Youtube It

I won’t be back till Tuesday but I thought I’d post up a little weekend surprise for you to look at.  I found a couple videos via Youtube that show the athletic ability of Patrick Ewing Jr. who will be trying to make the team over the next couple months.  Enjoy.

Two Things: Ginobili and Ewing Jr.

If you haven’t heard by now, there has been some breaking news that has come out of San Antonio today.  The AP is reporting that Spurs guard Manu Ginobili needs surgery to repair a ligament in his left ankle.  This is the injury that Manu aggravated in the semifinal game at the Olympics between Argentina and the United States.  Tough break as he might miss the first month of the regular season.

As far as the Knicks go, they made a minor trade today as they acquired Patrick Ewing Jr. from Houston for the draft rights to Frederic Weis.  This move now puts the Knicks at 16 players which is one over the maximum.  This will of course start rumors of the possibility of cutting Stephon Marbury.  We’ll see what happens as we approach training camp.  Ewing Jr. is athletic and the Knicks think he could be a decent player at running the floor in an uptempo offense.  However, he is undersized at 6′8″ which is a problem. 

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That’s all for today and now it is time for Labor Day Weekend.  Everyone enjoy yourselves and have fun.  Hopefully I’ll talk to you again on Tuesday (as long as everyone isn’t too hungover then).  Peace.

Coast to Coast: 8/29/08

Let’s push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the stories from around the league.

• The Grizzlies made the big move of the day as they have signed Iranian center Hamed Haddadi as the AP reports.  This was a move the Grizzlies wanted to make to improve the rebounding and defense on their front line.  Does this mean that the Zach Randolph to Memphis talk will die down?  Probably not since they still don’t have a true low post scorer but this was still a nice signing for Memphis.  Haddadi averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds at the Olympics in Beijing.  Terms of the deal have not been released.
• The Canadian Press is reporting that the New Orleans Hornets have signed free agent and former Sun Sean Marks.  Marks is a nine year veteran who is the first person born in New Zealand to play in the NBA.  This adds some needed depth to their frontline.
• The Oklahoma City franchise has not announced officially its nickname being the Thunder but it looks like that will happen soon.  The Oklahoman reports that there was a slip-up in the season ticket plans printout for the Orlando Magic.  For the December 5th game it says, “Magic vs. Thunder.”  You can see the slip here.  Nothing is official though as the announcement is not until September 3rd. 
• The Orange County Register is reporting that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has seen Andrew Bynum working out and likes what he is seeing.  He also expects Bynum to be healthy and ready to go for training camp which starts at the end of September.  I don’t expect Bynum to be great in his first year back from a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery.  But the Lakers don’t need him to be great.  They just need a solid 12 points and 10 boards on average from him and they’ll be in great shape.  How about the starting five of Fisher, Kobe, Odom, Gasol, and Bynum?  That’s a lot of length and athletic ability that will be tough to matchup with.
• Also Andrew Bynum’s trainer has given some insight at AndrewBynum.com into the tough workout schedule Bynum has been going through lately to prepare for his comeback season: “It all begins on the track at about 7:30-8:00 a.m. each morning for a serious hour and a half workout. We must begin early because after all,……. this is “Hotlanta” and after 9:30 a.m. one could practically melt!  Immediately following extensive work on the track we move on to resistance (weight) training in the weight room for about a one-hour session.  Basketball is the last activity for the morning/afternoon session and varies from one to three hours.  Later that evening he is again put to the test for one more conditioning activity which usually lasts for about an hour and a half.  That only leaves time for healthy eating and much needed sleep.  This guy is a serious worker; you almost can’t give him enough.”
• The Seattle Post Intelligencer is reporting that even though the lawsuit for the city of Seattle against Clay Bennett and Co. cost the city $2.9 million, the city still came out of it ahead financially.  However, they still came out in the red where it really matters: -1 in the number of NBA franchises.
• The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Rockets forward Chuck Hayes had surgery to repair his broken nose and will be out four to six weeks.  But there is a good chance he will be ready to go for the start of training camp.
• The Miami Herlad has reported that Pat Riley has said that he plans on keep the core players of the current Miami Heat team intact.  So do not expect any major trades or shakeups prior to the start of the season.  However, you should expect some sort of move to help them with their weakness at center as Riley said, “Now, we’re just trying to fortify with pieces. We still need help in the post.”  Jamaal Magloire and DJ Mbenga won’t exactly be huge helps.
• The Miami Herald is also reporting that Thursday August 28th was declared as Wade Day by the City of Miami in honor of his gold medal winning accomplishment.  The Heat also unveiled a banner in his honor at AmericanAirlines Arena.  Some really cool stuff here.  He sure deserves it.
• I absolutely love the game of Rudy Fernandez from Spain who will be joining the Portland TrailBlazers this year.  Apparently I’m not the only one as the Oregonian has some thoughts from his new coach Nate McMillan: “I was so impressed with him that it was to the point where after the second time I saw him, I didn’t sleep that night because I was moving my rotations around.  I swear I did not sleep. I could not sleep thinking about him. Because I’m saying, ‘We can put him here, do this with him, do that with him and Brandon (Roy), and do this… So he’s playing for us. Oh yeah. I see that right now.” 

