<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>While the Knicks continue to wait for Chris Duhon to accept or reject their offer, another interesting scenario is beginning to surface involving Monta Ellis, the dynamic young guard for the Golden State Warriors. Ellis, 22, a restricted free agent, is starting to draw a great deal of attention in several sign-and-trade scenarios. A person with knowledge of the situation said nine teams have made inquiries about Ellis. The Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers have shown the most interest. The Knicks, who are searching for point guard help, are not one of those teams, but a second source said the Knicks have been monitoring the situation. Warriors executive vice president Chris Mullin has maintained he intends to sign Ellis. Knicks president Donnie Walsh and Mullin are close, so Walsh won't act unless Mullin is ready to deal. The source said the potential of an Ellis-Jamal Crawford backcourt "would be dynamic" in the Mike D'Antoni system. Both players averaged 20 points per game this past season. A person close to Ellis said the lightning-quick guard "would be very interested in the Knicks" and especially playing for D'Antoni. Ellis' agent, Jeff Fried, would not comment on the interest in his client from other NBA teams and said talks with the Warriors are ongoing. "We are continuing discussions," Fried replied in an e-mail. But word of Ellis' interest in New York - and other potential destinations - will not sit well in the Bay Area, which is still reeling from the departure of Baron Davis. Newsday in May first reported that Davis was making inquiries through intermediaries about possible interest from various teams around the league as he mulled his opt-out. A source told Newsday that the Knicks were one of the teams he checked with, but the Knicks were not interested. Davis has since reached an agreement with the Clippers, which left the Warriors with just Ellis at point guard. Ellis, who quickly emerged as a scoring machine in Don Nelson's fast-paced offense, made $770,610 this past season and likely is seeking a hefty raise to upwards of $10 million per season in a five-to-six-year deal.</div> Source: Newsday Seems more like posturing from his agent, but this is the second source to report this story.
I think Monta would be a little foolish to go to NY. This assumes they offer him a big deal, he accepts it, and GS doesn't match. I don't know why he would want to go there. Here in Oakland, he is the wonder kid, every fan's little brother who was barely drafted, and went unheard of until he started crossing over on superstars and dunking on big men around the league. Here, he is the crowd favorite. Honestly, I don't know why anyone would want to go to NY. I know they have $$ to offer, and I LOVE Manhattan -- you can't beat the city. But as far as the BASKETBALL team is concerned... UGH! That is just a headache over there -- like a decaying tooth without dental insurance. Look at their roster: NO. NAME POS AGE HT WT COLLEGE 2008 SALARY 32 Renaldo Balkman SF 23 6-8 208 South Carolina $1,280,640 21 Wilson Chandler SF 21 6-8 220 DePaul $1,091,640 25 Mardy Collins SG 23 6-6 220 Temple $967,320 11 Jamal Crawford SG 28 6-5 190 Michigan $7,920,000 34 Eddy Curry C 25 6-11 285 $8,947,543 0 Danilo Gallinari IR 19 6-8 210 13 Jerome James C 32 7-1 285 Florida A&M $5,800,000 20 Jared Jeffries SF 26 6-11 240 Indiana $5,632,200 2 Fred Jones SG 29 6-2 225 Oregon $3,300,000 42 David Lee PF 25 6-9 240 Florida $990,600 3 Stephon Marbury PG 31 6-2 205 Georgia Tech $19,012,500 5 Randolph Morris C 22 6-11 260 Kentucky $810,000 50 Zach Randolph PF 26 6-9 260 Michigan State $13,333,333 23 Quentin Richardson SF 28 6-6 235 DePaul $8,105,500 4 Nate Robinson PG 24 5-9 180 Washington $1,268,160 31 Malik Rose PF 33 6-7 255 Drexel $7,101,250 A weird collection of talents and bloated salaries without any apparent chemistry or direction. Further, the one great promising young player, David Lee -- they're trying to get rid of! Blah. Who would want to join this roster? It just feels like malaise and discontent over there. Plus "Starbury," the superstar and therefore team leader over there, is a knuckle-head stoner who can't even put two clauses together to form a sentence. Why would Monta want to join that awful mess over there? Why do so many players? It must have much more to do with the $$, the city and the limelight than it does with the game of basketball itself.