Through the 90s, the Knicks were my favourite team, and if you liked a tough, bruising team oozing with heart, then they were the team for you. When the Raptors and Knicks were battling in the playoffs, I was never more torn; ultimately I cheered the Raptors, but had the Knicks got through….

While they don’t have great talent to surround LeBron and Bosh (for sake of argument), the team does provide the lure of being a God in New York if someone can deliver a championship. For the record, regardless of what they offer, I’m against any deal with the Knicks since they are a division rival. The last time we did that, we got BURNED in the playoffs; not looking for a repeat.

I spoke to Dan L. from The Knicks Fan Blog about the state of the Knicks, and got some interesting tidbits from him:

Sam Holako: There isn’t much to talk about the Knicks during the regular season since the last couple years has all been about making a run at two max free-agents this summer. Where do you realistically put the Knicks chances of landing LeBron this summer? A sign and trade with the Cavs will prove difficult (what kind of deal do you put together for the MVP?). Also talk about the LeBrostimistic graph you have on your site, I love that thing.

Dan L.: I think it’s impossible to say what the Knicks’ chances are to get LeBron without being part of the “inner circle”. But I think the Knicks have a couple of things working in their favor. One is obviously that the Cavs got spanked so hard by the Celtics. They clearly aren’t a championship caliber team and they’re also ham-strung by salary commitments with the likes of Jamison, Gibson, Varejao, and Mo Williams. They won’t be signing any meaningful free agents.

It is hard to see the Knicks and Cavs pulling off a sign and trade, but it could happen if LeBron told them he’s going to the Knicks anyway and unless they deal they won’t get anything in return. For example the Knicks can offer the Cavs a massive salary cap exception and future picks for LeBron. With that exception the Cavs could hypothetically trade for Elton Brand and the second pick (Evan Turner). Maybe they could even convince the Knicks to part with Wilson Chandler. Mo Williams, Turner, Chandler, Jamison, Brand. I could think of worse teams.

Ha. The LeBroptimism meter right now is at 0 because honestly, I just don’t have any kind of bearing of what LeBron is going to do. He and his team have done a masterful job of keeping everyone in the dark, and there are a lot of teams that have positioned themselves to get LeBron. I think the only realistic options for LeBron if he leaves are the Knicks and Bulls because I’d be shocked if he went somewhere that didn’t have a major media presence. I’d add the Nets to the mix but I think their young talent is vastly overstated. The Knicks’ young talent was better than 12 wins. Also LeBron won’t want to play in Newark, I don’t think.

If I was being completely honest with my own gut, I’d put that LeBroptimism meter somewhat higher than 0.

SH: That would be Step 1; Step 2 would be find a running mate for him. Chris Bosh recently put the Knicks on his wishlist. Make me an offer for him.

DL: he only offer really is David Lee. Not sure what Raptors fans think about Lee but you could do much worse. He’s a terrific rebounder (though he doesn’t get the tough ones) and due to his terrific work ethic he transformed himself into one of the best shooting bigs in the league. He’s also an elite finisher. He can get his shot off in the paint and make it with such frequency that it never ceases to amaze me. You’ll be losing out by trading Bosh but maybe not by as much as you’d think.

The downside for the Raptors is that their biggest weakness is also Lee’s, in that he couldn’t guard a lamp post. A lot of that has to do with the fact that he’s a PF and the Knicks had him at center all year. Still, I’d think that the Raptors want to address their D this summer, and Lee isn’t going to do that.

Financially, Lee is going to make less than Bosh because under the collective bargaining agreement, his max is about $13.5 million. The Raptors would therefore get a trade exception in the deal of about $4 million.

Another option the Raptors could consider is adding Calderon or Turk to the mix and taking back Eddy Curry. This would get the Raptors out from under the cap predicament they put themselves in by next year.

It’s all dependent on what Lee wants though. If he just wants money and the Raptors offer him his max I think he would agree to go to Toronto because he would get bigger raises in a sign and trade. If other factors are more important to him, like staying in the New York area, and the money is similar, I could see him signing with the Nets.

