Big questions for small lineup

Wednesday September 30, 2009 3:18 PM By Alan Hahn

Even before Eddy Curry's injury knocked him out of practice on the first day, Mike D'Antoni seemed already committed to returning to the plan that had 6-9 David Lee playing the center position. His blue jersey squad consists of likely starters, with Lee, Al Harrington, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Chris Duhon.

Lee accepted the job last season but was often overmatched defensively, especially against bigs such as Dwight Howard, Yao Ming and Shaquille O'Neal. The team did go out and trade for 7-2 Darko Milicic and the coaching staff is already in love with Milicic's potential because he can run the floor so well and is a willing passer. He can also block shots.

But D'Antoni seems to like this smaller group of five and made that point when he said, "We're going to play our best five guys."

The lineup does cause some matchup issues for other teams, especially against the pick-and-roll. Yao had a hard time with it, as did Shaq and it usually pulls the big away from the basket. But with a 6-9 center you know guards who can get penetration see a runway to the rim, which was a major Achilles Heel last season.

"We don't have a lot of shot-blocking, that's the only thing with that lineup," D'Antoni said. "But we can do other things. We've got Eddy coming back, we've got Darko, Jordan Hill. We have other answers. We'll see. We know that David and Al as a three and four are good and we have other possibilities . . . That's the great thing about our team, the versatility of it and I'm trying to get to a group of eight to 10 guys that I can put on the floor and are all good."

Milicic is intriging because, despite the fact that he stayed in Europe all summer and reported Saturday without spending any time at the MSG Training Center, he appears to be in excellent condition. He looks physically strong and fit and seems very comfortable with the up-tempo D'Antoni pushes in both drills and scrimmages. (By the way, to label Milicic is a lottery bust is unfair. He wasn't the one who picked himself No. 2 overall before Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. That's on Joe Dumars.)

It's up to Milicic to play well enough to motivate D'Antoni to move him into the starting five, but then what do you do with either Lee or Harrington? Perhaps D'Antoni sees it easier to bring Milicic in off the bench rather than move Lee or Harrington into a reserve role, which certainly wouldn't be received well by either player.

Within all of that, D'Antoni also will want to find minutes for 6-10 Jared Jeffries, who, if you remember, started camp last year as the possible starting center before he broke his leg. By the end of the season, however, Jeffries showed great value as a point guard stopper, which you can see being his role once again.

Hill is still very raw and I don't want to be unfairly critical too early in his first camp. Actually, it's probably better he has a few veterans ahead of him on the depth chart because it will allow him to develop at his own pace without the pressure that usually comes with a top 10 pick, to perform right away and push for a starting role.

* * *

* - Curry sat out the morning practice but our dear stationary bikes got no love from him. Curry was nowhere to be seen at the gym and was instead getting treatment on the strained right calf. D'Antoni said he couldn't predict if Curry would be able to play in Sunday's preseason game against the Nets (when we'll get to see replacement referees). The team will have one long practice tomorrow and then resume two-a-days on Friday. The guess is Curry gives it a try tomorrow but may wait until Friday.

* - In case anyone missed it, Joe Johnson pretty much confirmed he will be on the guest list for next summer's free agency party.

* - Toney Douglas looks physically ready for this level. The fact that he was a college senior means he already has that maturity and the guidance of his older brother, Harry, who is a wide receiver with the Atlanta Falcons (and out for the season with a knee injury).That's a heck of an accomplishment for the Douglas family. It recalls a lyric by C.L. Smooth in "Take You There":

I'm living through my son so Daddy see it this way;

I want him in the NFL, his brother in the NBA . . .

* - There is another scrimmage tonight. Check back here later on for the usual and hit me up on twitter (twitter.com/alanhahn).

Putting the D back in D'Antoni

Tuesday September 29, 2009 11:39 PM By Alan Hahn

So maybe there was some coincidence to the sight of the Knicks working hard on a defense drill just as the media was allowed into the gym here at Skidmore College this morning. Mike D'Antoni generally gives the public relations staff the high sign to indicate that the gym is "open," so he knew we were coming in. And we'd enter to see the league's top offensive-minded coach, Mr. Seven-Seconds-Or-Less, working  . . .  defense?

"That was for you guys," D'Antoni joked.

The Knicks' defense was equally laughable last season and D'Antoni, who is often criticized for not putting enough emphasis on that end of the floor, admitted a need to change his philosophy.

"I joked about it and that's not the right message to send," he said. "Some guys thought we were going to out-score people . . . So our approach has to be different."

So in the first meeting of the season and during the first film session before the first practice, D'Antoni preached defense.

And he pointed to the fact that his 32-50 team last season ranked 28th in the 30-team league in effective field goal percentage (52.1 percent), which has long been the gospel stat for D'Antoni.

His goal this season, he told the team, was to be among the top half of the league in defensive eFG.

"If we're in the top 15, then we're going to be a really good basketball team," he said. "If we're not, we're going to struggle."

On the first day, D'Antoni showed some favor to a starting lineup that was somewhat familiar to last season, with Chris Duhon, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Al Harrington, with 6-9 David Lee at the center position. That doesn't give the Knicks much presence inside, which was a major issue last season.

But the team acquired 7-2 Darko Milicic in the offseason to add some much-needed size and shot-blocking ability and, just from seeing how well Milicic can run the floor and catch and pass while moving, you can expect the big Serbian will get an early opportunity to carve a place in the rotation. D'Antoni also played Nate Robinson and rookie Toney Douglas together during the evening scrimmage and the two were a relentless duo that you can envision D'Antoni using as a three-quarter pressing tandem.

But above the personnel, it's on D'Antoni to hold his players more accountable on defense and to send more of a consistent message about the defensive strategies for each game. Yes, it comes down to a player taking on the challenge of keeping his man in front of him -- Gallinari, for a guy 6-11, has an uncanny ability to do that even against smaller guards because he is so smart positionally -- but the coaching staff has a greater responsibility to have the players prepared and focused at both ends of the floor.

"When you're 28th, obviously you did something wrong," D'Antoni said. "We re-assessed everything we did and, yeah, I think we can do a better job coaching it and getting their mindset right. We can do better and we will do better."

Obviously last season D'Antoni spent a great deal of camp teaching his up-tempo, multi-faceted offensive system and fine tuning it with the players. The team seemed to pick it up very quickly and they were 6-3 before the roster-shaking trades of starters Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph. Then came a truncated roster as a result of the trades and the Cuttino Mobley retirement and also injuries.

All those excuses are in the past. This season D'Antoni has a very full roster and there is very little chance Donnie Walsh will do anything major during the season to shake up the roster. With most of the group already familiar with their roles and the variations of the offensive system, D'Antoni has no reason not to use this year's camp to make defense the focus.

"They have to know that is going to get us over the hump to be a good team," D'Antoni said. "We're going to keep banging that drum."

* * *

* - Eddy Curry's calf strain (see previous blog) was one downer from the night session, which was mostly five-on-five full court scrimmage-style work with a three-team rotation. The play deteriorated quickly toward the end; an obvious sign of fatigue.

* - Gallinari continues to stand out as an impressive player among the bunch. He made one impressive spin move against camp invitee Ron Howard for a two-handed jam.

* - Things got a little physical on one play when Al Harrington went hard to the hole and was sent to the floor by a hard foul from Chris Hunter. Harrington took a moment to get up and rubbed the back of his head, but finished the workout without any problems.

* - Rookie Jordan Hill -- (OK, it's been one day so he deserves a little more time before we judge, but so many of you are asking) -- seems to have continued the underwhelming play he showed in the NBA Summer League in July. Hill still doesn't have the explosiveness he'll need at this level (he had a minor injury in August that set his offseason workouts back a bit) and you just can see he has some learning to do. He'll be a project, for sure.

* - The team will have another two-a-day session Wednesday. Remember to check back here in the afternoon and evening for reports after each workout and, as always, follow me on twitter (twitter.com/alanhahn) for thoughts and observations from the gym.

Wanted: Used stationary bike (Curry strains calf muscle)

Tuesday September 29, 2009 8:42 PM By Alan Hahn

Looks like Eddy's going to need that stationary bike after all.

Let us paraphrase a little LL here:

Don't call it a setback/We've seen this for years . . .

During the night session, Eddy Curry tweaked that right calf injury we told you about and he had to pull himself out of the scrimmage. The Knicks are calling it a strained right calf and they consider it a day-to-day injury.

Curry said he was "disappointed but not discouraged" and Mike D'Antoni said he expected Curry to be back "in a couple of days."

It likely means he will miss the preseason game Sunday against the Nets, but it's still early. The Knicks have another two-a-day tomorrow and then one practice on Thursday before going back to the two-a-days for Friday and Saturday.

Check back here later for more on the evening session and something some might never expect Mike D'Antoni to consider a point of emphasis on the first day of training camp.

For Sale: Used stationary bikes

Tuesday September 29, 2009 3:52 PM By Alan Hahn

They looked so sad, those two high-tech stationary bikes, stashed into an alcove in the gym, unused, unwanted and, for the first time in recent years, un-needed. They were glorified towel racks at this point. Such a humbling fate for equipment once such a focal point of Knicks training camp.

There was a time last season when those bikes were the center of attention. Danilo Gallinari made his rookie debut right there in that corner, churning away like Lance Armstrong. Or better yet, Lance Backweak.

There was Jerome James, as well. We believe Jerome had his own bike at this point, one with cup holders and a snack tray. Word is he asked for a TV and was denied.

It's true, the Knicks just don't know how to treat their players with respect.

Eddy Curry never made it to the bikes last year because he never made it to the gym. He had a bacterial infection and spent the week doing the most destructive activity of anyone with his metabolism: sitting in bed.

But a year later these bikes were afterthoughts. One seemed to perk up a second when Curry stepped off the court after his turn in a drill and motioned to a trainer. Curry had a tight wrap applied to his right calf, which, like his left hamstring, is already barking after running full-court scrimmages last week.

But Curry then got back in line. Never missed a turn. I swear if a stationary bike could ever look slumped, you could see it at the handebars. It was visibly dejected. Perhaps somewhere in Chicago, at that very moment, Jerome glanced to the sidelines looking for his long, lost friend . . .

The good news for Curry was that he got through the morning session, which was loaded with full-court drills and plenty of running.

Did he look ready to go? No. Not even close. There was an amble in his gait and he was clearly losing his legs as the practice went on. But he didn't pull himself out. He never once went near the stationary bikes.

