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Tommy Dee: Evans is the Fallback

Jun 4th, 2009
by Jon.
8 comments

Tommy Dee just brought the serious intel over at The Knicks Blog regarding the Knicks’ draft plans and other draft-related buzz. In the main, this is what Tommy is hearing about the Knicks’ plans:

We’ve learned that the Knicks have Holiday and Curry ahead of Evans, because they feel that they are more suited at the point guard position, but the Memphis product will work out for the Knicks as well as the Kings, Wizards and Raptors with Toronto keeping their fingers crossed that he falls to 9.  No chance he gets past the Raptors, who have all but guaranteed.

But our sources confirm the Knicks have been doing some serious homework on Evans and like what they are hearing and he should be the pick if both Holiday and Curry are off the board.

Can’t say I’m surprised that Evans has secured a virtual guarantee from the Raptors as we had him going there in our last mock and he fits what they need to a T. But while I recognize that he represents good value at 8 in certain scenarios, from the Knicks’ perspective I think Evans is a poor fit.

At any rate, over the past several days I’ve come to believe that Evans’ stock is rising to the point where it’s unlikely he’ll be there at 8.  Should Memphis and Sacramento make a very obvious and necessary swap of the second and fourth picks, several outlets are reporting that the Grizzlies would target Evans with the 4th pick. In addition, several mocks (including DraftExpress’) have Evans being selected by the Timberwolves at 6 and he’s obviously a fit with Nellie and the Warriors at 7.

Not surprisingly, with three weeks to go until draft day the lottery is in a state of flux and our third mock draft (which will go up this weekend) is going to look quite a bit different at the top than the last one did.

Dan L adds:

Tommy also picks up on reports that the Grizzlies are surely looking to trade their second pick, as Rubio doesn’t want to play there and the Grizzlies don’t love Thabeet. The only way for the Knicks to get Rubio is for Rubio to say he’ll only play for the Knicks, since the Kings are undoubtedly interested. Even if he does make such an ultimatum though, Knicks fans will have to come to terms with the notion that any trade will likely cost them Wilson Chandler, since it is unclear that David Lee, who is a restricted free agent, would agree to play for Memphis.

Cheap Shot Hahn

May 22nd, 2009
by Jon.
1 comment

On draft lottery night, Knicks Fanblog favorite Tommy Dee worked his sources to deliver the following scoop:

Several sources with knowledge of the situation have informed me that Nate Robinson has been telling people he wants to head back to the Pacific Northwest and sign an offer sheet with the Portland Trailblazers.

“Nate’s been telling people he doesn’t feel he’ll be around New York much longer,” the source told TKB. ” He wants Portland, he wants to go closer to home.”

But at this point, another source close to Blazers tells me, there is no interest from the Portland’s end. Portland desperately wants to add a veteran lead guard, which will allow superstar Brandon Roy, and Nate’s childhood buddy, to play the two. They feel it is his natural position.

I’m also hearing that Roy hasn’t  gone out of his way to endorse Robinson. Roy knows a veteran one would be a huge addition.

Dee summarized what he heard this way:

But from what we’re hearing, it seems pretty definitive that Nate will not be a Knick in October and Lee will likely stay for a reasonable deal, unless the right trade comes along.

Pretty interesting I think. Evidently Hahn disagrees though, as he had this to say last night on his own blog:

Saw that post by the relentless Tommy Dee regarding Nate Robinson. All due respect to TD, who is a hard-working blogger, but I don’t know what the news is there. Nate is feeling the end may be near in NY and if he had his choice he’d love to play in the market closest to his beloved Seattle home, so he can be near his family. What’s the shock there?

And, just to make sure everyone knew how unimpressed he was, Hahn tweeted about it too.

Does this strike anyone else as totally gratuitous?  Does Hahn feel threatened by Tommy or something?

And, on top of that, Hahn managed to look even sillier by including the cheap shot as part of an entry in which he pumped a rumor that popped up yesterday that the Bulls’ Ty Thomas was available in a trade even though that rumor was squarely debunked by Hoopsworld about an hour after it was posted.

Stay classy Alan.

