The Knicks Fix

REPOST !!!!

I love the blogosphere !!!! In the absence of news the posters always turn on themselves. Alan please post something else before the knives come out !!!!

I haven't posted in a while but I do have some comments.

1st of all......Who the hell is KnowLedge ??? What rock did this clown crawl out from under ??? Keep adding z's to the end of your posts, it makes you look hard and might boost your street cred. LOL. Nothing says nothing like ......stay tuned for more NOledgez (don't forget the z)

2nd.....Anyone on here saying that Gallo shouldn't play for his national team because the Knicks have his rights, why don't you say that Kobe or Wade should sit because its unfair to their teams ? ( I'm referring to Kobe's pinky and Wades ummm everything) These guys have pride in their country and even though their respective teams would rather have these guys 100% healthy, they wouldn't dream of telling them they should sit out. Whats good for them is good for Gallo. You can't mess w/ patriotic pride.

3rd...... I forgot who said it, but you can not be serious that Alan is "floating" stories to see what fan reaction will be. How important do you guys think you are ???? Do you honestly think Jimmy cares what you the fan think ?? Do you really think that Walsh is leading by committee comprised of bloggers ? Get real guys. I'm sure niether Jimmy or Walsh are perusing the blogosphere for ideas.

I know why we traded Balkman, he sucks we werent gonna resign him and we got a second rounder...so now "david" doesnt have to bother DW with that question

keeping 2010 alive
with alittle Bulljive

@JohnQ

I understand that you can't fault a guy for wanting to compete for his country. I just feel like if a guy is even close to not being at 100%, his team should be able to hold him out of international play.

And I don't say that Kobe shouldn't be playing because it's America and he doesn't play for the Knicks, duh. : )

Al Hahn- Have a great Vacation! You deserve it.

I'm sure its going to be a busy season.

Hudson,

You are making fun of your own bias. I would love to hold him back and keep him healthy too but thats a lil greedy on our parts. The Rockets have felt that way about Yao since they got him but you can't tell a guy waht to do when he's doing it for his country.

Fixers,

What moves do you think are a guarantee before the season starts?

1) Will Big Snacks be told to dine out?

2) Will Mar-baby be given a buyout to help create some new team unity?

3) Will the Knicks find/trade for a shot blocker?

1) From my end, it's time to send Big Snacks packin'.

2) As much as he may continue being a distraction, I think you have to get something for Mar-baby due to the expiring contract. There's always teams that want this. Otherwise, he plays/sits the year out under a gag order. If he violates it, terms are out in place to what he gets fined for mouthing off.

3) I think the only way this happens now is mid-way through the season...after some of the current players show they have value.

Keepin' it Old School

Of course I'm biased!

I'm just saying how I feel as a Knicks fan, not how I would rule if I were some sort of arbitrator.

It just sucks that our first round pick is going to be all banged up going into the season because of some international competition. Of course, I understand that you can't tell a guy not to represent his country, I just wish you could.

I will, however, stick to my guns with my original comment that if a guy is hurt you should be able to tell him to shut it down, no matter what the stakes are.

We're talking about a multi-million dollar investment here. You should be able to take reasonable measures to protect it. Since this "investment" is a person, there are a lot more considerations in play than if it were, say, a car, but if that person is injured, no matter how slightly, I think it's legitimate of the team controlling his rights to ask that person not to play.

@ Old School Oakley,

I pray James is bought out. Marbury may give us an option ...
It appears that Kobe's love fest for Jason Kidd was tainted by him signing with Dallas.

Check this; SHANGHAI, China -- Jason Kidd sat and watched the final 20 minutes of Team USA's friendly competition against Russia from the bench Sunday, his warm-ups never coming off.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski, when asked why he benched Kidd, was in the middle of answering during his postgame interview when Kobe Bryant interrupted with a two-word explanation: "He's old."

We can only pray that Kobe will use his influence and try to target
Marbury for the Lakers! I don't care how it's done, as long as Marbury is in LA or Italy....the Knicks get better with his subtraction!

Alan have a great vacation! You will be missed here.

