<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LAYDEN STILL HOPES FOR DEAL By MARC BERMAN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- June 23, 2003 -- Baby Shaq today, Chris Kaman tomorrow, T.J. Ford and Maciej Lamp Wednesday. The Knicks will hold their final workouts entering Thursday's NBA Draft, though the biggest impact from the evening could be the veteran big man (Keith Van Horn?) they land in a draft-day deal that could mark the end of the Latrell Sprewell era. Since leaving Utah, GM Scott Layden hasn't been content on drafting a prospect for the future. In his first Knick draft, he shipped out his first-round pick, Donnell Harvey, for Erick Strickland, who turned into Othella Harrington. Layden again proved it last year in the Antonio McDyess deal and is looking to pounce Thursday. Layden, perhaps feeling this could be his last draft as Knicks GM, especially if McDyess doesn't make it back, seems less than enthused in staying at nine and taking a Mike Sweetney or Kaman. The future - as always - is now for Layden. Layden's top priority is again using his first-round pick as an asset to package with Sprewell, get a veteran that makes the Knicks longer in the frontcourt in moving either up or down. Layden is not wrong. That these undersized Knicks are built around two shooting guards - Allan Houston and Sprewell - only spells mediocrity. In revived talks between the Knicks and Raptors that crashed at the trading deadline with Antonio Davis nearly traded for Sprewell, the Knicks could shoot up from nine to four. However, after the third pick, the dropoff is severe, with little difference between four and nine. "If you're four, it's like being fourth at Aqueduct," one team executive said recently. "You can't cash the ticket." The theory is the best player available at four is either the undersized Texas point guard, Ford, or power forward Chris Bosh. If Sprewell goes in a deal for Davis or Williams, Layden may feel he needs another perimeter slasher to draw double-teams. But Ford's stock is slipping as Kansas PG Kirk Hinrich's rises. That's why the Knicks lobbied to work out Ford, whose reps finally agreed to a session for Wednesday. Ford is a poor perimeter shooter and is listed at 5-10 but is more like 5-8. Greece's Sofoklis Schortsianidis, a 6-9, 295-pounder known as Baby Shaq, will work out for the Knicks today. He turned 18 Friday and is too much of a project at nine. </div>
