Posted by KnickerBlogger:

I don't think I've ever seen him play. But there is one thing I'm sure about him, the kid can rebound. [url=http://www.knickerblogger.net/stats/p40_Bobcats.htm]14.8REB/40mins [/url]- That's 2 more than Nazr, 3 more than KT. With 4.4OREBs/40, hes as good as Okafor or Nazr. His fouls are high (6.5), but he would lead the Knicks in blocks/min (2.1BLK/40).

The Knicks would be crazy not to attempt to sign this guy. He's cheap, big, atheltic, young, and a better prospect than Sundov or Baker. He sounds like a poor man's Ben Wallace.

OTOH, I have to wonder why the Bobcats would cut this guy. They claim it's due to injury, but that doesn't seem to be enough considering his talent and their needs.

This is the kind of guy that if you can bring him in, get him straight, and make him useful, is the sign of a good coach/GM.

A guy like that, you have to give 3-4 years to develop. he can PLAY now and it would be VERY interesting to be able to give him extended minutes at C for 4-5 games late in the year.

here is the problem with all of these underclassmen. While some of them have been absolute superstars, there have been a good majority who havent hit that peak.

IMHO, I think that there should be a draft comittee that determines if a kid is physically ready to play, because in the few cases, you dont want to punish a guy like Lebron James who was physically a man.
If the review panel deems you fit, you can apply for the draft. If not, you required to give a 2 year commitment to a university or you can go give up your amateur status and play overseas. This way, fundamentals will be better, I think there will be more maturity and we can get a little better name recognition and brand marketing from amateur to pros.

I remember him from the game we lost to the Bobcats in Charlotte at the early part of the season. He played really strong against us and I thought to my self that Charlotte had a nice group of young bigs with him and Okafor. I also recall the cornrolls (i'm so tired of that hair style) and the striking facial resemblance to one Ralph Sampson. He can play, however I just don't know what about him would make Charlotte give up on him this early. That's the big question.

If Isiah is in town and knows about this dude, he will definitely give him a chance....He is crazy about Milicic, and that dude has not played as many minutes as this youngin...Looking at this kid physic, he is built like Kwame, but has bigger hands than him...He has Nene's type of body....

We can't get Curry, Kwame, Nene, not even Dalembert. Before the Nets jump on this dude and further solidify their squad, Isiah needs to at least consider adding this dude to this team, especially if he wants to salvage Marburry's career....

After all, we don't want to allow neither the Nets nor Cleveland to add more talents to their arsenald. Imagine Kid with an athletic big man 6'11"/7'???? Instead of waisting money on Vinny/Kurt/and Nazr, we definitely need to take a chance at acquiring this kid....I wonder if the Knicks organization even know about this kid's status

[Edited by - diderotn on 02/09/2005 15:12:56]

Oh man, Sampson need to be a Knick! I have followed this kid due to my involvement with fantasy nba. I don't know what happened to him in Charlotte but dude rebounds and blocks with whatever mins he was given. He was just behind the depth chart of Okafor, Brezec and Ely. Knicks should absolutely pick him up off waivers.

Look at this dude lower extremity!! If he develops a good work ethic, and spend time in the gym building his arms, back, and chest, he will be a monster....Karl Malone or Webber type of body structure, except that this kid has a much stronger looking lower extremety, calves to be exact.....

Phil Jasner | Wonder what Sixers' future holds?


THIS ONE'S not up on eBay, or in any other marketplace: It's just me, after 49 lengths of the 76ers' 82-game marathon, asking some relevant questions:

Q What's the price of a record good enough to win an Atlantic Division title and maybe a round or two of the NBA playoffs?

A Maybe too high. The e-mail and call-in armies might screech that doing nothing is exactly what the Sixers shouldn't do, but there could be some firm logic involved.

Witness the transformation of the Washington Wizards, who were not only shorthanded but also seemingly baffled by new coach Eddie Jordan's Princeton-style offense. General manager Ernie Grunfeld plugged in Antawn Jamison, who turned out to be not only a catalyst for growth, but also an All-Star.

