D'Antoni Meeting w/ Grant Hill

[fordronken]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/sports/basketball/02knicks.html?_r=1&ref=basketball

 

[mojorizen7]

Good news. Hopefully Kidd will back out & take the Mavericks offer and DA will woo Nash, since they don't want to go with Duhon next year and Rubio is looking more & more unlikely.

 

[HooverDam]

How exactly is Rubio looking likely? I love that the kid doesn't say much of anything and the media takes the ball and runs with it.

Reminds me of the Kuleshov Effect

 

[mojorizen7]

How exactly is Rubio looking likely? I love that the kid doesn't say much of anything and the media takes the ball and runs with it.

Reminds me of the Kuleshov Effect

Unlikely you mean....
Well, first of all he was drafted by Minnesota(not the KNICKS).
Then there's been reports like these...

Ricky Rubio was reportedly in Minnesota this weekend to meet with Wolves GM David Kahn, whose decision to draft the Spanish guard is looking better by the minute.
Mitch Lawrence in Sunday's Daily News reported that the Wolves turned down a deal with the Houston Rockets that would have resulted in Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier headed to Minnesota for Rubio.
If the Wolves are receiving those types of offers—Brooks and Battier were starters on a playoff team - do the Knicks really have much of a chance to get Rubio? Donnie Walsh is offering Wilson Chandler but that's not going to get it down. Walsh originally offered Chandler to Washington to get the fifth pick last week.
Rubio's agent, Dan Fegan, is an experienced negotiator who will likely get Rubio to a bigger market. Rubio's father said on Friday that his son could remain in Europe. One report yesterday quoted a "consultant for Rubio's (European-based) agency" as taking credit for suggesting to Rubio's parents that the Knicks is the best team for the 19-year-old point guard.
Turns out that the consultant is none other than Tim Shea, a former Knicks European scout, who is responsible for one of the most infamous first round picks in club history. What the report conveniently failed to mention is that Shea's claim to fame is that he is suggested that the Knicks draft Frederic Weis 10 years ago. Under Shea's watch in New York, the Knicks had two Euros: Weis and the incomparable Mirsad Turkcan.
Now Shea is pushing Rubio? Suddenly, I'm having second thoughts about the kid.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2009/06/knicks-dont-have-knack-to-land.html#ixzz0K54m0bRj&D

MINNEAPOLIS -- Four days after Ricky Rubio was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, it appears that the teenage Spanish sensation has become the most wanted man in the NBA.
Executives across the league are flooding Timberwolves president David Kahn's office with calls offering trades to bring Rubio's slick passing skills and moptop hairstyle to their cities. In the Twin Cities, fans can't wait to see the highlight factory zipping behind-the-back feeds to Al Jefferson and Kevin Love.




