Will the Knicks set Spree free?

A 2-5 record might not be the end of the world in most places, but it is in New York. And last week's whipping boy, Allan Houston, is being replaced by Latrell Sprewell, who played less than inspiring basketball last week.

A source close to Sprewell told ESPN Insider this weekend that Spree is moving closer and closer to demanding a trade. Given his lackluster play, he may not have a tough time convincing coach Jeff Van Gundy to pull the trigger.

"He's never been more unhappy," the source told Insider. "He's lost his motivation. He wants to win basketball games and that is going to be very tough with this team. If he could help them and help himself via a trade, he's more than open to it. In fact, at this point he's very close to demanding it."

You can blame it all you want on Felton Spencer, but will Marcus Camby really make that much of a difference?

"We just can't hope when he returns he's going to be a savior," Spree told the NY Post. "He's not going to solve all our problems."

In fact, it was Spree who was benched in the Knicks' blowout loss to the Warriors. After the game, he summed up the Knicks' chances.

"There are teams more talented, but if we're playing well, we have a shot at winning," Sprewell said. "If we're not playing well, our chances are really, really bleak."

Houston agreed. "We've said all along that we're not as talented as we used to be," Houston said. "That doesn't mean that you lay down like we've done. Our spirit could be much better than it is. We've been overmatched sometimes, more this year than ever. But if teams are bigger, it doesn't matter. You still have to fight."

But Spree appears to have laid down, perhaps the first step in a series of calculated moves to get him out of Gotham before the whole place comes crumbling down.

In the meantime, the media will continue to dream and harass players about playing in the New York. The latest victim? Warriors center Marc Jackson, who said he would've accepted the Knicks offer of their mid-level exception. The only problem is that Jackson never got an offer from the Knicks because of fear, well founded we find out later, that the Warriors will match.

Posted by falcindor:

espn insider says potland and ny are working on this blockbuster:

CAMBY + SPREE + WARD
FOR
STOUDAMIRE + DAVIS + WELLS

Posted by martin:

Here is today's story.

Posted by falcindor:

espn insider says potland and ny are working on this blockbuster:

CAMBY + SPREE + WARD
FOR
STOUDAMIRE + DAVIS + WELLS

Will Stoudamire be traded on Wall Street?
by Chad Ford


Damon Stoudamire's reign as Blazers floor leader lasted all of four games. His reign in Portland may not last much longer. Stoudamire, along with teammate Dale Davis, is on the trading block, a league source told ESPN Insider.

A recent hamstring injury and the combination of Derek Anderson, Bonzi Wells and Scottie Pippen effectively stripped Stoudamire of any chance at meaningful minutes at point guard.

The same day coach Maurice Cheeks said he had decided to stick with Pippen at the point, Stoudamire expressed his displeasure and the Blazers quickly responded by stashing him on the injured list. A league source told Insider that Stoudamire was furious because of the move and asked to be put on the injured list and the Blazers have already begun actively testing the trade market.

Stoudamire, who declared on Monday that he was 100% and looked fine in shoot arounds on Tuesday, said his tendinitis started acting up again.

"It was feeling good, but it's just one of those things," Stoudamire told the Oregonian. "I think if you ask anybody that has ever experienced tendinitis, some days it feels good and some days it doesn't. The thinking now is to just get healthy, and then see what happens."

The Blazers, who are stacked just about everywhere and want to avoid a protracted feud with Stoudamire, are hoping to package Stoudamire and Davis together for a legitimate big man in the middle. However, given Stoudamire's size, many in the league feel he's too short to be effective on a regular basis, and with his big contract, he will be difficult to move.

The Blazers talked with both the Sonics and Timberwolves about Stoudamire this summer, but neither team was convinced that he could help. With the Blazers in New York Tuesday, the Knicks surfaced as a possible destination. The Knicks have shown an interest in Stoudamire in the past, and the league source told Insider that Stoudamire believes New York will be his likely destination.

However, for the Knicks to get both Davis and Stoudamire onto their roster, they would have to move a couple of large salaries -- including Latrell Sprewell's. A deal involving Spree, Marcus Camby and Charlie Ward for Stoudamire, Davis and Wells would work under the cap. Whether the Knicks are really that desperate is the question. But you gotta believe that Spree would fit in just fine in Portland

Thoughts?

Posted by Knixkik:

When you're talking about young, overall talent, Camby, Sprewell, and Ward for Wells, Davis, and Stoudamire does work well for us. Wells looks exactly like a younger Spree with a better shooting percentage. Stoudamire is also very young and by far better than every other point guard on our team. Davis is getting older, but still has some good years left. I really don't want to trade Camby, especially when we don't know what he's capable of yet. This deal is interesting, but it looks like espn insider just put two and two together and suggested a deal like this could be in the works. There's a possibility Spree could get traded, but i don't think Camby will. I think Sprewell, Ward or Jackson, and a draft pick for Wells and Stoudamire would work well. As of right now, it just looks like we are trying to grab Stoudamire though. Either way, i hope something happens because these would be nice players for us to pick up.

Posted by falcindor:

espn insider says potland and ny are working on this blockbuster:

CAMBY + SPREE + WARD
FOR
STOUDAMIRE + DAVIS + WELLS