Around the League
Knicks won't rebuild?
On Monday, Insider went about the impossible task of coming up with five ways that Isiah Thomas could fix the Knicks. The moves essentially tore the Knicks apart and replaced key components with expiring contracts and young prospects to start building around.
That advice came before the Knicks press conference with owner James Dolan. Afterwards? Forget about it.
Dolan and Thomas both made it clear that Isiah's marching orders in New York are clear -- get to the playoffs now.
"I know he wants to win the NBA championship this year, and I do, too," Dolan said. "But if we don't make the playoffs, I will be very dissatisfied."
Dolan and Thomas believe Zeke's mere presence will bring about a massive attitude adjustment that will propel the Knicks from cellar dwellers into contenders.
"We're hoping that Isiah can come in and bring a new energy level to the team, bring in a winning attitude that he clearly possesses," Dolan said.
"What's required here is leadership, it's not necessarily skills in terms of basketmaking, it's about giving and reassuring confidence," Thomas said. "No one is capable of giving his or her best under this type of environment. ... The mindset around here has to change. I think we have to have a situation where everyone in the organization understands what we're trying to do and works together toward doing it."
That pretty much nixes a long-overdue rebuilding program. The Knicks are too old, too small, too unathletic, too average to be serious contenders for an NBA championship. Could they possibly make the playoffs this year? Sure. Could they make it out of the first or second round of the playoffs? No way. And, considering the team isn't getting any younger, what possible future is there in that?
Layden, towards the end, became almost paralyzed with fear. He fell in love with the players on his roster. He valued them more than any other team in the league. He felt he couldn't make another mistake -- making it virtually impossible for him to make the changes he needed to make.
Every trade proposal he made was along the lines of offering players like Clarence Weatherspoon or Howard Eisley (who should be making the veterans minimum) to teams in return for young players like Chris Bosh or Jamal Crawford. No one is going to trade a young, athletic, 7-foot superstar in the making for an over-the-hill, overpaid, undersized power forwards.
The one real virtue in replacing Layden with Thomas is that Thomas' comes in with a fresh slate and cocky attitude. He could afford to be bold, at least for a little while. He could afford to dump a fan favorite here or there and take a shot at getting a young prospect or two in return. The Knicks need more than an attitude adjustment. Dialysis, face lifts and angioplasties won't do. They need fresh blood, fresh faces and heart transplant. If Thomas isn't allowed to give them that, what's the point?
Sonics swap?
There continues to be rumbling that the Sonics are eyeing a trade for legitimate power forward.
The Sonics have a number of tradable assets -- Brent Barry, Ronald Murray, Vladimir Radmanovic -- that they can package with over priced players -- Jerome James, Vitaly Potapenko, Calvin Booth -- to clear cap room and/or help fill that glaring hole in the paint.
The names out there who could be available -- Kenyon Martin, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Al Harrington, Kwame Brown, Antonio McDyess, Juwan Howard -- have all been mentioned in this column before.
Are the Sonics any closer to pulling the trigger on a trade? Sonics GM Rick Sund is still feeling out his options.
"What we've always said is that this is a year of exploration," Sund told the Seattle Times. "We want to see what they (Seattle's young players) can do given some real minutes. ... The worst thing we could do is move too soon."
Actually, the worst thing Sund can do is wait too long and watch the trade value of some of his players evaporate. Barry has steadily gone downhill the past few weeks and is now on the injured list. Allen returns tonight and likely will cut heavily into the minutes and shots that Murray takes. While Sund remains determined to stick with the rebuilding process and keep young players in the fold, the options are plentiful at the this point.
Among possible trades that could make sense for the Sonics?
Martin and Lucious Harris for Murray, Radmanovic and James: The Nets can't afford to pay Martin, but the Sonics could. The team needs a tough bruiser in the paint, and Martin would be a great fit. He'll come at a high price. Murray and Radmanovic would give the Nets some dangerous offensive weapons, and James would help the hemorrhaging the Nets are experiencing in the middle.
McDyess for James, Potapenko and Murray: The Sonics get a legit power forward for a run this year. If injuries continue to be an issue, the team clears $13.5 million off the books this summer and gives them around $7 million to play with in free agency.
Abdur-Rahim for Barry, James and Radmanovic: Abdur-Rahim is just 27 years old and would be a nice fit in the Sonics' up-tempo offense. While Rahim isn't the blue-collar tough guy the team needs in the paint, put him on the floor with Allen, Murray and Rashard Lewis and you have a team that can run with the Mavericks.
