Waiting for 2010 - The New York Knicks : CBSSports.com Blogs

kmvennes comprehensive Northwest Division Preview

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 4:24:18 EDT

Hey, who wants to read 3,900+ words about the Northwest Division? You? Too bad! This is only 3,895! HAHAHA RUSE'D!

If you want to see the entirety of this post as it was intended, complete with embedded Youtube videos and a comment section that lets you swear (I think, go test it! Drop the W word! The one that is the official word of the California Gubernatorial Race!), go check out TSHQ . It's a blog that I contribute to, and it has tons of awesome things I have written about sports and gambling and great meals I've ate lately*. Tonight I ate Atlantic bluefin tuna. It costs like $80 a pound. I had a pound and a half, ate half a pound extra rare over some rice, then took the other pound, cooked it a bit more, and threw some mayo on it. Tomorrow I'll be eating Atlantic bluefish tuna fish sandwiches. This either makes me the most balling person you know or a total redneck who never should have been given money. Point is, I have $40 tuna fish sandwiches in my fridge, and that's more interesting then what you did yesterday, and TSHQ is more interesting that whatever blog you read yesterday, so read it.

kmvenne's comprehensive Pacific Division Preview

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 0:46:53 EDT

Hey, who wants to read 4,150+ words about the Pacific Division? You again? Welcome back!

If you want to see the entirety of this post as it was intended, complete with embedded Youtube videos and a comment section that lets you swear (I think, go test it! Drop the C word! The one Favre only has 4 inches of!), go check out TSHQ . It's a blog that I contribute to, and it has tons of awesome things I have written about sports and athletic contests and sports. Also, some other guy for this very board post there, I'm not sure who they are, I don't care about anyone else on this site or any other, but again, I have other stuff on it, so bookmark it and read what I write in two places, that's like a threesome where your mind gets the best 3 minutes of it's life, then can read the rest while eating a sandwich.

kmvennes comprehensive Southwest Division Preview

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 1:13:07 EDT

Hey, who wants to read 3,800+ words about the Southwest Division? You? Great!

If you want to see the entirety of this post as it was intended, complete with embedded Youtube videos and a comment section that lets you swear (I think, go test it! Drop the C word! The lady one!), go check out TSHQ . It's a blog that I contribute to, and it has tons of awesome things I have written about sports and athletic contests and sports. Also, some other guy for this very board post there, I'm not sure who they are, I don't care about anyone else on this site or any other, but again, I have other stuff on it, so bookmark it and read what I write. As a bonus, GoHornets has a Atlantic preview up on the site, so you can read about the Knicks after reading my preview.

BP study shows James will win the most with NY

Sat, 22 May 2010 17:09:45 EDT

How can we fairly decide who has the best supporting cast for LeBron James? Someone bothered to answer this question finally, and the results are perfectly in line with what I've been saying for a year now. Finally, someone actually crunched some damn numbers, the guys at Basketball Prospectus, to be exact, and I will share it with you. Here is the study they undertook...

"What this involves is a comprehensive valuation of all of a team's assets--players, future draft picks and cap space. Think of this as an objective version, if less comprehensive, of ESPN's future power rankings (Insider). Underlying this effort is the use of three-year WARP projections based on the 10 most similar players from our SCHOENE projection system. Draft picks were valued using the average performance of past players by pick number, and cap space is generally valued at 1 WARP for each $2.5 million of room, a figure based on the historic efficiency of the free-agent market."

The real champions of this season? The Knicks

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 3:35:00 EDT

Hey, you guys remember when this season started? I honestly don't, it was many drinks ago. Anyway, there were some lofty expectations for some teams and some fanbases, the preseason contenders, to be specific. I remember not seeing much agreement when I said the Lakers would win about 58 games this year (to be fair, they will probably win 60 or 61, and I did have them as the 2 seed, when they are clearly the 1 seed, but hold this "top team in the West is about a 60 win team" sidethought, it's indicative of my actual point). I was told this was a 64-66 win team easy by those rational Lakers fans out there, and a much better team by the more irrational bunch. Over in Beantown, the expectations were for far more then the 4 seed in the East, this is not the team you thought you had. Boston is lame, there is no need to waste much time tying about how bad they have missed the expectations. Orlando crowed about how swapping Vince for Hedo was the answer and how they could challenge for the Eastern home court. VC showed flashes, but I think it's safe to say that team underachieved.