"I think he's made some progress," Mike D'Antoni said. "The camp will be really good for him. He needs to get down a little bit [more in weight] but that's kind of normal. Even if he had a great year last year he'd come in and probably would have to drop a few pounds in camp. He'll do that."

Donnie Walsh told us on Friday that Curry's most recent weigh-in was 317 pounds. As you watch him in uniform on the court, you have to wonder if he had both legs on the scale. Curry looks huge. As I said yesterday, his shoulders alone look immense, so perhaps it's muscle weight. But it's impossible to believe that he's 317 pounds.

Still, regardless of the weight debate, he was on the court and he was working. Progress was made. The team has a scrimmage tonight and then another two-a-day tomorrow. More challenges await Eddy before the week is up.

Meanwhile, Gallinari looks fast up and down the court, but his explosiveness was lacking. D'Antoni noted that Gallo is also going to need time to get his legs under him. He already has the J and stroked it without issue, even with a bandage on his right (shooting) hand, which was protecting what the team called a "skin issue".

I could go through the entire roster with a line on how each player "looked" but let's be honest, it was a 90 minute practice with drills. Let me just say this, the good news that came out of this opening day morning session was that, unlike years past, the team trainers weren't the hardest working people in the gym.

* * * 

* - William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley was in attendance yesterday, marking the second straight year the well-connected attache to many NBA stars (including LeBron James) has been present at Knicks camp. Wesley has an interest in Curry's progress, of course. He is the one who set Curry up with strength coach Tommy Weatherspoon and basketball trainer Jerry Powell to work with Curry this summer.  For most of June, Curry stayed at Wesley's home outside of Detroit.

* - Each year I pick my favorite bubble guy. This year it'll be Sun Yue, the former Lakers draft pick. He's 6-9, handles the ball very fluidly and in the drills showed off a very sweet lefty jumper.

* - On the training camp roster is 6-7 forward Marcus Landry, who is a rookie out of Wisconsin and the younger brother of Rockets forward Carl Landry. Marcus, like his brother, has a great work ethic, but he played center in college and now is trying to make it as a swingman in the NBA.

* - The Knicks are trying out some interesting technical advancements this year. Each player wears a monitor on their body that measures heartrate, which can tell trainers which players may need a break and which may need to go Emeril and kick it up and notch. It also - incredibly - reads the sweat drops to see what nutrients each player is losing, which tells the trainers what each player specifically needs in their recovery drinks. Nate Robinson's read "lithium ion".

Check back here later tonight for an update on the scrimmage and, as always, follow me on twitter (twitter.com/alanhahn) for live news, views, insights and random musings from the gym and elsewhere here in Saratoga this week.

No hugs, just hope for new season

Monday September 28, 2009 3:48 PM By Alan Hahn

I had that "Sounds of Blackness" chorus in my head the entire time spent mingling in the gym on Media Day.

You can win . . . as long as you keep your head to the sky . . .

Optimistic. 

We had just entered the gym where the usual set-up of tables arranged around the floor with a player seated at each. Times scribe Howard Beck noted the place had a very clean smell.

No amount of Febreze could have cleared the air a year ago, when my former running mate Ken Berger made the back page when he got bear hugged by Stephon Marbury and there were still so many unwanted guests on the roster. It was a collection of players that Mike D'Antoni made reference to when I asked about the negative atmosphere that may have lingered from the previous regime and the penchant this team had for collectively going south when even the slightest controversy hit:

"I think we weeded out those guys," he said.

Hard not to wonder, however, with so many expiring contracts on the roster around several young players on a team that has such low expectations from outsiders, if this year's group can be a disastrous mix in it's own way.

But today that vibe didn't quite exist. At least not yet. Of course everything looks good on the first day.

That includes Eddy Curry, who spoke openly about his issues from last season and, of course, his weight. His shoulders looked huge, by the way. "Really?" he said. "A lot of push-ups."

He apparently did the Bobby Brady hang-from-the-closet-rod trick to get taller, because the Knicks now list Curry at 7-feet even. For eight seasons in the NBA, he's been 6-11. (The team also lists him at 295, 10 pounds more than the listed weight used over his career and yet 22 pounds lighter than what Donnie Walsh reported on Friday.)

Curry said his current condition "is the best I've felt in a long time," though, as we told you over the weekend, he did tweak his hamstring in a scrimmage last week. Pre-emptive strike for tomorrow's first day of training camp? Perhaps. From what I hear, with all of the hard work he put in to lose 40 pounds and get himself in good shape, Curry hasn't done a great deal of full-court work this summer. Now with the hamstring issue, it might still be some time before we see Curry ready to go 100 percent.

Al Harrington, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to go. He even had a basketball at his table, ready to jump out of his seat and into a drill at a moment's notice. Big Al looks lean, but he says he actually gained eight pounds from last season. It's just been reconfigured. He comes in at 260 pounds after an offseason that involved something new to his trainig regimen.

"I never really lift weights, but I lifted weights this year eight straight weeks, no basketball," Harrington said.

He started in mid-June and went through July pumping iron in a two-a-day schedule. Now he finds himself far more explosive than he was last season and feeling quicker.

"It's crazy, I thought you had to lose weight to feel quicker," he said. "But I'm just stronger. I can't wait to get on the court."

Nate Robinson showed off his new jersey number, which is No. 2, the number he wore basically all of his career until he joined the Knicks. The No. 2 is in honor of Deion Sanders, whom Robinson, a two-sport star in high school and college, idolized. I told Nate he needs to now honor Larry Johnson by flashing the "LJ" after he hits his first three of the season. He got the reference.

Darko Milicic sat at a far table across the gym and I didn't have the chance to make it to him before he left, but he did have this to say to AP's Brian Mahoney about Mike D'Antoni's system, which the Knicks expect to be a more comfortable fit for the 7-foot Serbian and former lottery pick.

"I don't know him personally, but I watch his teams," Milicic said. "He's great. It's great, the way he wants you to play with the freedom. You have the green light, you know how to do it, just do it . . . As long as you play right and as long as you play hard, you've got the freedom to play. Just enjoy. Go out there and enjoy. So it's a great, great, great way to play."

Uh, yeah . . .

Chris Duhon said he is much more prepared for the demands of the starting PG role this season than he was last season, when he admits his body broke down from the heavy workload.

"This year, I have a better feeling of what to expect, what it's going to take to maintain my body and what I need to do on and off the court," he said. "I'm more prepared for it. If that situation happens again, I really believe I won't break down like I did last year."

Everyone was quick to deflect the 2010 talk and say, as one would expect, that the focus at hand is this season. The best line of the day came from Curry, who was asked about the 2010 talk and how his contract is the biggest load (no pun intended) against the salary cap.

"If that's their goal, to showcase me or whatever to make my contract more attractive, then so be it," he said. "I still have to be able to go out there and play."

Then he added, "I hope they do get LeBron. I hope I'm here when he comes. If not, I think the city deserves a player like him."

I'll be leaving Greenburgh soon for the trek to Saratoga Springs. Check here every day for updates from training camp and also follow me on twitter (twitter.com/alanhahn).

Media Day

Monday September 28, 2009 12:20 PM By Alan Hahn

Here in Greenburgh, awaiting the start of Knicks Media Day for the 2009-10 season.

Check back here later in the afternoon for some notes and quotes from the players session with reporters. And you can follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/alanhahn) for up-to-the-minute news, views and random thoughts from today, throughout training camp up in Saratoga Springs and all season long.

Take a load off, Eddy

Saturday September 26, 2009 5:05 PM By Alan Hahn

I pulled into Nazareth, I was feelin' 'bout half-past dead...

When we prodding media types ask Eddy Curry the obvious questions Monday on media day, he may reply in figurative speech.

The discussion, of course, is about The Weight (bloghost note: the title of this blog post borrows from The Band's legendary tune. If you've never heard of The Band, then you haven't heard music. Netflix "The Last Waltz" now and get educated).

Regardless of what we see with our own eyes (how many 300 pounders ever actually look lighter?) Curry has to be lighter these days. How can he not be? But not just in pounds.

Donnie Walsh said Friday the last weigh-in registered 317, which is 40 pounds lighter than last season. That's an accomplishment. Some may want to bring a scale. See for themselves, but you have to believe it he isn't carrying the same weight he did last season.

Why? Because aside from the colon cleansing (yes, that's an automatic TMI) and broth diet and an offseason of -- eureka -- actual, legitimate conditioning and basketball training that melted away all those pounds of misery, Curry also was able to rid himself of the excess (and very public) drama that certainly weighed him down emotionally and spend the summer buried in family and, perhaps more importantly, in anonymity.

So will he look lighter? At 317 pounds, it's almost impossible to "look" anything associated to light. But feeling lighter is probably more important to him, not just in his movements on the court, but his mental state off of it.

So where is he right now? Here's a catch-up on a few of Curry's widely publicized issues away from basketball:

*- Remember the chauffer, David Kuchinsky, who filed that shocking sexual harassment lawsuit against Curry? After a judge in May ruled the case to be settled in arbitration -- as per the employment contract Kuchinsky signed with Curry -- Kuchinsky has yet to pay the expensive filing fee to begin the arbitration process. It's a very unheralded result to what had been a widely-publicized story. To be fair, Kuchinsky's lawyer has not yet responded to an email we sent earlier this week seeking an explanation.

*- The bank foreclosure on Curry's $3.7M Chicago home, which came public in late June, is in the process of being settled. A result of this, however, moved Curry to take action against his former agent, Lamont Carter, who handled most of Curry's financial affairs. (Sheriffs are apparently still trying to serve Carter with the lawsuit, while the rest of us wonder how the hell anyone in the mid-2000s ever would agree to a mortage rate of 10 percent. 10 percent!I guarantee that bank was never in trouble when the recession hit.)

As for on the court, we only know what we've been told by the people who have worked closely with him over the last three months: strength and conditioning trainer Tommy Weatherspoon and basketball trainer Jerry Powell.

Weatherspoon in August said Curry's weight was 318 pounds at the end of August, which was close to the playing-weight goal of 315 that Weatherspoon set. Powell said Curry was moving well and spent a great deal of time on his post moves.

Hold on, here comes the however . . .

