Well, if it hasn't occurred to all of you just yet that Isiah is serious about building a serious playoff contender, then maybe you should ask around.

Now, with the addition of James, the only spot we're really unsure about is the PF position. There has been alotta talk about a possible S&T for Walker, in which we would most likely take on Blount or Lafrentz in the process, but that simply won't happen, and here's why:


As of right now, we're basically stacked at the 4, with no clear-cut favorite to start there. It's more than likely down to Sweetney and Frye, though, and we could go with the bigger post presence and better rebounder in Sweets or the better Defender and shotblocker in Frye. But why not just obtain Walker in a S&T? I'll tell you why not. Isiah, and the entire city of NY as a matter of fact, have no idea which Jerome James will appear next season. Will we see the 17 and 9 James that showed up in the Sacramento series, or will we get the underachiever that we've come to know and love over the years? The truth is, we just don't know. Without knowing how effective James will be, there's no reason for Isiah to go after Antoine Walker just yet. If James shows up in October, and displays a dominant effort in 25-30 MPG, then Sweetney will be suitable enough to man the PF spot until a better option arises via trade. We have the pieces to land a proven Big Man later on, before the deadline, but there's no reason to jump the gun.

If, however, James struggles in his first few weeks as a Knick, I think Isiah will most definitely look to acquire a legitimite force in the paint.

But why not just pick up Walker anyway, whether or not we know James will come through? Simple. B/c in this day and age, it's no walk in the park to pick up a player of Walker's offensive caliber. He'll cost us more than we should be bargaining for, atleast right now. If Boston holds onto him, and come October, he seems to be the only upgrade at PF that is available, Isiah will more than likely pull the trigger. But there's no way to gage whether Walker is NECESSARY right now. I think Zeke is patient enough to wait this one out, just like he's been for Larry Brown.

All this said, I wouldn't HATE Walker in Orange and Blue. But I'd be skeptical of having 4/5 of your starters all needing the ball to be effective...

I'm still not seeing the connection between James and Walker. I don't think the team will use all its assets to get Walker. There should be some left over if another trade is necessary during the season. Also, Walker is a 5 position player. He's played PG, center (in Dallas), and everything in between. He and Frye can play center if James is a disaster and the team is probably no worse off at C than it was last year with the slow-footed Kurt at C allowing his man to shoot 60%.

[Edited by - Bonn1997 on 07/14/2005 17:24:05]

If Herb ends up being the coach, which looks more and more likely, I hope the Big Fella comes back as an assistant coach...I think that would be great for James and Frye.

If Ewing can help bolster our front line there will be no need to go out and get another PF or C.

[Edited by - roblackman on 07/14/2005 17:38:34]