<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">KNICKS AREN'T DONE YET By MARC BERMAN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SIZING UP: Knicks draft picks (from left) Slavko Vranes, Mike Sweetney and Maciej Lampe showed off uniforms after meeting media Friday at Madison Square Garden. N.Y. Post: Jim Alcorn June 29, 2003 -- Knicks GM Scott Layden said he drafted 141/2 feet of center Thursday. But if 18-year-old 7-footer Majiec Lampe, who has a small forward's game, and 7-6 Slavko Vranes are not ready for the rotation, then the Knicks will not have accomplished their goal of getting "longer" in the frontcourt for next season. If 6-8 Mike Sweetney becomes the opening-night starter at power forward, the Knicks still will be undersized at all three frontcourt positions, including at center, where 6-9 Kurt Thomas continues to masquerade as a pivot. That is why the Knicks are hardly done with their retooling project. Free agency begins Tuesday and the Knicks will make another play for the Timberwolves' 7-foot center Rasho Nesterovic, who is now an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks also have interest in Alonzo Mourning and Pacers center Brad Miller, but Miller's market value will be higher than Nesterovic's and Mourning prefers to re-sign with Miami. "They showed extreme interest last summer and I don't see that changing this summer," Nesterovic's agent, Bill Duffy, told The Post. The Knicks courted Nesterovic, 27, last July but only had their $4.5 million exception to offer. Plus, Nesterovic was a restricted free agent and the Wolves likely would have matched any offer. Duffy believed Nesterovic was worth more than $4.5M and passed on the Knicks' long-term offer. Nesterovic elected to re-sign with Minnesota for one year, thus becoming unrestricted this Tuesday after having a nice year, averaging 11.2 points and 6.5 rebounds. Meanwhile, as reported here last month, the mid-level exception has grown from $4.5M to $4.9M this summer and the Knicks can offer a six-year deal. Minnesota GM Kevin McHale has said his priority is to re-sign Nesterovic, but now he will have to come in with a long-term offer beginning at more than $5M. The other option is to pull off a sign-and-trade with the Knicks, something McHale balked at last summer in scoffing at the Knick roster. McHale has said he has no interest in Latrell Sprewell, but he's got to consider Thomas, who could make a nice tandem with Kevin Garnett. The Knicks still badly need to get longer for the present because of Antonio McDyess' uncertain future, so Layden would have to strongly consider offering up Thomas, despite his solid season. In fact, the drafting of Sweetney has made Thomas as likely as Sprewell to be dealt for a legit center. * Don Chaney believes Lampe, despite having no inside game, could crack the rotation next season if signed. "How the league is going now with big guys going away from the basket, he should be able to take advantage of the current status," Chaney said. "Now the way teams play the pick and pop, spotting up for 3s, bringing the big guy away from the basket, that's a huge advantage for him." </div>
i doubt they will....NY is a great town...but the knicks arent that good of a team...who was their last big free agent they signed?
my word why do you hate on the knicks for? "they are done" WTF? this is the off-season..how can any team be done? they are getting their PF back..and should be heathly this time...