SH: Not sure how Raptor fans would feel about paying Lee $13.5; even though double-double machines are hard to come by, I was thinking a 5yr/$50mill deal. A front court of Bargnani and Lee would be the worse defensive unit in the league, potentially, but Lee is one of the better players we could hope for in a sign-and-trade.

Interesting you bring up a Calderon/Turkoglu swap for Curry. What is Curry’s status? Can he be looked too to play 20minutes a night? He’s still pretty young, and has great size/athleticism (well he did). I’m assuming with the financial problems he’s said to be having, that he will at least be motivated to play harder for the next contract.

DL: I’d think that Lee is going to get more than $10 million on the market this summer. But I guess that remains to be seen.

You’re right about the raptors defense. They’d have to slide Bargs over to the 3 and find a way to get a defensive 5.

That’s not Eddy Curry, even if healthy. The potential Curry deal would be solely a salary dump for the Raptors. Knicks fans have been waiting for the old Curry to come back for over 2 years. The fact is that he’s played only a handful of games in each of the last two seasons and just doesn’t seem interested in playing basketball.

You’re right that Curry SHOULD be motivated in a contract year. But I’d be shocked if he had the desire to. And even if he did, I’d be doubly shocked if he stayed healthy.

SH: I want to examine something you said about Calderon or Turkoglu for Curry. Even if the Knicks somehow manage to get LeBron and Bosh, they would still need to have people around them to you know, play basketball at an NBA level. In the worse case scenario that they don’t land anyone in the summer to line up beside those two, what will this team look like?

DL: Honestly I think that’s an issue that the national media has drummed up in their echo chamber because they are biased against New York (true New York perspective here, huh?).

The team WILL have players on it. Obviously Turkoglu or Calderon could be one of those other players. If not, the Knicks should try to move Curry for another team’s expensive mistake, like Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton or Corey Maggette.

But let’s look at who is on the team right now. Danilo Gallinari played essentially his rookie year last year since he missed most of his first season with a back injury. He only finished second in the NBA in three pointers made. Folks in the national media have called him a “one-trick pony” but those of us who watch the Knicks every game know that he’s much more than that. Even the most negative tabloid beat writers like the New York Post’s Marc Berman jumped on the Gallinari bandwagon by the end of the year. He’s a terrific passer, and has a great basketball IQ, and most surprisingly, was probably the Knicks best defender last year other than Jarred Jeffries, both on the ball and in help.

Wilson Chandler is another player that most people who don’t follow the Knicks tend to ignore. It’s because he’s very quiet and unassuming. My opinion is that he doesn’t have star potential like Gallinari does, but there are observers who disagree. At the very least though he plays D, has a great mid-range game, and is a superb finisher.

Toney Douglas inexplicably failed to get off of Mike D’Antoni’s bench for most of the year but when D’Antoni finally let him play the Knicks what I like to say resembled a young Gary Payton. Douglas is very disruptive on the defensive end, is a very good shooter from distance, and LOVES the ball at the end of games. He’s very clutch.

These were 3 very young and/or inexperienced players but all of them have a world of potential. Importantly, they’re all very good fits with LeBron. Gallinari will can countless open jumpers off LeBron drives, and Wilson will get plenty of open looks slashing off of those same drives. Douglas will also knock down open shots and defend the perimeter, but more importantly, both he and Gallinari will take the pressure off LeBron at the end of games, which seems to be an issue for the King. It’s a good starting 5.

Aside from those 3 the Knicks have Bill Walker, who, after the trade deadline really came into his own for the Knicks. He has great range and shoots a high percentage. He’s also extremely athletic and can jump out of the gym. Finally, where Chandler doesn’t really read the defense, instead focusing on just making one on one moves to get open, Walker knows where to be on the court to space the floor and get open looks for himself both inside and out.

The Knicks also have 2 second round draft picks.

Finally, if the Knicks are able to land the big stars, look for some veteran players to sign on for cheap for a chance at the title. For example, PJ Brown signed with Boston for the minimum to win a ring. Same with Michael Finley.

