http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/smith_091019.html

Also in New York, does this one sound familiar? Larry Hughes was 0-for-17 in the preseason before Sunday’s game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. Hughes was one of three Sunday in eight minutes in the game which was delayed when the Maccabi coach was ejected and refused to leave even after a rabbi came out of the stands to ask the referees to allow the coach to stay. Yes, only in New York. I don’t know what the coach said, but, geez, you have to eject an international guy in New York in an exhibition game? I saw this also in China when Danny Granger was ejected. Who else had they come to see? Overall, I think the replacement refs have done OK. But let’s use some logic. It’s still a game for the fans who are paying a lot of money. Hughes, meanwhile, said he’s not worried since, “I’m a proven scorer in this league.” When did we hear that one? Hughes also offered that he doubts former teammate LeBron James will leave the Cavs and for James it’s not about playing in a big market like New York. The Knicks had to love that. The speculation in New York is the Knicks will try to buy out Hughes, who then could return to the Cavs with the Cavs uncertain about the status of Delonte West.

maybe its just fodder or speculation, but he's not a warm and fuzzy guy. He's not defending or doing anything else that resembles good basketball

I was disappointed in this guy. I knew he wasn't going to be a savior or a "Sprewell" but I expected acceptable offense and good defense. We've gotten nothing of the sort and now he is showing why he's a journeyman. He has a poor attitude. It's odd because he is in good shape all the time and he is a skilled player. His mentality is weak and that's why he's a failure.

I doubt we buy him or anyone else out until the last possible minute however. I highly doubt we buy out a guard at this point either.

We all want Curry and Hughes gone but Donnie won't buy them out until the LAST possible second - such as - if Curry can give us 2-3M extra 2010 cap space on a buy out package - it will be done but NOT until the last second that it HAS to be done.

Look how long he held off on Marbury. That should be a good indicator on how he thinks. He doesn't want to be wasteful he wants to try to TRADE every asset he has for more assets. To him simply waiving a player is wasteful. He's right.

And let's look at the facts: We don't have to buy anyone out except Curry. And Curry - again - wouldn't be bought out until mere minutes before a league mandated deadline to do so (so we could get more 2010 cap space with said buyout if you're following me here).

Hughes...expires when we need him to. We might just send him home with a fake injury.
Curry...I'm thinking...is going to get bought out towards the end of the season - at the last moment when you can no longer trade players (You can do trades before and during the draft so Donnie will still cling to hope he can trade Curry I bet).

Curry is owed what - 21M over 2 seasons? I bet he gets offered 8-9M on his 11M 2011 salary at the end of the year and I BET he takes it. Remember, Eddy wanted 8M up front this year and the Knicks gave him 2M up front. You wave another 8-9M in front of his face in June he's taking it and running.

Hughes, meanwhile, there is no reason to buy Larry Hughes out. He's also NEVER going back to the Cavs. In fact he was traded from the Cavs because he was jacking shots while LeBron was standing there twiddling his thumbs on the court. Hughes was killing LeBron's development. The Cavs were Hughes' team not LeBron's and you can bet LeBron had a hand in getting him shipped out.

So, well, there's poor insight in this article. You have to know the players before you can call the game and this author obvious doesn't know Hughes, LeBron, Donnie, and the history within.

Posted by SupremeCommander:

I was really expecting a decent season from him. Oh well, let him go. Who thought trading Tim Thomas would've hurt this much

It didn't in terms of the future. It gave us much needed roster spots!

In terms of team play? Yeah, Tim Thomas is better than he is given credit for. He also is a leader out there especially for the young guys. The fact that he never became a superstar is the sole reason people crap on him. If they'd just accept him for being a 15/5 player he'd be called a great role player, which he happens to be. Oh well...

Damn, Larry seems in decent shape, is still in his prime age wise, and hasnt suffered any major injuries yet his skills have completely eroded. I mean, duke has just fallen off the map.

tim thomas was good for ny but he was instantly hated because i think kvh was lost in the trade for him even though he was an upgrade from kvh. as for hughes he needs to get over whatever he needs to get over he is staring his career in the face and he is a step away from being out of the nba completely, find your bollox man.

He's done for the career. Unless Memphis signs him to pair up with Ai in the backcourt.

Posted by TRU:

Tim Thomas was a good knick. He was a local guy and fit in well here. He had a familiar swagger.

Al Buckets is the same way. Familiar. You grow up here, you just have a natural feel for the tabloids and the ebb and flow of public opinion. And being familiar with the Ewing/Oakley/Starks/Mason/X-man/Harper knicks doesn't hurt either.

If there is ONE THing that I disagree with Donnie on, it's getting rid of Tim Thomas. he's the type of player that would have fit in here, and contributed, well into the 2010s.

I don't know what to say about Larry Hughes. I thought he'd come into camp completely pumped up and ready to play and he'd let his talent dictate the rest. Perhaps he doesn't have any talent anymore, b/c he's been awful, and he doesn't even seem to care. It's very dissapointing.

I did like how Tim Thomas played his second stint here. It was just a bad trade that should have been a lateral trade. At least it didn't really affect us too much.

Hughes doesnt add anything for us. He probably wouldn't warrant anything more than the veteran minimum on the street so we'd probably have to buy out his full value. Which means he may sit around for a while.

Posted by JohnWallace44:

Pretty awesome saying that you're a "proven scorer" when you can't hit the broad side of a barn with your shot.

I don't think he was ever considered a proven scorer. He had that one very good year in Washington, but everywhere else he was either a headcase or an underachiever, including Cleveland.

Don't forget Darko. He isn't the shooter people claim he is, but he brings the defense without a doubt.