Now it appears those talks are centered around Timberwolves’ point guard Luke Ridnour.

Hoopsworld’s Alex Kennedy has reported that according to sources the Knicks are indeed hot after the 10-year pro.

The New York Knicks have expressed interest in Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Luke Ridnour, according to source.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) February 13, 2013

Feb 11, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Luke Ridnour (13) calls a play in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Ridnour is having a very nice season, averaging 12.2 points and 3.9 assists per game, while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor, but it makes you wonder why the Knicks would be targeting a point guard at all?

The Knicks trio of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni have been very good this season and it makes little sense to add to that mix unless the Knicks were working on something else with another team that could involve Iman Shumpert.

The main need for the Knicks right now is frontcourt depth, especially with Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace still out of the lineup.

Ridnour doesn’t solve that problem.

There is some thought that the ‘Wolves would be interested in Ronnie Brewer, as they not only had interest in him during the offseason, but need healthy bodies at the moment.

But being that Ridnour makes $4 million, a trade for Brewer can’t happen. With both teams having 15 guaranteed contracts, there isn’t much flexibility between the two teams.

It’s odd to begin with that the Knicks have expressed interest in another point guard, but who knows what the plan is. It is quite possible that potentially acquiring Ridnour will trigger another move.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

As of now, it is unclear of exactly what players are being discussed from the two teams, but according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, ‘Wolves general manager David Kahn is in talks with the Knicks.

Wolfson tweets that Ronnie Brewer could be headed to Minnesota, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Minnesota did made an offer to Brewer over the summer before he signed with the Knicks.

That’s who I think. #Twolves made him an offer in the summer. He chose NY instead. RT ‏@sportinggoose @darrenwolfson Ronnie Brewer possibly?

— Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) February 13, 2013

The most likely scenario is that the Knicks are targeting frontcourt depth, while Minnesota simply needs some healthy bodies at this point as they have been ravaged by injuries this season.

Feb 2, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Greg Stiemsma (34) looks on in the second half after getting a technical foul against the New Orleans Hornets at Target Center. The Timberwolves 115-86 Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Wolves have been shopping Luke Ridnour, according to Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com, but the Knicks, like the Wolves, seem set at point guard. The Wolves’ most glaring need is at the 2-guard position, and while shooting guard Iman Shumpert’s name has been linked to the Suns, it doesn’t seem like Minnesota would have enough to offer back for the Knicks to part with the second-year guard.

One guy I could see making sense for the Knicks is Minnesota backup center Greg Stiemsma, who would add some size to the Knicks bench and also adds toughness and defense. Stiemsma is only making $2.575 million this season, which makes a deal possible.

Both teams have the maximum of 15 guaranteed contracts so there isn’t much flexibility on either side. In addition, the Knicks are taxpaying team while the Timberwolves are well below the tax line. That could play a role, but with the Knicks in contention, it is doubtful they are just trying to dump salary and the ‘Wolves likely won’t want to take a lot of money back since they are looking forward to next season.

One interesting note is that the Knicks did have interest in big man Lou Amundson, whom the Wolves just waived.

We will keep you up to date if these talks progress.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

The New York Knicks haven’t been involved in many trade rumors, but they have been linked to Minnesota Timberwolves forward Lou Amundson.

Nov 4, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Lou Amundson (17) against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Timberwolves 105-86. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN 1500’s Darren Wolfson reported on Feb. 1 that both the Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers were interested in bringing in Amundson, who is likely on his way out of Minnesota in the not-so-distant future.

Amundson makes sense as the Knicks could use another big body with both Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby out with injury. The UNLV product is also someone that interests the Knicks as they had interest in him during the offseason.

However, there should be no chance the Knicks give up anything to acquire him. Once the ‘Wolves get healthy, Amundson could find himself out of a job, so it would make much more sense for the Knicks to sign him as a free agent, rather than give up something for him, though the price would be cheap, likely only a second round pick.

But the major problem is that the Knicks can’t make a move right now.

They have the maximum of 15 guaranteed contracts so they would have to release a player and eat the money before signing anyone.

The likely scenario is that the Knicks wait on Wallace and Camby, but the problem with waiting is that the team needs another frontcourt player with size right now.

Amundson isn’t a sexy pickup, but without trade assets, which the Knicks do not have, if they do add to the current roster, it will be a player like that.

He would be a guy that could come in and rebound and play defense, which is all the Knicks really need right now. In addition and maybe more importantly, Amundson would simply be an insurance policy in case of injury and the Knicks have had plenty of injuries.

He is a player with playoff experience, playing in all 60 of Indiana’s games last season, averaging 12.6 minutes per contest.

