<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">KNICKS MAY HAVE NEED FOR SPEEDY By MARC BERMAN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRIDE IS BACK? Along with Minnesota's Rasho Nesterovic, the Knicks may look to acquire Hofstra product Speedy Claxton (above) of San Antonio. - Getty Images July 1, 2003 -- Agent Bill Duffy could hold the key to the Knicks' free-agent summer that begins today. Two of his clients, unrestricted free agents, 7-foot center Rasho Nesterovic and point guard Speedy Claxton, are not only perfect fits for the Knicks but the most attainable. Knicks brass mapped out its free-agent plans during hours of meetings yesterday - discussions that also included 7-foot draft pick Maciej Lampe's contract buyout with Real Madrid. Both Nesterovic and Claxton would love to make the Garden their new workplace. "Rasho loves the city every time he goes," Duffy told The Post yesterday. "Absolutely he'd play there. He's loved the city ever since the Tapscott/Grunfeld era when he worked out for the Knicks before the draft." That the Hempstead kid Claxton would like to play for the Knicks doesn't have to be said. During the 2000 draft, the Knicks were hoping Claxton, out of Hofstra, would fall to them at 22. The Sixers snapped him up at 20. Claxton has had his injuries (knee surgery), but he showed in the NBA Finals he's ready to be a starter. Claxton was the Spurs' best point guard across the final three games, outplaying Tony Parker. Don Chaney said the Knicks still need to get quicker and more athletic and the Hofstra stud adds both. With the mid-level exception raised from $4.5M to $4.9M, the Knicks easily have enough to split between Claxton and Lampe, if that's the way they need to get the Polish forward here. The Knicks can offer Claxton $3.5M and still save $500,000 on next season's payroll by waiving Charlie Ward, whose $6M contract is only guaranteed for $2M this season. Ward also had an opt-out that he could have exercised yesterday but chose not to. Now the Knicks can waive Ward and only be liable for $2M. Ward's contract becomes fully guaranteed Jan. 5. "We've decided not to opt out," his agent Craig McKenzie said. "He knows it's a business and the Knicks have to do what they feel is right." Actually, the Knicks prefer to perform a sign-and-trade with the Spurs, with Ward, Frank Williams and Othella Harrington being very available. If the Knicks can do a sign-and-trade for Claxton, they'd have the full exception for Nesterovic. Obtaining Nesterovic in a sign-and-trade is more difficult because he's a base-year compensation player, meaning a third team may be needed to make it work mathematically. Yes, the Knicks still need a center: P.J. Brown, who can play center at 6-11, and Alonzo Mourning are candidates, but the Knicks would be longshots. The Knicks would rather not use a slice of their exception on Lampe and won't have to if they drastically reduce the $2 million buyout to $350,000 with an offer to play exhibition games. The settlement could take time. The key now is getting clearance for him to play Boston summer league July 14. As for the report three weeks ago in a Boston paper the Knicks were one of three teams inquiring about Antoine Walker, only Latrell Sprewell could make it work and he's of no interest to the Celtics. </div>
The latest here in san Antonio is that speedy wants to see where jason kidd ends up...if kidd goes to the spurs...he is pretty much gone and looking at other teams....
that'd be great if the Knicks can manage to get both Speedy and Rasho. both of them might want more money though
Speedy wants playing time..he might not ask for that much money..however he and his wife have a baby now so he might ask for abit more...