Weatherspoon and Powell were hired to work only until Aug. 31, so the past 20-something days Curry has been on his own. One would think after three months Curry would know exactly what do to maintain the level of fitness -- if not improve on it -- between then and when camp opens on Tuesday. According to Walsh's number, Curry dropped one more pound since the end of August.

He has been at the MSG Training Center for about two weeks now and this week started participating in full court scrimmages with his teammates. I heard from several people within the team that Curry didn't spend too much time actually playing in the games. And he pulled out of one with a hamstring tweak.

There's little doubt, as I wrote in the Saturday editions of Newsday, Curry has a lot more work ahead of him once camp starts because, even if he's in great shape -- OK, let's just go as far as saying "good" shape -- he has to now learn how to play and fit into Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo, ball-movement system.

Mainly, he has to be able to run. That was a concept he didn't grasp a year ago, when he arrived in Greenburgh before camp looking slower than Jerome James on a stationary bike. Looking slower than Steve Francis to a loose ball. No wait, looking slower than LeBron James to the Cavaliers contract extension.

OK, that'll do.

Let's make one thing clear: forget what you saw in the second half of last season. That wasn't the true system and I've criticized D'Antoni for eschewing his principles and allowing so much undisciplined one-on-one play (Nate Robinson, Al Harrington) to happen for the desperate attempt to sneak into the playoffs.

What you should expect is that D'Antoni will get control of the offense again right from the start and demand the philosophy to return to what Red Holzman often ordered from his players: Find the open man.

(Uh oh, tangent coming up ... )

That means more than just breaking down your guy one-on-one and kicking it out, which so many people think is what the offense is all about. No, it's not and that's Reason No. 2,380 why Allen Iverson wouldn't work here, even as a one-year mercenary and yet why an intelligent, yet non-athletic guy like Chris Duhon can take his game to another level here.

It involves screens, rolls, motion and something most players hate doing even more than setting screens: playing a decoy role.

It also means busting out off the defensive boards, running lanes and finishing strong. It means running the other team's more talented veterans into the ground. It doesn't mean dribbling off 10 seconds just to make a crossover dribble into a fade-away.

But before we completely go off track, let us digress ... now back to Eddy.

His value could be at the top of the key in the pick and roll. You say that's absurd, because he's 6-11 and over 300 pounds and players that size don't belong 20 feet from the basket.

OK, just hold up a second, Dr. Naismith. If you remember one thing about Curry during his successful 2006-07 season -- before his knee problems and resulting weight gain -- was that the dude is ridiculously nimble for a big man. Sure, most of his work was done on the low block, but if you watch the tapes you will see that he can move very quickly and fluidly in a space no bigger than a square foot. If he truly is in shape and feeling strong, his knees won't take as much pounding and his body control will be better than it's been in years.

Also, recall the plays he would often make with Jamal Crawford off the pick and roll. The quick spin and unstoppable alley-oops. That bounce he once had left his legs and went to his belly over the past two years, but an offseason of work should have brought most of that back. In July we saw Eddy easily slamming the ball through the hoop, which, amazingly, wasn't such a common sight when he actually was on the court last season.

No one is expecting him to arrive looking like David Robinson. In fact, in this system, with the demands on running and constant movement (not to mention quick passing, which was never one of Curry's strengths to begin with), Curry may never be able to log more than 20 to 25 minutes a game in this style. It would just be nice to see him do it without having to drag his tongue down the court, too. Or waddle behind the other team's big.

It's similar to when Shaquille O'Neal went to Phoenix. Amar'e Stoudemire was far more effective at center in this system because he was an athletic big man who could run like a small forward. That's the type of center you need. Sure, Stoudemire is a freak of nature, so it's not his package of athleticism and power comes along every draft year (we'll try to ignore the comparison Mike D'Antoni made with Jordan Hill).

Stoudemire will be a free agent in 2010, so you never know, but then again, so will Chris Bosh, who would also fit as a center in this system.

Kwame Brown? Eh, not so much.

Realistically, the way D'Antoni plays it is probably better not to have a so-called "dominant" center that needs the ball, but more of a role-playing type that can defend the rim, be active, run the floor, set screens, make smart passes and knock down those mid-range shots when needed. Perhaps Hill will develop into that player and there won't be a need to spend cap space on a big. Time will tell.

The presence of 7-footer Darko Milicic puts less of a desperate need on Curry to give the Knicks the size they obviously lacked all of last season, with 6-9 David Lee starting at center. We really won't know where Milicic fits in until camp starts and we see what he does.

But those who have followed his career and have worked with him tell me Milicic will be far more comfortable with playing more of a mid-range, pick-and-pop style than when he was asked to be a post-up player in the more traditional sets in Detroit, Orlando and Memphis. Right now he's an expiring contract and a big body, two things everyone covets in the NBA these days.

But Curry isn't, mainly because of his hefty waistline and hefty contract. He's supposedly shed the former, but the Knicks still need to shed the latter. Make no mistake about it; if the plan is to make a huge, franchise-changing splash in free agency next summer, Curry's $11.2M salary needs to come off the books before 2010-11.

There has been recent optimism that the recession has quelled somewhat and the economy could be on an upswing, albeit a very slow one. That could change the NBA's previous doomsday forecast of a major dip in the cap for 2010 to as low as $50 million. If the cap merely holds at the current number ($57.7M) and Curry's $11.2M is moved, the team could have as much as $30M to spend in free agency next summer.

For now, however, the focus of the franchise has to be on getting the best out of Curry for the sake of his value. For Curry, obviously, it is for the sake of his career.

I'll leave you with something Eddy said in July, when we last saw him. He said he didn't feel he was at a crossroads. But he did acknowledge a need to change the path he was on.

"For myself, I want to make the best of this situation," he said. "I want to salvage these last two years. I really want to dominate and show the New York fans and the organization what they brought me here for."

With the excess weight off his body, and his mind, Curry's fresh start awaits in Saratoga.

Welcome to the hump year

Friday September 25, 2009 8:42 PM By Alan Hahn

Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni both insisted this season will be about making a run at the playoffs. D'Antoni even went as far as saying he thinks his team "can fool a lot of people" and "we can overachieve."

But Walsh acknowledged on Friday that the close of this uneventful summer comes as somewhat of a relief to him because he escaped it without losing any of that precious salary cap space the franchise has hoarded for 2010.

"We did the best we could do in trying to be competitive for this year and yet retain the salary cap flexibility we want next year and the year after," Walsh said. "That was the goal when I got here and that remains the goal."

Walsh proudly announced that next summer the Knicks will "have the most room in the league," though no one knows yet exactly how much room that will be until the NBA releases the salary cap number on July 7, 2010. The U.S. economy, and its effect on the NBA revenue bottom line this season, will be the determining factor.

"I know that we're gong to have a lot of room," Walsh said.

But will he have the kind of team that can attract a superstar-level free agent such as you-know-who (the kid from Akron who likes the Yankees)? Because, you know, top free agents will want to go where they have the best chance to win.

Before Walsh could answer, Mike D'Antoni couldn't help but interject.

"Do you really believe that?" said D'Antoni, who, you remember, was surrounded by the NBA's best players last summer in Beijing. "They're going to go where the money is.

"I would think any superstar would think, 'If I go there, I'll make a difference. I'll win wherever I go.'"

Walsh added that the Knicks also have many things to offer, aside from the win-now aspect.

"I think that it's a bigger decision than that for most free agents," he said. "I think the fact that it's New York plays into it, how good our team is plays into it, that we have a great coach in Mike D'Antoni plays into it.

"There's a lot more factors than just how many good players do they have . . . They have to want to leave, to a degree, their home team. And the home team can always keep them because they are always able to give more money."

And right now, those home teams already have that money on the table. And it's just sitting there.

* * * 

* - Walsh said Eddy Curry's more recent weigh-in (last week) was 317 pounds, which is over 40 pounds lighter than he was at the end of last season. Or, as D'Antoni said, "Two Backstreet Boys." But Walsh took a cautious tone when asked about the early expectations put on Curry: "I think it's going to take him time to get back into a flow."

* - Nate Robinson and David Lee both were officially signed Friday morning. As we reported yesterday, Lee recieved $7M and Robinson was given a $4M deal and both players have $1M bonuses if the team makes the playoffs. Walsh said he never wanted to push either into taking their qualfying offers ($2.6M for Lee and $2.9M for Robinson), even though that's all the team, by rule, had to give them. Walsh considered it "fair to them" for understanding the team's stance about not offering long-term deals to protect the cap space in 2010.

* - I've heard a lot of buzz about Al Harrington, who apparently has showed up in tremendous shape. The trimmed-down Harrington has shown an explosiveness off the dribble in scrimmages. And not a single chin-up on the rim.

* - D'Antoni and Walsh seem most thrilled with the overall personality and work ethic of the team. Asked about any lingering losing/negative mentality from the previous regime that still so noticably existed last season, D'Antoni replied, "I think we weeded out those guys."

* - Darko Milicic was en route to the States from Serbia on Friday. Meanwhile, Robinson left New York on Friday to spend the weekend with his family in Seattle before camp opens. Robinson and his girlfriend welcomed the couple's third child into the world last week. Robinson will return solo while the rest of the family won't join him until January, when his newborn daughter will be old enough to fly cross-country.

* - Remember to follow me on twitter (twitter.com/alanhahn) for instant news, views and notes throughout media day, training camp and the entire season.

* - Just a note about the comments section: I was told by our web people that there is a bug in the system that  popped up recently and the comments aren't coming through. Trust me, they are posting because I can see them from the program where I file. They're working on it and in the meanwhile each comment has to be individually pushed through by hand. Since I can't sit here online all day, you'll have to bear with us until this is fixed. Or if you can't wait to be heard, just follow me on twitter and post your thoughts there!

Make the playoffs, make a million

Friday September 25, 2009 12:32 AM By Alan Hahn

Nate Robinson said taking a one-year deal was never an issue because he was well aware of Donnie Walsh's rebuilding plan, which relied heavily on have salary cap flexibility in 2010.

"Donnie has a plan, he's on a mission and he's doing everything according to his plan," Robinson said. "I told him I'm not trying to mess nothing up."

But there was more to it than just the 2010 Cap Space Odyssey, as David Lee explains:

"The other part of it was, quite frankly, we haven't won as much as we wanted to," Lee said.

Ding!