However while Amundson is a guy to keep an eye on, there is no real hurry to add to this roster and it would be doubtful if the Knicks make a serious push at bringing him in right now.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Dec 20, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love (42) drives to the basket in the second half past Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) Thunder at Target Center. The Timberwolves won 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Love is out with what the ‘Wolves are calling an eye injury.

In Minnesota’s win over Oklahoma City on Thursday, Love grabbed a offensive rebound late in the fourth quarter

was inadvertently poked in the eye in the process. While Love attempted to grab the rebound against three smaller Thunder defenders, he was fouled on the play by Reggie Jackson and poked in the left eye by former UCLA teammate Russell Westbrook.

After the game, he told reporters he wasn’t sure how severe the eye injury was but he was going to have it checked out by the team’s training and medical staff shortly after. Minnesota’s PR department confirmed that Love wouldn’t play against the Knicks.

#Twolves @kevinlove did not practice today because of an eye injury sustained vs OKC. Will not make the trip to New York.

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) December 22, 2012

That is huge news for the Knicks, who aren’t a very good rebounding team to begin with.

While I love to watch Love play, I definitely didn’t want to see another 30-30 type of game from him against the Knicks.

Minnesota head coach Rick Adelman hasn’t named a replacement in the starting lineup for Love but his two options are pretty much Dante Cunningham and Derrick Williams. Cunningham has one start in Love’s place this season and Williams has started nine games this season.

Love has missed 10 games so far this season due to a broken hand, the flu, and now his eye injury. The Wolves are 6-4 in games without Love and 7-7 when he does play.

Minnesota has been the most banged up team in the NBA this season, but won’t get any sympathy from the Knicks, who have had to deal with plenty of injuries of their own.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Whether you’re a seasoned vet or a fantasy novice, the early season rust should be starting to wear off and now is the time to start making moves!

In competitive leagues many of the prized free agents may have been snatched up, but there is still always room to make speculative adds, stashes and maybe hop on players that another owner wasn’t willing to ride out a cold streak with.

Here is a look at some of those type of players and as always, the players I feature are owned in less than 60 percent of ESPN and Yahoo! leagues, respectively.

Dec 15, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Alexey Shved (1) shoots during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at the Target Center. The Wolves defeated the Mavericks 114-106 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Alexey Shved (SG/PG-Timberwolves):  The rookie Russian import hit stateside without much fanfare, but had since etched a niche in Minnesota’s rotation.  Given playing time while the team was waiting for Ricky Rubio’s return from knee surgery, he has outshined guards J.J. Barea and Malcom Lee, and at times, Luke Ridnour as well.

Over his last seven games he has averaged 12.8 PPG while playing over 28 minutes in all but two of them.  His per game averages of 2.3 3-pointers, 1.6 steals and 4.6 assists during that stretch is a good example of how he can help you in many categories.  He was inserted into the starting lineup this weekend with Rubio’s return and should stay there even when Rubio’s minutes are back to normal.  In his second game starting he played a career high 44 minutes and scored 18 points.  Coach Rick Adelman likes his athleticism and youth and Minnesota has a glut of guards, meaning someone like Barea or Ridnour could be a likely trade candidate, which would make his value skyrocket even more.  Get him while you can.  (9.5% owned in ESPN, 18% Yahoo!)

Jarrett Jack (PG/SG-Warriors):  The Golden State Warriors have to be one of the biggest surprises of the season.  After winning 11 of their last 15 games, the Bad Boys from the Bay are now a robust 16-8.  Much of their early season success can be accredited in part to the well-rounded play lately of veteran guard Jarrett Jack.

When given minutes, the Georgia Tech product has proven he can fill up the stat sheet.  Playing a career-high in minutes with New Orleans last year, he put up 15.6 points, 6.3 assists, 3.9 boards and almost three free-throws made per game (at 87%).  While it took coach Mark Jackson a few weeks to integrate him fully into the rotation, he has since seen starter’s minutes even as a sub.  He has averaged 30 min/per over the past seven games while averaging 12.1 points, 5.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds.

Never known for his defensive prowess or his 3-point shooting, he has used the attention put on Stephen Curry and David Lee to reel in stats in both categories.  Career averages of 0.8 steals and 0.7 3’s are nothing to brag about, especially for a guard, but he has hit on 1.4 treys and had 1.3 swipes per game over the past  seven.  Now is the time to take him off the waiver wire before another owner is getting the last laugh with this “Jack” of all trades.  (45% owned in ESPN, 35% Yahoo!)

Dec 12, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal (3) leads the fast break against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Bradley Beal (SG-Wizards):  Many NBA experts questioned Washington’s use of the third overall pick to draft the University of Florida freshman.  While the raw talent was there, having only played in one college season there wasn’t a lot to go on.  His numbers weren’t eye-popping and his shooting efficiencies weren’t amazing, plus he had analysts comparing him on a daily basis to all-time 3-point king Ray Allen.  That’s a tough act to follow for any basketball player, let alone a first year player.

