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– I like this. Just when you thought things weren’t going to get interesting, they do. This is just when everyone needs. And I mean everyone. The media needs a little more to talk about over the next few days before the draft. Shaq needs to remain relevant after doing nothing in the second half of the season and in the postseason. Kobe needs to go to Beijing with a colossal chip on his shoulder. Can you imagine what a motivated Kobe Bryant would do in these international games? He’s already pissed off after losing to the Celtics. And if losing wasn’t enough, the Lakers were completely obliterated in the last game. Now, Shaq pretty much verbally smacked him and its all over the internet. Whether Shaq was joking or not, its all about perception and an angry Kobe is a force to be reckoned with. We should officially call this summer, The Return of Black Mamba. No more joking in the press conferences. No more smiles. Just hard work and motivation. I can taste that Olympic gold already.

– Why did Shaq have to bring Patrick Ewing into this. Its not all Patrick’s fault the Knicks didn’t win any titles with him around. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame Hakeem Olajuwon, or Michael Jordan, or John Starks. Or for that matter, blame Pat Riley for leaving Rolando Blackmon on the bench and letting Starks go 2 for 18… million.

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First of all, I’d like to start this off by saying, I wish nothing but the worst for the San Antonio Spurs. I hate them and everything they represent. They’re boring and I hope the Lakers wipe the floor with them in the Western Conference Finals. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I can continue.

Tomorrow night is the NBA draft lottery. Obviously, as a Knicks fan I want to see my team get as high a pick as possible. That said, the Knicks have a 7.6% chance of getting the top overall pick. They haven’t had the top spot in the draft since 1985. If the Knicks can land a pick in the top three, they may be able to get a guy that can turn around the franchise. A guy like Derrick Rose. Of course, one guy cant turn around a franchise. It takes good management, a good coach, and a team of players committed to working together. We may have the piece in management with Donnie Walsh. He has a proven track record and definately knows the game.  He’s a shrewd general manager in Indiana and has proven that when he traded Dale Davis to the Blazers for Jermaine O’Neal and when he traded Jalen Rose and Travis Best for Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Kevin Ollie and Ron Mercer.

I believe we also have a good coach in Mike D’Antoni. Whether or not his style fits the roster remains to be seen. One thing people seem to be overlooking the fact that D’Antoni may just decide to tweak his run and gun style of play to accomodate some of the slower players. Or maybe Walsh will clean house and bring in some players that not only come from winning programs and organizations, but those that fit in D’Antoni’s scheme.

A year ago, the Boston Celtics were one of the worst teams in the league. In one season, they went from 24-58 to 66-16. Of course to think that the Knicks can do the same is naive. It took a lot more than one offseason to build what the Celtics have now. It took a major overhaul to make it happen. The Knicks dont have the personnel to trade away for superstars like Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The Knicks dont have the cap room to sign veteran players. There are too many things that the Knicks have to do in order to replicate what the Celtics have done.

However, this can be where everything turns around. This could be the beginning. If the Knicks can land a guy like Derrick Rose, they’d be acquiring the true point guard that the Knicks have been looking for. Rose’s skillset definately fits into D’Antoni’s scheme. Even a player like O.J. Mayo could change the culture of New York basketball provided his issues off the court don’t follow him. For the Knicks, having a good draft is extremely important because the margin of error is so slim. Without a second round pick, they dont have a chance to bring in a “diamond in the rough”.  In this situation, the options for the Knicks are limited. If they don’t get a pick in the top 2 or 3, and can’t take Derrick Rose, they can trade down to the 9th or 10th pick to take a guy like D.J. Augustin. In doing that, maybe they can aquire some more picks. A second rounder or two in a draft as deep as this one is a good way to rebuild a team.

Another option they have is to trade up to take Rose. Its no secret that the Heat are looking to take a big man. Why not give them either Eddy Curry or Zach Randolph along with the first round pick for Miami’s first round pick? Donnie Walsh has made it no secret that he wants to get this team under the salary cap. The only way they can do that is by letting contracts expire and trade away some of these albatross deals. After this coming season, there’s about $30 million coming off the books. With some smart moves and some sacrifice over the next few years, this may be a completely different Knicks team. There’s an old saying that goes, “It never rains every day.” This could be the beginning of a few sunny days for the Knicks.