Robinson and Lee were rookies in the 2005-06 season, which resulted in 23 wins. The following year, with Isiah Thomas on the bench, the total was 33. Thomas' second year saw a drop back to 23 and last season, under Mike D'Antoni, the record was 32-50.

That's an average of 27.75 wins per season and zero playoff appearanceas. To be fair, the two had three coaches in their first four NBA seasons. And a whole lotta drama going on in every corner of the locker room.

But today Lee and Robinson are no longer the young players who feel obligated to defer to -- or simply avoid -- the veterans in the locker room and on the court. After all of Walsh's wheeling and dealing over the past calendar year, Lee and Robinson, who were drafted in June 2005, are the most tenured Knicks.

"It's funny you should say that because me and D-Lee were talking about that the other day," Robinson said. "He was like, 'Man, it's crazy.' We're still here and now we're vets."

Sure, Larry Hughes and Al Harrington are technically the elders of the locker room, but Lee and Robinson are both home-grown talents who should start taking it upon themselves to set the example for the new crop -- Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas -- and take greater responsibility in the culture change that still needs to take place in the Knick locker room. It is up to them to set the standard, to raise the level of play and to enforce accountability.

Be the reason why instead of finding reasons why not.

It is up to them to sacrifice stats for wins, which you can expect because Walsh cleverly decided to add that $1M bonus if the team makes the playoffs. You want to see a guy hold his teammates accountable? Put a million bucks on the table and he'll make sure everyone around him is playing just as hard as he is. Cutting corners costs him money.

Honestly, this is the way all contracts should be structured in the NBA. Bonuses should be a combination of player performance in relation to team performance (it seems so obvious). That way, everybody wins.

In other words, follow the example of the JR Smith contract with the Denver Nuggets:

Smith gets a bonus if he plays 2,000 minutes and the team wins 42 games. So this works two-fold: to get his minutes, Smith has to make a positive impact and please George Karl. And when he's playing, he has to care about winning, because getting those 2,000 minutes means nothing if the team doesn't get to 42 wins.

The result was Smith had his best season as a pro, played 2,245 minutes and the Nuggets won 54 games. Cha-ching for everyone.

For Lee and Robinson, it's simple math: Make the playoffs, make a million dollars.

"We're going to shock everybody this year," Robinson said.

I didn't mean to stammer when he said that, but I did.

You think you can make the playoffs?

"I think we can," he said. "The only thing about our team is we just have to play defense. We can score points. That's easy. There are nights we might be off, but we can still score. It's just stopping the other team from scoring . . . We have everything else. We just have to pick up our defense and everything will be OK."

Then it's money well spent by the team. And greater value next summer for the players.

"Both sides are excited about this year," Lee said. "And if I have the kind of year I think I can have and I think the team can have, it can end up being an even bigger home run for us."

Now this is how you do business.

D-Lee and Nate official on Friday

Thursday September 24, 2009 7:02 PM By Alan Hahn

Spent some time with Nate Robinson in NYC today and on the way back got the word that David Lee accepted a one-year for $7M.

Both Lee and Robinson (also accepted a one-year for over his QO) will be officially announced by the team on Friday. What's interesting is both players were given incentive bonuses for if the team made the playoffs. For Lee, it's an extra $1M.

Here's the web story we posted a short while ago. I'll be back later tonight with tons more on both players and some inside info, as well.

Remember, follow me on twitter (twitter.com/alanhahn) for Knicks news, views and information throughout the season.

Nate deal official announcement on hold

Wednesday September 23, 2009 1:58 PM By Alan Hahn

Was told the Nate Robinson signing won't be officially announced today. Details? Not sure. An agreement is in place, however.

As for the trade-veto question, I was told Nate would have to consent to any trades.

Nate Robinson deal done today

Wednesday September 23, 2009 11:24 AM By Alan Hahn

Nate Robinson will be signed to a one-year contract today and, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, Robinson, who was a restricted free agent who earlier this summer told the Knicks he had no interest in playing anywhere else, will get more than his $2.9M qualifying offer. There are also performance bonuses included in the deal.

David Lee, the team's other restricted free agent, is still unsigned, though his agent, Mark Bartelstein, and Donnie Walsh are in the midst of negotiatins on a one-year deal.

Deals in works for David and Nate

Monday September 21, 2009 9:03 PM By Alan Hahn

....this time we mean it.

We're getting word tonight that the Knicks are engaged in talks with the respective representations of both restricted free agents David Lee and Nate Robinson. There is little doubt both players will be signed and ready for training camp, which opens next Tuesday in Saratoga.

It was predetermined that both players will receive one-year deals, but at this point no financial terms have been set just yet.

Lee's qualifying offer is $2.6 million, but it has been long believed that the team would be willing to go above that number on a one-year contract. Robinson's QO is $2.9 million and there is a possibility that Robinson will take the QO.

Both players will be unrestricted free agents next summer.

This time, Nate jumps into a big man

Monday September 21, 2009 1:58 PM By Alan Hahn

Before he headed back to New York for the upcoming season (yes, he'll be signed this week), Nate Robinson witnessed his alma mater's upset over USC this weekend in Seattle. You can find him along the sidelines in this video celebrating the game-winning field goal. Follow Kings center Spencer Hawes, who runs along the sideline, finds Robinson and then does the mid-air crash.

Nate Robinson a daddy again, a Knick for life?

Friday September 18, 2009 9:59 AM By Alan Hahn

Nate Robinson and his longtime girlfriend, Sheena Felitz, celebrated on Thursday the birth of the couple's third child. After two boys, the couple had a girl. (I have two girls, myself, and I recommended to Nate a moat, tower and a fire-breathing dragon. It's never too soon to start planning your defense, Daddy).

Robinson has been in Seattle with Felitz and his family for the birth and will return to New York next week to prepare for training camp. Yes, you can expect Robinson to be there on the court, Sept. 29, when camp opens in Saratoga. A one-year deal, likely for the $2.9M qualifying offer, is expected to be signed, sealed and delivered by then.

It's an important season for Robinson, who has been made aware that his over-the-top histrionics won't be tolerated. The energy, of course, is not something the Knicks -- or any team -- should try to contain. That's his greatest weapon. But if Robinson has anything more to prove at the NBA level -- and I think the same goes for David Lee here, as well -- it's that he can be a key part of a winning situation. That he can conform to fit into a team concept.

Let's review: both Robinson and Lee had career-years, statistically, but the team won 32 games. I think it's fair to say what the next step is for both is to put less emphasis on the numbers now and more on winning.

To quote Louie Anderson in Coming to America: "And that's when the big bucks start rolling in."

I'm neither suggesting that Lee or Robinson don't care about winning, nor am I saying the 50 losses are all on their shoulders. But this is Year 5 of their careers in the NBA and with the Knicks. They are veterans now. If they want to be part of a winning program, they have to start taking responsibility for the atmopshere in the locker room. Set the standard and then maintain it.

These are two homegrown talents and while we focus so much on 2010 and the max contract situation and the LeBron thing, rebuilding a troubled franchise starts with setting the foundation with homegrown players. The Yankees did it with Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Andy Pettitte and then built around them through free agency.

The Knicks can do the same, but it's up to the players to create and set that winning standard, which makes them far more valuable than anything a point per game average or double-double total can do alone.

Live chat with Alan Hahn

Thursday September 17, 2009 12:15 PM By Mike Rose

Alan Hahn talks Knicks today in a live chat at 1 p.m.

Lee-for-Boozer "not happening"

Wednesday September 16, 2009 11:04 PM By Alan Hahn

ESPN's Ric Bucher made mentioned Wednesday night that he believed the Jazz were trying to land David Lee in a sign-and-trade that could involve Carlos Boozer. While what Bucher wrote was not as much a "report" as his "take", the scenario had been discussed earlier in the summer -- as we dutifully reported for you here on the Fix. But multiple sources denied anything lately had developed to bring any imminent status.

One went as far as saying "Not happening" when asked specifically about the Jazz scenario.

It seems pretty clear that Donnie Walsh isn't interested in dumping an impressive young power forward who happens to be one of the franchise's homegrown assets.

Fact is, however, Lee's agent, Mark Bartelstein, had discussed a sign-and-trade with the Jazz as far back as July. The Jazz were interested (at the time Paul Millsap was still unsigned and then was tendered a hefty offer sheet by the Trail Blazers) and obviously there were indications that power forward Carlos Boozer and his expiring contract could be on the block.

Boozer certainly fits into the Knicks short-term plans when it comes to 2010. He's not quite a prototypical Mike D'Antoni player, however, but that doesn't mean they couldn't get it to work out.

Now in Springfield last weekend, I chatted with someone familiar with the Jazz planning and it seems very unlikely that they would pursue Lee at this point, especially after matching Millsap's sheet. The Jazz are over the luxury tax threshold for the first time and if they're going to pay tax this season, they'd likely prefer to do it with Boozer, an important piece in the old Jazz standard, the pick-and-roll, with Deron Williams.

The risk, obviously, is they could lose Boozer for nothing next summer. Boozer has openly talked about places he'd love to go (Chicago, for one). But to bring in Lee on a long-term deal when you already have Millsap doesn't make much sense.

Again, it sounds like Walsh's preference all along has been to keep David, sign him to a one-year deal and revisit contract talks next summer, when there is cap space and more clarity with the cap and with exactly who is out there for the Knicks to target.

Nate Robinson seemed to accept this gameplan from the start (latest I heard today about Nate was a deal would be done soon), but Lee had hoped he might be able to cash in this summer, when the market was very tight. He's put in a very determined summer of work and I've heard a lot of rave reviews about how he's looked so far among his teammates in the scrimmages at the Training Center.

This is the best play. Take the one-year and have another strong year and then go unrestricted into one of the biggest free agency summers in recent memory, when half the league will have cap space. If he proves himself to not only be a guy who puts up impressive stats but also is a leader who raises the standard bar around here, the Knicks next summer will have to do whatever it takes to keep him.

Follow me on twitter (twitter.com/alanhahn) for the latest news, views and random thoughts on the Knicks and the NBA.

Walsh, NBA mourn loss of Mel Simon

Wednesday September 16, 2009 10:15 PM By Alan Hahn

He was the name on the mall near your home, the producer of the hilariously lewd Porky's movies, savior of professional basketball in Indiana and the man who gave Donnie Walsh the reigns to the franchise.

Mel Simon, a Bronx native and co-owner of the Indiana Pacers, died on Wednesday at the age of 82. Walsh, who was very close to Mel and Herb Simon during his quarter-century in the Pacers organization, called Mel "a one of a kind type of guy - a force of nature."