Who owns the Knicks and Madison Square Garden?

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:06:36 EST

I do.

I also own the Rangers, FYI.

Madison Square Garden, Inc. (MSG) announced today that its spin off from Cablevision Systems Corporation is complete and that MSG is now a separate, public company, which trades on NASDAQ under the symbol "MSG."

Madison Square Garden is a fully-integrated sports, entertainment and media business. The company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Entertainment and MSG Media, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive its overall business, and built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that MSG creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports consists of the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League). MSG Entertainment is a leader in managing and creating concerts and events at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the Chicago Theatre, the Wang Theatre in Boston, and produces the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes. MSG Media is comprised of leading television networks MSG, MSG Plus, MSG HD and MSG Plus HD, as well as MSG Interactive, which oversees all company wireless and online initiatives, and Fuse and Fuse HD, the national television network dedicated exclusively to music. The company owns and operates the Madison Square Garden arena complex located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area.

Nate Robinson and D'Antoni - explained

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:10:56 EST

A lot has been made about Nate Robinson returning to the Knicks lineup after a full month on the bech, and lighting it up for 41 points in a huge win for the Knicks vs. the Atlanta Hawks. I have seen a few comments such as "Why was Nate not playing? What is wrong with D'Antoni???". Nate today went out and shot 2-11 for 6 points. Was Nate a 1 game wonder? Should he have played last month? What is going on in New York?

Let me answer these questions. First off, nobody can deny that Nate has a lot of growth to do as a basketball player. He's an energetic sparkplug, he can light it up, but he plays lax D and very selfish at times. This combined with his unprofessional manner led the Knicks to bench him early in a Dec. 1st game with Phoenix and not play him the rest of the month.

How good is this new Knick 8 man rotation?

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:42:49 EST

December has been a good month for New York. The Knicks are 4-1 this month and are one good two week stretch of winning some games that could go either way from being in the playoff hunt, the new Nate-less 8 man rotation has found great success and some big wins. And that two week stretch of coin flip games where the Knicks need to get wins to get in the playoff hunt, it actually starts right now. I think it's important to examine the Knicks month game by game, quickly, because each game seemed like a fluke or a lucky break on it's surface, but I think if you look at the big picture, you can see a changing trend in the way the Knicks are playing, a change for the better.

Knicks 126 Suns 99

What went right:

Knicks shoot well from the arc (14-31). Play enough D to hold the Suns under 100 for the first time this year, including great perimeter D. No small task considering the higher then average temp both teams play at. Gallo has a great shooting game. Nate is benched in the first half, never returns, Knicks cruise without Nate.

NBA MEGASTAR Eddy Curry to return tonight!!!!

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:22:08 EST

Yes, it's true. the face of the NBA, Eddy Curry , regarded as the finest player in NBA history, is ready to make his return to NBA action tonight in Indiana. This beastly player, known for his tenacious defense and outstanding work ethic, not to mention his Adonis-like physique, has finally healed from his horrific ordeal.

As many of you may remember, Eddy Curry was the former consensus best player in all of basketball by 1,000 times over anyone else. He had a horrible situation when he heroically saved the halls of Valhalla, which were under attack. Odin himself knew all the slain Warriors in Valhalla were not enough to defeat this enemy. Desperate, he called upon the greatest mortal to ever live, Eddy Curry, to save the Hall of the Slain from these intruders. Eddy Curry did what he always did, which is succeed. The forces were pushed back, never to be heard from again, without a loss of afterlife life from Eddy Curry's troops.

How the Knicks can get the 8 seed this year

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:16:34 EST

Knicks basketball starts up in just under 7 hours, and nobody has bothered to do a nice preview for them. Where has the official CBS Knicks blogger been to make that happen? What, that's me? Oh...

Yet again, the Knicks are waiting for LeBron. But there are some interesting differences between this season and last season, despite both of them being seasons with no chance for an NBA title. The two main differences between this season and last season are:

1) Knicks have a better roster this year. Q-Rich is gone, but Darko is here to add post defense, lotto pick Jordan Hill exists, and anything he does will be a bonus, late 1st round draft pick Toney Douglas will enter the Knicks heavy minute rotation and has shown flashes of being a good defending guard, something the Knicks desperately need, and Danilo Gallinari is going to be healthy this season, and bring his mix of outside shooting and surprising defense to the mix.