I want Gallo to be Patriotic
but damn this is his first season
with the knicks
and i don't want him going into
his debut season hurt

@John Q

i agree that Kobe and Wade are playing
for their country too (USA)
but these guys are established
players in the NBA

Gall didn't even finish the summer league
so to me that is not a good comparison

Kobe,Wade,Mellow....these guys are stars
in the NBA

we don't know what Gallo will end up being
so his first season is very important
to get off on a good foot
and also to start the season healthy

I thought Peace was all for Marburry and IT. An interesting reversal but the right one.

@ Old School, I think the biggest move left and the one Donnie himself mentioned is getting a shotblocker that by a 1/3 of the way into the season can give you 20 minutes a night. J. James will probably be waived because of how hard it is to get a medical retirement. Marburry is the most interesting move. I guess it depends on how much D'Antoni values talent over chemistry. I think Walsh should and will defer to his coach and I have no idea what D'Antoni thinks of Marburry.

I'm the most excited about seeing what type of offense we run. I think we are limited on shooters unless Q is healthy and Chandler increases his range, plus if we still have Zach and Curry and start them I don't see how we run, so I want to see what a true genius like D'antoni comes up with. I have given up on us playing D with our offseason moves but I think our offense is going to be fun to watch. If Curry and Zach do constant motion and set high screens with Curry curling to the basket and Zach doing the pick and pop thing, with the other getting the weak side rebounds we could see alot of points in a hurry. Especially with Roberson and Nate lighting it up from the outside and Crawford doing his off-balance thing. Marburry is really good at the pick and roll too so if we keep him that would be fun to watch. Of course that is assuming Zach and Curry are both in shape come November.

On a side note: anbody know who is going to design the Knicks defensive schemes now?

Vacation List

Vaseline. CHECK

Chapstick. CHECK

Knee pads. CHECK

Master Dolan's 14 telephone numbers. CHECK.

Let's load up the mini-van and off we go!

I thought Peace was all for Marburry and IT. An interesting reversal but the right one. Posted by Knicks4Life | August 4, 2008 17:33

@ Knicks4life,

1. I was always anti-Marbury. Check last years posting during preseason..Davonn Jeffereson and I stated Marbury's Azz needed to be sent out of this town on the first thing smoking!!!!!

2. I believe Zeke was innocent of Sexual Harrasment of ABS!
She looks like Zach Randolph in a Freaken Wig!!!!!

3. Zeke was castrated by the NY media day one. Walsh gets a
"Honeymoon." That sucks in my book!

I read somewhere that James has an option year on his contract for the 09-10 season, and there is no way he doesn't take it. I think that's why he won't cooperate on the medical retirement - it might jeopardize that last year, and there is no way he's giving up a year's salary. Since he has made no effort to stay in shape or rehab (most guys who get hurt make some kind of progress), it is obvious that he has no desire to play NBA basketball - this contract is his retirement/estate money. He's still owed around 12 million, and since this is his financial future and he has no professional pride, he'll be looking for all of it. If there is a buy-out it will most likely have to be for the full amount. I'd still do it. James has no value and won't build any since he is unwilling to play anymore. I understand that there are limited legal means (breach of contract) for the Knicks to try since his "injuries" provide him with a smokescreen. His presence sends a terrible message to the team and the fans, especially if the plan is to bring in some younger guys. He eats up a roster spot that could be used on a project. And, personally, just seeing his name on the roster irritates me. The Knicks can afford it - they'll pay a lot more to keep Isiah and Mills around, so eat the 12 million and make James go away.

Anonymous,

Vacation Items, you overlooked another item.

Bok Check

After extensive MRI'S and CAT Scans with and without contrast @ New York's Hospital for Special surgery......all the MD'S were not really astonished at Danilo Gallinari's test results.
It appears the Gallinari's results indicate he has no Spine!

I'm not surprized stated MD Rosen who's over-opinionated stance is world renouned as an expert in "Joint disease." Most Euros don't have SPINES. why should this guy Gallinari be any different? Let him play for Italy or spain or whomever, he stated...it doesn't really matter, it's not like this guy is a Bayless, Love, Augustine , Anthony Randolph, Arthur, or anyone with real potential! This is a non medical case of Coach favor to former friend/ teamate.....hardly what the Knicks really needed anyway!
Asked if Rosen was being too critical on the Knicks lowest pick since Patrick Ewing, Rosen stated....just tell them "Later Haters."

