holiday in twice?

Donnie Walsh: I just wanted to take a final look at him, because I’ve seen him but I wanted to make sure everybody saw him, scouts and coaches.

Question: How much of a fear is it, I mean obviously there have been a lot of guys who have gone from being freshman to being good NBA players, but is that something also for guys like him that are in that same boat?

Walsh: Yeah, but there’s a lot of them. So is it a fear? No, not if you think that he can project into being a good NBA player. So in the case of most of the guys that are in this draft, that’s what is being done. But it is a jump of faith to try to predict a guy into a certain level, because you are going on what is his potential and if you feel good that he is going to reach it.

Question: Is there something you didn’t see from Holiday the first time that you wanted to?

Walsh: No. I saw him play in the regular season so I have a good feel for him. But going into the draft, you start watching the way the draft can go and you want to make sure. So there wasn’t anything earth shattering, it was like, well, why not let him come in again. And his agent said fine. Most of these kids are going to go to the NBA Draft, so they are on their way anyway.

Question: Are you aware of the smokescreens that are out there now, and the teams ahead of you? I mean, Washington is talking about seven players…

Walsh: Yeah I know.

Question: So do you see games being played, especially because there is a lot of parity in this draft?

Walsh: Yeah, I think that’s true. The only player right now is (Blake) Griffin. You know where he’s going and after that, all the way down past us, you have no idea who is taking who. And I think its to a degree because there is parity. There’s also at this point most teams got a guy that they want to take, and they don’t want anyone else to kind of figure it out. And we have a few teams that are traditionally like that at the top of the draft, and have been for a while.

Question: So do you have to have a plan A, B, C, D…

Walsh: Yes, of course. That’s what we’ll do.

Question: Is that what looking at Holiday a second time is?

Walsh: That’s part of it, but I think we also have until Thursday night and we need to spend it exactly on that to be sure that if this, this and this happens, where are we?

Question: When he talks about smokescreens, is that what people talking about (Hasheem) Thabeet and (Ricky) Rubio falling out of the top four is? Or are you pretty confident that they won’t be around when you pick eighth?

Walsh: No, I’m not.

Question: So you are confident or you aren’t that they will be available?

Walsh: I’m not confident that they will be in the top four.

Question: So they could slide down your way?

Walsh: Yea, they could. I mean, it’s possible. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but you are hearing all this stuff and reading all this stuff. It could happen.

Question: Is this the most in flux a draft has been that you can recall?

Walsh: Not really. I mean, I think they are all like this. People are afraid of teams jumping ahead of them. They figure out, ‘Oh, ok if I want this guy he’s going to stop at four, then I have to get three” and then a trade at the last minute (could happen).

Question: Do you understand why Rubio might slip? Is it because of his situation with the buyout, he hasn’t worked out for anyone…

Walsh: I think it’s effected (Brandon) Jennings as well. They are not here, you don’t hear a lot about them, in Rubio’s case he didn’t work out, so you either really have to want him, because he is not in the news so to speak as much as the other players. And I think Jennings was that way too. That’s why he’s working out a lot. I’m sure he’s impressing some teams.

Question: Did you ask or want Rubio to come in?

Walsh: Probably back, but not now. We are down to it, and we know he’s a good player.

Question: But earlier in the process…

Walsh: Well when we started, I probably wanted to get him in.

Question: So you won’t meet with him?

Walsh: I don’t need to.

Question: Is he still number one on top of the board in terms of point guards?

Walsh: I don’t know. You have to ask the guy whose got two. (laughs)

Question: So on draft night you will have a scenario of someone trying to get up to number two…

Walsh: Yeah, those things happen in the draft. I’m not saying you don’t talk about them now. It’s also in the draft, you might get a call five minutes before you pick or five minutes before they pick.

Question: Do you think there will be any less of that because of the parity?

Walsh: I think there’ll be more than that.

Question: Given the depth of the draft at point guard, do you think it’s likely that’s where you end up?

Walsh: No, I don’t. The players that are at our pick, and the player we think is best for us, that’s who we’ll pick. We haven’t picked out a position that we need to get in this particular draft.

Question:Are you thinking that (Stephen) Curry and Tyreke (Evans) just might not be there at eight?

Walsh: I think that there are a lot of guys that might not be there so I have to be ready for who is there and what we’re looking for. There are good players.

Question: The player that you draft, could he impact the free agents, particularly the top free agents that you have?