NBA Pacific Division Preview - 2009/2010

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:47:13 EDT

The Pacific division last year brought to you your NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. Other then that, it brought to you lottery picks. Will it be the same song and dance this year, a Lakers cakewalk? Will someone rise up and give the Lakers a sweat for the division until the last couple weeks? Will anyone else emerge as a playoff team? Who's cuisene will reign supreme? 1. Los Angeles Lakers Let me just get this out of the way right now, so you can stop reading this preview and go straight to complaining about it. The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers lose about 26 games this year.

A 65-17 team last season, this year will present a bunch of new challenges to the Lake Show. First off, the addition of Artest is not all roses. Artest does not seem to me like the kind of player that will thrive in the triangle, surly he won't come into the season and mesh perfectly with his teammates on the offensive end. Will they just shut Artest out of the triangle until he gets into the groove, or will Artest waste possessions by not getting the ball movement the triangle craves? Either way, expect a rocky start to the season for LA as they work out the kinks of working a ball holding SF into a fluid offense.

Cut the ACC some slack - for now

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 8:45:29 EDT

Ok, everyone is getting a good laugh in at the ACC. I don't blaim anyone for doing so, there have been some really sad performances so far for the conference.

But let's be realistic about things. The ACC still has a chance to make some BCS noise, because the two rosters with BCS level talent havn't played yet.

First off, nobody ever really thought Wake, Duke, Virginia, Maryland, etc were doing anything this year. The bottom of the ACC is terrible, this is very true. Any team with athletes can beat them, and teams without athletes can beat them too. They stink. I laugh at them too.

UNC, GT, BC and Clemson, all probable bowl teams, won. But I don't mind if you laugh at them. An honest look at their roster should show you that they do not have what it takes this year to compete with a real BCS powerhouse team. If they end up winning the ACC, the ACC will probably get smacked in a BCS game, and is deserving of your laughter.

ATMD Tourney schedule, matchups, and rosters

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 6:50:09 EDT

ON KMVENNE'S BIRTHDAY (Thursday, August 27th)

#1 The Legends (Nuggets_SOS)

PG- Jason Kidd

SG- Paul Pierce

Shocking NBA news: Cap to drop by 9 mil for 2010?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:48:41 EDT

This is a total game changer for the NBA as a whole, and I still can't fully believe the full scope of what this news really means. I'm literally stunned. Let me try to break it down to give everyone the complete picture...

First off, as anyone who has read my work on the recent NBA free agents has seen me mention many times, the salary cap is derived from something called BRI, or Basketball Related Income. The general idea is to take the total basketball revenue of the NBA, divide it by almost half (51% to be exact, the share that should go to the players), and then divide that by 30 for the 30 teams. I expected the 2009 cap to come in at 59 million dollars or so, I was thinking there would be a 1% increase in the BRI. This was a bad thing for teams targeting 2010 free agents, because the cap has grown from 3-5% every year for the last 4 years or so. Less cap growth means less cap overhead to spend on max deals for the big time class of 2010.

More proof LeBron will be a Knick next year, yea!

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:10:28 EDT

So for those of you that missed it, LeBron James was apperantly trying to court Trevor Ariza to back out of his deal with the Rockets and jump ship to the Cavs. The Cavs put on the full court press to get Trevor to bail on the Rockets, owner/coach meetings face to face and calls from LBJ and Shaquille O'Neal , so even though the Cavs could only offer the mid-level, they tried to stand out. The most interesting part of this? The following leak about a phone call LeBron had with Trevor A.:

"Trevor asked LeBron if he would be in Cleveland after next season," the source said. "And LeBron said, 'I'll be there. Of course, I'll be there.' "

Ouch, big blow to Knicks fans, looks like LeBron is staying...

Oh wait, of course he isn't...