"He was one of the most intelligent men I have met and loved in basketball," Walsh said. "He thought so big it scared me sometimes. While we has a very tough man who created an empire, he was on eof the most generous man I have met. I felt very sad when I learned of his passing.

Walsh then added, "I will miss him."

Simon, who grew up in the Bronx and moved to Indiana in the 1950s, started Simon Properties with his brother, Herb, in the 60's and today the billion-dollar company is worldwide. Among their properties includes the massive Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.

Mel and Herb bought the Pacers in 1983 amid concerns that the franchise could leave Indianapolis. Instead, they secured the team would remain in one of the richest basketball regions in the U.S.

"The NBA family has lost one of it's successful and respected owners," NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement. "More importantly, we have lost a great friend."

Walsh came to the Pacers in 1984, just after the Simons took over the franchise. In two years Simon asked Walsh to step into the front office as the general manager and in 1987, Walsh stunned the Hoosier state when he bypassed Indiana star Steve Alford with the 11th overall pick in the NBA Draft and selected Reggie Miller from UCLA.

In hindsight, it was a brilliant move. And with Walsh running the franchise, Simon saw the Pacers grow into one of the NBA's elite teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Miller was the centerpiece of thost great teams and the greatest player in franchise history.

My heart is very heavy today," Miller told NBA.com. "Mel Simon was a great owner, but more importantly a loving and giving friend. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Simon family."

Mo players, mo problems

Wednesday September 16, 2009 1:55 PM By Alan Hahn

There are still some interesting names on the list of unsigned free agents (aside from David Lee and Nate Robinson) and aside from adding Gabe Pruitt, Sun Yue and Warren Carter to the training camp roster, it doesn't sound like the Knicks are making a serious push at bringing in a player that may actually push for rotation minutes.

The always-reliable, ridiculously-connected Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports mentioned via twitter that the Knicks were in on Sasha Pavlovic, who was bought out by the Suns and quickly signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves. But from what I was told, despite the willingness Pavlovic had to take a one-year deal, the Knicks were not involved at all.

So why the status quo with a 32- win team? Why not go for a Pavlovic, who may be able to give you a little something on the wing with Danilo Gallinari, or take a chance on a sourpuss such as Rashad McCants? What about Wally Szczerbiak, who is still unsigned, to give you some needed veteran presence and shooting?

Maybe because the roster is already loaded with players who all expect to get minutes in Mike D'Antoni's tight rotation.

If you begin with the obvious: Chris Duhon at the point, Gallinari, Wilson Chandler at the two-three spots (interchanging on either end of the floor) and, once he's signed, David Lee and Al Harrington at the four with Eddy Curry and Darko Milicic at the five. That's seven players right there. You have to include Nate Robinson (soon to be signed) and one would expect Jared Jeffries, who is a D'Antoni favorite, will be part of the gameplan. That's already nine and we still haven't mentioned either rookie (Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas) or veteran Larry Hughes, who is in a contract year and we have already seen how he gets when he's dumped on the bench.

So just imagine if the team added someone like a Pavlovic or McCants and had to figure out how to fit them into the equation. It's not like we're talking about a bona fide starter and winner who would have impact. This would be adding role players to a group of role players. Better to leave the minutes for Gallinari and Chandler to get as much burn as possible and develop and allow Hill and Douglas the same, as well.

Would D'Antoni consider opening up his rotation this season, at least early on, to involve a larger amount of players? He may have to.

* * *

Hearing that Robinson's situation is expected to be settled soon. It seems pretty easy. All he has to do is accept the 1-year qualifying offer of $2.9M.

Though it was thought to be a foregone conclusion that the sign-and-trade market was closed and a discussion for a 1-year deal with the Knicks for above the QO was underway, it's now apparent that Lee's representation is still trying to work some sign-and-trade scenarios. So far, none of these S&Ts have interested the Knicks.

And, curiously, from what I understand, the Knicks haven't yet made Lee an offer, either.

This couldn't still be about money, could it?

No one forsees a "holdout" situation, which is of zero benefit to Lee, considering his QO ($2.7M) expires on the third day of camp. But a few sources have shot down media speculation seen here (and elsewhere) that Lee would get as high as an $8M payday.

Robinson seems content with taking his QO and going into next summer, when almost half the league will have cap space, as an unrestricted free agent. Lee does not seem as comfortable with that gameplan.

Stay tuned.

Gallo: 'I'm ready to go'

Tuesday September 15, 2009 11:07 PM By Alan Hahn

It's been two months since I last saw Danilo Gallinari. Somehow, he looks taller.

I'm 6'6" and rarely feel that dwarfed by most NBA players. When I saw Gallo on Tuesday at the Garden, it felt like my head was at his shoulders.

For anyone bored by this and in need of more 2010 talk, Jon Stewart did his part in trying to woo LeBron:

Stories for the water cooler

Monday September 14, 2009 12:28 PM By Alan Hahn

Eddy Curry is back at the MSG Training Center, we're told, after completing an offseason committed to conditioning and nutrition. Curry has been on his own since the start of September because both trainers, Tommy Weatherspoon and Jerry Powell, had contracts with him that expired on Aug. 31.

The finished product will be officially unvieled on Sept. 29, the first day of training camp, but teammates are curious to see him run in pre-camp scrimmages.

So what will it be at the 5 spot for Mike D'Antoni? Will he try to shoe-horn Curry's lumbering power game into his up-tempo, spread offense? Or will he go with the more natural fit of Darko Milicic?

Meanwhile, David Lee is still not signed and neither is Nate Robinson. Knicks media day is in exactly two weeks. Camp opens two weeks from tomorrow. Lee has been working out at the MSG Training Center and Robinson is in Seattle with his girlfriend for the birth of their third child.

In case you missed it this weekend, the Knicks added three names to the training camp invite list: G Gabe Pruitt, G/F Sun Yue and F Warren Carter. Beat the rush and order your jerseys now.

* * *

So Kanye West created yet another stir, this time at the VMA's last night with his bizarre interuption of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. (Bloghost note: We agree Beyonce's video was better, but that's because of two factors: Beyonce and the outfit she was wearing). But Taylor's been through other humbling tribulations before. Matter of fact, one happened right here in New York.

When she was 12, Swift was a contestant in the Knicks Kids Talent search at halftime of a game. And she lost.

The contest winner is determined by crowd response. Perhaps it was an excusable oversight of legit promising talent, considering the Garden crowd hasn't really seen it in a long time.

* * *

Have you heard about one of the recent MegaMillions winners? Meet Jimmy Groves, a 49-year-old Harlem man who is a laborer at the Garden. Groves came away with $168 million, which means he may now be able to afford to take a seat along celebrity row.

But a few seasons back, Groves was the center of attention at the Garden, and by the celebrities along the famous front row, to attend to a moment anyone in attendance -- especially Allan Houston -- may have preferred to forget.

The video below explains it all. Groves is the man with the mop.

Follow me on twitter at twitter.com/alanhahn for the latest on the Knicks and the NBA throughout the season.

Here comes the Sun (Yue)

Sunday September 13, 2009 11:04 AM By Alan Hahn

The Knicks plan to add yet another name to the training camp roster. Though it has not yet been officially announced, the Knicks have agreed to a partially-guaranteed deal with G/F Sun Yue, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Ho-Beck.

Yue is an interesting player because, at 6-9, he is more of a point-forward type (they call him "the Chinese Magic Johnson" ) who might find a comfort zone in Mike D'Antoni's system. But the former second round pick couldn't crack the Lakers rotation and was eventually waived (after getting a ring, though).

This latest addition, along with Friday's non-guaranteed signings of G Gabe Pruitt and F Warren Carter, makes it 17 healthy players expected to be at camp, including David Lee and Nate Robinson who still remain unsigned despite indications last week that something would get done on the restricted free agent front soon.

We're two weeks from the start of training camp.

Jordan's HOF Roast spares no one

Friday September 11, 2009 10:15 PM By Alan Hahn

If Jerry Krause's ears were burning, Byron Russell's had to be bleeding. I don't care what was on next after the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, ESPN should have went for the ratings bonanza and agreed to let Michael Jordan continue as long as he needed.

As Jordan tore through his hit list -- yes, if you missed it, the Knicks were quite prominent -- I began to wonder how soon until he gets to Bugs Bunny's issues behind the scenes of Space Jam.

The speech was wildly entertaining, yet crossed the border on obnoxious, especially when he told of his battles with Krause, who would go out of his way to downplay Jordan's singular impact and emphasize the shared success of the entire franchise.

"Organizations win championships," Krause would say.

"I didn't see organizations playing with the flu in Utah," Jordan shot back.

Jordan spent a few minutes on his greatest rival, the Knicks. It started with a story about Pat Riley in the summer of 1993. Jordan was in Hawaii and discovered that Riley was at the same resort and stayed an extra few days in a suite Jordan had reserved.

Before Riley left, he slipped a note under the door: "I enjoyed the competition, congratulations. But we will meet again."

Jordan said he appreciated Riley's competitive edge.

"You challenged me every time I played the Knicks and Heat," he said. "Any time I played against you, you had your Jordan-stoppers on the team. You had John Starks, who I love. You even had my friend Charles Oakley telling me I can't go with you to dinner because Pat doesn't believe in fraternizing.

"Patrick Ewing, we had the same agent and came up at the same time, but we couldn't go to lunch. Why is this? You think I'm going to play against Patrick any different than I play against anybody else? Noooo.

"Then you had your little guy on the staff who became the Knicks coach after you, Jeff Van Gundy. He said I conned players; I befriended them and then attacked them on the basketball court.

"I just happen to be a friendly guy."

After pausing to allow the guffaws to subside, Jordan said, "So to these guys, I want to say thank you very much for giving me that motivation I so desperately needed."

Before he got into the Knicks, Jordan first addressed one of the controversial legends that involved him early in his career: the 1985 All-Star Game at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, scene of the infamous "freeze-out" that, according to the lore, was orchestrated by several veterans, including Isiah Thomas, who were believed to be jealous of the attention Jordan was receiving.

Jordan added Magic Johnson and George Gervin (who happened to play for the other team in the game) to the list when he brought up the alleged freeze-out.