AP Press. August 4, 2008.

Alan, have a great vacation! This is still the best Knicks blog out there, far and away. Thanks for keeping it going and giving serious-minded fans a place to read about and discuss our beloved Knicks.

Peaceman, I agree with your point about the differing treatment of IT and Walsh by the NY media. It seems some out there never gave IT a fair break, from day one... That being said, his coaching of the Knicks was simply not up to snuff and a change had to be made.

And in a point related to the last one, let's not jump to criticize Danilo Gallinari so quickly. He's a young guy who apparently has a lot of upside. While the Knicks could have chosen any of a handful of other promising players, let's get behind the guy they did choose and at least give him a half season or so before we start slamming him. Fair is fair.

I think it's good that a 19 year old is the "established' player on his national team. I am in Cyprus through October so euro basketball is all I can watch.

I look forward to watching Danilo play. It sucks that his not 100% but it is also good he's capable of playing through that stuff. That has always been a good sign of an unselfish competitor. If he didn't want to play for his country what would that mean?

He's not Scottie pippen with a migraine.

“about the differing treatment of IT and Walsh by the NY media. It seems some out there never gave IT a fair break, from day one...”

KNICKS FAN IN TAIWAN:
Fascinating, isn’t it… and one has to wonder why…
• I guarantee you that if the job was taken by Magic, as originally offered to him, or Tiny Archibald, or Joe Dumars, that they would’ve been welcomed with open arms;
• The Captain Willis received a warm reception when he was named the Coach. I thought he did a very good job but that’s a different story. One would argue that was given a honeymoon because “he was a champion Knick, he was The Cap, etc…”
• Magic and The Cap are both revered by their organizations. Same with Dumars. Magic we all know is part owner of the Lakers.
• How come the Pistons org. could not wait to show Zeke the door?
• Has nothing to do with skin color.
• I reiterate, if Dolan hires Dumars, Knicks org. and the fans will be celebrating.
• Isiah deserves all the harsh treatment that he got.
• What goes around, comes around…………

PS:
Steve Mills should’ve been FIRED, not demoted.
Mills and Thomas destroyed the Knicks and make it a laughingstock of the sports world.
Anyway, been there, done that.

BAZ,

Wasn't that Kidd this past season ?

Donnie Walsh better do something. I cannot stomach another season watching these losers.

It's not often I can add much to the debate but just thought I'd share with you all that the schedule should be out tomorrow, according to someone with knowledge of the situation.... er, I mean some chap in the MSG ticket office!

Here's hoping - I need to get my partial plans sorted asap!

@ Pete. The only problem with buying James out is that his salary still counts on the cap. But he is such a piece of garbage if we can't get him for breach of K I want him gone and agree with you we can't have him on the team. I don't do contract law but I believe we could only nullify his contract if there was no meeting of the minds when it was formed (i.e. he never intended to fulfill the conditions of the contract). That seems almost impossible to prove. I guess we could try to say that he is not fulfilling the terms of the K itself but if he is injured that argument goes by the wayside as well. He shows up, he just can't move because he is a fat piece of garbage.

The last option I see is what Portland did with Darius Miles. Have him take a physical and see if he is PUP. Problem there is, I think he is physically fine, he's just fat so his knees are having trouble supporting all his weight. I'm sure the insurance co. is going to fight any designation of him being PUP because he is fat. They'll probably rightfully say he needs to go on a diet and go through a training program. He is not PUP, he is just lazy. Not all his fault though, IT never should have given him that K b/c there was no competition for him that would have even come close. Same with Jeffries.

@ everyone who wants to stop Gallarini from playing in the Olympics. Wouldn't it be hypocritical of the NBA and owners to make these kids go to college for a year where they could suffer a career ending injury and never get paid but deny them playing in the tournament, which is the greatest honor one can have of representing their country, because they fear they may get injured.

I know this situation is different because it is an Olympic qualifier, but I still think we shouldn't try to stop him from playing. Guys like Ron Artest etc. play in those street ball summer tournaments (where he is killing it by the way). Other guys play in charity games. Our own guys play in the Olympics for the USA. I think he should be allowed to play, it just sucks for us Knick fans because he will likely struggle in the second half like Yao always does, due to fatigue. Maybe he can convince Italy's coach to let him be a 2-guard though so he can work on my grand plan prior to training camp.