Salary Cap Primer: Ariza WAS slapped in the face

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:28:29 EDT

I've noticed a ton of users here at CBS with the misconception on how the Trevor Ariza and Ron Artest situation went down in regard to the cap rules. I'd like to clarify some of the finer points on this situation to help people understand where Ariza is coming from on this issue and see if I can't also clarify the always confusing NBA salary cap on issues like this.

The top misconception I see that is spreading around here is that Ariza turned down the mid-level exception from the Lakers hoping to find more money elsewhere. That is false. The Lakers did not offer Ariza the mid-level, because you cannot offer your own players the mid-level. The Lakers are an over the cap team. That means they can only sign free agents a few ways, if they own their bird rights, or if they use an exception to the salary cap that allows them to go over, if they do a sign and trade that makes it a trade and not a signing, or if they have a disabled player waiver, which is kinda like a special exception for when players have career ending injuries.

Vote for TAD vs. JHSS

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:13:55 EDT

Pre-game: JHSS is one win away from maybe a top seed. We're gonna come out fired up, led by Lebron's baby powder routine.

Yes, use a pre-game routine that has never won anything in a huge game. Brilliant. From now on my team is going to come out for all my big games with the Clippers anouncer .

We're going to go to Bellamy early and often. He hasn't been a big part of our offense for our first two games, but this is the game where we really need to establish our inside game as our great perimeter advantage isn't as obvious. We want Bellamy posting up on the low block and getting easy buckets. If Wallace starts, Bellamy has the size to go over Wallace and if Sabonis or McAdoo are starting, he has just way to many moves for them. At his peak, Bellamy was averaging 31 PPG. If Bellamy gets it going early, we think that they'll have to start doubling opening up Lebron and Nique to start slashing.

Vote for YSD vs. RD

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:48:55 EDT

Defensive Assignments:

Chauncey marking Tiny

Drexler marking active SG or Bernard King when King is in.

Cunningham marking active SF at all times except when King is in, Cunningham takes SG, Clyde takes King

Ask kmvenne anything! Session 2

Fri, 01 May 2009 21:36:01 EDT

Let's start a new session so we can keep my essays from breaking your scrool bar finger before you get to your question...

Here's how Ask kmvenne Anything (tm) works:

Step 1) You post a comment and ask me anything

Step 2) I reply on this post

Ask kmvenne anything!

Fri, 29 May 2009 13:45:59 EDT

It's the offseason for the Knicks. So let's change the tune of this blog. Here's how Ask kmvenne Anything works:

Step 1) You post a comment and ask me anything

Step 2) I reply on this post

Some people seem to like my political insight about political history and international events, some people like to talk conspiracy, some people like talking poker, some people want to know why I have a soul patch. Nothing is off limits! Ask, and I shall tell you what I think. Hopefully, you enjoy.

Back to square 1 for the Knicks race for the 8th

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:24:26 EDT

Well, the Knicks went a predictable 2-3 in the last 5 game stretch I laid out in my previous blog post, choking vs. the Heat, getting a big win vs. the Hawks, but dropping the big contests vs. the Nets and Blazers before beating the Bucks. When it was all said and done, the Knicks had given up 5 games on the schedule and had lost a bit of ground, falling 2.5 out of the playoffs.

Then a funny thing just happened, the Knicks went into Detroit and got a road win in OT. In all fairness, this is one of the few, if not ONLY, games I remember the Knicks coming from behind to steal this season. Teams have no problem sticking the dagger in the Knicks, but the Knicks finally returned the favor in a trend I hope will continue if the Knicks are going to make the playoffs. This team is due for a couple more fortunate wins.

The Knicks last great playoff push begins tonight

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:05:44 EST

The Heat and the Knicks tip off tonight at 7:30 pm EST in Miami, and at first glance the game is rather uninteresting to the casual observer. The Knicks sport a 24-34 record, which is only interesting if you bet the over on 31.5 wins this season for the Knicks. The Heat are 30-27 and look secure in their playoff future. So who should care about this game?

Anybody in the East with playoff hopes that isn't part of the big 3, for starters.