"They said there was a so-called freeze-out my rookie season, I don't remember this," he said. "But these guys gave me the motivation to say, 'You know what? I haven't proven enough yet that I deserve what I got on this level. And no matter what people said, there was a rumor . . . But you guys never froze me out becaue I was just glad to be there.

"And from that point forward, I wanted to prove to you, Magic, Larry, George, everybody, that I deserved to be on this level as much as anybody else."

A few seasons back we asked Isiah about the freeze-out story and he denied it . . . sort of.

"We were in Indy and it was [Larry] Bird's show," he said. "We tried to make it Bird's show. It was his homecoming. It was in Indy and everything else. I remember a lot of attention being surrounded around Larry Bird . . . I remember Jordan came out with his shoes and those were sweet. But the hype and the media stuff that was made up, it was just one of those stories that - how can you say it? - never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

"I defy anyone to watch the tape. Watch the tape, watch the game, and tell me what you see."

I see Isiah Thomas led the East with 22 points and 14 FGAs. Bird had 21 points and 16 FGAs.

Jordan? 2-for-9, 7 points in 22 minutes.

[OK, in hindsight I realize this is obnoxious. Apologies. Isiah has a fair point, the game was in Indiana and, therefore, should have been Bird's show and that should be recognized.]

Another camp invitee: Gabe Pruitt

Friday September 11, 2009 4:53 PM By Alan Hahn

The former Celtics guard, who was waived in August, gets a non-guaranteed invite to training camp.

Jordan: Won't be another like Mike

Friday September 11, 2009 2:47 PM By Alan Hahn

The very fact that this year's Hall of Fame media availability was held in the usual hall where the actual induction ceremony usually takes place is enough evidence that this is a special occassion. The Hall was packed this morning with media from all over the world to witness -- yes, LeBron, I said Witness -- the coronation of perhaps the greatest to ever play the game.

Tonight, they'll hold the induction ceremony at the Symphony Hall, which is fitting, since Michael Jordan's game was a masterpiece in itself.

Jordan did make sure to remind everyone that there are four other worthy people joining him in the Class of '09 -- Fellow Dream Teamers John Stockton and David Robinson, venerable Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and women's basketball coaching icon C. Vivian Stringer -- and yet also spoke with an awareness of the magnatude of his arrival in Springfield.

"People say I was the greatest ever to play the game," he said. "I cringe a little bit. I receive it as an opinion. But for me, personally, I never played against Jerry West . . . Elgin Baylor . . . Wilt Chamberlain . . . I would never give myself that type of accolade because I never competed against everybody in this Hall of Fame."

But man would we buy tickets to see that.

Jordan did make a bold statement about his legacy and the generation of players who grew up trying to, as the commercial said, "Be Like Mike." For about a decade now we've been trying to find the next Michael Jordan.

Is it Kobe? Is it LeBron?

Jordan says no.

"Don't be in a rush to try to find the next Michael Jordan," he said. "There's not going to be another Michael Jordan."

The hall, which was also filled with family, friends and fans, erupted in applause.

"People are constantly trying to find the next Michael Jordan," he added. "First of all, you didn't find me. I just happened to come along. And the next thing you know, here I am. So you didn't have to find me. And you won't have to find the next person. It's going to happen and I'm pretty sure you guys are going to recognize it. If you haven't already, in due time, you'll know.

"And I think those guys have a strong potential to be better than Michael Jordan down the road. They're going to create their own name, their own persona. So just give it time."

As for his feeling for the millions who spend the past two decades trying to emulate him, Jordan replied, "If everybody wants to be like Mike, I'm pretty sure that starts with a haircut and a suntan."

Jordan also told a story about a time when he scored 20 straight points to win a game and well-known Bulls assistant coach Tex Winter said to him, "There's no 'I' in team." To which Jordan replied, "There's an 'I' in win. So which way do you want it?"

The microphone never made it's way over to me, though I had two questions on deck. The first, of course, was about the Garden and what it meant to him to play there. The second?

What was the thinking behind the baggy shorts?

It was Jordan who started the trend, which Michigan's Fab Five took to another level in the early 1990s. But I distinctly recall Jordan going from the typical jimmy-hugger look the rest of the league rocked as a rookie to shorts cut halfway down the thigh in the late 80s. By the '90s, everyone had the oxymoronic "long shorts" and by the middle of the decade the style wasn't just a trademark in the college and NBA game, it transcended American style.

Sure, Jordan gets credit for the sneaker thing. But no one ever mentions the shorts. Or thanks him from saving white fellas like me from having to expose too much of our pale gams.

* * *

Stockton's address was, fittingly, a completely opposite perspective. The understated point guard professor said in his first NBA season he hoarded his salary and lived on the cheap. Why?

"I thought the Jazz would figure out that they made a mistake," he said. "I was pretty sure I was a one-and-out guy."

Afterward, Sloan said the only question about Stockton when he first came into the league was whether he could physically hold up. Added Sloan, "He only played 19 years."

* * *

Ran into world-famous Garden photographer George Kalinsky here at the Hall. He was recently honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland for his amazing shots of legends who played the Garden during his 43 years (and counting). Kalinsky listed for me the three best subjects he ever shot as such: The Pope, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan.

That's a career.

 * * *

Check back here and follow me on twitter (twitter.com/alanhahn) for more from the Hall of Fame ceremonies tonight and Knicks news throughout the season.

Knicks add Carter to camp roster

Friday September 11, 2009 12:59 PM By Alan Hahn

Warren Carter won the Summer League showcase and earned an invite to training camp after doing enough to catch the eyes of the coaching staff in Vegas. The 6-9 forward, who played at Illinois and spent his professional career overseas in Spain and Turkey, was signed to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract by the Knicks on Friday.

Carter averaged 5.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 13.9 minutes for the Knicks in the five-game summer league in July.

Carter, Joe Crawford and Chris Hunter are three non-guaranteed players who will be in camp in Saratoga on Sept. 29. There was a belief that the team would also invite another member of the summer league squad, former first-round pick Morris Almond , to camp, but so far I haven't heard he will be there for sure.

Meanwhile, David Lee and Nate Robinson remain unsigned with almost two weeks to go.

If we can assume to include Lee and Robinson -- and assume the Knicks won't be signing any other available veterans (I checked out Juan Carlos Navarro's situation after the Grizzlies renounced his rights and was given indication by several people that JC wasn't coming back to the NBA, especially not for a one-year deal) -- the Knicks have 15 healthy players under contract.

JVG: Jordan's name "still turns my stomach"

Thursday September 10, 2009 11:51 PM By Alan Hahn

To continue the Hall of Fame theme -- just arrived here in Springfield -- we wanted to share with you some great quotes from former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy about Michael Jordan, delivered through an ESPN forum.

"Mentioning his name still turns my stomach, because some great Knick teams were denied winning championships because we could never scale Mt. Jordan."'

Van Gundy and the Knicks faced Jordan six times in the playoffs between 1989-96. He was an assistant for most of those experiences but was the final meeting, a five-game defeat in 1996. The only time the Knicks beat the Bulls in that span was, of course, in 1994, when Jordan was on his short-lived minor league baseball hiatus.

Jordan's presence makes tomorrow's ceremony here more than just an annual Hall of Fame enshrinement. It is an induction of not just a star-studded class of the game's greats -- which also include David Robinson, John Stockton, Jerry Sloan and C. Vivian Stringer -- but also the coronation of perhaps the best to ever play it.

"[He was a] ruthless competitor with exceptional basketball IQ, with an unmatched skill set and an ability to play his best when his best was needed," Van Gundy said.

Jordan also seemed to love to punish the Knicks more than any other team.

"He kicked our butt every time it was all on the line," Van Gundy said, "and then talked crap about us."

Van Gundy talked some back, too. In 1997 the two got into somewhat of a feud when Van Gundy opined that Jordan would "con" players into thinking they were friends and then take advantage of them on the court. In the next meeting with the Knicks, Jordan torched them for 51 points and, during the game, called Van Gundy a "little [expletive]".

Care to relive the misery?

We'll have more from the Basketball Hall of Fame ceremonies here tomorrow. And remember to follow me on twitter at twitter.com/alanhahn for up-to-the-minute news, views and random thoughts on the Knicks, NBA and anything else.

Walsh was tempted to cut into 2010 plan

Thursday September 10, 2009 11:03 AM By Alan Hahn

Ramon Session' payday is finally coming. The Milwaukee Bucks have one more day to attempt to clear some payroll to fit a four-year, $16M offer sheet under the luxury tax threshold, but it appears the Minnesota Timberwolves will get the 23-year-old guard and add him to a backcourt with rookie Jonny Flynn and newly-acquired Antonio Daniels.

You look at the number Sessions signed for and think it's not that expensive. In fact, according to the WorldWideLeader's most plugged-in NBA fact hound, Marc Stein, the contract pays Sessions $3.6M this season and costs just $3.9M against the critical 2010-11 budget.

Yes, Donnie Walsh said those kind of numbers were very tempting. In fact, he told me the other day that he did come close to talking himself into doing something that would have impacted 2010.

"Probably for a night, yeah," he said. "But then I thought it out, looked at my numbers and thought, 'No, I don't think we should do this because I don't think this will help us as much as I'd like. It might this year, but in the long run it may not help us as much."

To borrow from Mars Blackmon, "Money, it's gotta be da cap space!"

Walsh was interested in Sessions and thinks highly of the player -- as does the coaching staff -- but the end didn't justify the means in this case. Not with the NBA warning of a potential nosedive in the cap next summer, which would eat up some of the space Walsh carved out with his moves last season.

Sessions' agent, Jim "Chubby" Wells, initially tried to push the full mid-level exception, but as we maintained here, there was never any real truth to the rumors that the Clippers hadthe MLE -- or anything close -- on the table. Wells was amenable to working with the Knicks on a decrease for 2010-11 to lessen the cap hit, but it wouldn't have made that much of a difference. So Walsh made it clear to Wells in August that he could only make an offer if he was able to move another salary off the payroll. Sessions' side kept hoping the Knicks would reconsider, especially because of the opportunity that playing in New York -- and in Mike D'Antoni's system. But it became something that only stayed alive in the media. Yours truly is as much to blame as anyone.

"I wasn't really in it," Walsh said. "I think they [Session's side] wanted me to be in it, but that was always a long-term deal and even if things could be adjusted, it was probably too much for us. It was close."