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AlleyOop @ Jul 4 2008, 11:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think Monta would be a little foolish to go to NY. This assumes they offer him a big deal, he accepts it, and GS doesn't match. I don't know why he would want to go there. Here in Oakland, he is the wonder kid, every fan's little brother who was barely drafted, and went unheard of until he started crossing over on superstars and dunking on big men around the league. Here, he is the crowd favorite. Honestly, I don't know why anyone would want to go to NY. I know they have $$ to offer, and I LOVE Manhattan -- you can't beat the city. But as far as the BASKETBALL team is concerned... UGH! That is just a headache over there -- like a decaying tooth without dental insurance. Look at their roster: NO. NAME POS AGE HT WT COLLEGE 2008 SALARY 32 Renaldo Balkman SF 23 6-8 208 South Carolina $1,280,640 21 Wilson Chandler SF 21 6-8 220 DePaul $1,091,640 25 Mardy Collins SG 23 6-6 220 Temple $967,320 11 Jamal Crawford SG 28 6-5 190 Michigan $7,920,000 34 Eddy Curry C 25 6-11 285 $8,947,543 0 Danilo Gallinari IR 19 6-8 210 13 Jerome James C 32 7-1 285 Florida A&M $5,800,000 20 Jared Jeffries SF 26 6-11 240 Indiana $5,632,200 2 Fred Jones SG 29 6-2 225 Oregon $3,300,000 42 David Lee PF 25 6-9 240 Florida $990,600 3 Stephon Marbury PG 31 6-2 205 Georgia Tech $19,012,500 5 Randolph Morris C 22 6-11 260 Kentucky $810,000 50 Zach Randolph PF 26 6-9 260 Michigan State $13,333,333 23 Quentin Richardson SF 28 6-6 235 DePaul $8,105,500 4 Nate Robinson PG 24 5-9 180 Washington $1,268,160 31 Malik Rose PF 33 6-7 255 Drexel $7,101,250 A weird collection of talents and bloated salaries without any apparent chemistry or direction. Further, the one great promising young player, David Lee -- they're trying to get rid of! Blah. Who would want to join this roster? It just feels like malaise and discontent over there. Plus "Starbury," the superstar and therefore team leader over there, is a knuckle-head stoner who can't even put two clauses together to form a sentence. Why would Monta want to join that awful mess over there? Why do so many players? It must have much more to do with the $$, the city and the limelight than it does with the game of basketball itself. </div> I don’t know what goes on there in Oakland, but in NY Ellis will be more than a “Wonder Kid” if he performs. He will be the star on the biggest stage in basketball. Add to that he will be playing under D’Antoni, a real player’s coach. Finally, he will be in arguably the greatest city in the world. Not hard to imagine why a 22-year-old, budding star will want to play here. From a basketball standpoint, the Knicks are a more attractive franchise now that Walsh and D’Antoni are here. There actually is direction now. For one, the Knicks are making it clear that they aren’t looking to take on any large salaries, as they prepare for 2010. In fact, next year the Knicks will shed $30M off the books. For the first time in years, the Knicks will actually be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The following year, the Knicks will be below the cap. Starbury isn’t the superstar here. Conversely, there are several reports suggesting the Knicks are looking to cut him, despite this being his last year. And as much as I like David Lee, he is very expendable. The Knicks aren’t necessarily looking to get rid of him, he’s just their most tradable asset – he’s young, productive, and cheap. He’s been involved in a few trade scenarios including one which would give the Knicks the 5th pick in the draft. That would not have been a bad move for the Knicks.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mr. J @ Jul 5 2008, 12:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don’t know what goes on there in Oakland, but in NY Ellis will be more than a “Wonder Kid” if he performs. He will be the star on the biggest stage in basketball. Add to that he will be playing under D’Antoni, a real player’s coach. Finally, he will be in arguably the greatest city in the world. Not hard to imagine why a 22-year-old, budding star will want to play here. From a basketball standpoint, the Knicks are a more attractive franchise now that Walsh and D’Antoni are here. There actually is direction now. For one, the Knicks are making it clear that they aren’t looking to take on any large salaries, as they prepare for 2010. In fact, next year the Knicks will shed $30M off the books. For the first time in years, the Knicks will actually be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The following year, the Knicks will be below the cap. Starbury isn’t the superstar here. Conversely, there are several reports suggesting the Knicks are looking to cut him, despite this being his last year. And as much as I like David Lee, he is very expendable. The Knicks aren’t necessarily looking to get rid of him, he’s just their most tradable asset – he’s young, productive, and cheap. He’s been involved in a few trade scenarios including one which would give the Knicks the 5th pick in the draft. That would not have been a bad move for the Knicks.