Dan adds:

I think it’s particularly inane to pull a “you call that news” on someone in the blogosphere. The bulk of blog entries, especially in the Knicks universe are just speculation and discussion points. Tommy is an exception in that he has actual sources that he uses from time to time to inform the speculation.

That said, I do think Tommy’s scoop is news. More newsworthy, at least, than say any plethora of speculation or trivia that’s disclaimed as “just bloggin’” on the Knicks Fix.

Knicks Locked in on Steph Curry?

Apr 28th, 2009
by Jon.
2 comments

Tommy Dee linked this morning to a radio interview conducted by CNNSI’s Dan Patrick with Stephen Curry where Curry informs Patrick that he’s been told his draft range is between six and twenty (Although that high water mark sounds like it might be a bit off. Or is it? More on that in a minute).

Who would take him at six? According to Curry, none other than your New York Knicks. Are the Knicks, as Chad Ford has repeatedly reported over the past several months, locked in on the Davidson PG? As you all know, I’m a big fan of Curry’s and I love his ceiling as a long-term prospect. He’ll enter the league as a combo guard, likely coming off the bench, but I believe his upside is all wrapped up in his long-term potential as a dynamic floor leader.

At six though? Hmmm. As we’re all aware, the Knicks aren’t seeded sixth in the lottery, they’re slated to pick eighth. Did Curry simply misspeak, or did the Knicks maybe let something slip, and there’s a more interesting scenario brewing?

Who is currently slated to pick sixth, you ask? None other than the Memphis Grizzlies. That’s right. those same Memphis Grizzlies that nearly traded the fifth pick in last year’s draft for David Lee. Could the Knicks and Grizzlies be laying the groundwork for a deal? Interesting.

Now, of course, it’s far more likely that Curry simply misspoke than it is that he has some inside dope on the Knicks’ master plan. But it sure is fun to speculate.

LeBroptimism + Draft Rumors = Beautiful

Apr 14th, 2009
by Jon.
3 comments

After months of stagnation (that led to some natural LePessimism) on the Lebron James sweepstakes rumor mill, we’re now enjoying a seeming tidal wave of LeBroptimism coupled today with a very interesting draft rumor. This new tidbit comes courtesy of Brent Axe at Syracuse.com by way of Tommy Dee at the Knicks Blog. Here’s the take away:

Most of you will remember that Flynn attended Lebron’s skills academy last summer where he did very, very well.

I’m sure most of you also remember this report about King James courting Flynn’s services for his agent, Leon Rose.

Just so happens Rose was also recently on the SU campus to give a lecture.

See where we are heading? We don’t exactly need the team from “CSI” to crack this one.

What may take the team from “CSI” to prove is what is becoming a favorite conspiracy theory of mine.

Two NBA scouts that Kevin Ware (the producer and update anchor on my ESPN Radio show) spoke with today said that the New York Knicks love Flynn. We all know how badly the Knicks are going to want Lebron next summer.

It turns out that love is mutual as some spies tell me that Flynn is a big Knicks guy and can’t wait to work out for them to show them what he can do.

Wow. I mean I like Jonny Flynn a great deal. I think he’s a very nice prospect and I view him as the 3rd best pure PG presently expected to be in the draft (after Rubio and Jennings).

But, much more importantly, LeBron apparently loves Jonny Flynn. And the Knicks love LeBron and Jonny Flynn. And Jonny Flynn loves LeBron and the Knicks. Does Lebron love the Knicks with Jonny Flynn? Perhaps only time will tell. In the meantime, though, another nice dose of LeBroptimism and a juicy draft rumor to boot. Ya gotta love that.

Hahn: Knicks Might Pass on Lebron

Mar 15th, 2009
by Jon.
19 comments

Alan Hahn has been saying for a while now, mostly in his weekly chats, that he believes that the Knicks may not take the cap space they’ve been working so hard to acquire all the way into free agency 2010. Today, he presents that theory again in an article in Newsday.

Hahn says that, rather than pursuing the all-in-on-Lebron scenario, one that could very well leave the Knicks holding an empty bag, given that the Knicks hold multiple large, expiring deals and some attractive young talent, Donnie Walsh might instead pursue a trade either this offseason or at next February’s trade deadline for a star player from a team that (1) fears it might lose that player for nothing in 2010 (Chris Bosh) or (2) has stagnated and wants to reshuffle the deck (Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash).