While he’s years away from “Ray Ray status”, he has made great strides in his first couple months in The Association.  In November he scored 11.2 PPG and shot a paltry 34 percent from the field to go along with 1.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game.  While he didn’t excel in those areas, he had his 3-point and free-throw shooting going, which would be a good sign of things to come.  He was making 1.4 long balls a night to go along with very accurate free throw shooting for a 19-year old (85%).  While those aren’t great all-around numbers, they’re not awful for a still very raw player being thrown to the wolves.  That was November…then came December.

In the beginning of the month Wizards’ starting point guard A.J. Price fractured his finger and Beal was teamed with Jordan Crawford in a much faster and offensively-friendly starting backcourt.  In seven December games he has averaged 14.7 PPG on a much-improved 39 percent shooting, which is significant because he is actually attempting 0.5 more 3-pointers a game.  He’s averaging 1.7 more assists per contest and turning the ball over even less than in November which sheds a light on his passing skills.

Beal’s rebounds have improved by 0.8 and he is now over a steal per game in the month.  While franchise player John Wall’s return dates have been all over the place (some say next week, some say February), Price had been given a 4-6 week timetable on Dec. 8.  Coach Randy Wittman prefers to play Crawford off the bench for his scoring punch, so even when either of those aforementioned injured players return, Beal should remain in the starting lineup.  The Wizards are going nowhere fast and have no reason not to give Beal a long look, so you should, too.  (51% owned in ESPN, 58% Yahoo!)

You can find me on Twitter: @SethDaSportsMan

April 16, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; NBA commissioner David Stern at press conference announcing ownership to Tom Benson and the awarding of the 2014 All Star game to the city of New Orleans at the New Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Surprisingly, Stern denied it (we had all been expecting him to fess up to a rigged lottery, after all).

Stern replied, “I have two answers to that. I’ll give you the easy one: no. And a statement: shame on you for asking.” Stern, evidently (somewhat reasonably) offended by the question, continued, “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” Rome and Stern debated the topic, with Rome pointing to the large number of people that believe the lottery is fixed, while Stern defended the league, essentially saying they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“I think if [the number one pick] had gone to Michael Jordan [and the Charlotte Bobcats]… people would have said, ‘Oh, David’s taking care of his friend Michael’”, Stern argued. “If it had gone to Brooklyn, which is going into Barclay Center, it would’ve been fair to speculate, I suppose, that we want to take Brooklyn off of the mat. So there was no winning.”

Stern makes a point that an argument could always be made that the lottery is fixed no matter who wins. However, this year, the Bobcats were by far the worst team in the NBA, and people were expecting them to receive the number one pick. Instead, when it went to New Orleans, a team that lost its superstar in Chris Paul this year, and had just been bought from the league. The year before, the Minnesota Timberwolves had the worst record in the league, but the Cleveland Cavaliers were awarded the number one pick, the year after they were snubbed by LeBron James.

Of course, there have been other theories that the draft has been fixed, but there also have been other years where the team that won the number one pick wasn’t all that surprisingly.

Stern said the idea is brought up as a cheap trick for media outlets to get an audience, and said Rome has made a living out of it. Rome took offense to the statement, and the interview ended shortly after with an awkward exchange of goodbyes.

Hottest Seats:

(more…)

Before Darko came to the Knicks last season, he worked on his "Blue Steel" look. This summer he decided instead to work on his game. Turns out that was more useful. Go figure.

Former bench boy Knick Darko Milicic returned to New York with his new team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, hoping to issue another beat down.  Antony Marino had this to say about it:

Just sixty minutes before one of the great disasters in American aviation history, the New York Knicks—victorious in nine out of ten games—prepared for payback against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Whether it is more obviously absurd that the Knicks had accomplished this brilliant feat or that any NBA team should have to avenge a loss to the hapless Wolves, I cannot say. Nevertheless, it was sure to be a winnable game, and with the soft underbelly of the 2010 schedule fading fast, it was a game the Knicks had to have.

(more…)

Learn the Facts and Fiction behind the Knicks' failure, including the true key factor that took Kevin Love's game to the next level (nope, it wasn't his scoring or his rebounding). (Source: Yardbarker.com)

The Knicks’ slow start to the season seemed ripe for a turnaround over the weekend since they’d be playing against two teams (the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets) that had only won two games each and had both looked pretty dang crappy so far.  The Twolves had lost their two starting point guards (Luke Ridnour and Jonny Flynn) to injury, plus for some reason coach Kurt Rambis had been refusing to play his best player (Kevin Love) for more than 24 minutes.