Walsh: It depends who it is to be honest. There are some guys that are ready to play right now, and there are some that are very young and need time. The draft isn’t something you can grade the next day. You have to wait to see how you do. There is LeBron James and Michael Jordan, but in most cases, players need time.

Question: Last year, it was the first time working with Mike (D’Antoni). His system isn’t traditional. Do you look at that when you are picking?

Walsh: Yeah, I think you always do that. You always have a coach who has a style, so you try to pick for that style, but not 100-percent. If the guy is good enough, you figure he’ll fit in to his style.

Question: Do you want another number one pick because you don’t have one next year?

Walsh: I’d love to have one but people aren’t running around offering.

Question: Are you shopping for one, or even a two?

Walsh: Yeah I mean you always ask, but people are very reluctant to do that because they don’t know how they are going to be next year.

Question: There is talk with the way economy is, teams might be selling off picks. Have you seen any of that?

Walsh: No. I haven’t seen anything like that. We kind of talked to some people we thought would, and they haven’t yet.

Question: How far down in the draft would you go if you got a pick for next year to make it worthwhile?

Walsh: This year, I think you will be able to pick players 20-30, who while they haven’t got the cache of some of the players that are picked before that, so I think once we get the draft down and we are pretty close to it, you might be able to get a really good player at 20-30 if you get the right pick.

Question: Is there a market for your players? I mean a good market?

Walsh: I’m not sure. Because I probably value them more than other people.

Question: You’ve been asked about your players I presume.

Walsh: Yeah, there are some who do and some who don’t.

Question: When you talk about what you need and talk about point guards, it seems you like a scoring point guard?

Walsh: That’s not true.

Question: So what do you feel like you need from that position right now.

Walsh: I think a guy that can play a fast tempo. And I’d like a guy who can defend too, so those things. But someone who can play a fast tempo, because that’s what we want to play.

Question: Some say after that the players after one, they all seem kind of the same. Is this not a mediocre draft? Are you saying it is a decent draft?

Walsh: Well I think there are good players in the draft, so in that regard, there will be good players where we are so in that sense it is a good draft. You know, you have to wait two or three years to find out how really good it was. There are some years you go in thinking it’s not a really good draft, and you wake up two years later and these guys are starting, one through 20, and you think ‘Wow, that was a good draft.’

Question: When you evaluated Curry and he talked so much about wanting to be here, how much of a factor is that to you? Just the fact that he’s talking about it, what do you think of it?

Walsh: Well I’ve heard that from a lot of players, and so I like that. I like it better than someone who says he doesn’t want to be here. (laughs)

Question: How different is it this year in New York compared to your first year in the draft?

Walsh: It’s the same. I mean, I’ve told you guys I think you’ve got to get good players when you have this kind of opportunity. So that’s what I think. We have to pick the right guy.

Question: Have you seen Rubio play in person?

Walsh: No. I saw him on TV and all that, and I’ve watched a lot of film on him. A lot.

Question: But your people have.

Walsh: Yeah, I’ve got a European scout who is from people. We have people.

Question: How much do you blame the player or the agent when he decides he doesn’t want to work out?

Walsh: I don’t blame the player. Usually it’s the agents strategy and it either works or it doesn’t.

Question: What’s the strategy?

Walsh: The strategy is to get him picked by the teams the guy wants him to get picked by.

Question: Do you think New York is one of those teams that people wouldn’t mind…

Walsh: Well because we are at eight, not at the beginning but maybe at the end. Who knows? I’m not part of that strategy.

Question: What is your opinion about the one-and-done rule? Would you like to see high school kids be able to come out?

Walsh: I’m probably at the other end of the stick. I thought we had a great farm system. And it was free. But it is what it is now. The NCAA.

Question: Do you think there would be less scandals…

Walsh: Well I’m not going to comment on that because I am not in that world anymore. I just think that when guys went to college for four years, when they came out, they were ready to go to the pros. They receive great coaching, they receive a college degree. So when they come into this world they were ready. We as teams now, we have to make up for that when they get here. We’re doing the best we can. We’re fasting getting to a point where we can do it well, but it wasn’t traditionally so what an NBA team did when it started.

Question: Being that you want to compete sooner than later, are you more apt to go with a player who can contribute right now than a player who might be a project and might take a year?

Walsh: It depends who it is. It really depends on how good I think he can be eventually. And that can be an older guy or a younger guy. You have to look at that.

Question: There are a few small point guards in this league. How important is height as a fact for point guards?

