I just read this on ESPN and we all might be a little excited on this news.

3. Will Maciej Lampe make 'em pay? He says he will. The Polish Nowitzki can speak five languages but he'd better let his play do the talking when he suits up for the Knicks this summer. He was projected to go as high as No. 5 on draft night but fell a whopping 25 picks when FIBA issued a statement the day of the draft that he had not been cleared to play because a $1.8 million buyout in his contract had not been reconciled. But the matter has been worked out and Maciej will wear No. 30, so he won't forget what happened on draft night. His biggest task will simply be learning the pro game and not getting caught up with trying to be Dirk, his idol, on his first day in class. He'll have to learn the spots in the Knicks' offense where his jumper will come easiest as well as defensive footwork and positioning. In August, he can worry about more important things, like getting his driver's license.

here is the link as well
http://msn.espn.go.com/nba/columns/misc/1577177.html


[Edited by - starks3 on 07/08/2003 00:35:40]

THIS IS WONDERFUL NEWS!!! What number will Frank Williams now wear? But Lampe's HERE!!! ALRIGHT!!!! One down, two to go.

Give the rookies the minutes that are reserved for Doleac and Knight, at least the rooks will have some on the job training!

LOL!

The least of Williams' worries is his number. God knows, he needs to show he's 100% committed to rectifying an inauspicious Knicks rookie season by showing all of us that he's not the reincarnation of Ron Dayne. By IMPRESSING all of us as a result of off season work and conditioning.

I sure hope this ESPN article is correct. The Post and Daily News were not as optimistic.

Come on--- in hindsight, Boozer would have been a fantastic choice... however, if we got Boozer... I'd imagine we'd have had a better record (arguably would have been a playoff team!) and we wouldn't have gotten the same draft picks--- well, we wouldn't have gotten the #9 and #39. The #30 pick was a gift from Denver.

SO... in theory, we still could have gotten Lampe in spite of it all.

Frank Williams was a surefire lottery pick had he left college a season earlier. People were talking him up to be the next Tinsley (then again, is Tinsley really THAT GOOD?!). He's quick, he has long arms, and he's fairly big for a PG. I haven't given up on him quite yet. He has the physical gifts--- but as they like to say, it often takes a few seasons for college PGs to learn the pro system. He could be the next Chauncey Billups, for all we know.

Letting Ward go would give us some cap relief--- but at the same time, if we sign him for a 1 year extension, maybe we'll be able to package him in a trade. A team like the Warriors, Orlando, or Cleveland could use a veteran PG like him (he's a big upgrade over Bimbo Coles, that's for sure!).

technomaster, I hope you're right and your description is accurate. Williams would indeed have been a lottery pick had he come out after his sophomore year. He is quick and I believe he can penetrate... good once the team is in the half court set. After a bad start, I felt Frank was too conservative on the offensive end... and I think Chaney may have kept the reigns on him. Next season, I'd like to see Williams take charge... be more aggressive.

May main concern was his horrible ball handling... Other teams were full court pressing him due to this horrible reputation of not being able to do the simple task of bring the ball up the court.

That being said, I haven't given up on Frank either... and my RON DAYNE comparison was a LOW BLOW... to Williams. (hear that nybocker?)



[Edited by - Pike on 07/08/2003 11:55:00]

That being said, I haven't given up on Frank either... and my RON DAYNE comparison was a LOW BLOW... to Williams. (hear that nybocker?)

C'mon man, give the man some love. On the class of RBs that came out that year Dayne was the only one that had a ProBowler (In my opinion) playing in front of him. I beleive that given a chance he can be an adequate RB. He can probably average 3.5 yards a carry if you give him 28-30 carries a game. He is just stuck in the wrong scheme. He would do wonders in Pitt or even with the Cowgirls.

OK, now my Knicks response.

Frank Williams just does not strike me as a person with good baskeball IQ. He had that confused, scared look bringing the ball down. His shot is suspect and D is just awful. I will give him 1 more year but after that treat him like Dontae Jones and send him as filler to a big trade. Wait, does a Chris Mills trade be classified as big? Oh yeah, Ernie parlayed Mills, Starks and Cummings to Spree. Never mind.

for the Knicks sake I hope you are right.

Ron dayne sucks man , but giants arengoing to be something this year. And this is coming from die hard jets fan.

i'm a laker fan myron and dont forget the yankees.

I don't count bandwagon franchises that so many jump on.

Anybody got a link on any Lampe highlight films?