nycballer
10-24-2008, 10:51 AM
October 23, 2008
Houston's done, Curry's upset and Danilo's back
Surprise, surprise, Allan Houston won't play for the Knicks this season.
Although he (and the Knicks) didn't use the word "retirement" in a statement Thursday that said the team would begin discussing a "new role" (e.g. front office or coaching) with him, that's basically what it is _ his third and last one.
Clearly, his 37-year-old body couldn't handle playing again and all the preseason and preliminary work he did says that won't change if he wanted to give it another try.
Anyhow, the Knicks also waived Dan Grunfeld on Thursday, leaving them with 16 players, all of whom have some kind of guaranteed mone.
In it's simplest form, the final spot probably comes down to Patrick Ewing Jr. (who's actually guaranteed a little over $440,000 via a bargaining agreement quirk) and Anthony Roberson (who's guaranteed just under $800,000).
We suspect Donnie Walsh, though, is doing whatever he can to unload whomever he can for a second-round draft pick and would love to convince owner Jim Dolan to eat the two years and $12.6 million still due Jerome James.
But we also suspect that, considering all the people he's still paying (Isiah, Larry Brown, et al), Dolan doesn't have quite that financial appetite any more, which means if he eats any contract, it's Roberson's to keep P-Diddy Jr. around.
Meanwhile, on the contract front ...
If there's any panic over Thursday's report (which was broached here and in The Record long ago) that the Knicks won't extend the contracts of David Lee and Nate Robinson, relax. There's no reason to jump the gun now.
There's no reason to commit money to either player that stretches into the Summer of LeBron (2010) now before Walsh sees if he can unload the contracts that already do: Zach Randolph's, Jamal Crawford's and Eddy Curry's. Financially, that has to be his first priority.
And if you believe one portion of a Yahoo! report, Chicago's interested in Z-Bo. That report goes on to say the Bulls have nothing the Knicks want, but if you start with Drew Gooden and his $7.1 million expiring salary, maybe that's the basis for a deal. The key for the Knicks would be getting back one less player than they give away, so they don't have to eat a guaranteed contract.
Meanwhile, although no extensions mean Lee and Robinson could conceivably leave via restricted free agency if another team is willing to drastically overpay them (which is really the only way they leave, via either free and clear or sign-and-trade), the Knicks can match any offer _ and it behooves them to wait and see what they're worth.
Lee, for instance, has been an exceptional player in a bench role, but it remains to be seen whether he'll still be the same player playing starter's minutes. We here believe there's a point of diminishing returns with a lot of athletes that we like to call the Joe Orsulak Rule from when Parsippany's Own played for the Mets in the '90s.
Orsulak was a capable and useful player when he got 300 at-bats a year, but give him 500 and those last 200 were virtualy worthless.
Same with minutes with some players, something Lee has to demonstrate this season. Besides, he could be a valuable trade chip if Walsh needs it, as could Robinson, who also has to prove over a full season that he fits Mike D'Antoni's system and should be part of the mix going forward.
No need to go forward now until other priorities are taken care of.
The Knicks, though, did pick up the contract options for next seson on Wilson Chandler and Mardy Collins, per their original rookie contracts, Chandler for his third year in the league, Collins for his fourth (which Lee and Robinson are playing on this season).
Thus, if you want to panic even more, you can start beginning to worry whether the Knicks offer Collins a contract extension next summer.
Chandler, meanwhile, they still control for 2010-11 if they pick up his next option for that season a year from now.
***
Some quick takes from Thursday's practice:
- Curry wasn't happy to hear about D'Antoni's criticism of his conditioning after he failed to play in Tuesday's loss to Boston.
"I was caught off-guard by it," he said. "It's definitely something I'm nothappy about."
He did say, however, that in the two days since D'Antoni said Curry had to improve his conditioning, the two haven't talked. If D'Antoni hadn't broached the subject before doing it with reporters after Tuesday's game, he's partially to blame.
But couldn't Eddy go up to him, too, to ask what's up?
Stay tuned, for although Curry said when asked if he might ask out if he gets irregular minutes like last season, "I hope it doesn't come to that," it could easily come to that. And soon.
- Danilo Gallinari made it through his first practice since the summer league without incident, but without hitting many shots. He looked anxious and rushed, understandably, and he won't play in Friday's preseason finale. But D'Antoni wouldn't rule out the rookie as one of the 12 players he'll dress for Wednesday's regular-season opener.
- James, in one practice segment of less than five minutes, bowled over Chris Duhon right in front of Walsh (who could easily have had a heart attack watching his prime off-season acquisition go down), then put the ball on the floor from the top of the key, drove into the lane and jumped to make a pass that got intercepted.
Jerome James, point guard. Maybe that's why he's still around after all.
- D'Antoni said he expects to revert to his original starting lineup Friday, meaning Stephon Marbury comes off the bench and Crawford starts. Wilson Chandler will sit out with his sprained left knee, but should be back for the opener, but Randolph would've probably started, anyhow. That also means Quentin Richardson starts with Nate Robinson back on the bench.
But with Chandler out, Eddy could get some run. Walsh and D'Antoni, perhaps, hope the scouts watch him very closely and send back positive reports.