Wait, I thought that Gallinari wasn't really hurt? He was supposedly just run down from the 2 month prior to the draft and after a long Euro season? A month later and his back is still a problem that he can't play in this meaningless tourney? I guess the truth is that he couldn't get through a single Summer League game without getting hurt. That doesn't bode well when this soft Euro has to play in real NBA games.

Anyone who thinks this guy is a PF is completely kidding themselves. He'll end up in a hospital after his first game. At SF he'll just end up looking really bad trying to guard players twice as quick as he is. And look out for the first good hard pick he runs into, it won't be pretty. He'll crumple up like a stiff pair of Armani jeans.

Gallinari has a few nice skills. He can shoot a little bit and he has good court vision. Trouble is that he doesn't have an NBA body or quickness so he has no position. Like most big Euros, I see him being a spot up shooter. Assuming he has NBA 3pt range, he could have success there. That's nice and all but the Knicks needed much more than that with the 6th pick overall. Walsh said that they couldn't afford to miss with this pick and it looks like he has taking this huge project with a bad back.

Alan, you quibbled with StarBerman, who I detest by the way, about Gallinari's injury history. You basically said it was false what Berman was saying. But then you quoted your Italian informant saying that Gallinari had a dislocated ankle and a microfracture in his leg. Now you can throw in a bad back that hasn't healed completely after 1 month of rest. That's not a injury history to be concerned about?

Be careful Alan. Now that you're working for the Dolans, you just might become what you seem to detest. A journalist with an agenda.

Gallinari shouldn't be allowed to play in this meaningless pre-2012 Olympics tourney because he's obviously still injured from playing in his only Summer League game and it's not the Olympics.

Kobe, Wade and the other Americans are healthy enough and won't be forced into action if they aren't. Plus this is the Olympics that they're playing in and have been preparing for as a team for 3 years now.

As for Yao, it was in the agreement for him being allowed to play in the NBA that he would always be available, when healthy, for the Chinese National team in international competitions. There was no way he was missing the BEIJING Olympics. The Rockets and the NBA don't have a say with Yao playing for China in the Games.

The Knicks most definitely have a say when it comes to Gallinari but have chosen not to exercise their rights to prevent him from playing. With that being the case, I don't want to hear the Knicks using his participation with the Italian team as an excuse at any point in his rookie year.

@ london_knick - thanks for the heads up.

@ islesfan - I don't think the team can stop players from playing in the Olympics - Cuban tried something like that a few years ago, and all that came out of it was that the German federation caries special insurance on Dirk now. That would cover his contract if he is hurt, but hardly compensates for losing a former MVP on the court. I think Gallo will play if he is physically able - I just wish he wouldn't. Anyone have more info on this?

@ Knicks4Life - I agree on James - I think that so long as he can cry injury there is no breach of contract. His weight suggests that he has no intentions to ever play again - not that he couldn't, but that he won't. Look what guys like Grant Hill and Z. Ilgauskas went through to make it back, and there is no way Fatso has their chronic problems. He's just gettin' paid.

Pete - It's one thing if the player in question isn't already hurt going into the competition. Gallinari back is obviously still a concern and just a few weeks ago it prevented him from playing for the Knicks in the Summer League. With that being the case, the Knicks should at the very least make their objections to him playing well known. If they give their blessing to let him play then they can't complain about it later if the problem persists when he comes back to them.

@Islefan. I think the Knicks said that he could play, but they didn't want to risk him playing in the rest of the summer league games. I agree with you 100% that it is a risk for him playing, but I don't think you can stop a guy, during the off-season, from playing in a tournament. It is not an inherently dangerous activity like hunting or motorcycle riding. I wish he wouldn't play though and no excuses if he fades or gets injured in the second half.

It is also true that Yao had a special arrangement to play in the Olympics but both the Spurs and Mavs have voiced their displeasure with their international stars playing and they have not been able to stop them. If anybody has a sample of an NBA contract's standard language they could post that would end this debate very quickly.