Harrington and Jamaal Tinsley for Murray and Barry: The Pacers have a glut of forwards and need help at the point and center positions. Murray and Barry might be the combo guards the Pacers have been looking for. Harrington is the type of young athlete Sund needs to add to the front court. He's tough, a good rebounder and a better-than-average defender. Tinsley had a falling out with coach Rick Carlisle, but he's still one of the best young point guards in the league.
Brown and Jared Jeffries for Radmanovic and James: Brown has been a flop in Washington, but many scouts still believe he has enough talent to be a star on the right team. The Wizards need shooting in the worst way, and Radmanovic could give them a big boost. James won't be a star in the middle, but the Wizards are running pretty thin on bodies.
Howard's end?
Magic GM John Gabriel told the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday that Juwan Howard is not about to be traded. "There's nothing there," Gabriel said.
However, it's probably only a matter of time before Gabriel trades Howard. According to sources, Gabriel has been making numerous calls over the past week and a half trying to package Howard in a deal that gives the team either a point guard, center, or cap relief this summer.
The point guard and center have been hard to come by, which may be why Gabriel isn't enthusiastic about anything out there. There's talk that the Cavs are willing to swap Darius Miles and Kevin Ollie for Howard and Gordan Giricek. That's a slam dunk for the Cavs if they can make it happen. Coach Paul Silas is looking for veterans with positive attitudes, and Howard fits the bill. But it's hard to believe the Magic want to endure the five years remaining on Ollie's contract.
The other team showing interest in Howard is his former team, the Nuggets. The Nuggets had a great relationship with Howard, and with their surprisingly strong play, they could use Howard to propel them into the playoffs. Vandeweghe told the Denver Post on Tuesday the team needs another big man. "I'm certainly not opposed to the idea," Vandeweghe said. "I think it's a definite need."
However, what the Nuggets really need, according to Nene, is a bruiser in the middle. "We need a strong (center)," said Nene. "I'm not a 5. Camby is skinny for a 5. We don't have a 5 here. I play 5, but it's not my position. We need one strong guy."
If that's what Vandeweghe is looking for, Howard doesn't qualify. However, if Nene can handle playing the five, a Marcus Camby for Howard and Giricek deal works under the cap and could pay off for the Nuggets down the road.
Knicks won't rebuild?
On Monday, Insider went about the impossible task of coming up with five ways that Isiah Thomas could fix the Knicks. The moves essentially tore the Knicks apart and replaced key components with expiring contracts and young prospects to start building around.
That advice came before the Knicks press conference with owner James Dolan. Afterwards? Forget about it.
Dolan and Thomas both made it clear that Isiah's marching orders in New York are clear -- get to the playoffs now.
"I know he wants to win the NBA championship this year, and I do, too," Dolan said. "But if we don't make the playoffs, I will be very dissatisfied."
Dolan and Thomas believe Zeke's mere presence will bring about a massive attitude adjustment that will propel the Knicks from cellar dwellers into contenders.
"We're hoping that Isiah can come in and bring a new energy level to the team, bring in a winning attitude that he clearly possesses," Dolan said.
"What's required here is leadership, it's not necessarily skills in terms of basketmaking, it's about giving and reassuring confidence," Thomas said. "No one is capable of giving his or her best under this type of environment. ... The mindset around here has to change. I think we have to have a situation where everyone in the organization understands what we're trying to do and works together toward doing it."
That pretty much nixes a long-overdue rebuilding program. The Knicks are too old, too small, too unathletic, too average to be serious contenders for an NBA championship. Could they possibly make the playoffs this year? Sure. Could they make it out of the first or second round of the playoffs? No way. And, considering the team isn't getting any younger, what possible future is there in that?
Layden, towards the end, became almost paralyzed with fear. He fell in love with the players on his roster. He valued them more than any other team in the league. He felt he couldn't make another mistake -- making it virtually impossible for him to make the changes he needed to make.
Every trade proposal he made was along the lines of offering players like Clarence Weatherspoon or Howard Eisley (who should be making the veterans minimum) to teams in return for young players like Chris Bosh or Jamal Crawford. No one is going to trade a young, athletic, 7-foot superstar in the making for an over-the-hill, overpaid, undersized power forwards.
The one real virtue in replacing Layden with Thomas is that Thomas' comes in with a fresh slate and cocky attitude. He could afford to be bold, at least for a little while. He could afford to dump a fan favorite here or there and take a shot at getting a young prospect or two in return. The Knicks need more than an attitude adjustment. Dialysis, face lifts and angioplasties won't do. They need fresh blood, fresh faces and heart transplant. If Thomas isn't allowed to give them that, what's the point?