But Rubio's availability for the upcoming season has been cast into doubt by a $6.6 million buyout of his contract with DKV Joventut in Spain. His agent, Dan Fegan, is trying to negotiate that number down to ease the financial burden on his client, and there is some question as to whether Rubio wants to play in the relatively small Minnesota market.
With all of those factors, one would think Kahn is feeling some pressure to resolve the matter.
Not exactly.
Kahn is declining comment on Rubio for the time being, preferring a low profile that doesn't ruffle any feathers in the Rubio camp. But in his comments after drafting Rubio, Kahn made it clear that there is no hurry.
"The last thing we needed to do was be demanding and assertive. Not now," Kahn said. "I don't know how this is going to play out. There could be a lot of twists and turns. But I don't feel any self-imposed pressure that this needs to be resolved or concluded in any short fashion."
One of the biggest reasons many general managers believe Rubio is there to be had is also the biggest reason why Kahn can wait. The Timberwolves chose another point guard in Jonny Flynn one pick after Rubio fell into their lap at No. 5 on draft night.
The sudden depth at the position gives Kahn plenty of flexibility as the team, and Rubio, approach the murky waters ahead.
• If Rubio decides to play in Minnesota, "he will be the starting point guard the day he walks in the door," Kahn wrote in a letter to Timberwolves fans after the draft. The Wolves get a "virtuoso" who will sell tickets for a team that has struggled mightily in that area.
• If the 18-year-old decides to stay in Europe next season, the Timberwolves can roll with Flynn at point guard and hope that both players improve with big minutes against top competition. That would increase the trade value for both of them heading into the 2010 offseason.
• If Rubio requests a trade, Kahn can afford to wait for the right offer from the right team to bring a strong package in exchange for one of the most marketable players in the 2009 class.
For now, Kahn said there are no plans to trade Rubio or Flynn. He envisions the pair as a backcourt for the next generation, one that can capitalize on the NBA's stricter enforcement of touch fouls on the perimeter while having the versatility to defend on the other end of the court.
"The organization needs to be very patient," Kahn said. "While we ask for patience, we will also tell people that we think down the road these kids will, I hope, prove to be special."
That stance also could be posturing to drive the trade values of both players higher, but as long as Kahn is willing to wait this out, the ball remains in Minnesota's court.
The Timberwolves have not made the playoffs since 2004 and Kahn has said that they are at least two years away from contending for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. So the desperation that often is the harbinger of bad deals is nowhere near the Twin Cities these days.
"We're starting to I hope accumulate value, not just in the form of players, but draft picks and cap room, that's valuable too," Kahn said. "So yeah, I like value."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2009/news/story?id=4295802
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It sounds to me like he's either going to go back to Spain or the T-Wolves might keep him and sit on it awhile.
NY has nothing to offer Minnesota.
Anyway, there's a thread for this topic already:http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f64/rubio-to-ny-discussions-begin-136579.html
And why would NY be targeting a veteran like Kidd if they want to move on Rubio? Doesn't add up.

 

[dodie53]

would you 'boo' Hill if he joins the Lakers or Spurs?

 

[arwillan]

would you 'boo' Hill if he joins the Lakers or Spurs?

Never. Can't blame the guy for wanting to play for a contender at his age. He did his job here, so I have no hard feelings. It's not like he's pulling a Joe Johnson.

 

[cly2tw]

Hill is a rare kind of class act. He deserves to be supported on any decision he makes.

 

[Superbone]

If Hill leaves the Suns I will despise him for the rest of eternity.

(Kidding. He's a great guy and deserves to do what he wants.)

 

[Michael]

would you 'boo' Hill if he joins the Lakers or Spurs?

Attend the game dressed in my Suns #33 jersey and give him a well-earned applause.

 

[Hat]

Although it will be a sad day to see him leave, I will always respect his decisions because he deserves a ring.

 

[Bufalay]

would you 'boo' Hill if he joins the Lakers or Spurs?

I boo all Lakers and Spurs.

 

[Mainstreet]

The Knicks make an offer to Grant Hill. See article from Paul Coro dated 7-7-09 from azcentral.

New York offered Hill the option of a one-year, $5 million contract or a three-year, $10 million deal, according to an NBA source. Hill, 36, might not expect the same offer from the Suns, but the swingman said last week that he wanted to be "fairly compensated" after concluding a two-year, $3.8 million contract for the Suns. Phoenix was prepared to use a portion of its mid-level exception, set Tuesday at $5,854,000 as a whole, to re-sign Hill, who is its free-agency priority.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2009/07/07/20090707sunshill0708.html

 

[Covert Rain]

If I am Grant Hill I don't sign with the Knicks. Hell if you are going to play for a team that doesn't stand a chance in hell at winning a title...resign with the Suns. If I was Hill I would really consider the Celtics, Lakers, Spurs etc....

I guess it depends on what is important to Hill. He is a class act and I love the guy but we need to move on.

 

[chickenhead]

I agree about the Knicks. It depends on how long he wants to play. Odds are he stays helthier in Phoenix.

 

[Hat]

If it's just the Knicks offering to sign him, then I see him staying here. His family is already here, he's rejuvinated, and a great veteran to lean on for advice in the locker room. I don't think Boston is going to offer him much.

 

[Griffin]

The problem is that the Suns again are probably trying to low-ball him, hoping for a home discount. It was reported that the Suns were hoping to sign Hill to a 2-year/4M contract. That is pretty much what he made over the last two years. If that is what the Suns offered, that's quite disrespectful. NY is in a worse financial situation, yet they are offering him 3-years/10M. The Suns should match that if they wish to keep Hill, or offer him 2-years/6M at least.