I expect the Knicks to be able to round out their roster in a similar way.

SH: I’m actually pretty high on Chandler. I’ve seen quite a few Knicks games, and the kid is nice (Gallinari too). If LeBosh doesn’t pan out for the Knicks, would a Joe Johnson/Boozer/Stoudemire combination satisfy Knicks fans? The team obviously wouldn’t be a championship contender (the best they could hope for is the Hawks), but they would be in the high 40s in terms of wins and MAYBE a second round appearance.

DL: hose guys obviously represent the second tier of free agents. They’d improve the Knicks vastly but I wouldn’t be too thrilled about it. That’s particularly true because I assume those guys would be getting the max (or something close) and I don’t think they’re worth it.

It’s not the first choice and there are some fans who go by the mantra “LeBron or bust”. Not me though. I think Donnie Walsh had to take his best shot at building a dynasty. It might not work out that way but the idea was the right idea. Either way the Knicks will be much improved, even if they don’t get LeBron.

Since I have nothing better to do than think up scenarios, I’ve previously written that there are other options available besides just free agents. The Knicks could look at Tony Parker, for example. A trade of Chandler, Curry and Douglas for Parker, RJ and McDyess would make some sense if the Knicks also landed Amare. Parker, RJ (who plays better in an open system), Gallinari, McDyess, Amare, with enough flexibility to sign Melo in ’11.

Another example is a trade of Curry for Biedrins or Maggette and Anthony Randolph, while re-signing Lee and signing Joe Johnson. You’d have Tony Douglas, Johnson, Gallinari, Lee and Randolph/Biedrins. Not too shabby in my opinion, and a team that can grow better over the next few years. Not a title contender though, and you’d lose your ’11 flexibility, which I’d like to see the Knicks keep if they lose out on the big names.

We got screwed by the schedule this week. The Raptors have had 3 full days off since that loss to the Pacers, and I couldn’t think of a better game than against our Atlantic rivals. Full disclosure: I’ve been a Knicks fan since Ewing, McDaniels, Smith, Starks, and Oakley were running rampant. Epic games they would have against the Bulls. Sadly, the Knicks have been a massive disappointment to say the least, but the wheels are in motion, and they are back on the track to respectability.

The Raptors are 2-2 since Calderon has returned to the lineup, and some folks have gone so far as to say that they miss Banks and think he’s a better fit than Jose. While I concede that the Raptors had a great stretch without Jose, long term, this team needs him (or someone he would yield in a trade) in order to have a chance at making any noise. Forgive me if I don’t like our chances in the playoffs with Banks as our backup point guard.

2010 has seen the Knicks come out strong, going 4-2 with an impressive/gritty 112-108 OT win over the Hawks. Yeah, the team that has been eating our lunch all year. Frankly, it doesn’t surprise me as much as it probably should. The Knicks have been stacked with talent for years now, just not enough of the other good stuff to make them a team, but they are coming up. Don’t look now, but they are 2.5 games behind the Raptors in the standings.

I checked in with Curts Skeeter Jr. to get his take on the Knicks and this game, and he had some interesting things to say:

Q: How have your boys been playing of late?
A: The Knicks are on track to make a quality push for a major playoff run. Mike Dantoni has proved that he can coach defense as well as offense. This was evident in our last win where the Knicks needed a quality stop against the 76ers (a contested Rodney Carney three), and the Knicks got the stop and a 93-92 win. David Lee in my opinion should be an all-star.

Q: Tell us about Gallinari.
A: Gallinari is a Larry Bird clone as a shooter, but his overall game could use a lil more polish which will come with confidence.  His first year contributions were limited due to his back (only played 18 games), so technically this is his first lap around the league, and he may still hit the rookie wall at some point.

Q: Keys to beating the Raptors?
A: The Knicks need to speed up the pace, and get to free throw line.  David Lee has to make the Raptor defenders work in the paint and the wings have to make hard cuts to catch the defender off guard.

