<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Caught up with Quentin Richardson yesterday at the Knicks summer kids basketball camp at Pace where he was guest speaker. We saw him in Vegas two weeks ago where he reported his new back left him pain-free and was dunking again. It was the most encouraging development of the Vegas week, even dwarfing the 5-0 record by the Knicks' promising youngsters in summer-league action. But during the Vegas interview, we forgot to ask him about Ron Artest. Richardson is a proud man and expects to be the Knicks starting small forward opening night. He was a key member of the Suns team that advanced to the Western Finals when he was mostly healthy. Richardson has a lot of class and claimed he has no problems about Thomas making inquiries into Artest, as volatile as Richardson is steady. Plus, Q won't be suspended for the first seven games like Artest. "I have no issues,'' Richardson told me. "Whatever Coach Thomas does is for the betterment of the team. That's not my place to say (if we need him). That's why we have management. They'll do everything they think that needs to get done.'' Richardson went out of his way to defend his buddy and Chicago neighbor Eddy Curry for not showing up to the voluntary Las Vegas big-man mini-camp in which Richardson worked out all week, coinciding with summer-league action. Q is ready to start playing in those legendary Chicago pickup games next week and will go against Curry. The Chicago guys will be playing in a new gym on Chicago's West Side that famed Michael Jordan trainer, Tim Grover, has just opened. "Eddy, to me, I take my hat off to Eddy,'' Richardson said. "Any of his prevous years, he was never in the gym as early as this year. He was in the gym in early June and nobody had to tell him, nobody had to go find him and drag him there. He was their on his own. He called me one day and asked me what I was doing. He told me he was leaving for the gym and I was shocked. I had no problem with him not showing. He had had something he set up before he knew everyone was going there.''</div> Source: NY Post
NY would have to give up Lee to get Artest according to the local papers. Anybody else is a deal killer.
For all of the baggage Artest carries, Lee is definitely not worth it. For starters we will have to wait 7 games before he can even play. Artest is also 28 years old while Lee is 24, so we already know who has more potential. Artest's defense is no doubt valuable, but I also think Lee's hustle is just as valuable. Statistically, they are similar in efficiency except David Lee plays about 8 minutes less coming off the bench. Ron Artest even said himself he wouldn't trade Lee if he were Isiah. Honestly, I wouldn't tamper with chemistry and acquire Artest unless we can get him the same way we got Zach (for virtually nothing).
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Cory (North Dakota): Rick, The internet is buzzing with a rumor that claims you said Artest going to New York. Any truth to the rumor? SportsNation Ric Bucher: (3:11 PM ET ) Good to know the Homeboy radio program by Roger B. Brown in Dallas gets that much attention. I spoke with Roger yesterday and said that I'd heard a rumor that a Artest deal was in the making, but the terms I'd heard didn't work under the cap. That said, Artest would love to be in New York, Sacramento would love to move him and the Knicks would love to have him. When you have three parties who want something, I have to believe -- much like the Minny/Boston/KG situation --it's going to get done.</div> The Atlantic Division is going to be amazing this year if the Knicks acquire Artest without giving up any key pieces. Every team outside of the 76ers has a star studded trio.
I heard it's going to be a first rounder Nate/Malik/Lee or Balkman. It better not be Lee though; if we had to trade Lee we should get more than Artest, whose value has most definitely declined with all his problems. Remember, he's going to miss the first 7 games of the season if we acquire him. But imagine: PG: Stephon Marbury SG: Q-Rich/Crawford SF: Ron Artest PF: Zach Randolph C: Eddy Curry On paper that's promising and able to compete with the best of the league.
<div class="quote_poster">MrJ Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I heard it's going to be a first rounder Nate/Malik/Lee or Balkman. It better not be Lee though; if we had to trade Lee we should get more than Artest, whose value has most definitely declined with all his problems. Remember, he's going to miss the first 7 games of the season if we acquire him. But imagine: PG: Stephon Marbury SG: Q-Rich/Crawford SF: Ron Artest PF: Zach Randolph C: Eddy Curry On paper that's promising and able to compete with the best of the league.</div> As a Marbury fan, and some what Knicks fans, I love that line-up. Grit, shooting, inside scoring. They will become the Boston Celtics of depth, but is it a nice line-up.
