Posted by BRIGGS:

Posted by Cookdcokehop:

...He is still signed with the Jazz. Dead Thread.

You're wrong. He is a FA and has nothing to do with the Jazz anymore. They did not pick up his third year option. He's a steal for us--it's an easy move if you are in Knicks management--like a free 1st round draft pick. He needs opportunity with a system like this

My bad

Posted by Cosmic:

Briggs is right, given what I dug up and posted, it would seem Almond had a 2 year guaranteed deal, with an additional 2 year team option attached that apparently was not picked up.

As you can see he was obviously injury prone in some manner.

As a SL candidate how can you go wrong? You can't.

As to Allan Houston he had mad hops when he first became a Knick let alone before then. We used to open a number of games with an alley oop to Allan along the right baseline.

He used to block shots. He absolutely EMBARASSED McCrappy one time on a crossover and then yammed on his face.

Until the knees started acting up Allan was a very athletic player.

Allan Houston never had more than 3.5 rebounds in one year and was NEVER a good shot blocker--you sure you have the right player? H2O was just a fair athlete. Morris Almond can get up just as high[probably higher] as Allan did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRD9P3PHaj4

never was a sweeter looking J in all the years i've been watching basketball... Allan was also a pretty underrated passer off the dribble.

The bottom line here is that I agree with a few thoughts made on another thread, thoughts I've been vocal about myself for awhile now -- we're gonna have to start thinking about replacing quite a few perimeter players in this rotation as it's pretty obvious that when certain players' contracts expire, they won't be returning in all likelihood (Mobley never panned out and was forced to retire while guys like Hughes, Q-Rich and probably Harrington are as good as gone after next season). That leaves Chandler (who's a good player but not someone I'm dead set against trading provided the right deal came along) and Nate (who's probably no more than 50/50 to return at the moment). We absolutely need to think a few steps ahead and start thinking now about replacing some of these key rotation guys. Almond is a good call. I agree totally that he's someone you gotta take a long look at - legit 6'6", strong/muscular build, can shoot it from deep or coming off screens along with showing a little post-up ability (Almond uses a quick little step back jumpshot off the post-up that he appears to have down pat). He's always been a good rebounder for a big guard as well. I would've been on the phone with his agent YESTERDAY if I were Donnie Walsh trying to secure him on the summer league roster. YESTERDAY. Despite being in Jerry Sloan's doghouse and not working out in Utah he's still a solid SG prospect with plenty of upside. There was a lot of talk about what H2O did with Wilson Chandler in the gym a short time ago on this board -- well this is a guy H2O can really do something with IMO. First off, Almond and Houston are almost carbon copies of each other to begin with so you know Allan would be right at home working with a guy who has a skill set similar to his own. With Almond's talent already apparent, all Houston needs to do is show him certain things like how to create seperation, how to draw fouls (which he's good at already - this guy lived at the FT line at Rice and in the NBDL) and just how to succeed in the NBA overall. I agree that he does look slightly mechanical in his movements out there but I'm sure Houston would also help this kid improve his fluidity as well. With Houston's help, we could have a major player here. Again, get on the phone now Donnie and work something out - with Almond's potential, it won't be long before someone reaches out to him and offers him a summer league spot. And even if rules say we can't talk to him yet and have to wait until the playoffs are offically over, there's ways to get the message to him that we're interested I'm sure. Make it happen.

Dionte Christmas is another good call. He's got size and is a deadly shooter coming off screens. I saw Temple beat a #7 ranked Tennessee team about halfway through the college season this year and Christmas was the key reason - he just destroyed the Vols down the stretch of that game. He reminded me a lot of Rip Hamilton the way he just kept coming off screens and nailing deep jumper after jumper. He can definitely shoot the ball, no question about it.

