By Bill Simmons
Page 2

First, I have a scoop for you: A well-placed source tells me that Isiah Thomas is prepared to trade Channing Frye and Penny Hardaway to Denver for Kenyon Martin and Earl Watson, but only if Martin agrees to an MRI on his surgically repaired knee. If Martin's knee is in good shape, the Knicks are calling off the deal. If the knee is in rough shape, the deal is on. If the knee is in such terrible shape that the doctor says something like, "Wow, there's a good chance K-Mart might walk with a limp for the rest of his life," the Knicks will throw in an unconditional No. 1 in 2009 as well as Nate Robinson and $3 million dollars. So stay tuned.



In the meantime, here's another look at the NBA's "Big Picture," where I count down all 30 teams from "worst chance of winning the title" to "best chance of winning the title." I'll even separate them into categories for you. Without further ado...


THE ADAM MORRISON SWEEPSTAKES


30. Charlotte
29. New York

The Bobcats have 13 wins and the Knicks have 14 wins. According to hoopshype.com, Charlotte's 2005-06 payroll is $33.4 million, while New York's payroll is $125.9 million. Not including team options on younger players, Charlotte has $21.8 million in guaranteed salaries committed for 2007; $14.2 million committed in 2008; and $0.0 million in 2009. New York's guaranteed money looks like this: $110.3 million (2007); $49 million (2008); and $45 million (2009). Also, the Bobcats kept all their first-round picks through the decade, while New York gives Chicago its 2006 lottery pick and switches first-rounders with the Bulls in 2007 (with the Knicks getting the lower pick).



To recap: For that one extra win, the Knicks spent four times as much money, killed their cap flexibility through 2009 and gave away any chance of having a top-five pick in the next two years. On the bright side, Eddy Curry has gained enough weight this season that he might start wearing jackets to cover his rear end during games, kinda like how Oprah dresses when she's in the middle of one of her eating binges. So that will be fun.


(God bless the Isiah Era. We'll be talking about this for decades. I really believe that.)
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The Knicks are the laughing stock of the NBA right now. This is sooo sad. And the crazy thing about is that we have the same outlook for the next several years. I have been a loyal fan for so many years. This is just tough to suffer through.

Why do you bother reading Bill Simmons? He is not going to write anything positive after Isiah threatened him.

Is there a link to this article? I would like to read the whole thing and see where he puts his beloved Celtics.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060208

Posted by lovespree:

Yes we can, but as it stands today, we don't own the picks. Plain and simple. We suck today, and we don't have the draft to look forward to.

As of now we have two first round picks and most are looking forward to what looks like a deep draft, speak for yourself.

Posted by Elite:

u cant get mad at a writer for writing the truth

Yeah, that trade scenario was accurate.

The truth is ... Eddy is getting in shape.