A Look Back and a Look Ahead: Is Mike D’Antoni a Good Fit for the Knicks?

Last year certainly brought the Knicks to rock bottom.  There were all of the “Fire Isiah” chants and all of the off the court issues, including the embarassing sexual harassment lawsuit.  The Knicks managed to win just 23 games and Donnie Walsh replaced Isiah Thomas as team president.  The burning question at that time was, “Who is the coach that can help fix the Knicks?”  Then Mike D’Antoni had his falling out with Steve Kerr and the Phoenix Suns.  The Bulls and Knicks both pursued him but D’Antoni chose the Knicks and their 4-year, $24 million deal.  Right away there was a lot of criticism accusing D’Antoni of running to wherever the most money was.  The Bulls seemed to have a brighter future and an upcoming lottery pick.  It was also perceived that the Knicks had a roster with a mess of underachievers with bad character issues who many believe do not fit in with D’Antoni’s uptempo style of basketball.  So you heard all of the people who said that this relationship was an awful fit, like the couple that is destined to be found fighting and breaking up every other weekend.  Is he really a bad fit with the Knicks?  Let’s look a little deeper first.

One thing that you cannot debate about Mike D’Antoni is the fact that he has been a very good coach in this league.  All you have to do is look at the numbers and accolades that he has achieved so far.  His head coaching career began slowly in Denver in 1998 as his team went 14-36 in the lockout-shortened season.  He then spent a year as a scout for the Spurs and a year as an assistant coach in Portland.  He joined the Suns in 2002 as an assistant and took over as head coach in December of 2003. 

In four full seasons as head coach of the Suns here is what they accomplished:

• 50 wins in all four years, including two seasons with more than 60 wins.
• Three division titles and two Western Confernce Finals appearances.
• Led the NBA in team scoring for three straight years.
• In 2004-05 they averaged over 110 ppg, the first time that has happened since 1994-95.
• In his first year with the Suns, they won 62 games which was 33 more wins than they had the previous season.

And here are the coaching accolades he has achieved:

• Won NBA Coach of the Year in 2004-05
• Four time winner of the NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month
• Was the head coach for the Western Conference at the 2007 All-Star game
• He is the third winningest coach in Suns franchise history
• His .650 winning percentage with the Suns is second in franchise history

The one thing I remember about the Suns during the “Seven Seconds of Less” days was that I never felt like they were really a great team or legit title contender.  Yet year after year they won around 60 games and continued to have their high octane offense in gear.  Heck you can make the argument that in 2007 they would’ve won the title if not for the key suspensions of Stoudemire and Diaw in their series with the Spurs. 

Mike D’Antoni had a big role in this great success for the Suns.  The best attribute about him is that he finds out what the strengths of his players are.  He then develops a style that fits them best and puts them in the best possible situation for them to succeed.  He did that with the Suns as they went to small and fast lineups that would play at relentless pace and shoot a high percentage.  Also he is a coach that players seem to love playing for which probably helped him get the maximum effort from those good Suns teams he had.