While on some level it’d be so disappointing to see the Knicks forgo the opportunity to take their shot with Lebron (as you all know I think there’s at least a decent chance he’d spurn the Cavs and sign here), Hahn’s scenario is far from crazy. In fact, it’s the much safer play.

Most of what we all (Clevelanders and New Yorkers both) think we know about Lebron and his desire to either leave or stay in Cleveland is based on rampant, unfettered speculation about various bits of minutia that trickle into the media’s coverage of the whole 2010 saga. Sure, it’s fun to speculate (Dan and I have a whole meter devoted to it), but as Tommy Dee pointed out yesterday, no one can possibly know what Lebron has planned for the future because it’s likely that Lebron doesn’t even know at this point. And if he does know, he’s certainly not sharing with us.

Now, of course it’s possible that Lebron does have some semblance of an idea of what he wants to do, and that he’s let certain, trusted confidants in on his thinking (Sonny Vaccaro? Worldwide Wes? Leon Rose? Jay-Z?). It’s also possible, if he’s leaning towards leaving the Cavs, that those confidants have found ways to relate Lebron’s current thinking to the people that are well-positioned to faciliate Lebron’s move to a new team (Read: Donnie Walsh). We know that kind of stuff happens all the time. But we don’t know if it’s happening now.

Rest assured though, if the Knicks make moves this summer that effectively take them out of the running for Lebron in 2010, it will be because Donnie Walsh wasn’t given reason enough to believe that Lebron was coming here. And if that’s the case, he’ll have done the right thing by getting the Knicks some elite talent when he knew he could and setting them up to battle Lebron for titles (wherever it is he decides to play) in the years to come.

Eerily Quiet

Feb 16th, 2009
by Jon.
4 comments

I’ve been scouring the rumor mills daily, as I’m sure most of you are as well, and scuttlebutt surrounding the Knicks is somwhere between scant and non-exsistent. Now, we know from the Crawford/Z-bo trades that DW is a stealth bomber (no one knew either of those guys were about to get dealt until about 10 minutes before it happened, but the difference is that at that time I don’t believe that the vast majority of the national basketball media were canvassing all their sources like they are right now), but I haven’t seen reporters publish many substantial rumors connecting the Knicks to anyone.

It’s not for lack of effort as, our favorites, the always reliable Tommy Dee and Alan Hahn, are certainly working their sources trying to get the goods. It just seems that either (a) the Knicks aren’t really into much of anything heading into the deadline or (b) Donnie Walsh has plugged every single leak that sprang forth from the shiny but crappily built luxury liner that was the Isiah Thomas era.

As always, we’ll keep our eyes out for anything interesting (and plausible) that emanates from the rumor mill (just this morning Chris Alvino picked up on an article in the Sacramento Bee discussing the Kings and Bulls potentially hooking up on a Malik Rose/Brad Miller trade — not sure how much sense that makes unless we plan to flip Miller) and I’ll be trying to ask Bill Ingram about the Knicks during his Hoopsworld chat beginning at noon today (It starts in about 20 minutes. Definitely go check it out — he often has intersting information.). Right now, though, it’s hard to say whether the Knicks plan to make a deal or not. I think it makes sense for Donnie Walsh to make use of some of his assets but, as of this moment, there simply isn’t any great indiciation that he’s going to.

Donnie Looking to Deal?

Feb 5th, 2009
by Jon.
22 comments

Donnie Walsh did a couple of radio interviews today over at the Fan and ESPN discussing the Knicks’ plans for the trade deadline (compiled here by Tommy Dee). In the interview with WFAN  he said he doesn’t want to make a “sideways move” and would only make a trade if it improved the club in the short term as well as the long term.

Walsh’s comments are obviously a function of the Knicks being in playoff contention at the moment, but I think he’s also a sending a message to other teams that the Knicks aren’t just giving anyone away and they’re looking for value in a trade (never forget DW’s a lawyer). I still expect Donnie to make at least one deal–you can’t just let Nate walk in the summer, let alone Lee–but it’s obvious that there won’t be any salary dumps this time around. That is, unless he finds a sucker who’ll take Eddy Curry off his hands.