The Minnesota scenario came out of the blue, and after the Ricky Rubio scenario blew up on David Kahn, so credit Wells for staying patient deep into the offseason. Walsh said he will keep in touch with Kahn in the future about his plans with his young backcourt. It is hard to believe the Wolves keep Flynn, Rubio and Sessions for long-term.

"At some point I'll check with him," Walsh said. "My feeling is he won't trade right away. He'll probably wait a while."

There's no rush. Rubio won't be available to play in the NBA until 2011.

As for Flynn, he tweeted an ominous moment: "ok so i get to minnesota, and soon as im unloading my bags out the car, a bird drops a present on my shoulder...i hope this isn't a sign lol"

* * *

The team's restricted free agent situations (David Lee and Nate Robinson) remain unresolved and as we near the weekend, it may move into next week. The way I understand it, Nate has to wait on David.

In fact, from what I've been told by multiple sources, Nate would have signed a one-year deal weeks ago if the Knicks wanted him to sign. We've suggested here that the reason the team put Robinson on hold was because of their pursuit of Sessions or another guard. I'm told this isn't entirely accurate.

While it is true the team has spent the summer seeking upgrades in the backcourt, what has held Walsh up for most of the second half of the summer (after the Jason Kidd flirtation ended) is Lee. His agent, Mark Bartelstein, has scoured the league looking for workable sign-and-trade scenarios. They were not looking to accept a one-year deal until all possibilities were exhausted, which is about where we are right now.

Bartelstein has previously made it clear that Lee won't take the QO ($2.7M) so what remains is to negotiate the salary of a one-year deal. Is Walsh willing to go as high as $8M as has been reported?

If he was, wouldn't Lee have signed by now?

Live chat with Alan Hahn

Wednesday September 9, 2009 10:57 AM By Mike Rose

Alan Hahn talks Knicks in a live chat today at 11 a.m.

Lee, Robinson nearing deals

Tuesday September 8, 2009 7:30 PM By Alan Hahn

Stop us if you've heard this before, but there's clearly a market for reporting the inevitable: A source indicated that restricted free agent David Lee and the Knicks could have a one-year deal hammered out by the end of the week.

It is likely that the team's other restricted free agent, Nate Robinson, may soon follow.

Donnie Walsh would not confirm anything was imminent, but he did tell us here at the Fix that the situation with both restricteds is "at the point where we should start talking real numbers."

Lee's agent, Mark Bartelstein, also gave no indication of an impending deal, but did say, "We hope something gets done soon."

Both Walsh and Bartelstein have both already publicly acknowledged a mutual interest in negotiating a one-year deal if a sign-and-trade could not be completed.Bartelstein had some scenarios outlined but none were of interest to the Knicks, who wanted to keep Lee all along.

Robinson has been in limbo all summer and faces the sobering reality that, despite a career-year statistically, he actually was the fall-back option for the Knicks, who spent the offseason looking into every possible alternative to bringing the irrepressible KryptoNate back into the fold.

It's pretty much a given that Walsh would be willing to go well beyond the qualifying offers for either player, though, by rule of the collective bargaining agreement, he doesn't have to. The Knicks could have played hardball and held firm on the QOs for both players ($2.9M for Robinson, $2.7M for Lee) and saved some cash and luxury tax payments.

But the concern about signing either player has never been about the money this season as it was the cap hit against the 2010 payroll. So as a good faith exchange with two players who are the team's most visible and popular among the fan base and around the NBA, Walsh appears willing to give them a fair value one-year payday rather than force them to take their QOs before they expire on Oct. 1.

(For those curious: If the QOs weren't accepted by then, the players would have remained restricted free agents but could be re-signed for less than the QO. It would also mean the players would miss the start of training camp, which almost never happens in the NBA . . . and don't expect it to happen now.)

Even with these one-year deals, the Knicks will still feel the impact in 2010 because of the cap holds for both players, unless Walsh renounces the Bird Rights for either player. The cap holds would be a major factor if the NBA's cap falls to the doomsday prophecized $50M level.

However, RealGM's Christopher Reina had a good perspective on how Walsh can also avoid giving up the Bird Rights and the astronomical cap holds, even with a drop in the cap:

It is true that Lee’s cap hold will likely be too high to allow the Knicks to offer a maximum contract. However, a cap hold is converted to the actual contract amount once a player is signed. And under one of the NBA’s projections of the 2010 salary cap, the Knicks would have enough cap room to sign one max contract and still have $7.3 million of additional space. A starting salary of $7.3 million could well be enough to retain Lee, given the 10.5% yearly raises and six seasons the Knicks can offer as the owners of Lee’s Bird Rights.

Basically, the Knicks can attempt to sign him early in the free agency period to set their budget and know exactly how much they have to spend.

* * *

Programming reminder: We'll have a LIVE CHAT here Wednesday at 11 a.m. Take and early lunch, lock the door to your office and get your Fix.

And for those with Twitter, join Twixer Nation by following me: twitter.com/alanhahn. From now, through training camp and into the season get up-to-the-minute news, views and perhaps a few twitpics on everything Knicks and the NBA.

You'll never guess who Stockton picked to present him at the HOF

Tuesday September 8, 2009 4:09 PM By Alan Hahn

Read here to find out.

Beating Michael (almost)

Tuesday September 8, 2009 2:32 PM By Alan Hahn

With the Hall of Fame induction ceremony this Friday in Springfield, Mass. (btw: we'll be there), the Michael Jordan retrospectives are already in full swing. From a New York perspective, never was there an opposing player who evoked such conflict within the soul of a fan who often dealt with the bittersweetness of being graced with magnificence in the midst of defeat.

There was no mistaking Jordan's brilliance. He owned the Garden and, when he wanted to, owned the Knicks. And in 1994, when they finally got by those Bulls in the playoffs, it just couldn't be totally savored. No, not with Michael far from the Garden, swinging a baseball bat at a minor league complex in Durham, N.C.

Jordan was the different kind of villain, completely unlike Reggie Miller. There was no hate for Jordan. There was a greater respect: fear.

The Knicks had it, too. Jordan dominated the entire league, but there was something about the way he did it at the Garden that stood out among his performances. Even in the sudden-death crucible of the NBA playoffs, Michael had the New Yorkers breathless. Momentum for the home team was quickly doused with a single, unblockable fall-away jumper or levitation under the hoop and just beyond the reach of Patrick Ewing's outstretched limbs.

He was every usage of a four-letter word. Say it with anger. Now say it with despair. Then say it with awe.

Each one fit the same moment.

The best chance to beat Michael came in 1993 in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks, who had a franchise-record tying 60 wins that season, were the No. 1 team in the East and took the first two games of the series at the Garden. They headed to Chicago to take a stranglehold on the series and great momentum, especially off the unforgettable dunk by John Starks over Horace Grant and a late-arriving Jordan.You could feel the Knicks on the verge of dethroning the two-time champs and finally ovecoming His Airness.

As Knicks historian Dennis D'Agostino recalls in his must-have book, Garden Glory: An Oral History of the New York Knicks, Game 3 came around and the golden opportunity presented itself. Jordan was embroiled in controversy after he was spotted gambling in Atlantic City on the eve of Game 2. And then he had a terrible performance in Game 3, when he made just three of 18 shots from the floor.

But the rest of the Bulls stepped up in a 103-83 blowout.

"We weren't ready to play," Jeff Van Gundy says in D'Agostino's book. "So we took the one time we could have . . . you know? If we'd come out hard and right and taken advantage of his bad game . . . but we didn't. And the next game he crushed us."

Certainly did. Jordan had 54 points in a 105-95 win that evened the series at 2. The Knicks didn't win another game.

Of course out of that series came another spirit-crushing moment in Knicks history: the infamous scene of Charles Smith's four attempts at a potential game-winning layup in the final 10 seconds being rejected, one by one, by Horace Grant, Jordan and then Scottie Pippen in a 97-94 defeat in Game 5 at the Garden.

The Bulls put it away in Game 6 back in Chicago with a 96-88 win and went on to beat the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.

"We were always tough enough to be competitive with him in the playoffs," Van Gundy said in D'Agostino's book, "but we were never good enough to beat him."

* * * *

Something else related to Jordan in the pages of the book that stood out to me was Pat Riley's philosophy on defending the league's best player.

In the era of the "Jordan Rules," which was devised by the Detroit Pistons, Riley said his plan was always to play Jordan straight-up.

"When you stop and think about it, he is gonna get it anyway," Riley explained in the book. "What we didn't want was Chicago to get everything and make their offense real efficient. Our hwole concept defensively was you guard your own man. We never double-teamed anybody in the post. You either got exposed or you stopped somebody . . ."

[Bloghot note: Need to point out here that this is very similar to how Mike D'Antoni views defense. It should be up to the players to have pride in defense and do their part to stop their man. It also helped that Riles had Ewing, while D'Antoni's group lacks any kind of intimidating shot-blocking presence.]

" . . . We had a lot of good individual defenders; John Starks, Greg Anthony, and our whole front line could pretty much handle their own guys down there. We were gonna play Chicago pretty much straight up and straight down, and wear on them. So we'd send Gerald Wilkins at him, send John Starks at him, send Greg Anthony at him, and occasionally Anthony Mason.

"The whole thought was that we were gonna wear him down. It's hard to do with Michael, because he'll wear everybody out. And we did have an impact on defending him that first year. And even though we had good team principles and we always had a lot of help [defense], we didn't pull triggers and come in double-teams. We didn't create some gimmick defense. He was either gonna get 50 on us, which I think he got in one game, or he was gonna go 9-for-35. That was our philosophy."

Looking for a mercenary? Here's one

Monday September 7, 2009 10:26 PM By Alan Hahn

With at least one roster spot still open, the Knicks have spent the past month going through the one-year wonders. They had a week of exclusivity with Jason Williams and passed. Williams eventually signed with the Orlando Magic. They had Allen Iverson desperately trying to include them in his very short list of potential destinations until it was made Cristal clear the Knicks weren't interested. AI is reportedly on the verge of taking a one-year, $3.5M deal to help the Memphis Grizzlies sell tickets this year (quick, someone shrink-wrap OJ Mayo).

Jamaal Tinsley appeared to be on the Miami Heat radar, but it sounds as if Pat Riley would prefer to find backcourt support in a trade. Tinsley talked to the Knicks, but there doesn't appear to be a great deal of interest at the moment. Jerry Stackhouse had a well-publicized workout in August, but little came from that, as well.