In this draft, guys like Harden, Henderson, DeRozan, even a Wayne Ellington after his tournament performance will all probably go too high for us to grab with an "extra pick". But there still will be plenty of quality wing prospects low 1st round all the way into the undrafted pool that I'm interested in. Here are some other econo wings and shooters I'd definitely like the Knicks to consider:

Sam Young - He'll be hard to get with an extra pick in this draft as I personally can't see him slipping past 20. Despite being a little older for a prospect he's everything you could possibly want out of a 2/3 at the next level - he's 6'6"+ and strong as a bull with an NBA-ready body, he plays very good defense, and we've seen his offensive game really develop the last couple of years. He's made himself into a reliable perimeter threat now and he owns one of the most effective perimeter pump fakes in recent memory. Plus he plays tough inside, rebounds the ball well for a wing and he can also run the floor and has more than enough strength, hops and agility to really throw down some acrobatic dunks. Needs to tighten up his handle a little bit but other than that, to me, he's the whole package and should be a very effective player at the next level, a guy who's ready to jump in and start contributing right away. He reminds me of a poor man's Michael Finley mixed with a little Andre Iguodala.

KC Rivers - Gets no buzz but this senior played hardnosed ball and was an effective, steady player for Clemson for a long time. Listed at 6'5", he's got plus size for an NBA 2. He's a lefty rythym shooter that can really pop the deep ball and when he gets hot it's lights out. I've read where his shooting form has been criticized for being awkward and to be honest I just don't see it. His release looks real clean and fluid to me. What seperates him from other 2nd round perimeter talent in this draft is his willingness to play above average man to man defense which was evident everytime I saw him play. Real quick hands and feet on defense, he can really get up and crowd his man. We're not talking Kobe Bryant here, but his solid size & two-way play makes me think he could absolutely be part of some NBA team's 8-10 man rotation. Saw him play many times and came away impressed each time.

Jermaine Taylor - Just going by clips as I can't remember ever seeing him play live - he looks to have a real quick release on the deep ball - looks to have excellent form and the clips I've seen show him continually knocking down deep shoots with guys right in his face. Looks like he possesses a real solid build with adequate size at around 6'4" and it looks like he's got some plus athletic ability as well - a lot of his highlights show him getting out on the break and finishing strong at the rim with some strong dunks off nice takes to the basket and alley-oops.

Jack McClinton - Another guy who gets very little recognition for whatever reason, he's a smaller shooter that can really score the ball. He needs very little room to get his shot off and has legit NBA 3-pt. range. Doesn't have the full array of skills to be a full-time NBA PG but he has enough court awareness and a decent enough handle to play some point, plus he's got a solid frame and is built like a little pitbull. While I agree that most of his offense comes from the perimeter, I disagree with the few critics that say he can't take the ball to basket. I've seen him carve up defenses with his take to the basket, showing more than enough quickness and handle to blow by him man and even split defenders on occassion to get to the rim. If we ever dealt Nate Robinson, I see no reason why he couldn't come in here and basically supply the same thing with the same amount of minutes and responsibilty FOR A LOT CHEAPER. He's definitely at least Eddie House at the next level, probably more Leandro Barbosa/Nate Robinson. He's about 6'1"-6'2" compared to Nate at 5'6"-5'7". I know he can play and I'm dumbfounded that he's not even mentioned on any of the mocks out there.

Jodie Meeks - Physically, he's not as big as a guy like Morris Almond or even Christmas but he probably has enough size to play the 2 in the NBA. Another guy that can shoot it and when he gets hot forget it. Reminds me a little of Jason Terry mixed with a young Tony Delk. He was impressive this year. Can really score the ball in bunches.

AD Vassallo - 4 year man from VA Tech is a suprisingly very smooth player that no one's ever heard of. A deadly outside shooter with good court vision and passing skills. Shows a real high IQ and plays the game with a real grace & savvy. He also has a decent handle and can put it on the deck and get to the rim. Very good size at 6'6". Has elements to his game that remind me of Reggie Theus, and more recently Francisco Garcia. Again, with his size and shooting stroke, I can't believe he's not mentioned on any of the available mock drafts. If he goes undrafted, he's a no-brainer with a summer league invitation.



[Edited by - finestrg on 05-03-2009 12:29 PM]

It's not like Briggs was saying sign the kid to a 30 year contract. He's saying invite him to summer league. I agree with him. Why not?

Knicks would be crazy not to bring Almond in for SL. I think a lot of teams will be looking to do so. I am not entirely convince that the Jazz are done with him even though he is consider a bust by many of their fans. I think there move was cap based as well. He is an upgrade over Roberson. Neither defends at all and basically spot up shooters. Morris had a lot of trouble getting his own shots off from the games I saw him (same problem in college). I know Sloan wasn't his biggest fan because of his defense but with this Knick regime defense takes a backseat.