Meanwhile, the Rockets were struggling to form an identity with franchise player Yao Ming not playing in back-to-back games and only appearing in limited minutes.  Were they a group that played through the post in a slow-it-down half court approach, or a jump shooting squad?  With them also losing their starting point guard (Aaron Brooks) and their backup point (Kyle Lowry) having only played one game since returning from back injury, we couldn’t have wished for better set-ups.  On Friday night, the Knicks were up 21 points on the Twolves and it looked like everything would work out.  Less than 48 hours later it had become clear we are in serious crisis mode.

This being New York, of course, utter despair has kicked in, boos have been bombarded, and every little thing has been declared as “the problem.”  No doubt we have many issues, but let’s separate the Fact from the Fiction:

1.  Poor Defense – Fiction

(more…)

Kobe bites his shirt! Does that mean he's worried the Lakers won't be on top this year? Nah, probably he just forgot to eat dinner. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

With the season beginning tonight, it’s time to rank how strong all the teams are at this point.  This isn’t who will be strongest at the end of the season or who will have the best regular season.  This measures how strong each team is right NOW.  If a team engaged in a seven game series today with any of the teams listed below them, I’m saying they’d win.  So yeah, injuries count big time.  And chemistry.  And like, how good they are.  It’s basically a highly complex formula that you mere mortals wouldn’t understand.  Either that or it’s all based on pure opinion.

1. Los Angeles Lakers — Even with the recovering Kobe shooting 28% this pre-season they’d still beat everyone.  Hell, he only shot 24% in Game 7 of Finals.

(more…)

Maybe Darko Milicic (R, shooting over Pau Gasol) finally gained the maturity to succeed this year. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

While some speculated that Darko Milicic, the former glued-to-the-bench Knick traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves last year, would seek revenge in last night’s game, instead he showed maturity, acknowledging he was the problem, not Coach Mike D’Antoni.  As the New York Post reported, he even gave helpful advice to the Knicks’ new Russian center Timofey Mozgov:

The Knicks may've lost to the TWolves, but Wilson Chandler may've proved his worth after his lackluster training camp performance. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Playing in Paris, the new-look Knicks’ first game against a NBA opponent, resulted in them coming in second place to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, 106-100.  Many people (including yours truly) feel that this year the TWolves could be the worst team in the league, so it ain’t a great sign that we lost to ‘em.  Still, as it is pre-season, just as one can’t read too much into our win on Monday against Milan, neither can ya read too much into a loss here.  Then again, we’ve got nuthin’ better to do, so let’s voice our concerns, knowing full well that by the next game they may be obsolete.

Except for the rooks (oh, and all the healthy players got minutes today), pretty much everyone else looked worse than in the first game.  Amar’e Stoudemire managed only 11 points on 36% shooting.  Will that bring back out all the nay-sayers who said he’d struggle without Steve Nash giving him easy feeds.  I hope not.  Two games does not a sample size make.

The turnovers were lower (19) than last game, but still not low enough.  The two other main issues I brought up also came back to haunt us in this outing:

(more…)

When discussing coaches on the hot seat, consider Don Nelson's butt on fire. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

In the first part, we looked at the coaches in good positions, but today we look at the ones in bad and ugly situations.  We went over those who were Bulletproof, 95% Bulletproof (aka Impervious), Pretty Safe and Fairly Safe.  Note that this is NOT about which coaches are good or bad, simply what the chances are that they get fired during the season.

Maybe Safe… Um, Maybe Not:

Jim O’Brien – Pacers: They’ve been mediocre for several years now and Bird hasn’t fired O’Brien yet.  Although the addition of new exciting young point guard Darren Collison gives hope for the future, there’s no reason to expect this team to be any better this season without a halfway decent power forward, so unless the team’s significantly worse than last year, O’Brien should make it through the season.

(more…)

Worst GM in Professional Sports

In a recent newspaper ad the Timberwolves front office took out a full-page ad in the monday edition of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Only David Kahn would find humor in all the awful moves he’s made since he’s taken over and admit to the Timberwolve faithful they’re not going to contend this upcoming season.

(more…)

Many view Kevin Durant as the Second Coming. We see him and the Thunder more likely coming Third through Sixth. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

On Wednesday we discussed what the Eastern Conference Playoff picture looks like, and today we go west, young man.  We’d already previously examined how much teams improved/regressed during the off-season, but now we’re talking about how they stack up against each other.  Meaning, we gave Orlando a zero for their summer and the Wizards a +2, but now we’re here to tell you that yes, of course Orlando is still gonna be far better.  For those who haven’t seen those posts on off-season grades, click the following links to see what we had to say about the Northwest, Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Pacific and Southwest Divisions.  Also, we’re only gonna be talking about the regular season here.  So even though we don’t think the Celts will be a top two team record-wise, it doesn’t mean we think they’re incapable of making it through the gauntlet again.  Lastly, some teams will be put in clusters ‘cuz they’ll likely end up with similar records and what does a victory or two here and there matter amongst friends?

