I've had time to recover…
Don’t worry folks. I’m alive. I know a lot of you thought I’d jump off a bridge after the Knicks chose not to go after a point guard in the draft, but you know what? I’m not upset at the pick. Danilo Gallinari wasn’t my first choice but he was picked and nothing I can say is going to bring DJ Augustin to the Knicks. But before I completely immerse myself in the Knicks’ offseason plans, I have to talk about the draft itself.
The first two picks were as predictable as they could be. In fact, Andy Katz reported that the Bulls would take Derrick Rose with the first pick well before the draft had already begun. With that out of the way, the first surprise of the night was Russell Westbrook going to Seattle. After that, the draft went as everyone thought it would. Guys like Jason Thompson from Rider were taken too high. Guys like Darrell Arthur from Kansas fell too low. You had feel good stories, like the Lopez twins. You had head-scratching picks, like Seattle taking Serge Ibaka from Congo, who basically said don’t draft me… I’m staying in Spain. What was Seattle thinking on that one? Thats a wasted pick, I don’t care if they had six of them.
Now, as far as the Knicks are concerned, the motivation here is to make this Knicks team appealing for Lebron James, Chris Bosh,or Dwayne Wade. Thats it in a nutshell. I didn’t agree with Danilo Gallinari for several reasons.
1) He can score, but can he defend? His dad was known as a defensive player in Italy, but thats no indication of Danilo’s game.
2) He can fit into D’Antoni’s system but when will he play? If he plays small forward, there’s also Quentin Richardson and Renaldo Balkman to share time with. He can cause matchup problems if he plays power forward but they already have Zach Randolph and David Lee. I’ve heard rumblings of his ability to play some guard. If thats the case, he’ll have to share minutes with Jamal Crawford.
3) Like so many others have said, this is a big risk because Gallinari can blossom into an MVP like Dirk Nowitzki or be a dud like Frederick Weis. At this point, all we as Knicks fans know is that he’s a guy they called “Cock” in Italy. Wonderful.
As we speak, there are rumors that the Knicks are pursuing Chris Duhon. Personally, I like the idea. He’s a hard worker, he plays defense, he hustles, and he’s talented. What the Knicks have to do is avoid over-paying him like they’ve done with all their over free agents in the past.
Clearing up cap space is pretty important at this point, and with Lebron James’ recent comments about New York, the Knicks should have a sense of urgency. However. its not just about cap space with Lebron. He wants to win multiple championships. And when it comes down to it, cap space and friendship isn’t going to be enough to lure Lebron James away from Cleveland. For everyone in Brooklyn, calm down. Jay-Z is only a part owner of the Nets. He has no influence over day to day operations in the front office.
With everyone worried about the summer of 20010, how can we overlook this summer? Gilbert Arenas has come out and pretty much said he wouldn’t re-sign with the Wizards if they hadn’t brought back Antawn Jamison. That not only shows a new trend in the NBA with players opting for team chemistry over more money, but it also shows the committment Arenas is showing to his teammates and organization. Elton Brand opted out of his deal but plans to re-sign with the Clippers. With Baron Davis possibly leaving the Warriors for the Clippers, it seems like more and players are more concerned with playing for a championship and for less money. The Celtics put together a championship team in one offseason because the players bought into a system and played well in that system. The Clippers with Baron Davis could be an interesting team to watch next season.
As always, here are a few things around the sports world I’ve been thinking about.
– How can Gene Upshaw be serious about not even talking about lowering rookie salaries? How can it help player morale to know that a guy who’s never stepped foot on the football field can make more than a guy who’s paid his dues and earned his paychecks. Since Upshaw is a former player, he should understand. Rookies making $30 million is absolutely ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong. I think NFL players get the raw end of the deal, but I’m all about earning the cash.
– If I were Shawn Chacon, I’d cut my losses and really try to play somewhere else. He threw the GM to the ground. Its hard to see who else would pick him up.
– Ron Artest regrets not opting out. I wasn’t aware that he couldn’t change his mind and opt out. Regardless, he’ll probably be traded between now and February.
– Baron Davis has officially signed with the Clippers. An impact point guard, a very good power forward, a sensational rookie shooting guard… I like the Clippers next season. I don’t know if they’ll challenge the Lakers but they’ll make it interesting in the Western Conference.
– Manny Pacquiao beat David Diaz over the weekend, put him in strong consideration for one of the best pound for pound fighters in boxing. I’d like to see him face the winner of Marquez vs. Casamayor.
Any comments or questions? Email me at s_talouis@yahoo.com