Walsh: Well I would like them to be bigger than smaller, but there are obviously some smaller point guards who are making an impact on the league. I think a lot of that has to do with the rules on the perimeter, so they are not counted out just because they are smaller anymore.

Question: Do you think it’s easier for them to get along in today’s NBA than it used to be?

Walsh: Yeah, I do. I think the floor has opened up a lot. It’s very hard to guard some of the quickness that’s coming into the league particularly with smaller guards, without putting your hand on them and that’s a foul now. Back when I started they could pick you up with one hand and that wasn’t a foul. (laughs) But yeah, I think its better.

Question: Is this your last lottery pick in New York?

Walsh: I hope. Well I’ll say this, whether I was in New York or Indiana, I hope this is my last lottery pick. I never like being in the lottery.

Question: As the Celtics and the Lakers have proven the last couple of years, if you take on salary, there are big time players available if you want to make a trade. Do you think that will happen again this year given how many teams are trying to cut costs?

Walsh: Yeah, I think the guys you think can make a difference to take you from a losing team to a winning team, people will make the investment. But if its close, they might night.

Question: Do you think there are teams that are willing to take on salary anymore?

Walsh: Yeah, I do. I mean, I think there will be, if they see its going to push them up into a winning team. Because if you have a winning team, then you fill the stands and you make a lot more money. And I think that’s the way those teams think. And they want a chance to win the playoffs.

Question: Do you have a better feeling about the David Lee situation today than you did when the season ended?

Walsh: Absolutely not, because I’m not allowed to talk to him or his agent. I mean, I can say hello and that kind of stuff, but no I don’t. I won’t know that until July 1.

Question: How is (Danilo) Gallinari’s recovery?

Walsh: Good, from what I’m told. He went to a photo shoot for the league I think, so I haven’t seen him in about a week. But all the reports I’m getting back is that the operation was a success, and whatever remains to be done is more rehab, and then I have to talk to him to know exactly, but it doesn’t seem to be a big obstacle for him. The doctor is at the point where she’ll let him go play now. But I haven’t talked to her. But he’s close.

Question: Can any pick you make be influenced by what you might possibly want to do later in the summer in free agency or trades or whatever?

Walsh: Well, you are always influenced by what you need and what you might do. So yes, those things could come into it. I’m at a stage now though where I’m trying to see who is the best player for the team, and I’m assuming if you do that, then those things will be there.

Question: Any sense of what the chances are you are going to stay at eight at this point?

Walsh: No, I mean, how many trades get done in the draft? Whatever that percentage is, that’s what it is. Everyone wants to move up all the time.

Question: How confident are you after this offseason ends that you can make the playoffs?

Walsh: Well look, that’s what we want to do. Confident? Well I won’t be confident until we do it. I mean, we’ve got to go out and do it. You can go out and talk about it all you want, but the idea is to try to get to that. And I talked on my first day here, that the most difficult thing will be last year and this year because you’ve got to be very careful with what you’re doing if you have a strategy, like trying to stay under the cap?

Question: How’s Eddy Curry?

Walsh: He’s doing well, from everything I’ve heard. I did see him one day on the day of the Chicago thing, I went up to Detroit and watched him work out. And he’s working very hard, he’s losing weight, and he’s starting to get his body to look like an athlete’s body again. I have to give him credit for working as hard as he can work to try to do it.

Question: When you watch the Finals and you see how the playoffs shook out, bigs are valuable. You have one that a couple of years ago was in the conversation to be an all-star…

Walsh: Yeah, and bigs are valuable in the playoffs. That’s when they are at their best and you really need them, because they can distort the game. And he’s a low post player. Now, at the four and sometimes at the five, you get guys who are standing outside shooting. But when you get to the playoffs, that isn’t as dramatic as having a guy they have to double-team and have to worry about all the time. So you always want that.

Question:What about Jonny Flynn?

Walsh: He’s a guy, who even in college, if you catch him on the right day, even in these workouts, this guy, if teams want a certain type of point guard, then you go for him.

Question: What about Sacramento and all the talk about them and what they might do?

Walsh: Well they are the eye of the storm right now. Everyone is trying to figure out what they are going to do, and it will be different tomorrow.

Question: Hypothetically, if Rubio is sitting there are eight, is it a slam dunk that you would take him?

Walsh: It depends who he is with. I can’t predict who he will be with. But I think there are other players who are on his level. He has experience, a great game, flair – but like most players in the draft he’s got some things he does better than most NBA players and he some things that he doesn’t do. And I can’t think of anybody in this draft that doesn’t fit into that category. That’s where he is. He’s like 6-foot-4, 6-foot-5. That’s a big guard.