We should push medical retirement on James,
under the CBA, we could recoup some of his Cap.
Correct me if I'm wrong? I believe Houston was on the window of the CBA amendment?

From True Hoops

Portland GM Kevin Pritchard has been talking publicly, saying doctors told him that Darius Miles' knee is in very bad shape. Portland -- enjoying insurance and salary cap relief from Miles' medical retirement -- has a lot to gain by Miles' never playing in the NBA again.

Peaceman - I'd love to see James medically retire, but I think the problem might be the last year on the contract. I believe it's an option year, and I don't know if he could claim it as a retiree. I think he'd have to wait until next year, pick up his option, then retire. But I don't know for sure if this is the case.

Look at Rule # 53 of the CBA..

53. How do retired players count against the cap?

Any money paid to a player is included in team salary, even if the player has retired. For example, James Worthy retired in 1994, two years before his contract ended. He continued to receive his salary for the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, so his salary was included in the Lakers' team salary in those seasons. It is at the team's discretion (or as the result of an agreement between the team and player) whether to continue to pay the player after he has retired.

There is one exception whereby a player can continue to receive his salary, but the salary is not included in the team's team salary. This is when a player is forced to retire for medical reasons and a league-appointed physician confirms that he is medically unfit to continue playing. There is a waiting period of one year following the injury or illness before a team can apply for this salary cap relief. If the waiting period expires mid-season (on any date prior to the last day of the regular season), then the player's entire salary for that season is removed from the team's team salary. For example, in March 2003 the Knicks were allowed to remove Luc Longley's entire 2002-03 salary from their books (and since the luxury tax is based on the team salary as of the last day of the regular season, the Knicks avoided paying any tax on Longley's salary). This provision can also be used when a player dies while under contract.

Teams are not allowed to trade for disabled players and then apply for this salary cap relief. Only the team for which the player was playing when he was disabled may request this relief.

If a player retires, even for medical reasons, his team does not receive a salary cap exception to acquire a replacement player.

Nice work Peace

Damn....this is why we can't buy out Marbury for less than his 22
Million........this rule bites.....

52. Can existing contracts be renegotiated?

A contract for four or more seasons can be renegotiated after the third anniversary of its signing, extension, or renegotiation that increased any season's salary by more than 8%. Contracts for fewer than four seasons cannot be renegotiated. A contract cannot be renegotiated between March 1 and June 30 of any year. Only teams under the cap can renegotiate a contract, and the salary in the then-current season can be increased only to the extent that the team has room under the cap. Raises in subsequent years are limited to 10.5% of the salary in the first renegotiated season. The renegotiation may not contain a signing bonus. Contracts cannot be renegotiated downward (players can't take a "pay cut" in order to create salary cap room for the team) or to contain fewer seasons.
Again, a team over the salary cap cannot renegotiate a contract. An interesting case of this was Shawn Kemp with the Sonics. Kemp, who was unhappy with his contract and wanted to renegotiate, could not get a larger contract from the Sonics because they were over the cap. Kemp forced a trade to Cleveland, who was far enough under the cap at the time to give him the large contract he wanted. Kemp's contract was renegotiated soon after the trade.

Man the NBA really punishes teams for being over the cap. I guess that is a good thing leaguewide which prevents the Yankee effect in basketball but still . . .A team with a stupid owner and bad managers can really dig themselves a whole. Does explain why teams like the Spurs and Suns would rather sell their draft picks than go over the cap. Seriously though, what IT did was almost criminal with these bad Ks, but Layden started it with the terrible Houston K, which to me, is still one of the worst in basketball history when you consider he was not even the best player on his own team (see Spree).

THE NBA TEAM THAT SIGNS ANY PLAYER.....CAN FORBID
THEM TO PLAY IN THE OLYMPICS...........

The Cleveland Cavaliers have forbidden center Zydrunas Ilgauskas to play for Lithuania at Beijing, citing a poor health history that includes foot injuries that sidelined him for full seasons.

"Zydrunas is an important member of our team and has generally been a higher-risk player," Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said.

"In light of the inability to insure Zydrunas adequately, we will not permit Zydrunas to play in the Olympics."

@John Q-I think your right on Kidd.

.