#1 – Lakers

(more…)

Will Al Jefferson replacing Carlos Boozer on the Utah Jazz be an upgrade or downgrade? (source: Yarbarker.com)

In this final chapter of our series we’ll be finishing up with the teams of the Northwest: Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz.  For the first five parts, check out our reviews for the Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Pacific and Southwest Divisions.  Once again, for the newcomers, here are the rules:

(more…)

Evaluating players before the draft is not easy, but at least you know who you are talking about. Predicting who is going to get picked when is harder. Everyone has their own ranking system, but the big question is whether a team is going to pick the best player available or pick the player who best addresses the team’s needs.

The other question is, what on earth was that GM thinking? The most recent “what was he thinking” award goes to the Minnesota Timberwolves, for using the 5th and 6th draft picks on point guards (Jonny Flynn and Ricky Rubio), followed by having one of them (Rubio) make noises that he would never play for the Wolves, and creating a situation where the other, Flynn, felt unsure of the team’s commitment to him, and for good reason.

So for me to say who will make which pick is guesswork, because every year there are inexplicable decisions made, and there are players drafted in the top 20 whose name you hear when he is selected, but then never again. Comparing mock drafts, I have seen players’ names move twenty spots or more.

Mostly, I’m seeing mocks that describe players, not why they will be picked or what the team is thinking. I already wrote about the players likely to be drafted in the first round, so instead, lets’ discuss what the team should do, not what they will do, because many teams have a weird tendency to pick the same type of player over and over regardless of the results. (Lakers trying to find a point guard, Bulls drafting post players, Houston drafting 3’s, Warriors drafting skilled bigs, etc.) Redundancy makes sense for some teams, but for others it’s stupid. I’ll take those case by case.
(more…)

Don't let Oakley's refined dapper look fool you: He ain't someone with whom ya wanna get into a feud. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Inspired by Quentin Richardson and Paul Pierce’s recent war of words, SB Nation put together a fun little Haters’ Guide On NBA Feuds in recent years.  Amongst the list:

Charles Oakley and Tyrone Hill

Easily the most hilarious of any NBA feuds and a good lesson to all of us. After Sixers’ forward Tyrone Hill failed to pay a gambling debt of $54,000, then-Raptor Charles Oakley waded into the 76ers shootaround in Toronto and pegged a basketball at Hill, nailing him right in the head. Pretty insane, right? Charles Oakley showing up out of nowhere, no doubt spewing expletives, and probably throwing multiple basketballs at Hill (no way he hit him on the first shot).

[...] Oh, and what’s the lesson? DO NOT. MESS. WITH OAK.

——————-

(more…)

And New Yorkers are buying into this hook, line & worm (why is it supposed to be sinker — I mean when a fish really falls for it he goes after the worm, much like an alcoholic with a bottle of tequila).  Darren Rovell who discuses the business side of sports tweeted yesterday that “Knicks 2010/11 tickets went on presale last Thursday. They’re on record pace, having sold 770 new tickets so far.”  Record pace???  Do fans realize we haven’t signed ANYONE yet?  If we end up looking like we’re gonna suck, even one-legged Tracy McGrady will look to leave town.  So this is a two-part look at what to realistically expect.  Part II will be sometime next week.

Let’s look at this first based on the available teams.  First, here are the ones who’ll be competing for poaching rights:

New York Knicks: $18.64 million in 2010-11 payroll
Miami Heat: $26.07 million in 2010-11 payroll
New Jersey Nets: $26.63 million in 2010-11 payroll
Chicago Bulls: $31.85 million in 2010-11 payroll
Los Angeles Clippers: $33.53 million in 2010-11 payroll

Sacramento Kings: $34.0 million in 2010-11 payroll

The Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves could also conceivably get in on the bidding, but they seem unlikely to join the chase.  I doubt Sacramento will even seriously look into trying to grab a big name and instead will prefer to build up a bit more from the ground up through draft picks.  It’s also kinda erroneous to list Miami as only having about $26 million.  Well, first the reason I list them even that low is ‘cuz I assume there’s no way they pick up James Jones’ $4.6 million option.  However, what makes them even lower is that their payroll includes Dwayne Wade’s $17.15 million contract that he’s said he’s gonna opt out of.  In other words, they’ll have less than $10 million in committed contracts!  So they could pay a max salary to both Wade & LeBron and still have say $10 million to offer to say Carlos Boozer.

Next let’s look at what each of the five teams has to offer (I’m excluding Sac).