Some in the front office believe that their players need a full season in Jim O'Brien's system, and that with the continuing development of Samuel Dalembert, Kyle Korver, Willie Green and Andre Iguodala, and the infusion of a significant player or two next season, they can become a legitimate Eastern contender.

Q But why not pull the trigger now, giving themselves an opportunity to win another handful of games? That's all it would really take to win this sorry division. And wouldn't some additional success benefit the young core of the team?

A Not if it means taking back a player who has, for argument's sake, another year and $10 million to $15 million on his existing contract. Sixers president/general manager Billy King firmly believes he can re-sign Dalembert, Korver and Green. But if he's hamstrung by an additional contract, he wouldn't be in position to pursue anyone really helpful in the free agency/trade market in the offseason.

That was why Toronto's Donyell Marshall appealed to the Sixers. Marshall is a top-eight rotation-quality forward, possibly even a starter, with an expiring contract worth roughly $5.3 million. But King was blocked in his efforts to consummate a deal because the Raptors reportedly insisted that Jalen Rose (a little less than $14.5 million this season, plus two more at a total of more than $32 million) accompany Marshall in any package.

If that bothered King, think how he felt when the Raptors sent Vince Carter - perhaps you noticed that 43-point explosion against the Sixers Monday night - to New Jersey for the surprisingly minimal price of Eric Williams, Aaron Williams and Alonzo Mourning's contract. Surely, the Sixers could have offered more than that. And sources say Portland general manager John Nash thought he was close to making something happen.

Those same sources indicated that King considered bringing Keith Van Horn (a little less than $14.5 million this season) back from Milwaukee, but couldn't get past the additional year on Van Horn's contract (a player option a little less than $15.7 million).

Q Does that mean King will stand pat for now?

A Not necessarily. I wouldn't be surprised if he did nothing, and I wouldn't be stunned if he made a significant move. For now, he seems to be mulling whether he has any real interest in spare-part forward/center Jamal Sampson, who was waived by the Charlotte Bobcats. At one time, Sampson was considered a nice prospect. It surely couldn't hurt to have an extra big guy at a pro-rated minimum salary, particularly if Brian Skinner remains out of the picture. Trouble is, the Sixers have no roster spot.

Q In the meantime, could it really be that difficult for O'Brien to use Allen Iverson and Willie Green in tandem?

A The real answer seems to be that the problem shouldn't be laid at Green's feet. O'Brien told reporters the other day that over a significant stretch, opponents shot 51 percent when Green and Iverson were on the court together. Iverson leads the league in scoring, an impressive performance in his ninth season, and he still wakes up the crowd with some dazzling steals, but his defense hasn't exactly been spectacular. And, if you hadn't noticed, Green was the first man off the bench against the Grizzlies, contributing eight points and going without a turnover in 13 minutes, helping complement Iverson's 38 points and 10 assists in 45 minutes.

Q OK, one final question. Exactly where are the Sixers heading?

A Maybe to first place in the division, provided that New York doesn't make a blockbuster move and that New Jersey - with Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson eventually returning from the injured list - doesn't catch fire. And winning the Atlantic could qualify as faint praise: The division champion will not have a homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs if the No. 6 team in the conference has a better record.

The ball, then, is firmly, squarely in Billy King's court. The Sixers are slowly coming out from under the radar. The Eagles are finished, the Flyers never got started this season and the Phillies haven't begun yet.

Billy, as any Dukie knows, always was a helluva defender.

The last I heard about this kid is that the NETS and PHILLY are considering bringing him in once he clears waivers. which leads me to believe that Isiah is not interested. What a mistake????? We can't afford to let Philly and the Nets get a chance at this young and talented dude. Isiah needs to reconsider....Especially given that PF/C is our weakness....

Posted by crzymdups:

Anyone hear anything about Sampson around the league? Is he still going through waivers? I wish the Knicks would IL Nazr and take a good long look at this kid.

The team that had him got rid of him, and nobody else has picked him up either.



I have no reason to believe he's worth getting upset over.