SOURCE: Knick Knacks: Houston's done, Curry's upset and Danilo's back (http://njmg.typepad.com/knickknacks/2008/10/houston-done.html)
Houston's done, Curry's upset and Danilo's back
Surprise, surprise, Allan Houston won't play for the Knicks this season.
Although he (and the Knicks) didn't use the word "retirement" in a statement Thursday that said the team would begin discussing a "new role" (e.g. front office or coaching) with him, that's basically what it is _ his third and last one.
Clearly, his 37-year-old body couldn't handle playing again and all the preseason and preliminary work he did says that won't change if he wanted to give it another try.
Anyhow, the Knicks also waived Dan Grunfeld on Thursday, leaving them with 16 players, all of whom have some kind of guaranteed mone.
In it's simplest form, the final spot probably comes down to Patrick Ewing Jr. (who's actually guaranteed a little over $440,000 via a bargaining agreement quirk) and Anthony Roberson (who's guaranteed just under $800,000).
We suspect Donnie Walsh, though, is doing whatever he can to unload whomever he can for a second-round draft pick and would love to convince owner Jim Dolan to eat the two years and $12.6 million still due Jerome James.
But we also suspect that, considering all the people he's still paying (Isiah, Larry Brown, et al), Dolan doesn't have quite that financial appetite any more, which means if he eats any contract, it's Roberson's to keep P-Diddy Jr. around.
Meanwhile, on the contract front ...
If there's any panic over Thursday's report (which was broached here and in The Record long ago) that the Knicks won't extend the contracts of David Lee and Nate Robinson, relax. There's no reason to jump the gun now.
There's no reason to commit money to either player that stretches into the Summer of LeBron (2010) now before Walsh sees if he can unload the contracts that already do: Zach Randolph's, Jamal Crawford's and Eddy Curry's. Financially, that has to be his first priority.
And if you believe one portion of a Yahoo! report, Chicago's interested in Z-Bo. That report goes on to say the Bulls have nothing the Knicks want, but if you start with Drew Gooden and his $7.1 million expiring salary, maybe that's the basis for a deal. The key for the Knicks would be getting back one less player than they give away, so they don't have to eat a guaranteed contract.
Meanwhile, although no extensions mean Lee and Robinson could conceivably leave via restricted free agency if another team is willing to drastically overpay them (which is really the only way they leave, via either free and clear or sign-and-trade), the Knicks can match any offer _ and it behooves them to wait and see what they're worth.
Lee, for instance, has been an exceptional player in a bench role, but it remains to be seen whether he'll still be the same player playing starter's minutes. We here believe there's a point of diminishing returns with a lot of athletes that we like to call the Joe Orsulak Rule from when Parsippany's Own played for the Mets in the '90s.
Orsulak was a capable and useful player when he got 300 at-bats a year, but give him 500 and those last 200 were virtualy worthless.
Same with minutes with some players, something Lee has to demonstrate this season. Besides, he could be a valuable trade chip if Walsh needs it, as could Robinson, who also has to prove over a full season that he fits Mike D'Antoni's system and should be part of the mix going forward.
No need to go forward now until other priorities are taken care of.
The Knicks, though, did pick up the contract options for next seson on Wilson Chandler and Mardy Collins, per their original rookie contracts, Chandler for his third year in the league, Collins for his fourth (which Lee and Robinson are playing on this season).
Thus, if you want to panic even more, you can start beginning to worry whether the Knicks offer Collins a contract extension next summer.
Chandler, meanwhile, they still control for 2010-11 if they pick up his next option for that season a year from now.
***
Some quick takes from Thursday's practice:
- Curry wasn't happy to hear about D'Antoni's criticism of his conditioning after he failed to play in Tuesday's loss to Boston.
"I was caught off-guard by it," he said. "It's definitely something I'm nothappy about."
He did say, however, that in the two days since D'Antoni said Curry had to improve his conditioning, the two haven't talked. If D'Antoni hadn't broached the subject before doing it with reporters after Tuesday's game, he's partially to blame.
But couldn't Eddy go up to him, too, to ask what's up?
Stay tuned, for although Curry said when asked if he might ask out if he gets irregular minutes like last season, "I hope it doesn't come to that," it could easily come to that. And soon.
- Danilo Gallinari made it through his first practice since the summer league without incident, but without hitting many shots. He looked anxious and rushed, understandably, and he won't play in Friday's preseason finale. But D'Antoni wouldn't rule out the rookie as one of the 12 players he'll dress for Wednesday's regular-season opener.
- James, in one practice segment of less than five minutes, bowled over Chris Duhon right in front of Walsh (who could easily have had a heart attack watching his prime off-season acquisition go down), then put the ball on the floor from the top of the key, drove into the lane and jumped to make a pass that got intercepted.
Jerome James, point guard. Maybe that's why he's still around after all.
- D'Antoni said he expects to revert to his original starting lineup Friday, meaning Stephon Marbury comes off the bench and Crawford starts. Wilson Chandler will sit out with his sprained left knee, but should be back for the opener, but Randolph would've probably started, anyhow. That also means Quentin Richardson starts with Nate Robinson back on the bench.
But with Chandler out, Eddy could get some run. Walsh and D'Antoni, perhaps, hope the scouts watch him very closely and send back positive reports.
SOURCE: Knick Knacks: Houston's done, Curry's upset and Danilo's back (http://njmg.typepad.com/knickknacks/2008/10/houston-done.html)