I can see Isiah going after him with the notion that we need another combo guard when we already have 2 in marbury and crawford. Last thing we need is another 5'10 PG who plays zero defense Can we please either draft or sign a real SG for the MLE please Isiah!!! On a more positive not it is a Frank Isola article so there's definitely no validity to it. But I can definitely see Isiah bringing his buddy Damon in as his biggest offseason acquisition. here's the article....
------------------------------------------


Stoudamire: I'd
love to be Knick

Could fit into three-guard offense

BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Damon Stoudamire points to possibly joining Knicks as a free agent.
SAN FRANCISCO - Damon Stoudamire will tell you he has a history with Isiah Thomas, one that may be strong enough to lead to a reunion in New York next season with his former boss.

Stoudamire, according to sources, is a free agent the Knicks will strongly consider this summer, even if Thomas selects a guard in the draft. Thomas wants to add quickness, experience and another ball handler to his backcourt. The addition of a player of Stoudamire's caliber would allow Stephon Marbury to play more minutes at shooting guard.

Thomas has hinted that he wants to play a style similar to that of the Suns and SuperSonics, spreading the floor with three-point shooters and taking advantage of Marbury's ability to drive to the basket. Thomas also envisions having three players - Marbury, Jamal Crawford and possibly Stoudamire - who can all play both guard positions.

"If that happens, it would be great," Stoudamire said late Saturday night. "I definitely think the beauty of playing that way is that you have three guards that can pass, dribble and shoot. Isiah is molding the team the way he did in Toronto and like the team he played for in Detroit. Isiah, Joe Dumars and Vinnie Johnson all complemented each other."

The 5-10 Stoudamire, who scored 25 points in Portland's 103-96 victory over the Knicks on Saturday, long has been a favorite of Thomas, who drafted Stoudamire 12 years ago with the Raptors. Stoudamire, who will turn 32 in September, is not expected to re-sign with the Blazers this summer. The uncertainty surrounding Allan Houston's arthritic knee - the Knicks would prefer that the veteran guard retire - and Crawford's inconsistency give the Knicks reason to want to add a veteran player with Stoudamire's resume.

"I've got some history with a lot of the guys that run the team in New York, Isiah, Brendan Suhr, and I even played with Herb (Williams) for (one game) in Toronto," Stoudamire said. "It's something me and my agent will definitely look at. At the end of the day it's something I will definitely listen to."

Stoudamire's agent is Aaron Goodwin, who also represents Crawford as well as Vin Baker, whom the Knicks signed to a two-year, $7 million contract last summer. Baker was eventually traded to the Houston Rockets in the Maurice Taylor deal. Thomas has a good working relationship with Goodwin, but his friendships with Stoudamire and Goodwin may not mean much if and when the two sides begin negotiating.

Stoudamire will earn $12.5 million this season and is prepared to take a significant pay cut this summer. How much of a cut is open for debate. The Knicks can offer Stoudamire their mid-level exception, which would be a deal starting at $5 million. However, Thomas may want to save that chip for a younger player who can become a starter. The Knicks could get Stoudamire for a deal starting at $2 million but Stoudamire figures to draw interest from several teams.

"I don't want to get too far ahead of myself but anything is possible," Stoudamire said of signing for a reduced amount. "Always things you can do to get it done. I'm just looking forward to free agency. I haven't been free for a long time."

The Knicks can offer Stoudamire their mid-level exception, which would be a deal starting at $5 million. However, Thomas may want to save that chip for a younger player who can become a starter. The Knicks could get Stoudamire for a deal starting at $2 million but Stoudamire figures to draw interest from several teams.

for the MLE no way...i want that used to shore up the frontcourt unless Isiah can manage some kind of deal using KT as trade bait to get us the C we need...if Damon would sign that LLE deal it would be a steal & a half, but there's no way his agent would go for that when there will be other teams bidding for him at the MLE range.

if it has to be, i would much rather Isiah go after a Brevin Knight if he's going to pursue a diminutive PG in the offseason using the MLE...he's the pass first type PG we need to complement Marbury & Crawford's game...Damon is another scoring PG...he belongs on a team in need of that style of player...we already have 2 of those.

if we're thinking about spending the MLE on a Center can we please drop the notion of picking Petro earlier than he should be picked and focus on drafting a star SG like Green or McCants? or at least wait and see what Petro does in draft camp?

I personally think it would be a better idea then going into the season with the exact same 30win team with Petro developing for a few years as an injured reserve.

If we can somehow trade up for a mid 1st round pick then I will be thrilled with drafting Petro and having him develop for a year or 3 but first we must draft an impact player!

God, I don't want any part of Stouds, and if we got him, we'd be nowhere near the same as the Sonics or Suns. Nash is a very smart 6'3" pass first PG who can score. JJ and Q-Rich are both freaking 6'7"ish, and they are legit swingmen who can switch between SG and SF. NOT PG and SG. Not only that, but they are all better than the players we have. This year, Nash is prolly better than Marbury, and Q-Rich and JJ are better than Craw and TT and it wouldn't be any different if we had Damon Freaking Stoudemire. If Isiah touches him, I'm calling the fire Isiah chants right away. If he goes after a guard, I'd much rather he go after Kareem Rush, or heck, Brevin Knight, like you mentioned. I would much rather we get a PURE guard, preferably shooting guard, b/c this combo guard crap isn't doing caca. Detroit is one of the few exceptions, b/c for one, they play defense and 2, they are all SMART.

And we aren't gonna become the Sonics until we get good all around defenders! Tell me, is Damon Stoud gonna really improve the team?

[Edited by - Allanfan20 on 03/28/2005 12:43:41]

Oh, my bad, I meant small foward and shooting guard. I am gonna have to correct that on the Zone as well.

i wonder if Joe Johnson could be had for near MLE type money? probably not, but there are other bigname SG's going on the market this offseason like Ray Allen & Michael Redd, so he maybe out there if Isiah is patient...or maybe a trade for someone like Maggette since the Clips seem intent on re-signing Bobby Simmons to a longterm deal & are open to unloading Corey's longterm contract...i'd love to have either 1 of those guys, but i'd also be happy w/a Brevin Knight...

if Isiah just wants a cheap, stopgap solution, then Lindsey Hunter is also available as we've discussed before...then he can draft a SG to develop behind the vets to take over in a year's time.

Rashad McCants from UNC looked pretty good last night, & i hear good things about Salim Stoudamire from Arizona as well.

Let's get Damon if we want to have the smallest team in the league. I don't really have a problem with Damon and he can still be a good PG in this league for the right team, but we're already bad defensively as it is. How about rotating in a decent sized guard who can make plays and defend the perimeter?

Posted by NewYorkSoul:

How's this sound?

Sign and trade - Damon Stoudamire + Joel Pryzbilla for Kurt Thomas and Trevor Ariza

OR

Damon Stoudamire + Joel Pryzbilla + Theo Ratliff for Tim Thomas, Trevor Ariza, and Mike Sweetney

pretty bad...i wouldn't make either of those trades...Theo Ratliff i would LOVE to have, but not at the cost of Sweetney or Ariza.

& Pryzbilla's a stiff...forget him man...we need an athletic guy who can run the floor.

[Edited by - TMS on 03/30/2005 14:37:52]