Quote:Grade: D

The trade of Kurt Thomas, the best bigman they had for Quentin Richardson (and his overpriced contract) only compounds their hopeless salary cap situation. Channing Frye is not the answer to all of their problems inside, despite having Spike Lee's approval on the pick. He's not big, strong or tough enough to be an impact center in the league. Acquiring Nate Robinson (21st pick) in the Quentin Richardson deal from the Suns gives them a scrappy backup point guard, but the Knicks focus should be on cutting down the salary cap before it begins to approach the national deficit. David Lee brings energy, but there were many other more talented players on the baord at 30. The deal adding Quentin Richardson is essentially one step forward two steps back. They are stockpiling overpriced perimeter players with no concern of their cap nor apparently winning a championship. All things being equal, Richardson is the talent in the deal, but the contract is out of hand. The Suns sure appreciate having a clueless GM like Isaiah Thomas around. They've been able to dump a number of their long term salary cap problems off on the Knicks (Marbury, and now Q). The Spurs were able to add the key piece (bigman Nazr Mohammad) to their team to win the title this year. The question many are beginning to wonder is how Isaiah still has a job.

Quote:- New York Knicks: A+ / Channing Frye, Nate Robinson and David Lee

Add in the acquisition of Quentin Richardson via a draft day trade with Phoenix and the much maligned Knicks Isiah Thomas has restructured his team and altered the roster significantly. Frye will solidify the center spot. Robinson, the fastest player coming into the league next season, will give Stephon Marbury a solid backup and Lee is the real deal at the four and could challenge incumbent Mike Sweetney for the starting power forward. By changing 25 percent of their team, the Knicks take a giant leap toward the playoffs. Now if that guy coaching in Detroit comes...

Quote:With Knicks Rebuilding, Could Marbury Be Next?


By HOWARD BECK
Published: July 2, 2005
A vision of the Knicks' future began to take shape this week when the team acquired four players and created a new framework for the "younger and more athletic model that Isiah Thomas touts almost daily.

Thomas, the team president, for the first time this week admitted that the Knicks were in a rebuilding mode. He has traded one veteran (Kurt Thomas), might waive another (Allan Houston) and will unload two players with huge contracts (Tim Thomas and Penny Hardaway) by next summer.

Once committed to a win-now mentality, Thomas's priorities have clearly shifted, and his recent actions raise the possibility that he might trade his most prized acquisition, point guard Stephon Marbury.

Marbury is 28 and is owed $60 million over the next three seasons. The contract will make him difficult to move, but there are already indications that Thomas will try.

This week, a Western Conference team executive and a player agent each independently said that the Knicks wanted to move Marbury.

"There's a desire for that to happen," said the agent, who requested anonymity because he did not want to jeopardize future dealings with the Knicks.

There are no signs that Thomas has put any proposals on the table, but executives around the league say they will not be surprised if Marbury is offered in the weeks ahead.

A spokesman for the Knicks would not comment.

It would undoubtedly be a difficult decision for Thomas, who acquired Marbury in a celebrated trade with Phoenix 17 months ago. Marbury, a Brooklyn native, is popular with fans and is the team's best player. He has career averages of 20.6 points and 8.3 assists, ranking him among the best point guards in the league.

But Marbury has played for four teams in his nine-year career and has yet to win a playoff series. Although still young, he has a lot of mileage on his body, having entered the league at age 19. He often sat out practice last season because of knee soreness.

Once deemed untouchable by Thomas, Marbury no longer wears that mantle.

In April, after the Knicks completed a 33-49 season, Thomas was asked if he would trade Marbury.

"The way I feel right now, I'd trade my mother if the right deal came along," he said then.

This week, Thomas acquired a potential successor, the 5-foot, 9-inch Nate Robinson. The Suns took Robinson with the 21st pick in the draft, then traded him to the Knicks, along with Quentin Richardson, for Kurt Thomas. Knicks officials are exuberant about Robinson's potential.

A product of the University of Washington, Robinson is quick (he set a state record in the 110-meter hurdles in high school ), can dunk with both hands and is built like a linebacker. In fact, he was a two-way player in high school and spent a year in Washington's football program as a cornerback before deciding to concentrate on basketball.

Thomas said Robinson's height was the only reason he was not drafted higher than the three point guards taken ahead of him - Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Raymond Felton, who went three through five.

"I think if he was 6-2, he probably would have been the No. 1 pick in the draft or the No. 2 pick in the draft," Thomas said Thursday.

The Knicks also like Robinson's confidence and poise. Although Robinson might not be ready to step into an N.B.A. lineup immediately, the Knicks could groom him for the job while using Jamal Crawford, who played point guard for most of his career, as the starter if they trade Marbury.

Crawford and Robinson are viewed as good fits for a running team. Marbury, despite his quickness, is viewed as a half-court guard who is reluctant to push the tempo.

Thomas has visions of creating an East Coast version of the Suns, and his moves this week reflected that.

In Channing Frye, taken eighth in the draft, Thomas got a mobile big man who can spread defenses and run the floor. In Robinson, he got perhaps the fastest player in the draft. In Richardson, he got a 25-year-old shooter who has experience in an up-tempo offense.

Where that leaves Marbury is unclear. But as Thomas continues to restructure the Knicks around younger, quicker players with more reasonable salaries, the idea of dealing Marbury does not seem so far-fetched.

What is clear is that the Knicks are charting a new course. When he was asked on draft night if he was rebuilding Thomas said, "without question."

When he arrived in December 2003, Thomas said the goal was to win immediately. But this week, he said that the debilitating injuries to Houston forced him to re-evaluate.

"Our team is going to be totally different than the team you saw play its last game," Thomas said.

...

Lee Signs Rookie Contract

The Knicks signed David Lee, the 30th overall pick, to a rookie contract. Terms were not disclosed, but under the N.B.A.'s rookie scale, Lee will have two years guaranteed, at about $1.4 million.

The Knicks expect to sign their other two draft picks, Channing Frye and Nate Robinson, today. The Knicks also picked up the fourth-year option on forward Mike Sweetney, extending his deal through the 2006-7 season.

Quote:Draftexpress:

Nate Robinson- Nate started right where he left off, pushing the tempo, getting everyone involved and still finding some time to score points by himself. He had no problem playing off the ball either, coming off a strong curl to knock down the three pointer. He got to the basket again and again, picking up fouls and points all along the way. Nate is definitely the most exciting player to watch here in Las Vegas, and the crowd loves him for it. When he started getting into it with Sharrod Ford and got T’d up in the process, who do you think the fans here sided with?

One respected European coach, Avner Yeor who was with Hapoel Jerusalem the past two years, came up to me in the first half and asked “how in hell did little Nate fall to 21?” When I told him that a lot of people actually thought that was a reach because of his height and the fact that he played shooting guard in college, he could only shake his head. As he correctly pointed out, Robinson is a terrific passer to compliment his fantastic basketball instincts. “He is a basketball player, period.”

He is a flashy guy, but also knows how to make the right play and get his teammates the ball exactly where they like it. Nate was definitely the best player on the floor once again today. The “statisticians” only gave him one assist, but he was a lot closer to 6-7 with all the awesome passes he made here. If Robinson wasn’t playing in this late game here, I’d be shocked if more than 50 people would have stayed. With him playing and dunking on people left and right, there were a good 300 people here or more all waiting for Robinson to do something.