</div> You've got a point there with D'Antoni. He is one of my favorite coaches in the league and he'll add instant credibility to the organization. That was a great move by NY to get him and get him early. I don't understand why Lee is expendable. He's one of the few success stories the Knicks have with the draft, and he is a solid double-double guy. I would think he would be a priority for the team to keep. I'd love for GS to get him. As far as the big stage, to me the big stage in the NBA is where the best basketball is happening. The past few years, who would want to go to the "big stage" in NY and watch a lousy knicks team get mopped up? They haven't won 40 or more games since 2000-2001. Just like the Warriors, who for so many years sucked so bad. During that time, I was a DIE HARD fan, but I would never call that time a "stage" time for GS. It was an embarrassment to us fans, that's all. Likewise, I think the Knicks should be embarrassed with the way they played last year under Isaiah Thomas, and I just don't see how that was the "big stage" in NBA basketball. There was something much more exciting going on with New Orleans, or in Toronto, for example. Yes, NY is the big city, but the Knicks have a long way to go before they can call their court the big stage. Right now, it's a big debacle, no offense. Hopefully D'Antoni helps straighten things out over there, but that team will need some character players to step up and be leaders, because when your highest paid guy, and the guy who is getting the most touches, is "Starbury," you've got problems, IMO. Hopefully the draft (that Danilo Gallinari really looks like he can play), the coaching change with D'Antoni, the young players, and management's financial discretion will bring the Knicks back to their historically rightful place atop the East.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AlleyOop @ Jul 5 2008, 01:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mr. J @ Jul 5 2008, 12:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don’t know what goes on there in Oakland, but in NY Ellis will be more than a “Wonder Kid” if he performs. He will be the star on the biggest stage in basketball. Add to that he will be playing under D’Antoni, a real player’s coach. Finally, he will be in arguably the greatest city in the world. Not hard to imagine why a 22-year-old, budding star will want to play here. From a basketball standpoint, the Knicks are a more attractive franchise now that Walsh and D’Antoni are here. There actually is direction now. For one, the Knicks are making it clear that they aren’t looking to take on any large salaries, as they prepare for 2010. In fact, next year the Knicks will shed $30M off the books. For the first time in years, the Knicks will actually be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The following year, the Knicks will be below the cap. Starbury isn’t the superstar here. Conversely, there are several reports suggesting the Knicks are looking to cut him, despite this being his last year. And as much as I like David Lee, he is very expendable. The Knicks aren’t necessarily looking to get rid of him, he’s just their most tradable asset – he’s young, productive, and cheap. He’s been involved in a few trade scenarios including one which would give the Knicks the 5th pick in the draft. That would not have been a bad move for the Knicks.</div> You've got a point there with D'Antoni. He is one of my favorite coaches in the league and he'll add instant credibility to the organization. That was a great move by NY to get him and get him early. I don't understand why Lee is expendable. He's one of the few success stories the Knicks have with the draft, and he is a solid double-double guy. I would think he would be a priority for the team to keep. I'd love for GS to get him. As far as the big stage, to me the big stage in the NBA is where the best basketball is happening. The past few years, who would want to go to the "big stage" in NY and watch a lousy knicks team get mopped up? They haven't won 40 or more games since 2000-2001. Just like the Warriors, who for so many years sucked so bad. During that time, I was a DIE HARD fan, but I would never call that time a "stage" time for GS. It was an embarrassment to us fans, that's all. Likewise, I think the Knicks should be embarrassed with the way they played last year under Isaiah Thomas, and I just don't see how that was the "big stage" in NBA basketball. There was something much more exciting going on with New Orleans, or in Toronto, for example. Yes, NY is the big city, but the Knicks have a long way to go before they can call their court the big stage. Right now, it's a big debacle, no offense. Hopefully D'Antoni helps straighten things out over there, but that team will need some character players to step up and be leaders, because when your highest paid guy, and the guy who is getting the most touches, is "Starbury," you've got problems, IMO. Hopefully the draft (that Danilo Gallinari really looks like he can play), the