The criticisms about the situation with the Knicks are valid.  Eddy Curry has got to want it more, Danilo Gallinari has to get his feet wet, Stephon Marbury is not a leader, Zach Randolph has to play harder (if he isn’t in Memphis soon), Quentin Richardson needs to be in better shape, and Chris Duhon needs to be the guy to help set up his teammates to succeed.  It is true that not many players on this roster would succeed at the phrenetic pace of the “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns.  However, I truly believe that Mike D’Antoni will learn what his players do well and develop a style that will help him get the most out of his players.  The truth is he is just a very smart basketball person who knows this game as well as anyone.

I truly believe that the Knicks made the right hire for this rebuilding process.  D’Antoni will get the most out of his roster and will see what he has.  Then it is up to Donnie Walsh to bring in more players that fit into what kind of style D’Antoni wants to play.  Danilo Gallinari and Chris Duhon are a start but there is a long way to go.  Let’s see what they can do.

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Photo via AP

Nate Robinson Interview

Nate Robinson recently sat down with NYKnicks.com to discuss some things as he prepares for the upcoming season.  Here are some of the interesting things he said during the interview:

NYKnicks.com: So what exactly has Coach D’Antoni said that he expects out of you?

Robinson: He said he’s watched a lot of film on me and doesn’t see a lot of weaknesses. He wants me to continue to get better as a person and as a player. For the most part, that means coming in like (Leandro) Barbosa, who was Sixth Man of the Year, or whatever it may be. But most importantly, he said he was going to be disappointed if I don’t win this ball club fifty-something games, so I’ve got a lot of work to do.

NYKnicks.com: A lot of people think you are one of the guys who will to benefit most from his system and really flourish. What do you have to say to that?

Robinson: Well, we’ll have to wait and see, but just because of the way that he plays, it suits guys like me and Jamal (Crawford). But really, I just want to win. And if we succeed by playing that way, then I’m with it. Whatever way it is, I support it 100 percent. I’m behind the team and our coaching staff.

NYKnicks.com: Speaking of Seattle, you have a lot of strong roots there. How sad are you to see the Sonics go?

Robinson: Oh it’s sad, man. I’m heartbroken. Honestly. But the one good thing about it is it shows we are going to have a team come back soon since they kept the name and colors. So that’s a good thing at least. They just moved and relocated, but they will bring the game back to Seattle. But for now, yeah, I’m pretty broken up about it.

NYKnicks.com: You were out in Summer League, so you saw Danilo Gallinari up close and personal. What are your thoughts on him?

Robinson: He’s good. He’s got a lot of potential. A lot. We’ve still got to mold him. He’s still got a long way to go, coming in being a rookie. But the best thing he’s got going for him is that he’s coming into the best city in the country, and that’s New York City. For him to come here now so young and so ripe, some of the veterans like Malik (Rose) can really mold him and set him down a good path. But he’s got to come here ready to play. We’re not going to hand anything to him, you know. A lot of the big guys like Eddy (Curry), Z-Bo (Zach Randolph) and Jared (Jeffries), they want to see him do well so they will push him and push him hard. I think he will respond though. He’s a talent.

NYKnicks.com: You were one of the few players who really stood out and took another step forward last season in your progress as a professional. What did you improve upon last year that you are most proud of?

Robinson: Patience. Letting the game come to me. You know, I had a lot of games where I really didn’t try to do too much, and let the flow come to me. I mean, yeah, I had the games where I put on a little of the ‘Nate the Great’ type deal, but – like my father said, ‘never be afraid of success.’ So, I try to go out and try to succeed in everything I do. And so far, it’s gotten me to where I am today. But that doesn’t mean I just sit back. I’ve got to consistently get better and improve, and I think I did that last year by being more patient.

You can read the entire interview here.

Coast to Coast: 8/28/08

Let’s push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the stories from around the league.