Q: Any other thoughts on this game?
A: I respectfully think that the Knicks have passed the Raptors talent wise, but have not gotten over the mental edge that Toronto has over us.  This is a big game and I think the Knicks top tier players have to impose their will. If Chandler and Gallinari have good games the win will put us over the top for the next few years.  Keys to winning is confidence and accepting and learning how to deal with success and not accepting mediocrity.

Clearly he hasn’t heard Jack Armstrong and his claims that the Raptors are a top 5 team, talent wise, in the East. I still laugh at that. Sorry, I do. The Raptors have some nice pieces, but there is a reason we’re 19-20. Talent alone in the NBA gets you nothing, just ask Darko Milicic.

So Curts brings up a few good points, namely Gallinari and Lee, both of whom scare the crap out of me. Chances are we’re going to see Bosh on Lee and Bargnani on Gallinari. If our recent history is any indicator, Gallinari is going to have a lot of open looks from beyond the arc. The guy averages 6.6 3pt attempts a game, converting 2.6 of them. The clean looks he is going to get when his check (Bargnani probably) is sent to double whomever, well, it wont be pretty. I just…I just don’t know…Danilo is going to have 32 tonight, I can feel it. Lee on the other hand has owned Bosh over the last few seasons. He gets in the paint, hits that hook, hits his jumpers, grabs every single freaking rebound…man I wish the Raptors had him. Bosh has been playing harder/better/faster/stronger than previous years, so Lee has his work cut out for him.

I also have the bad feeling that when Triano goes small-ball crap-ball with Jack/Calderon/Turkoglu, Chandler is going to have a field day with whoever ends up on him. Neither Jack or Calderon have shown they can cover a solid two-guard when paired with the other this season. Although the Knicks have some nice players, they have no one on this team who warrants a double team. The Raptors need to stay at home with Lee, Gallinari and Harrington, and limit the number of times Chandler or Robinson shake free from their defender. No layups, no excuses. If the Knicks are going to beat us tonight, they should have to do it from the perimeter.

D’Antoni has been playing about 8 deep, over the last few games with the starters playing heavy minutes. This could bode well for the Raptors who haven’t played since Monday. Belinelli/Weems/Wright should get some good burn while Triano figures out what he is doing out there. I like Belinelli and Weems in this kind of game. They will get good looks running back and forth. Wright, not so much, but if he can be a pest, and keep Chandler off center for a few minutes, then I might look past the few bad shots he will heave.

I was worried about this game during the podcast, but after the loss to the Pacers, I am beyond worried. With Dallas and Cleveland up next, the Raptors have to get this one. If the Raptors keep Lee and Jeffries off the glass, take away everything from inside 10 feet away, and slow the pace down, they should take this. That’s easier said then done, but the Knicks don’t have a real presence in the paint. The gamblers have the Knicks at 2.5 point favourites at home, at least we can be happy that the experts think it will be close. I’m betting against the line, but still think the Knicks take it 100-98, this one will come down to the last shot, win or lose.

Don’t forget to join us tonight for Raptor Fan Fridays at the Sports Centre Cafe on St. Clair, we had a great time last week. Some nice folks work there

Some of the comments your readers had after our first set of questions were great and I feel they deserve a proper response. I wish I could respond to everyone but you have such a great following on Raptors Republic that I think I’d be writing until well after the draft

Keep in mind I was trying to issue a relatively short answer to a specific question regarding the Raptors drafting a SG or SF at the #9 spot in the draft. Perhaps I should have started the conversation by saying the first thing that needs to be done is a compilation of the pre-draft assets the Raps have to work with this year. For example, the Portland Trail Blazers have these tools to work with: 5 draft picks (24, 32, 38, 55, and 56), approximately $6.5 Million under the salary cap (which is a number that won’t be exact until the NBA calculates the exact cap figure based on this year’s revenue), a $3 Million Trade Exception (from a trade at the deadline), plus they own the rights to a couple young guys playing in Europe right now.