The Knicks:

1. the second most cap space (after Miami),

2. the mass market of New York to provide much richer endorsement deals and better national exposure,

3. Perhaps the allure of playing at Madison Square Garden, aka “The Mecca of Basketball”,

4. An open and willing wallet (& now a well-respected GM in Donnie Walsh to make you feel they’ll spend wisely),

5. Coach Mike D’Antoni has a good rep as a “player’s coach” and as an assistant coach on Team USA he’s actually worked with most of these guys before.

Cons: 1. David Lee could likely be gone, meaning they’d be coming to a team with literally only Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler (oh yeah, plus Eddy Curry in the trainer’s room),

2. Perhaps a feeling that you’d have to sorta start from nothing.

The Heat:

1.For Wade it’s the only team he’s known(&he’d get more $), and for others it might feel less risky to jump with someone else to a brand new team rather than to join someone on their current team,

2. No income taxes in Florida,

3. Perhaps Pat Riley?,

4. A solid young player in Michael Beasley, and

5. The weather (& yes, that is a real factor for players).

Cons: 1.For some players it might actually be less appealing to join “Wade’s team” rather than go with him to a new place where it could be “our team” (kinda like how it’s usually better for a young couple to move into a new place rather than say just the gal moving into the guy’s place ‘cuz then it’ll always feel like “his place.”),

2.The fact that the Heat/Riley haven’t really looked for help for Wade since the championship year might make some concerned (including Wade) that this isn’t a franchise that will do whatever it takes to win the trophy.

The Nets:

1. Jay-Z is part-owner (& you bet that’s a factor for this hip-hop idolizing generation),

2. Will be moving to Brooklyn, giving it that New York mass market appeal, plus a chance to sorta “recreate” this franchise from the ground up in this new location,

3. Potentially a stud rookie (like John Wall),

4. Some decent players in the spots that are often toughest to fill: Brook Lopez at center and Devin Harris at point.

Cons: 1. They will be coming off a season where they were either the historically worst team ever or darn close to it,

2. It’ll be at least one year, if not two or more, until the team does actually make it to Brooklyn and the crowds ain’t been stellar in Jersey,

3.Uninspiring coach and front office,

4. If the NY angle is exciting, why wouldn’t ya just go to the Knicks?

The Bulls:

1.A chance to play alongside a franchise player in Derrick Rose, as well as solid pieces like Joakim Noah and Luol Deng,

2. Get to play in the house that Jordan built,

3. For Wade a chance to go home,

4.Good media market and good city.

Cons: 1. You’re playing in the house that Jordan built so you’ll likely always be second in the city’s heart to him,

2.Not enough $ to get a second max player so you’d have to feel that the addition of you alone can turn this team into a contender,

3. Questionable coach in Vinny Del Negro, and a timid front office that’s proven to be afraid to go all in (like by refusing to give up Luol Deng for Pau Gasol).

The Clippers:

1.Best nucleus of players with Baron Davis at point, potential all-star second-year player Eric Gordon at shooting guard, Blake Griffin at power forward, and Chris Kaman at center.  Throw in LeBron James at small forward and they could be contenders ‘cuz you could make a legit argument that the Clips would be stronger at every position than the Cavs supporting cast,

2. The huge market of Los Angeles,

3. The warm weather and Hollywood connections/glamor of LA,

4. A chance to do the impossible and turn a cursed laughingstock into a champion.  Even Jordan couldn’t have saved the Clips,

5. The chance to out-do Kobe Bryant in his own arena.

Cons: 1. It’s the Clippers,

2. Cheapskate owner Donald T. Sterling, so basically what you see is what you get — don’t expect any help walking through that door,

3.The injury curse — Wade gets hurt enough as it is, if he joined the Clips his torso would probably fall off his legs,

4. It’s Kobe’s arena and it’s a Laker town, even LeBron bringing the Clips three championships in a row still might not catapult him and the team to town favorite,

5. It’s the Clippers.

–To Be Filed Under “And You Thought Jordan Hill Was A Bad Draft Pick”

When Brandon Jennings, the #10 pick in this last year’s draft, started showing he’s fo’ real, everyone bitched about the Knicks not snagging him with their #8 pick.  ‘Course that means 9 other teams passed on him too, so it’s not like NYC was the only one who misjudged him.  And with #1 pick Blake Griffin injured and unable to play a single minute this season, really the only two higher picks who’ve been clearly better are Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry.  Others like James Harden and Jonny Flynn have been solid, and word is that Minnesota Timberwolves’ pick Ricky Rubio has been phenomenal  …playing over in Europe.  Everyone thought the draft would only produce one stud (Griffin) and the other players would be mediocre.  Instead, they’ve done wildly better than anyone would’ve guessed.  Which only makes it sting more for the Memphis Grizzlies who just sent their #2 pick, Hasheem Thabeet, to the D-League.  While his name is pretty darn fun to say (or even to sing, particularly when you replace the chorus of the Go-Go Girls’ “We Got The Beat” with his name), he will be the highest draft pick EVER sent to the D-League.  The dude is so bad that the Grizz decided to replace him at backup center with Iranian, Hamed Haddadi, who thinks he’s playing something called “net ball.”

