NEW YORK KNICKS
Players they might lose: Jermaine Jackson, Bruno Sundov

Players they might pursue: Kwame Brown (R), Antoine Walker, Stromile Swift, Jerome James, Dan Gadzuric (R)

Current cap position: $114.3 million ($64.8 million over the cap)

Analysis: The hottest rumor Thursday night was that the Knicks were targeting Brown and offering to do a sign-and-trade with Washington that would send back Michael Sweetney to the Wizards. It's clear the Knicks still need to get bigger and they also need to thin out the undersized corps of power forwards that they have.

Going after Brown makes a lot of sense for the Knicks. They need to swing for the fences and at the age of 23, Brown still has plenty of untapped potential.

The problem is that playing in New York might not be the best fit for Brown. He probably needs a smaller market with less, not more, attention. He also needs to play in an offense that gives him the ball once in a while. He played with shot-happy guards in Washington and didn't enjoy it. The Knicks may offer the best money, but if Kwame wants to resurrect his career, he should probably do it somewhere else.

Walker is another attractive option for the Knicks.

If the Knicks can't land Brown, Swift would be another good option. Put him on the floor with Channing Frye and the Knicks would be flying up and down the court again. If both guys opt for more money or different environments, James and Gadzuric are serviceable big men who could help clog up the middle.

Tim Thomas doesn't have a future in New York and will likely be traded to a team that wants his expiring contract.

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thanks chad... really going out on a limb here

Posted by fishmike:



Walker is another attractive option for the Knicks.


thanks chad... really going out on a limb here

and we might add . . . thanks, chad, for maintaining your status as a MORON.

Posted by Knixkik:

Chad isn't the best reporter but at least we have an idea what IT is doing. Clearly he's pushing for Kwame Brown. We'll probably see something pop up like Sweetney and JYD for Brown and a second rounder or something, which is fine by me. We need a player with his type of potential and i think he deserves that chance in a different place. It's possible he hasn't developed the last couple years just because of being frustrated with his situation. If that happens i think we see TT shipped out, either for a back up center or in a sign and trade for someone like Swift. The roster we would have would be very young, exciting, and competitive.

C Brown/Frye, Butler
PF Frye/Brown, Swift, Rose, Lee, Taylor
SF Q Rich, Ariza
SG Crawford, Hardaway
PG Marbury, Robinson

Sign me up!

Swift off the bench would give us one heck of a dynamic bench. He'd be a lot more valuable to us that way then as a tweener starting PF. Hope Kwame lives up to potential with a change of scenary and scoring inside with the help of Aguirre, have Frye blocking shots from the weakside!

TT gone!
Penny gone!

Sign Bruce Bowen!

And we're set!!!!!!!

but then again why would Swift sign with us to be a backup. After all these years as a backup in Memphis I'm sure he wants to start. We'll have to settle for Hunter or Gadzuric

[Edited by - gunsnewing on 07/03/2005 18:25:54]

Posted by metra:

But where would be our big big men? Not only height wise, but also width wise? We need a widebody who can post up and defend the big guys on other teams. Someone comparable to Etan Thomas.

David Lee & Malik. The only way we can seriously address every need would be if we traded for Elton Brand. And that ain't happenin! I can live with Lee & Malik for now if we improve the starting frontline

[Edited by - gunsnewing on 07/03/2005 18:34:04]

what we shouldve done? We shouldve offered GS picks 21,30 and SA 06 and Sweetney for pick 9 and 42+ 3mm in cash and would go as far as willing to take back a bad contract of either Foyle or Fischer to draft Bynum and put Bynum and Frye back-back as the cornerstone FC players and I would bet a farthing that Lee is still there at 42 and 54 on Matt Walsh.

So going into next years draft we either have a lottery pick, possibility or we have none, but we have 4 solid young pieces that fit a little better. Then if you have to deal with Jerome James for a year or two, it becomes palatable.

we needed to go for it more.

Posted by BRIGGS:

what we shouldve done? We shouldve offered GS picks 21,30 and SA 06 and Sweetney for pick 9 and 42+ 3mm in cash and would go as far as willing to take back a bad contract of either Foyle or Fischer to draft Bynum and put Bynum and Frye back-back as the cornerstone FC players and I would bet a farthing that Lee is still there at 42 and 54 on Matt Walsh.

So going into next years draft we either have a lottery pick, possibility or we have none, but we have 4 solid young pieces that fit a little better. Then if you have to deal with Jerome James for a year or two, it becomes palatable.

we needed to go for it more.

back to back lottery picks? that would've been very interesting and exciting! and I think you're right we might've been able to get Lee or Taft at worst at 42. either way Dijon would've went to Phoenix at 54 though

Posted by gunsnewing:

but what good is Sweetney when we dont feature him inside which they RARELY did last year? We were too busy standing around and watching TT turn the ball over in the post, forcing him to be the post player he never was and especially now that we have Q.

Thats why our game has to change dramaticaly to last year's. We have many weapons now, we should play a different game. Post up should be part of it now and not only because of Q. Sweetney, even out of shape, proved to have improved his game a lot, and I count on him to be a solid starter next season...

Posted by Knicksfan:

Posted by BRIGGS:

what we shouldve done? We shouldve offered GS picks 21,30 and SA 06 and Sweetney for pick 9 and 42+ 3mm in cash and would go as far as willing to take back a bad contract of either Foyle or Fischer to draft Bynum and put Bynum and Frye back-back as the cornerstone FC players and I would bet a farthing that Lee is still there at 42 and 54 on Matt Walsh.

So going into next years draft we either have a lottery pick, possibility or we have none, but we have 4 solid young pieces that fit a little better. Then if you have to deal with Jerome James for a year or two, it becomes palatable.

we needed to go for it more.

Its about what we should do now, not what we should've. Who tells you for sure that GS, no matter how tempting that deal is, accepts it. So, now that the past is the past, we have to move on and deal with the player we have now...

I agree with this, who is to say that Isiah didn't make this offer? Maybe Golden State was worried Diogu would be gone by 21. And he probably would have been. Can anyone see New Jersey passing on Diogu?

Zeke said he tried to trade up to ten to take Bynum or Green.

I believe the Green part.

Posted by fishmike:

Posted by Rich:

Posted by BRIGGS:

what we shouldve done? We shouldve offered GS picks 21,30 and SA 06 and Sweetney for pick 9 and 42+ 3mm in cash and would go as far as willing to take back a bad contract of either Foyle or Fischer to draft Bynum and put Bynum and Frye back-back as the cornerstone FC players and I would bet a farthing that Lee is still there at 42 and 54 on Matt Walsh.

So going into next years draft we either have a lottery pick, possibility or we have none, but we have 4 solid young pieces that fit a little better. Then if you have to deal with Jerome James for a year or two, it becomes palatable.

we needed to go for it more.

Isiah said he tried to trade up to 10. Do we know what he offered?

good point. Briggs.. you cant really knock Isiah here. we will never know what he offered because its not fair to the player... they just dont do that. He did say he was trying to get the 9 or 10 pick. For Bynum? who knows, but he was trying.

Taking that into consideration I'm pretty happy with what his backup plan turned out to be.

One little scary thing is they liked Nate so much they considered him at 8. I'm assuming thats just posturing, but my god, could you imagine?!?!?!?

I think Isiah tried to trade the 21st pick but was told you can't trade a pick that you don't currently have the rights too. The Suns couldn't trade the draft pick away because it was second consecutive pick they traded. They had to draft the player then trade him. Unless you are telling me that they work it out with GS to trade a pick which they may not have gotten. I think they were trying to trade SA picks.