With 23 games after this one, this game really doesn't seem to be a huge deal for the greater playoff picture. But let's face it, the existance of the Knicks in the NBA playoff chase is going to depend entirally on if the Knicks can start beating good teams on the road. The Knicks are just 7-20 away from home, and without playing at least .500 ball on the road to end the season, the Knicks are going to make no noise when the season winds down. The Knicks are 2.5 back of the Bucks and 4.5 back of the Pistons, but Detroit is having a ton of struggles as of late and the Bucks are hanging on by a thread due to key injuries. Teams like the Bulls, Nets, Knicks, and even the Bobcats have their sights set on one or even both of those teams falling out of the playoffs by the time 82 games are played.

Knick Trade Deadline Preview

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:28:07 EST

Well, it's the most important day of the Knicks season tomorrow, the trade deadline. The Knicks got a huge OT win over the Spurs last night to climb to 22-31 and establish that they have the talent to beat very good teams in the Garden, which is the only way that Knicks will get the 8 (or 7 should both Milwaukee and Detroit falter) seed. What will happen? Let's break down the possibilities, in the order I find them to be likely:

1.) Nothing (Big favorite)

This would make me very sad, but I trust Donnie Walsh. Rumors about the Knicks and the deadline are hard to find, but they are out there. David Lee, Nate Robinson, Malik Rose's expiring contract, the Knicks have the chips to make a play. I never believed the Brad Miller rumor, but some of the others I do believe have a chance, and I will get into them later on. But Walsh is committed to the 2010 plan, and any astute Knicks fans knows exactly what that plan is and may not like it, but has learned to love it, because it is the direction of the team. David Lee is not in the Knicks future, he's not worth $10 million in 2010 (more on 2010 in a second). Cap space in 2010 is priority #1, making the playoffs is a goal for this season, but Walsh won't accept even a moderately decent 2010 contract to help the Knicks win right now.

Knicks after 45: 20-25 with 30 questions

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 7:33:48 EST

1.) Knicks fans are excited about their chances for the playoffs. Playoffs? Are you kidding me? Playoffs?

The Knicks can sole position of the 8th seed tonight with a Bucks and Nets loss. The Knicks are 7-3 in thier last 10 games and are somehow 3rd in the Atlantic. They are playing some pretty good ball right now, but playoffs?

Not so fast, my friends. John Hollinger's simulations of the season from this point on show the Knicks have the 4th best chance to get in the playoffs of the 5 teams going for the 8th seed. Toronto is considered the favorite, with Milwaukee, Charlotte, and Indiana ahead of the Knicks, and only Chicago behind the Knicks.

2.) But what if the Knicks add at the deadline?

Review/Preview: Knicks 102-98 CHI, Wed NYK vs PHO

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:03:26 EST

Well, the Knicks only managed a split with the Wizards instead of a much needed sweep of the back to back, choking down the stretch in Washington. Then the Knicks again choked down the stretch vs. Philly. Things looked dire as the Bulls strolled into the Garden for MLK Day. Review: New York Knicks 102-98 Chicago Bulls

- Danilo Gallinari has me very excited, and I won't temper it. He can score, he can pass, he is for sure raw, but most of all he CAN DEFEND. He needs to bulk up some but wow, what a difference the #6 pick of the draft can make.

- The Knicks won the turnover battle 17-11 and held the Bulls to 4-17 shooting from the arc. Maybe "hold" is the wrong word, since the Bulls missed some easy looks, but who am I to argue?

Review/Preview Knicks 101-95 NOH, Wed-Fri vs. Was

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:59:10 EST

The Knicks ended the road trip as 11.5 point underdogs vs. New Orleans, and 11:2 underdogs to win straight up. But if you follow the Knicks this season, you just knew the Knicks were going to find a way to win this game. The Knicks always seem to do what you least expect them to do. Lose to the T-Wolves, beat Boston, lose to OKC to start a losing streak, break the losing streak vs. the Hornets, it all makes perfect nonsense when you follow the Knicks

And PS, sorry about the dead post Monday, I had a hilarious feature involving some funny photoshops I found online, and learned all about CBS's photo posting rules, guess they don't like photos from other sites. It's all good...

Review: New York Knicks 101-95 New Orleans Hornets

Review/Preview OKC 107-99 NYK, Thu NYK at DAL

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 6:41:38 EST

How do you follow up a win over the defending champion Boston Celtics? If you are the Knicks, there is only one possible way to do it, lose to the worst team in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Whatevers. And be sure to miss 23 trays in the process and get crushed on the boards. Although to be fair, Oklahoma City does have imposing forces on the boards like, ummm, well....