–The Last Straw

Newly acquired Dallas Maverick, Caron Butler, has been banned by the NBA league office.  Banned from chewing on straws during games.  Really?  We’ve become so overly concerned about appearances that we’re cracking down on straw chewing?  And for those of you who think “straw chewing” is a euphemism or slang for something, no, it’s literally what it sounds like: Caron likes to sit on the bench and chew on McDonald’s straws.  Since Butler used to play for the Wizards, the Washington Post once did a hard-hitting news piece on this insidious habit:

(more…)

On a more interesting note, Nate Robinson is to sit out tonight’s game, implying that a trade for him could/should be finalized for him this evening.

With a few of them likely to sit out this summer so they don’t injure themselves before they get a new contract (in other words the guys the Knicks would chase after: LeBron, Wade, Bosh, plus A’mare Stoudamire who made the pool too), it does provide some openings.  Not to mention that say a banged up Kobe might need to take the summer off to get his body healthy again.  Of course, included in those free agents-to-be are none other than David Lee, so he himself might have to bow out.  Oh, and another thing in Lee’s favor is that once again the Knicks’ coach Mike D’Antoni will be one of the assistant coaches on the USA team.  It’s always nice having someone on the inside to help plead your case.

Anyway, the remaining invitees include the Denver Nuggets’ Chauncey Billups, LA Lakers’ Lamar Odom, plus a who’s-who of all the young and upcoming players in the NBA according to ESPN: the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant (pretty much a lock to make the final roster since he almost made it last time and he’s only gotten better), Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose,

Minnesota‘s Al Jefferson and Kevin Love; Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo of Memphis; Philadelphia‘s Andre Iguodala; Boston‘s Kendrick Perkins; Indiana‘s Danny Granger; New York‘s David Lee; New Jersey center Brook Lopez; Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook; Portland‘s LaMarcus Aldridge; Charlotte‘s Gerald Wallace; and Clippers guard Eric Gordon.

The Americans will choose a group from the roster to take part in their minicamp in Las Vegas in July. They are expected to play an exhibition game in New York before heading to Turkey for the world championships, which they haven’t won since 1994.

Um, Jared, for a bounce pass you're supposed to bounce the ball on the ground, not your butt...

However, the Knicks seemed fairly disinterested for much of the first half.  Kinda like they’ve looked in general.  One amazing exception was Larry Hughes, who got an early call off the bench and decided to play with energy this time instead of sulking.  He played well enough to get minutes in the second half too, and afterward D’Antoni said that if Hughes keeps playing like that then he’ll keep getting minutes.  Of course the bigger more important question is whether this means Hughes will shave his beard.  Early word says he’s not ready to commit to that just yet.  We’ll keep you on top of this vital news as soon as more information breaks.

Hughes: "One, two, step, kick and... jazz hands!"

(more…)

Wizards' Mike Miller: "Aww yeah, it's white boy versus white boy now!"

We all know David Lee is extreeeeeeemely undersized for a center, but because he hustles, he usually holds his own in the rebounding department.  Plus, even though he’s short, Jarred Jeffries at 6’11″ and Danilo Gallinari at 6’10″ are pretty darn tall for the forward spots, while Wilson Chandler at 6’8″ towers over all SGs.  So they shouldn’t have trouble rebounding.  For the most part, that’s been true.  This weekend teams battered us so badly on the boards that we looked like a little boy jumping for his hat while a tall bully just holds it above his reach.  In Saturday’s loss to the Washington Wizards, 5’9″ Nate Robinson (have we officially moved to calling him 5’9″ instead of 5’8″ like he used to be?  Has he actually grown?), was tied for 3rd for most offensive rebounds.  Meaning he got just as many as Lee, Chandler, and 7’0″ backup Jonathan Bender.  And more than Gallo’s 0 offensive rebounds.

Maybe if we did this with our players they'd get up higher & snag rebounds.

That isn’t meant to single out Gallo, as he actually lead the team in rebounds in that game with 10, so he stepped up his game in that department.  However, when you see that we shot 44.7% versus the Wizards’ nearly identical 44.9%, yet we got to the free throw line more, getting 14 points to their 7, it would seem like we shouldn’t have lost by 10 points.  (Side note: even though we did get 7 extra points at the line, we should’ve gotten even more as the team shot a miserable 63% from the charity stripe, highlighted by Jeffries’ 1-for-5 showing.)  So what was the big difference, the Short White Boy asks rhetorically because he already told you what this was all about?  Rebounding.  We was outrebounded 59-40 by the Wiz.  They had 24 grabs on the offensive glass, meaning, yes, 24 extra shots.  Against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday our boardwork was even worse: we were outrebounded 58-36.