Sonics swap?
There continues to be rumbling that the Sonics are eyeing a trade for legitimate power forward.
The Sonics have a number of tradable assets -- Brent Barry, Ronald Murray, Vladimir Radmanovic -- that they can package with over priced players -- Jerome James, Vitaly Potapenko, Calvin Booth -- to clear cap room and/or help fill that glaring hole in the paint.
The names out there who could be available -- Kenyon Martin, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Al Harrington, Kwame Brown, Antonio McDyess, Juwan Howard -- have all been mentioned in this column before.
Are the Sonics any closer to pulling the trigger on a trade? Sonics GM Rick Sund is still feeling out his options.
"What we've always said is that this is a year of exploration," Sund told the Seattle Times. "We want to see what they (Seattle's young players) can do given some real minutes. ... The worst thing we could do is move too soon."
Actually, the worst thing Sund can do is wait too long and watch the trade value of some of his players evaporate. Barry has steadily gone downhill the past few weeks and is now on the injured list. Allen returns tonight and likely will cut heavily into the minutes and shots that Murray takes. While Sund remains determined to stick with the rebuilding process and keep young players in the fold, the options are plentiful at the this point.
Among possible trades that could make sense for the Sonics?
Martin and Lucious Harris for Murray, Radmanovic and James: The Nets can't afford to pay Martin, but the Sonics could. The team needs a tough bruiser in the paint, and Martin would be a great fit. He'll come at a high price. Murray and Radmanovic would give the Nets some dangerous offensive weapons, and James would help the hemorrhaging the Nets are experiencing in the middle.
McDyess for James, Potapenko and Murray: The Sonics get a legit power forward for a run this year. If injuries continue to be an issue, the team clears $13.5 million off the books this summer and gives them around $7 million to play with in free agency.
Abdur-Rahim for Barry, James and Radmanovic: Abdur-Rahim is just 27 years old and would be a nice fit in the Sonics' up-tempo offense. While Rahim isn't the blue-collar tough guy the team needs in the paint, put him on the floor with Allen, Murray and Rashard Lewis and you have a team that can run with the Mavericks.
Harrington and Jamaal Tinsley for Murray and Barry: The Pacers have a glut of forwards and need help at the point and center positions. Murray and Barry might be the combo guards the Pacers have been looking for. Harrington is the type of young athlete Sund needs to add to the front court. He's tough, a good rebounder and a better-than-average defender. Tinsley had a falling out with coach Rick Carlisle, but he's still one of the best young point guards in the league.
Brown and Jared Jeffries for Radmanovic and James: Brown has been a flop in Washington, but many scouts still believe he has enough talent to be a star on the right team. The Wizards need shooting in the worst way, and Radmanovic could give them a big boost. James won't be a star in the middle, but the Wizards are running pretty thin on bodies.
Howard's end?
Magic GM John Gabriel told the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday that Juwan Howard is not about to be traded. "There's nothing there," Gabriel said.
However, it's probably only a matter of time before Gabriel trades Howard. According to sources, Gabriel has been making numerous calls over the past week and a half trying to package Howard in a deal that gives the team either a point guard, center, or cap relief this summer.
The point guard and center have been hard to come by, which may be why Gabriel isn't enthusiastic about anything out there. There's talk that the Cavs are willing to swap Darius Miles and Kevin Ollie for Howard and Gordan Giricek. That's a slam dunk for the Cavs if they can make it happen. Coach Paul Silas is looking for veterans with positive attitudes, and Howard fits the bill. But it's hard to believe the Magic want to endure the five years remaining on Ollie's contract.
The other team showing interest in Howard is his former team, the Nuggets. The Nuggets had a great relationship with Howard, and with their surprisingly strong play, they could use Howard to propel them into the playoffs. Vandeweghe told the Denver Post on Tuesday the team needs another big man. "I'm certainly not opposed to the idea," Vandeweghe said. "I think it's a definite need."
However, what the Nuggets really need, according to Nene, is a bruiser in the middle. "We need a strong (center)," said Nene. "I'm not a 5. Camby is skinny for a 5. We don't have a 5 here. I play 5, but it's not my position. We need one strong guy."
If that's what Vandeweghe is looking for, Howard doesn't qualify. However, if Nene can handle playing the five, a Marcus Camby for Howard and Giricek deal works under the cap and could pay off for the Nuggets down the road.