coaching change with D'Antoni, the young players, and management's financial discretion will bring the Knicks back to their historically rightful place atop the East. </div> When your team wins 23 games, everyone is usually expendable and Lee is no different. So far, the only trade discussions Lee has been involved in (based on rumors) was to acquire the 5th pick from Memphis, and another trade with Charlotte which would land us Felton and a future first rounder. Regardless of how well-liked Lee is in NY, we would be foolish to pass up on those above trades. When I said the biggest stage, it was not in reference to the Knicks performance the past few years. I was referring to the overall grandeur of New York: MSG is still considered the Mecca of Basketball. There also is a vast amount of exposure Ellis will get if he plays in a major market like New York. I’m not sure in Ellis’s case, but I know certain endorsements have clauses where the player earns significantly more playing in a major market like NY/LA/Chicago. Like I said, it does not seem like Marbury’s stay in NY will last very long. He’s rumored to be bought out or waived any day now. If that does not happen, he expires next summer. Either way, he has no t a part of our long term plans. As for his touches, Marbury has never demanded many shots: Last season he attempted 11 shots per game; in 2007 and 2006 he he attempted 13 per game; in 2004 and 2005 he attempted 16 per game, but he was putting up 20/8-9. Even if Marbury does stay next season, he definitely won’t be taking away shots from everyone else. The difference with this Knicks regime is that the people in charge actually have histories of competency. Walsh has proven himself for decades with the Pacers. And D’Antoni probably was the best coach to choose because he’s proven to be a good coach with the Suns, and his style/personality can attract more interest from other players – just like Ellis. Even though most of the players are still here, Knicks are looking like a different team. We now have direction. Walsh has a plan – summer of 2010 – and is actually sticking with it. Even if we do not walk away with LeBron, Wade, or any superstar in the class, no doubt we will be in a better position for the future. But realistically, it looks like Ellis isn't going to sign with us. We already spent our MLE on Duhon. Either way Ellis would not have signed for that amount. The only way we can acquire Ellis is via sign-and-trade. It is good to know NY is generating interest again.
I had two reactions to this article. One is that there seems to be an article with at least one rumor about every player going to New York, or so it seems sometimes. The second reaction was that - wow maybe everyone is now jumping off the Warriors' ship, even its own players like Al Harrington seems to be leaning toward and now Monta Ellis? I am still pretty confident that Mullin will keep Monta Ellis a Warrior. Also I don't see any cap room for the Knicks to even offer Monta Ellis a penny for a contract. According to hoopshype.com their team's salary is about 91 million dollars.
Plus, is it me or does it sound like the same old media shpiel whenever they bring in a new coach or a new player. Larry Brown, Isiah Thomas, landing Marbury, landing Crawford, landing Curry, landing Randolph... They're all attempts at quick fixes without even considering locker room or on-court chemistry. The front office knows in order to rebuild their organization, they've got to find good picks and team chemistry. They better start sticking to the draft rather than throwing money at every single big name player looking for the quick fix. That big money mess is what got them stuck in a situation where nobody wanted to trade with them in the first place. Plus, they wouldn't even need Ellis if they hadn't given their pick away to the Suns. Remember, Leandrinho Barbosa? I bet Monta Ellis interest (if any) for NY is exaggerated much like the media is an exaggeration of any real news reporting. They're all about agendas, no objectivity whatsoever.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Custodianrules2 @ Jul 6 2008, 12:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I bet Monta Ellis interest (if any) for NY is exaggerated much like the media is an exaggeration of any real news reporting. They're all about agendas, no objectivity whatsoever.</div> Is ALAN HAHN related to Peter Vescey?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CohanHater @ Jul 6 2008, 10:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Custodianrules2 @ Jul 6 2008, 12:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I bet Monta Ellis interest (if any) for NY is exaggerated much like the media is an exaggeration of any real news reporting. They're all about agendas, no objectivity whatsoever.</div> Is ALAN HAHN related to Peter Vescey? </div> I wouldn't be surprised.