(more…)

For the Knicks I don’t usually examine teams in a position-by-position analysis since the team does a lot of switching, swarming and zoning, very rarely leaving one guy isolated to play D against another one.  So for instance, we don’t have any good low-post defenders, meaning Big Al should kill us, but in the last game we double-teamed him whenever he got it.  That said, I think the Wolves’ weakest spot is SF where they’ve rotated Gomes and Damien Wilkins and haven’t gotten the consistency they’d like.  Earlier in the year I would’ve said SG ‘cuz Corey Brewer was defending great but was an offensive liability.  Now he’s huge on both sides of the court.

As I mentioned, in single-coverage, we can’t contain Al Jefferson.  Jonny Flynn also would be too much for Duhon to handle, but for the most part we’ll probably have Jared Jeffries on him instead.  He kept backing off Flynn, daring him to shoot a jump shot.  If Flynn doesn’t take at least a few of those to keep Jeffries honest, he’ll have a tough night again.

Positions are almost irrelevant for the Knicks since they switch so much and use such unusual matches, like having Jeffries often cover the point guard.  We tend to not post up normal sized SGs, so we don’t gain any advantage there, but if a team does choose to play like 2 PGs then we will post-up.  Defensively, when going up against a Kobe-type, we just double, so again it don’t really matter that whoever is considered SG doesn’t have the lateral speed.  The big general disadvantage is that besides Jeffries, we don’t have great individual defenders, which is why we have to resort to such a chaotic D (which can kill us if the other team has good outside shooters).

The Knicks have played so poorly of late (except for that game), that if anything I’m less confident.  Teams sometimes get more pumped for better teams, so if the Knicks even slightly think they can take the Wolves for granted…  well, we ain’t playing well enough to do that and we’ll get shellacked.

See above.

6. What is your prediction for the game?

The Wolves will get a solid 10-point lead early on.  The Knicks will climb back up at some point.  Will they have enough energy to then take the lead too?  I dunno.  But I gotta put my sunglasses on and say in the end it’ll be a beautiful sunshiney day & we’ll win.

A few question unrelated to the game

1. Was David lee the biggest snub?

No, I think Josh Smith was.  But Lee’s second.

2. Are both Lee and Nate Robinson gone after this season?

Sadly, I think so.

3. Scale of 1-10 how much do you miss Isiah Thomas?

On a scale of 1 to 10 I’d say I miss Mr. Thomas about a negative infinity.  Plus or minus two.

]]> http://bucketsoverbroadway.com/2010/01/31/thoughts-on-todays-knickswolves-game/feed/ 0 http://bucketsoverbroadway.com/2010/01/27/knicks-choose-the-right-side-in-a-blowout-against-minnesota/ http://bucketsoverbroadway.com/2010/01/27/knicks-choose-the-right-side-in-a-blowout-against-minnesota/#comments Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:52:52 +0000 Alex David, aka Short White Boy http://bucketsoverbroadway.com/?p=348 After being severely, and historically, whupped by Dallas by 50 points the other day, last night the Knicks came out determined to show their stuff and won by nearly 30 points.  Jared Jeffries got the team off on the right note.  The first two times Minnesota tried to bring it up court, the 6’11″ Jeffries [...]

Knicks Choose The Right Side In A Blowout Against Minnesota - Buckets Over Broadway - Buckets Over Broadway - A New York Knicks Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

]]>

David Lee: "Gimme that ball, Kevin Love! I'll show you how a real white boy plays!"

After being severely, and historically, whupped by Dallas by 50 points the other day, last night the Knicks came out determined to show their stuff and won by nearly 30 points.  Jared Jeffries got the team off on the right note.  The first two times Minnesota tried to bring it up court, the 6’11″ Jeffries stole it from the Timberwolves’ maybe 6″ point guard, Jonny Flynn, before he even made it across half-court.  Both resulted in baskets.  Flynn, who played in Syracuse last year and was part of an epic 6-OT extravaganza, was darn psyched to play in NYC for the first time.  Unfortunately for him, the Knicks’ gambit of covering him with Jeffries worked wonders.  The kid is darn quick, but he clearly doesn’t trust his jumper.  Whenever he started to drive, Jeffries would back further and further up, often leaving Flynn open enough to shoot a jumper from as close as the free-throw line.  Flynn never stopped and shot it.  Instead he had 6 turnovers in just 25 minutes.

(more…)

]]> http://bucketsoverbroadway.com/2010/01/27/knicks-choose-the-right-side-in-a-blowout-against-minnesota/feed/ 0