• The big story of the day has to do with the devastating injury to Warriors PG Monta Ellis.  The AP is reporting that Ellis will be out 3 months after severely spraining his ankle in an offseason workout.  Last year Ellis averaged 20 points, 5 boards, and 3 dimes per game.  In the offseason he was given a 6-year, $66 million extension while Baron Davis signed on with the Clippers.  Monta Ellis was going to be the guy this year for the first time and now he will miss at least the first month of the regular season.  The Warriors do have Marcus Williams to step in but he isn’t ready to play at the level that Ellis does.  This officially crushes any hopes Golden State had at competing in the difficult Western Conference this year.  I did think that this year was going to be when Ellis was finally recognized as a star in this league.  Tough break for him and the organization.
• The AP is reporting that the Oklahoma City franchise will announce its team name and colors on September 3rd.  Apparently the franchise has applied for the trademarks to six names: Thunder, Energy, Marshalls, Wind, Barons, and Bison.  I hear that the Thunder is most likely to be the one that is announced.  That’s fine as long as they don’t end up as the Oklahoma City Wind.  I don’t think you would see much jersey popping by the players if it read WIND on the front.
• The Orange County Register is speculating that the Lakers should consider signing free agent Shaun Livingston.  Livingston is currently rehabbing his surgically repaired right knee.  Livingston is talented and just 22 so I think some team should take a chance on him.  But not the Lakers with Fisher, Farmer, Sun Yue on board.  Doesn’t make much sense for them.
• Meanwhile the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the Warriors are looking at Livingston.  Chris Mullin is traveling to Chicago today to see him work out.  This makes much more sense to me.  Why not give him a chance when all you’ve got is Marcus Williams and C.J. Watson.
• According to ESPN, Mike Krzyzewski said that he will continue to be involved with Team USA by helping with the model that Jerry Colangelo introduced.  When asked if he would coach the team again he said, “I’ll help in some capacity in consulting, in whatever they need to do.”  Despite the superior talent, Coach K deserves more credit for the job he did in stressing defense and teamwork to the Redeem Team.
• The Boston Globe is reporting that an autopsy revealed that fromer Blazer Kevin Duckworth died after his enlarged heart failed.  He was 44.  Catch your Duck tribute here.
• The Miami Herald is reporting that Dwayne Wade has said that his mission is to bring the team back to being a title contender.  This coming off a league-worst 15-win season.  They will be better with the Wade-Marion-Beasley trio but their situation at center prevents them from being considered a title contender. 
• The Salt Lake Tribune is speculating that the Jazz should consider making a play at acquiring Ben Gordon from the Bulls.  This makes no sense to me especially with how expensive Gordon will be.  The Jazz don’t need his outside shooting ability.  Stick with Kyle Korver and be happy you don’t have to overhaul your roster while bringing in Gordon, who apparently wants Monta Ellis money.
• The Toronto Sun is reporting that second round draft pick Kyle Weaver has signed a contract with the Oklahoma City franchise.  I think Weaver will be a good role player in this league.  Weaver is a solid defender who also has a versatile offensive game and had a knack for making big plays while playing in college at Washington State.  Good value in the second round if you ask me. 
• Finally the Rocky Mountain News is reporting that the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors will be playing two preseason games in China this October. 

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Photo via AP

Youtube It

After the Olympics, I think most Knicks fans are bored waiting for the NBA season to get under way.  Training camp starts in about a month.  So today I started browsing Youtube trying to find some highlights from last year.  They were definitely hard to find during what was an awful season.  I was able to locate a video of the best dunks of last season by the Knicks.  Enjoy.

We’ve also got the Top 40 dunks from around the NBA from last year:

Finally the Top 10 ankle breakers with appearances by Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford:

Air Marbury

It’s hard to really have any idea what goes through Stephon Marbury’s mind so I usually try not to bother.  There has been great debate this offseason about whether or not he will be cut by the Knicks before the regular season starts (see my post about the situation here).  Steph has found himself back in the news today.  The New York Post is reporting that Marbury has bought his own private jet for the pocket change of $45 million.