Secondly, the Raptors need to decide what they’ll do in Free-Agency, how much money they have to work with and who they’ll try to resign off their current roster. Finally, a decision should be made (and probably has been) as to the direction of the team. One of your readers commented that he wanted to take DeMar DeRozan because in the long run he’d be the best player and one argument I had made was to trade down and take a more mature player who could contribute now (Sam Young, Terrance Williams, Gerald Henderson). There are a few things to consider here, first, rookie contracts usually only last 3-4 years so to wait for a guy to come along means the direction you are taking is ‘player development and cost saving’ in that you most likely won’t spend a lot in free agency trying to make a run for the playoffs. If you are like the Blazers coming off 50 plus wins, you are seeing your window of opportunity now and thus feel spending money gives you a chance to win. Aiming for the achievement of your goals now rather than player development for future success. Veteran FA’s worth any considerable value are not going to sign with a club that is developing a young roster. Look at Memphis and Oklahoma City, young talent that is not winning regularly versus the Boston Celtics who went out and got veteran FA’s by working the cap and draft picks to come up with assets to win now.

Finally, another reader mentioned the idea of trading up. I also mentioned this with respect to James Harden if he is your guy. I don’t have any problems with this either IF you feel strongly that Harden is your guy and you have the ability (assets) to make it happen such as multiple 2nd Rd. picks to unload. There have been considerable rumors that 2, 3, 4 could move because after Blake Griffin it is somewhat wide open. Perhaps the Raps see that window and make a move. However, until we know what assets the Raptors have to work with and the direction they want to take the franchise then it’s going to be difficult to get a good gauge on what they will do.

A few random notes from the combine and recent team workouts:

• One Raptor fan liked Tyreke Evans for his length and thus his ‘potential defensive ability’, which is outstanding. But potential is a scary word sometimes and it should be noted that he had the slowest feet in the agility test which is a good measurable for defensive potential as well. Can you see now why I’m not a huge fan of these ‘combine stats’?
• A lot has been made of DeRozan’s superior athleticism but if you look at those infamous ‘combine stats’ you’ll see that he has one great mark when compared to the Small Forwards, his max vertical leap (with steps = 38.5″ the same as Chase Budinger). However, because he has short arms he falls to 9th of 11 SF’s in jump reach nearly 5 inches below James Johnson or Damion James. Worse yet, the only player he beat in the footwork and speed tests was 6’11 Austin Daye. And if he had been compared to the SG group, DeRozan would have been dead last in both categories out of 16 guys. His 11.88 agility score would have been .3 tenths of a second slower than 15 other SG’s and 1.4 seconds slower than the fastest SG. Short arms and slow feet, who will he be guarding? Just some food for thought.
• Sam Young participated in a recent NBA group workout and dominated according to sources.
• Another guy I mentioned in the last post was Ohio State big man BJ Mullens. Apparently both he and Austin Daye (Gonzaga) looked great in ‘camp drills’ in Chicago because they didn’t have to play 5-on-5, but both have struggled in workouts against physical defense. Mullens just played in Minnesota and was abused by Luke Neville (an Aussie from the University of Utah) who many say won’t be drafted. And yet Mullens is coming out of school early and a projected lottery pick? On a positive note, the 7’1 260 big man did post a ‘quicker’ time than DeRozan in the agility drill.

Q. Are there any differences from scouting via Video/TV as opposed to live?
A. Pro’s and con’s to both I’m sure. In live situations you definitely get a good feel for the guy physically, what his body is like, his true height and so forth. You can also see his attitude and leadership abilities up close. How he reacts to calls, opposing fans, his coaches, and his teammates. On film, such as Synergy Video, you can see so much footage that you can really get a feel for what the guy does best, what his favorite moves are, and also what some of his weaknesses are because you could potentially watch every shot he took this season. One thing you always have to be careful of, especially in a combine style workout or a closed workout session is falling in love with a prospect based on that one day. See him live as much as possible and then study as much video as you can.