- No, in all seriousness, Durant, Westbrook, and Green all had a great game for the Thunder against the Knicks on Tuesday. Scary to think that they are 20, 20, and 22 years of age. Too bad they could not be more out of Oklahoma once they serve their 4 years. But meanwhile they should get just good enough to help someone else when they come off their rookie contract.

Why the Cavs 'Bird Rights' to LeBron don't matter

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:56:41 EDT

Over in the CBS NBA forum, CBS user Feanor made a great post earlier this week about NBA cap space, and in it a lot of fans seemed to think that Cleveland, due to possessing Bird Rights to LeBron, can offer LeBron a deal that far far exceeds anything teams like Detroit or New Jersey or New York could offer LeBron. I thought that I would make a post about what "Bird Rights" really are and what they mean to superstars like LeBron for the upcoming 2010 free agent class for the Knicks instead of recaping a Bobcats game, since I am still waiting on the Knicks to show me what direction they are going in.

The most important draw about Bird Rights, and the real value they have, is getting to sign a free agent if you are over the cap when he is a free agent. However, you don't get to use the vast majority of the powers of Bird Rights on a player if you are under the cap (Like Cleveland will be in 2010). Bird Rights are a salary cap EXCEPTION. Since the Cavs will be under the cap, they don't get execeptions from the cap, they don't need them. It would be like if your bank let you be exempt from one overdraft charge a year after you had 3 overdrafts. If you have just one overdraft, they don't give you an exception to the fees, because you were under the exception number. So for teams under the cap (over half the NBA in 2010 by current estimation) with big time free agents (like Cleveland), the concept of Bird Rights doesn't really apply.

Review/Preview Minnesota 120-107 NYK, Sun vs. DEN

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:56:44 EST

In my last post, I asked the Knicks for some direction for this season for Christmas. Well...

Review: Minnesota Timberwolves 120-107 New York Knicks

- WTF? I guess the Knicks want to build for the future 100% now. If the Knicks lose 2 of their next 3, it's probably time to start working on trading Lee and/or Nate and developing Chandler for the future of this club, 2010.

- The Knicks dominated the glass, second chance points, won the points off of turnovers, but forgot that part where you stop the other team from shooting over 50% from the field and the arc in your own building. That is one of the trickier things to remember on the basketball court, in the Knicks defense.

What I want from the Knicks for Christmas

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 15:21:29 EST

I figured I'd drop a Christmas themed blog to state my Knicks wishes for the rest of the season, since the Knicks are enjoying their break from NBA action and not giving me a lot of on the court things to talk about. You will notice a running theme here in my wishes, clarity. As in, I would love to get some on a lot of topics. The mystery of the Knicks makes them fun, but good teams don't have question marks and good future plans are well defined, so let's hope for the sake of the franchise that some of these topics gain some much needed clarity in the near term.

1) Eddy Curry gift wrapped under someone else's Christmas tree

If Donnie Walsh is giving away Eddy Curry for his GM Secret Santa gift this year and wrapping him up in David Lee wrapping paper, I hope the GM that has Donnie Walsh's name is kind enough to give Donnie some useful or expiring contracts in return. The much rumored Curry/Lee for Diaw/Barbosa deal is not the answer, although it is an improvement over the current situation of the Knicks heading into 2010. But I can't seem to get my egg nog flowing for the idea of Diaw in 2010. There has to be a better answer in the market. Curry is a problem that needs to be solved, but much like a homeowner with a bad loan, there are ways of solving it that set you up nicely, and their are ways of solving it that are marked improvements, but still a bad mortgage. I hope Donnie Walsh does not get himself out of one problem and into another, albeit smaller, problem. Walsh has impressed me so far, the hiring of D'Antoni was a stroke of genius and I believe will lure the top free agents in 2010, but the Knicks need to get into the best possible situation they can for that time, and Diaw on the books in 2010 is sub-optimal. Hopefully the Knicks can weasel a Marion deal out of Miami yet and get the expiring contracts and Curry off the books that they crave. David Lee is playing himself into a player that is worthy of accepting an Eddy Curry bad contract for, and since Lee is not in the Knicks plans long term, here is hoping we use him to our benefit.