7 Comments

1. Dan L says:

   May 12, 2009 at 4:47 pm

   Because rumors are always false and denials are always true…

   Reply
2. Phil says:

   May 12, 2009 at 4:58 pm

   Regardless of the situation, you don’t want to show your hand and have a team hold you hostage. The last thing you want is a team saying, ‘We’re drafting Curry unless you can give so and so to us’.

   The thing I’m more intrigued by is the ability to buy some picks. According to the CBA, the max the Knicks can offer for a pick is 3 million. If you include a rookies first year along with Luxury Tax implications, the Knicks could potentially bailout a couple teams by having them save 4-6 million (including cash). You can have them save a lot more if we include Mobley’s contract since 80% is already insured (and maybe milk a 2010 pick off).

   Considering this, might be possible to get Curry later on down/pick up other guards who can contribute (FYI I’m a HUGE fan of Eric Maynor).

   Reply
3. Jon says:

   May 12, 2009 at 5:24 pm

   I’m on board with the plan to rebuild the backcourt through this draft and the Knicks should absolutely be looking to acquire extra picks. But I think you have Curry and Maynor backwards Phil. At least as of this moment, Curry is slated to go anywhere between 8 and 14. Maynor is expected to be drafted between 12 and 20. If the Knicks pass on Curry, the Raptors would probably take him at 9 and I’d say there’s no chance that he slips past the Bobcats at 12 or Suns at 14.

   Reply
4. SlumdogBaller says:

   May 13, 2009 at 4:26 pm

   It’s really tough to take anything seriously at this point. The draft lottery hasn’t happened, official measurements have not been taken and most teams are just now working out individual players.

   Looking at Donnie Walsh’s track record shows me that he works in a methodical way and it is simply hard to believe that he would be so irresponsible as to offer a guarantee to ANY kid outside the 1st or 2nd spot at this point.

   After our draft spot is determined then promises become distinct possibilities.

   This, in my opinion, is just another example of kids, agents, family trying to get their players out there to be talked about. It’s called HYPE. Any PR is good PR.

   Reply
5. Jon says:

   May 13, 2009 at 4:46 pm

   “Looking at Donnie Walsh’s track record shows me that he works in a methodical way and it is simply hard to believe that he would be so irresponsible as to offer a guarantee to ANY kid outside the 1st or 2nd spot at this point.”

   You may be right that it’s just hype Slumdog, but you’re overlooking a key detail in your analysis. The rumor isn’t that he promised to take Curry over any other kid at any spot in the draft even if the Knicks won the lottery. The rumor is simply that, if the Knicks stay at 8, they promise they’d take Curry at that spot. Huge difference.

   Also, if it was in fact true that Donnie Walsh had made such a promise, I don’t think it would be a capricious decision. At this point in the process teams have scouted each of the prospects extensively by attending games and watching hours and hours of film. The best way to evaluate a player is to study his body of work and how he fares against different levels of competition. The capricious GMs are the ones that draft players based on their performances during this silly season of pre-draft measurements and workouts. That’s how Kwame Brown ends up going first overall and Joe Alexander ends up in the mid-lottery.

   Reply
6. SlumdogBaller says:

   May 13, 2009 at 9:54 pm

   Jon, perhaps you misunderstood.

   Let me clarify. Donnie would be irresponsible to offer any player a guarantee unless that player was expected to be a #1 or #2 draft pick.

   Furthermore, for accuracy sake, the rumor was that the Knicks had Curry as #6 on their list (which begs the question which 6 players are before him) AND that they would pick him if he were still there at the 8 spot.

   And, yes, I still do think it would be irresponsible of Walsh at this point – or any GM for that matter – to make a guarantee to pick a kid at the 8 spot if he’s still on the board.

   Reply
7. Jon says:

   May 13, 2009 at 10:51 pm

   “Furthermore, for accuracy sake, the rumor was that the Knicks had Curry as #6 on their list (which begs the question which 6 players are before him) AND that they would pick him if he were still there at the 8 spot.”

   No one said that Curry is sixth on the Knicks’ list. Rather, the rumor was that Curry’s feedback from teams around the league was that he’d be chosen between 6 and 20. The team that would take him 6th, according to Curry, is the Knicks (of course, he’s mistaken because the Knicks choose 8th).

   You can read and listen to that here:

   http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/danpatrick/blog/62802/

   Reply