Obviously Marbury can make an impulse buy like this because he will be stealing, er I mean earning, $21 million this year from the Knicks.  Apparently the team charter flights for road trips aren’t nice enough for our boy Stephon.  Why couldn’t he spend his $45 million in a more useful way?  How about hiring a psychologist to help him figure out how to be less of a jerk and more of a team player.  But then again I guess he’ll need this jet if he plans on going to Italy to play ball after the NBA is through with him.  Happy traveling Steph.

Coast to Coast: 8/27/08

It’s time to push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the big stories from around the league.

• Sad story as former Blazer Kevin Duckworth died Monday night at the age of 44.  Duck will surely be missed.
• Geez another sad story as former NBA player Wayman Tisdale had part of his right leg amputated due to his fight with bone cancer. 
• Great piece at TrueHoop on the future of Team USA.  There won’t be much to redeem in the future other than their current #2 FIBA ranking.  Got to give credit to Jerry Colangelo on how he changed the selection process and preparation of Team USA.
• We’ve all heard the Zach Randolph to Memphis rumors by now (Darko to NY?) but there is also talk of the Grizzlies looking at Portland’s Travis Outlaw as reported by the Memphis Edge.  Portland is expected to want Mike Conley in return and if that’s the case, I imagine Memphis would do the smart thing and look elsewhere.  I would only look to part with Kyle Lowry or Darko if I were them.
• The AP reports that a Phoenix prosecutor wants the federal files from the Tim Donaghy case.  You can almost picture David Stern cringing as this thing will not go away.
• Nick Collison told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that he is still a little shocked by the move of the Sonics.  “A lot of people just say they are sad to see us leave,” he said. “They say a lot of nice things about me personally. That’s the toughest thing for me. We’re a part of the NBA. We accept this. But the fans are left with nothing, so that’s who I feel the worst for, the diehard Sonics fans who have been around for a long time.”  Well said Nick.  Check out my previous post on the Sonics move here.
• EURweb.com is reporting that Allan Houston has released an open letter thanking fans for all the report he received as his daughter underwent heart surgery.  She will be fine thankfully.  Remember Houston will try to make a comeback with the Suns this year.  Raise your hand if you think his body can last more than 2 weeks in training camp.  I didn’t think so.
• It has apparently been allowed that NBA teams can now pursue signing Iranian center Hamed Haddadi.  He averaged a double-double at the Olympics (16 pts, 10 rebs).  The Grizzlies were reportedly interested, maybe as an alternative to trading for Randolph or Outlaw.
• The Miami Herald reports that the Heat are interested in DJ Mbenga who received a minimum level offer from the Lakers.  First the interest in Jamaal Magloire and now Mbenga.  I still can’t tell if the media is messing with us with these rumors.  I don’t exactly see one of these potential signings satisfying Heat nation.
• I’m sure you’ve heard by now but the LPGA has instituted a rule requiring all golfers to be able to speak English as the New York Times has reported.  Apparently this is something the NBA is not considering.  So when Yi Jianlian is out of the NBA soon, he will not be able to blame it on his lack of expertise of the English language.  Only his lack of ability to play ball at a non-crappy level.   

Zach Randolph to Memphis?

Well the Zach Randolph rumors are starting up again with the possibility that he will be sent to the Memphis Grizzlies.  Memphis has been known to be looking for a good low post scorer and that is what Randolph is.  Memphis was originally intertested in Josh Smith but lost out on that as he is staying in Atlanta.  Memphis apparently isn’t interested in giving up any of its good core players for Randolph though.  The rumor is that Darko Milicic would be sent to New York as part of the trade.

Well I highly doubt that the Grizzlies will be willing to make a better offer.  I know I would have huge concerns about his attitude and lack of defensive ability.  So it comes down to how badly the Knicks want to unload Randolph.  I think this deal has a good chance of going down but not right away.  Donnie will probably keep looking for a better return for Randolph but it’ll definitely be hard to find.  But when you have both Eddy Curry and Randolph, two low post scorers that don’t defend, I think you have to move one of them.  Plus it could be nice to have a big man like Darko off the bench instead of the fatso known as Jerome James.  But there is still a month to go until training camp.  There will be plenty of more Randolph rumors until then.