Question: Is that what you like most about Holiday, that he is a two-way player?

Walsh: Yeah. I mean, he’s a good player. And he is good defensively, yeah.

Question: Of the guards, is Evans the most explosive going to the basket?

Walsh: Well, he is one of them because he is powerful and he has a great handle. If he gets kind of an opening, he is very strong so he gets there. There are a couple who get there one quickness, he gets there because of that. And he can pass too. If you help off on him, which you are probably going to have to do, he will get the open guy.

Question: Is he a combo guy? Is he more of a two in your mind?

Walsh: No. I think he can play both, but he will be a point guard eventually in the NBA. You can post him. I think he weighs 215.

Question: Does he have to work on his shot a little bit?

Walsh: Yeah, but I didn’t see – all these guys that I heard couldn’t shoot, that would be the quote, I didn’t think they were that far away. So I think all these guys they are saying that about, they will get better in the NBA because most players once the concentrate on being a pro and are shooting all the time, they get better. And their form, these guys forms at this point, they are not bad. I mean, he shot it well when he was here. He was hitting threes. He shot it very well.

Question: Are there questions about Stephen Curry defensively?

Walsh: Well, I think you have to have a system for all these players, and to me, a guy like Curry is smart enough to figure it out and learn how to play in the NBA defensively.
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Related Previous Posts:

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report: Ricky Rubio

And With The Eighth Pick, The New York Knicks Select. . .

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report: Jrue Holiday

Is Brandon Jennings Playing Media (and Us) With Rubio Diss?

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Eric Maynor

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Brandon Jennings

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Demar Derozan

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Series Stephen Curry

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report: Tywon Lawson

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report: Jonny Flynn

And With The Eighth Pick, the New York Knicks Select . . . .

WHERE YOU ARE THE GM HAPPENS.

Vodpod videos no longer available. Next week the 2009 NBA draft will finally be here. The buildup has been intense and tense. At the draft Donnie Walsh and the Knicks will finally make decisions which may change the fortunes of the organization for years to come.  They dare not blow it, as hard as that would be from the 8th spot this year.

Although, some suggest the draft is not as strong as past drafts, it has proven to be one filled with potential and possibilities.  First, thanks to IGM for educating us on some of the fine points of the point guards. The series was very useful and I understand you may have additional posts on Ricky Rubio and Gerald Henderson. This group of points is very competitive and may provide much drama for the NBA as this becomes a bit more of a guard-oriented league.

But the Knicks options extend beyond finding a guard in the draft to run the D’Antoni offense. It may include a shooting guard such as Jordan Hill or a big such as James Harden. The Knicks may find their leader ready-made in free agency.

At this point the rumors are coming fast, furious and plentiful.  Some of them have a kernel of truth and others are smoke screens by general managers to disguise potential moves and sorta-secret desires.  The only certainty is that Blake Griffin will be drafted by the Clippers.  After that, it’s anyone’s guess. And we’re all guessing.

The selection process became even more complex with the terrific showing in workouts of guards such as Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Jonny Flynn. And the potential of players such as Tyreke Evans, Ty Lawson, Ricky Rubio, Jeff Teague, Jru Holiday and DeMar Rozan have team executives tossing in their sleep and biting their nails.  No one knows who will be going where, so the GMs must be prepared for almost anything.  They will have their “favored player” list and their “best player on the board” list.  The choices will be tougher as the first round progresses.

At 8, the Knicks seem to have enough choices that they do not need to make any player expenditures to move up in the draft.  However, without making a move forward before their selection, the Knicks are not likely to get their preferred players which seem to be, according to MSM reports, Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Jennings and Jordan Hill.  Still, even if those players are available. Ricky Rubio, a media darling, may fall to eight and make the Knicks choice that much more difficult (or easy).  I guess it depends on how you look at it. But do they take the Euro-star who enters the draft without working out against his major American competition? Do you dare take that gamble? Why not?

So, how do you look at it?  We have provided you, below, with five different scenarios that could arise by the time the Knicks pick at the 8th spot (assuming they do not trade up).  We want you to tell us who you think the Knicks should pick in each circumstance and if you can defend your choice, tell us why in the comment section after you take the polls?    What is the right pick for the Knicks, if as in scenario five, the unlikely occurs: Stephen Curry, Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings are available? Who do we cheer for when the Knicks make that pick? Who do we boo?

