If you don't know who Wilson Chandler is by now you will know by the end preseason. The young athletic Chandler looks like he has put time in working on his game. If Isiah did anything good before leaving it was drafting Wilson Chandler. Chandler is a player that looks like he can become the player that can play at least 3 positions. He can play the 2 guard position as well as both forward positions. This is key when you think about the style and play Mike D'Antoni wants to play; you name it Chandler can do. From taking his man off the dribble, taking his man from the outside, to a fade away jumpshot, or posting up in the high post. Chandler has the right tools. Chandler is a weapon on both ends of the court.
The knock on Chandler during the draft was he did not have an outside
shot. However since Chandler has arrived he looks like he has a
shooting touch and the ability to score and grab rebounds. Getting
rebounds is important when you think about a run and gun system. The
more rebounds, the better chance the Knicks have to make the quick
outlet pass. Chandler also brings a good athletic punch. If you don't
believe it just ask Jermaine O'Neal who he is. Chandler dunked on
O’Neal in the opening preseason game against the Raptors.
With the Knicks roster having 18 players, i.e. 3 players over the limit, you can expect players to get cut. The three players that I feel will get cut are Patrick Ewing Jr., Dan Grunfeld, and Allan Houston. The Knicks other 15 players have guaranteed contracts. So you can bet that their roster spot is safe.
I felt that there was a chance that Allan Houston could have made the team earlier. However, Allan Houston has not found a way to even play a preseason game. Even for tomorrow's game Houston will be sidelined because of a quad strain. It is clear that Houston is not ready for preseason let alone an 82 game season. Expect Houston to be cut and get a position upstairs with MSG management.
Don't expect Dan Grunfeld to get signed or Ewing Jr. It would have been nice to see Ewing Jr. play that Balkman role but there is no roster space for him.
Starting off on the wrong foot is one way to get your coach and new team president upset. Eddy Curry is a player that Knicks were expecting to come into camp in great shape however the opposite has happened. With the Knicks getting Mike D'Antoni as the new Knicks coach you would think that every player would want to get in the best shape possible. However, it seems Curry has missed the boat. Not only did he come into camp over weight but he showed his new boss that he does not taking the offseason serious.
If you haven't heard the lastest news with the Knicks well here it is. The crowd favorite Renaldo Balkman has been traded for a second round pick. I will say it again. Balkman the high energy defensive player that brings energy on the court every night has been traded to the Denver Nuggets for a 2nd round pick. You may recall that this is the same Renaldo Balkman that Isiah Thomas refused to trade to get Ron Artest. Apparently Donny Walsh was not so high on Balkman. This move is still puzzling due to the fact that the Knicks have players that do not put 100% on the court yet they are still on the team. Example: Jerome James. Why was James not moved?
If you are wondering what is going on with Stephon Marbury the answer is he is working on his conditioning. Dispite rumors that the point guard from Coney Island might be trade Marbury seems upbeat. During the Knicks Summer League Team's first game Marbury had a chance to get interviewed and speak on his future as a Knick.
As you know the NBA draft is right around the corner. Many Knicks fans are disappointed that the Knicks do not have a top 3 pick. That means there is probably no chance of the the Knicks being able to draft Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo or Bealsey. If you had to think of a position that the Knicks need right now you would have to say a point guard. With looking at the achievement of Chris Paul and Deron Williams this pervious NBA season it is clear that the Knicks must get a point guard and not a small forward or a powerforward. Besides Marbury the Knicks do not have a natural point gaurd to lead this Knick team in the future. Nate Robinson is talented but is more of a shooting guard and that is the same case with Jamal Crawford. Even Marbury who plays point is not known for setting players up where they need the ball or pushing the ball at a high pace. Marbury has one year left on his contract and therefore the Knicks needs someone to be a floor general on the court. So if you are the Knicks you have to go with the best guard available.
The Knicks Have the Sixth Draft Pick the Sky Is Falling By BigC
Monday, 09 June 2008
Just when Knicks fans were having endless thoughts about the Knicks getting the number 1 draft or 2nd pick in this year's draft the Knicks get the sixth draft pick. If you were around a Knick fan you might have heard screaming at the top of their lungs or witnessing the throwing foreign objects to start a riot by a fan. Yes, the Bulls who we as fan have hated for years got the number 1 pick, but does this mean this is the end of the world? If the Knicks did get the number one or number 2 pick that could have meant the end of Marbury before next season.
ORLANDO - Knick president Donnie Walsh didn't mince words over which side he'll be on if Stephon Marbury and new coach Mike D'Antoni feud. And it won't be Marbury's. At the NBA's pre-draft camp yesterday, Walsh showed proper skepticism when...
Lawrence: Dolan should call Jerry West before Donnie Walsh
Sunday, 30 March 2008
So now that the Knicks are doing exactly what the NBA wants them to do for a change by bringing in Donnie Walsh to run the operation, does that mean there will be a favor returned in the form of a nice, juicy No. 1 draft pick in the upcoming draft lottery?
Don't count on it, Knicks fans.
Conspiracy buffs out in the executive suites in Milwaukee and other NBA outposts will have a field day if the Knicks win the lottery, but this isn't the year to tank games. There isn't a Shaquille O'Neal or Greg Oden coming in, otherwise Pat Riley would have started losing games as far back as training camp. If these things were rigged, Oden would have landed with Boston, not faraway Portland. Rest assured, the Knicks are headed for a top-five pick, on merit, but for the time being, they continue to mishandle the Walsh hiring/Isiah Thomas situation.
News of Walsh's handshake deal with Garden chairman James Dolan came as a shock to Jerry West. West relayed to members of his inner circle that he thought he should have at least received a call from Dolan to discuss the post. He's right, and Jerry Colangelo should have been approached, too. As much as we never believed, for one New York second, that West would have come to Gotham to run the Knicks, he still had his friends sending out word after Walsh's agreement that he was game.
If Walsh signs a deal with the Knicks, it will happen this week. From all indications, Walsh will join the Knicks, but in the unlikely event that he passes on the job, Walsh has two other plausible options: sitting out one season or running the Milwaukee Bucks.
ATLANTA - Not only won't Isiah Thomas coach the Knicks next season, but he won't guide his alma-mater Indiana either. With the Hoosiers on the verge of naming a new coach this week, Thomas, arguably the school's most famous alumnus, said yesterday...