If there's an unsigned veteran free agent that may fit exactly what the Knicks could use -- a pro's pro, a terrific shooter and a competitor -- it's Wally Szczerbiak. A few weeks ago he seemed on the verge of being locked up by the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are still interested, but Szczerbiak is still available.

No doubt Wally World isn't the same player he was in his prime. But at the bi-annual ($1.99M), he's still a bargain for someone you can bring in off the bench as a shooter and a cerebral player who would fit well in Mike D'Antoni's spread offense. The greatest knock is defense and we don't deny the fact that one-on-one he just doesn't have the foot-speed. But in a team concept, he is actually an excellent positional and help defender.

He can play some at the 2 (sitting in the corner waiting on those kick-out threes) and also obviously can handle the 3-spot. His game would fit well with Danilo Gallinari and his no-nonsense, competitive approach to the game is the right kind of influence in a room of young players. And he doesn't have to be a high-rotation player, especially not at that price.

Szczerbiak would likely prefer to go to a contender such as the Western Conference Finalists (George Karl may see him as a possible replacement for the departed Linas Kleiza), but the Long Island kid would have to think highly of playing for his hometown team just once before he eventually calls it a career.

Just bloggin.

 * * *

A huge upset happened today in the European Championships, when Serbia knocked off Spain, 66-57, behind Nenad Krstic's 17 points. Spain had Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro and even Ricky Rubio, who had an underwhelming six points, three assists and two rebounds in 27 minutes.

The young Serbians had Krstic, but they didn't have Darko Milicic. Why? Well, there were some issues with Milicic on the international circuit in recent years. We can't post it here, but if you do a search on YouTube, you may discover why.

The Endless Bummer

Friday September 4, 2009 10:36 AM By Alan Hahn

Eventually one of these reports about Ramon Sessions being on the verge of something will actually mean he's on the verge of something. We're in September and he still doesn't have a contract, so, if anything, the kid's got to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

The rest of us in Fixer Nation should be on the verge of boredom at this point. As we explained a few blogs back, what once seemed like a hot pursuit of the 23-year-old guard faded in the darkness of that long tunnel to 2010.

Quoth the Fix (Aug. 25):

Sessions is still very much on the radar, but his representation believes that Walsh would prefer to move a player off the 2010 payroll (read: Jared Jeffries or Eddy Curry) before he makes a commitment beyond next summer. That would suggest that there is very little chance the Knicks will sign Sessions this summer, unless Walsh can find a taker for either player.

Now this report that Sessions could be getting an offer sheet from the Minnesota Timberwolves (note the "could" and "may" in the report) is very interesting. The T-Wolves are feeling burned after the Ricky Rubio situation and do need a guard to support rookie Jonny Flynn. But, again, none of this is confirmed by anyone so who knows at this point? We've heard the Knicks were preparing an offer sheet and that never happened. We heard talks with the Clippers for a sign-and-trade were getting hot and yet nothing materialized.

UPDATE: 1 p.m.: The WorldWideLeader is reporting that Sessions and the Timberwolves have agreed to a four-year, $16M offer sheet. That's about what the Knicks were willing to spend per annum, if only they could have moved one of those contracts off the 2010 budget first.

So it goes.

There's no denying that Mike D'Antoni and his staff were in love with the idea of adding Sessions to the mix of young players. His athleticism fits into the up-tempo system and he's also a smart player who knows how to get to find the open man and the basket on the pick-and-roll. Not the best shooter, but even ESPN's stat guru John Hollinger says Sessions is the most underrated player in the league.

(But Holly didn't use any stats to support that claim, so feel free to disagree with him.)

But Donnie Walsh is clearly committed to the 2010 Plan and that's evidenced by the fact that the team's own restricted free agents, David Lee and Nate Robinson, are getting just one-year offers.

So if Sessions is to sign with Minnesota, this is now officially a lost summer of free agency, littered with failed pursuits of Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Andre Miller and Ramon Sessions. But let's look at this analytically: the only two players that would have fit in the 2010 plan were Hill and Miller, who each were amenable to a one-year deal.

Kidd wanted three years and, in hindsight, it might be better that he didn't take the Knicks offer (and blown any chance of a max contract offer in '10). Sessions, as an RFA, must get at least two guaranteed years in an offer sheet and it's that second year that is the killer. I've heard Walsh did try to talk sign-and-trade with the Bucks, but there was no match that made any sense for either team.

And then there was the tease of the Ricky Rubio saga; the relentless inclusion of the Knicks as a destination point when -- aside from one conversation Walsh had with Kahn in July -- there was no legitimate deal to be made. In fact, the St. Paul Pioneer-Press went as far as reporting that Kahn has no interest in trading Rubio, even after spurning the the frosty Twin Cities for Barcelona (stunning, I know...even Marbury was shocked):

A little birdie said new Wolves President David Kahn has absolutely no interest in trading top draft pick Ricky Rubio, 18, who has committed to play in Spain two more seasons. And especially not to the New York Knicks, who have nothing reasonable to offer in exchange.

I'm just tinkling in everyones Cheerios this morning, ain't I? Apologies.

Training camp opens in a few weeks and there were only a few minor adjustments to a roster that produced 32 wins last season. With that said I won't even try to sell you optimism here, Fixers. Just level-headed reality.

And a countdown clock to July 1, 2010. Let's synchronize our watches:

Exactly 300 days to go . . .

Getting the most out of 1-year deals

Tuesday September 1, 2009 8:55 AM By Alan Hahn

Interesting point to relay this morning from Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld on how the CBA works for the Knicks in a one-year deal for David Lee:

Signing Lee to a one-year $7 million deal this year, he would be able to be signed and traded next year to a deal at or around $7 million without Base Year compensation issues. The Collective Bargaining Agreement allows for a team to sign a player up to 120% of his previous season, allowing for an $8 million plus first year if the Knicks were to use Lee in a sign and trade next year. That's a nice trade chip to have for the Knicks next summer. A deal this year means the Knicks can only take back 50% of David's salary, giving them far less value for David.

Basically, even with Lee's approval, the Knicks wouldn't get full value if they traded Lee during the season. But come July they could . . . and that's only if they wanted to move him to, say, clear him off the cap without him having to lose his Bird Rights. The same, obviously, works for Nate Robinson.

Here is the BYC rule as explained on CBA guru Larry Coon's website:

Usually the salary used [in trades] for comparison is the player's actual salary. But under either of the following circumstances, a different salary is used when comparing salaries for trading purposes:

• The team is over the salary cap, used the Larry Bird or Early Bird exception to re-sign the player, and the player received a raise greater than 20% (unless it's the minimum salary).
• The team is over the salary cap, it extended the player's rookie scale contract, and the player received a raise greater than 20%.

If either of the above apply, then the player is considered a base year player. A player remains a base year player for six months, or until June 30, whichever comes later. When trading a base year player, the salary used for comparison is the player's previous salary, or 50% of the first-year salary in his new contract, whichever is greater.

Here is an example of a BYC calculation: A player earned $2 million in 2004-05, after which he became a free agent. He then signs a new contract (re-signing with his previous team, which is over the salary cap) starting at $9 million. This player qualifies for BYC, so his trade value is the greater of his previous salary ($2 million) or 50% of his new salary ($4.5 million), or $4.5 million. So this player, who actually earns $9 million, is worth $4.5 million for trading purposes.

As we said over the weekend, a one-year scenario is likely to happen before training camp opens on Sept. 29. That much has been agreed upon (though the details still need to be negotiated) between the sides. But Lee's camp still hopes a sign-and-trade may emerge in the time being and the Knicks can wait.

Oh, and as for the Ricky Rubio chatter, we put it to rest late last night in the previous blog.

Remember, follow me on twitter at twitter.com/alanhahn

Rubio rumors are "way off"

Tuesday September 1, 2009 12:31 AM By Alan Hahn

Even as Ricky Rubio had reportedly accepted a deal that would send him to Barcelona in a new agreement that locked him in Europe until 2011, the rumors continued to persist that the Knicks were still somehow in 11th hour talks to pry him from the Timberwolves.

Four very trustworthy sources, however, shot down the rumor, which involved unsigned restricted free agents David Lee and Nate Robinson going to Minnesota along with a future first-rounder in a package for Rubio's rights.

Despite some obvious last-minute desperation by Rubio's camp to make something happen that would free Rubio to make the jump to the NBA this season, one source called the entire scenario "ridiculous" and another said the rumor was "way off" and indicated that Timberwolves GM David Kahn would be inclined to wait at least a season before he felt he had to make a decision on what to do with Rubio (this also gives him a year to watch Jonny Flynn and see what he has in him).

You can at least expect the Knicks will likely keep an eye on Rubio in Spain -- European scout Kevin Wilson knows the kid and the Rubio family quite well -- and things could heat up again down the road, especially if Flynn is performing well as a rookie.

The issue is the deal with Barcelona locks Rubio in for two seasons before he can exercise an opt-out to the NBA. That means no La Pistola until 2011-12. Sure, that fits well in the 2010 savings plan, but its a long time to wait for a franchise PG. And we all know the Knicks are in the market for a franchise PG who could run this system.

We know Donnie Walsh and Kahn have spoken at least once on this because Walsh said after the draft in June that he planned to reach out to Kahn about the situation. But that's the extent of what we know as fact at this point. Kahn made three visits to Spain this summer to try to work out a deal to bring Rubio to the NBA. Even owner Glen Taylor got personally involved (it is his money). Kahn, a rookie GM, took a major gamble when he gave up two starters in Randy Foye and Mike Miller to get that No. 5 pick. He needs to show something for it.

The push for New York by Rubio's camp is an understandable play. The belief is that in New York, Rubio can make up the endorsment money (Nike, Gillette, etc.) to pay off his exhorbitant buyout with DKV Joventut to gain his freedom for an immediate departure for the NBA. Rubio will have to fund most of it out of his own pocket, since NBA rules put a $500,000 cap on international buyouts.

In Minnesota, Rubio wouldn't get the kind of scratch he needs to cover the buyout. His rookie scale is $2.7M in the first season, $2.9M in the second and $3.1M in the third.  He'd pretty much be playing for free if he had to use his NBA salary to cover the buyout.

Yes, where there's smoke, there's fire. But sometimes it's just steam from hot air.

Remember, follow me on twitter at twitter.com/alanhahn.