Q. Who will be available at 9? Who will be the best available player at 9?
A. It’s still too early to tell at this point but I think there will be some good players available at this spot. Keep in mind, last year some guys made very late surges into the lottery such as Russell Westbrook climbing to the 4th spot (OKC), Joe Alexander went 8th (Bucks), and Jason Thompson from Rider 12th (Kings). Anthony Randolph went 14th to the Warriors after being rumored in the top 5 then slipping on some boards to late-first. The point being, decisions are still being made and there are a lot of young guys on the draft board as well as the possibility of guys returning to school. We’ll also learn more about the international guys after the upcoming Euro Camp in Treviso, Italy. Remember that Danilo Gallinari shot up to 6th last year to the NY Knicks. This is something we’ll cover more in the coming weeks.

Q. Is Blake Griffin more a Beasley or Duncan?
A. I don’t think he’s like either one to be honest. He’s 2 inches and 12 pounds bigger than Beasley but not as long or skilled (at least now) as Tim Duncan. He is a true Power Forward in the ‘power’ sense. He is strong, explosive, aggressive, and very quick for his size. He is much more athletic than Duncan but will he develop the head for the game that Duncan has? Beasley is more of a face-up guy and I think Griffin will be a solid post-up option as well as a good pick & roll guy and he can run the floor well also. I’m not putting him in the Hall of Fame just yet but he does have some Karl Malone like features.

Hijo de puta!

Q. Who is the next best player in the Draft?
A. The million dollar question, literally. Again, based on results or potential? I like Ricky Rubio and James Harden a lot. I get why people like Hasheem Thabeet with his obvious size and length, but I’m not a huge fan. So if you are the Memphis Grizzlies and you have Mike Conley and OJ Mayo, do you pick Rubio or Harden or trade down? Perhaps they like Thabeet and go that route. I’m a proponent of picking a guy if you feel strongly about him at that spot, if not, trade down and stockpile players and picks. This may the year to do just that.

Q. Who’s your favorite (sentimental) player in the Draft?
A. As you know, I like international players and REALLY like what the Colangelo’s did in Phoenix bringing in Mike D’Antoni, Steve Nash, and that style of play. So needless to say I’m a Rubio fan and look forward to seeing how that situation plays out. You’ve probably read some of the latest rumblings that he’s willing to stay another year in Spain if he’s not a top 3 pick and I think a lot of that is the negotiations taking place with his Agent and Club (Joventut).

From a basketball standpoint I like his leadership skills for such a young guy, he’s very competitive, has good hand skills and vision and is better athletically than he gets credit for. He is a very good defender and has long arms. He does need to work on his shooting and range, but that should develop with time. A lot of guys from that Spanish team have come to the NBA and done well so I see no reason why he wouldn’t do the same.

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Lopez is drawing a lot of comparisons to Anderson Varejao. On a team that needs toughness and rebounding in the middle, he should be a great fit. He’s kind of the anti-Andrea Bargnani.

Everyone loves taking a shot at Bargnani, who can blame them, he’s probably the easiest guy to pick on in the NBA right now and there’s always truth in the criticism received. Anyway, between the two I’d pick Lopez because as much as we need a 6′ 10″ swingman, we need toughness even more. And its not like like Lopez could even come close to picking up the scoring load on this team. The advantage of drafting a hustling big man over of a finesse guy in the draft is that the former can be counted on to do things like rebounding and defense and can help the team immediately. The Raptors would be unlikely to select a player and then wait him out while he develops and brings his game to a meaningful level, especially after Colangelo made it clear yesterday that he’s looking for immediate help.

There’s a bunch of players in the draft that could be good fits for the Raptors. The question will be how much of a “project” is Bryan Colangelo willing to take on and whether hand-holding Bargnani through his 3rd NBA season plus nursing along another rookie is too much to ask for Sam Mitchell. The easier thing would be to just trade the pick as part of the PG package and increase the value of the return product. Sometimes in all the fantasy trade talk that goes on we lose sight of the fact that it’s very hard to make trades in the NBA, let alone ones where you clearly come out on top. So although Maggette/Ford or Ford,#17/#2 might sound logically right, the apprehensiveness of the GM behind those players/picks will probably kill the deal.