You’re on the clock, but first a little inspiration — it can be good again.  Good luck.

The Ultimate Knicks Moment in the NBA Draft

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “NBA 1985 Patrick Ewing, No. 1“, posted with vodpod

MOCK DRAFT SCENARIO #1

1. Clippers        Blake Griffin

2. Grizzlies       James Harden

3.  Thunder     Hasheem Thabeet

4. Kings            Ricky Rubio

5. Wizards       Stephen Curry

6. Timberwolves   Tyreke Evans

7. Warriors    Jordan Hill

Mock Draft Scenario #2

1. Clippers       Blake Griffin

2. Grizzlies      Hasheem Thabett

3. Thunder     Ricky Rubio

4. Kings          Jrue Holiday

5. Wizards    James Harden

6. Wolves     Tyreke Evans

7. Warriors  Johnny Flynn

Mock Draft Scenario #3

1. Clippers       Blake Griffin

2. Grizzlies      Jordan Hill

3. Thunder     James Harden

4. Kings          Jrue Holiday

5. Wizards    Brandon Jennings

6. Wolves     DeMar Derozan

7. Warriors  Jonny Flynn

Mock Draft Scenario #4

1. Clippers       Blake Griffin

2. Grizzlies      Stephen Curry

3. Thunder     James Harden

4. Kings          Jrue Holiday

5. Wizards    Hasheem Thabeet

6. Wolves     DeMar Derozan

7. Warriors  Ricky Rubio

Mock Draft Scenario #5

1. Clippers       Blake Griffin

2. Grizzlies      James Harden

3. Thunder     Hasheem Thabeet

4. Kings          Jordan Hill

5. Wizards    Jrue Holiday

6. Wolves     Jeff Teague

7. Warriors  Jonny Flynn

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Related Previous Posts:

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report: Jrue Holiday

Is Brandon Jennings Playing Media (and Us) With Rubio Diss?

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Eric Maynor

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Brandon Jennings

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Demar Derozan

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Series Stephen Curry

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report: Tywon Lawson

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report: Jonny Flynn

IS BRANDON JENNINGS PLAYING THE MEDIA (AND US) WITH RUBIO DISS?

On one hand, Brandon Jennings should keep his mouth shut as he disses player after player in his quest to become a top two lottery pick and an NBA star.  He should probably let his play in workouts do the talking for him.  Instead, he is supplementing (or is it supplanting?) his impressive one-on-one offensive displays with pot-shots at the likes of Tyreke Evans, Jru Holiday and now, Ricky Rubio.  (See video and draw your own conclusion).  Jennings has done the press a favor by giving them something to write about as the draft draws near and more focus is placed on a very competitve group of guards who are shaping the 2009 draft.

But, as Jennings finds a way to boost himself, while displaying either his arrogance or confidence (depending on how you look at it), you have got to wonder whether Jennings is playing the press to pump up his profile and marketability.  Jennings may have attended two high schools largely to play ball and had a hard time qualifying for college, but you gotta believe that his year in Europe taught him that the NBA is a business and this business will be his livelihood.  He knows that right?  Or is he just a skinny Ricky Henderson in shorts?

I don’t know for sure, but I think Jennings knows that being associated in a competition with Rubio is great for his career and probably Rubio’s.  Although he dogged-out Rubio a couple of days ago, Jennings  wrote some very nice things about him and his game in his December blog entry. He wrote:

“Now to what everyone wants to hear about, the game and the matchup with Ricky. Unfortunately Ricky only played about 8mins cause he’s still kind of hurt from a wrist injury he suffered in the Gold Medal game vs. Team USA, but in just 8mins he showed me a lot. I have a ton of respect for the dude. He’s real mature out there on the court, he has a great feel for the game. He passes the ball like crazy, reminds me of Steve Nash a little bit. Put it like this if he were in the class of 09 in high school basketball he would be the #1 player hands down. No question about it. I can only hope that when Ricky and I one day get to the NBA we can be like Chris Paul and Deron Williams, as our careers take off together like CP3 & D Will’s did. Despite what the critics say that he can’t shoot Ricky is going to be going a Great NBA player someday…he brings a complete game to the table.”

So who’s hyping who? Well, he got me.  I am looking forward to seeing them play each other in the near future.

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Related Previous Posts:

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Eric Maynor

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Brandon Jennings

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Demar Derozan

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report Series Stephen Curry

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report: Tywon Lawson

Fanatics Pre-draft Scouting Report: Jonny Flynn