The Hawks are close to hiring a new GM – fingers crossed that its Maurizio Gherardini. They might be the most talented team in the East and if the new GM can handle the decisions coming up for them, there’s every indication that the Hawks will be one of those teams that’s neck-and-neck with us next year in the standings.

You know the chances of the Knicks picking Gallinari are high when daddy chimes in and the sun shines on old friendships. He’s going to stick out on that roster more than David Lee.

That was probably a foul on Derek Fisher but it was an excellent no-call. Classic example of why games need to be called differently late in the fourth quarter. Brent Barry was nowhere close to scoring and didn’t deserve a shot at two FTs, let alone three.

“He’s better than [Andreas] Bargnani, no question….The guy doesn’t back down from anybody. You’re in his face. He’ll get right back at them….The only Europeans who succeed in the NBA are the tough ones. The Italian league is better than college. If you put him in college ball, he’d be getting 25-30 (points) a night and everyone would be going ga-ga.”

One thing is for sure, this isn’t a Raptors scout talking. And just for Bargnani’s sake I’m hoping Gallinari is a dud.

There’s some love in the air for Chris Douglas-Roberts and we’re hoping he’s around at 17 but we’re not the only ones. The Orlando Magic are also interested and might do something ballsy like trade up in the draft to get him or even make a run at Brandon Rush. If we’re going to get CDR we’re going to have to play ball and outbid and outsmart other teams, he’s not going to fall in our laps like Danny Granger did a few years back. The tournament might have upped his stock beyond our reach. In a conversation between CDR and Draft Express he also mentions how the Nets are interested and if that happens, Richard Jefferson could be expendable.

I don’t know if this is good strategy or madness by Rick Carlisle but he’s going to change his entire offense so its easy for Jason Kidd to do his thing. Kidd’s 35 years old and can’t stay with any of the elite PGs in this league so the best the Mavericks can hope next season is a hollow regular season filled with wins that don’t mean squat when it comes playoff time. I think we saw just exactly how good Kidd is in New Jersey and how far he can carry a team, in the West the job becomes that much more difficult and the chance of him seeing the conference finals there are remote.

I couldn’t find any articles this morning where I could whore TJ Ford and Anthony Parker as trade bait so we’ll keep it quiet for today. The Knicks hunt for a point guard could turn towards Baron Davis which makes a lot more sense for them than acquiring the erratic Ford. As I said before, the only people on the Knicks I like is David Lee and Jamal Crawford and I doubt they’ll be willing to part with those two.

Since it’s a slow day we’ll throw in Mark Cuban’s views on marijuana smoking as pertaining to Josh Howard. Cuban doesn’t like it, probably smoked the wet kind and coughed his lungs out. There are unconfirmed reports that David Stern was with him when he tried it, a source close to the NBA says:

David Stern held the screen as Cuban took his hit. Cuban then gathered up the smoke and proceeded to do a mouth-to-mouth with Stern who passed out immediately into Darius Miles’ lap. Cuban then laid down a beating never seen before on an already passed out Joey Crawford who happened to be knitting a sweater on a nearby couch.

This little piece of information slipped past me and I found it on RealGM – Kevin O’Neill got hired by the Grizzlies as an assistant coach. The man knows his defense and should stick to it for earning a living, it’s when he tried to turn a team with Vince Carter on it into the mid-90′s Cavs that the shit hit the fan.

Finally I have some complete horse-shit to report, its this article at Bleacher Report, a site that fails to produce a single worthy piece out of the 64,857 it publishes daily. It lists the ten best fan bases in professional sports and I have to say the sniveling little cunts got it all wrong. I mean I’m glad Toronto FC made it but what are the Dallas Maverick fans doing there and more importantly what the fuck is Man Utd doing at #1 and where are the Raptors fans (biggest online presence ever)?. The whole thing is drastically wrong because if we were to talk about great fanbases the top 50 would be filled by football clubs from across Europe and South America. I will say this though, we are one of the most loyal fanbases in professional sports and that’s counting Europe.

You think Manu Ginobili’s diving is getting some press?