Plan for Success
Plan for success
After solid draft, now's the time to fix Knick mess
By FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
If it makes Scott Layden feel any better, the Knicks president should know that
some of the same folks calling for his firing during Thursday's NBA Draft were a
lso chanting for him to select St. John's guard Marcus Hatten in the second roun
d.
In just a few New York minutes Layden regained a small measure of credibility wh
ile some fans lost a little.
Layden and the Knicks emerged from the draft as early winners. The selection of
power forward Mike Sweetney from Georgetown was a safe pick while getting Polish
7-footer Maciej Lampe, a projected lottery pick, in the second round could be a
steal.
"No matter what moves you make you always need a little luck," Don Chaney said.
"And we sure could use some. Last year we didn't have any."
The Knicks thought they had struck it rich after the 2002 draft by acquiring Ant
onio McDyess in a trade and picking Yugoslavian point guard Milos Vujanic in the
second round. Neither played last season and with McDyess still recovering from
a knee injury and Vujanic under contract in Italy there is a strong chance that
neither player will make an appearance this year.
Layden has been around long enough to realize that Thursday's success at the NBA
Draft was minor, perhaps even fleeting. And that the real season for Layden beg
ins this week with the start of free agency and the summer trading frenzy.
"We have to improve this team," Layden said. "And we will improve this team."
A year ago Layden also predicted an active summer for his club and yet the only
significant acquisition other than McDyess was free agent center Michael Doleac,
who averaged 13.9 minutes and 4.4 points.
Those familiar with Layden's thinking say his plan is to make the Knicks bigger
and quicker, which sounds an awful lot like last year's master plan. That plan,
according to sources, includes trading Latrell Sprewell, whom Layden is trying t
o package for a big man. Charlie Ward, Lee Nailon and Lavor Postell could have t
heir contracts terminated.
Kurt Thomas, Othella Harrington, Travis Knight and Frank Williams are also trade
candidates.
"The Knicks have the same problem that they always have," says one Eastern Confe
rence GM. "No one wants their players at the money they are making."
SETTLE SPREWELL'S FUTURE
Sprewell will spend another summer at home in Milwaukee tooling around on his in
famous boat. He's told friends that he thinks he'll be with the Knicks for at le
ast another season because his contract (two seasons at $26 million) is difficul
t to trade.
Sprewell has lost most of his supporters in the organization and is clearly on t
he endangered list. But he is also the team's best all-around player, which is w
hy Layden is reluctant to simply give him away.
The smart move would be to keep Sprewell around until his contract expires. But
if the Knicks are intent on trading him Layden will turn to two teams that could
afford Sprewell - Dallas and Portland - and attempt to add a center.
The Blazers' Dale Davis has been on the Knicks radar for three years as has the
Mavs' Shawn Bradley. A Bradley and Nick Van Exel deal for Sprewell would address
several needs.
FIND A POINT GUARD
When Layden was running the Utah Jazz, the team's point guard situation was a de
light. It's why Layden's appreciation for John Stockton's brilliance grows each
day.
With the Knicks, Layden finds himself in the same predicament as he has been for
the previous four years; wanting an All-Star caliber point guard but not having
enough assets to obtain one.
The Clippers' Andre Miller is the player Layden covets most but Miller is an unr
estricted free agent, meaning his team can match any offer. Denver and Utah are
both expected to make a run at Miller and can present him with an offer that wou
ld blow away the Knicks' proposal.
Gary Payton is a free agent the Knicks could attempt to pry away from Milwaukee
in a sign-and-trade but if Payton isn't re-signed by the Bucks he could land wit
h either the Lakers or Pacers.
One plausible scenario is Speedy Claxton, who gave Jason Kidd fits in the last t
wo games of the NBA Finals. Claxton, a free agent, has said he'd love to return
home to New York.
A better choice is the Mavs' Van Exel, who proved in the playoffs that he is a b
ig game player.
Layden currently has three point guards under contract - Ward, Williams and Howa
rd Eisley. Ward is still the best of an average lot but his contract includes a
$2 million buyout that the Knicks can exercise starting July 1.
Layden should focus on extracting Eisley's contract from the payroll and moving
Williams, who is still years away and won't have a future in New York if Vujanic
joins the Knicks next season.
GIVE SWEETNEY AND LAMPE A CHANCE
It's time for the Knicks to start developing young talent and stop giving outrag
eous contracts for washed-up veterans. If Sweetney was good enough to draft with
the ninth overall pick then he should be good enough to crack the rotation. Las
t year's No. 9 pick was Amare Stoudemire, who became the Rookie of the Year.
Lampe lasted until the second round because of his contractual obligations to Re
al Madrid. Both the Knicks and Lampe's representatives believe his $2 million bu
yout clause is negotiable and that Lampe will be on the roster next season.
The two best things about Lampe are that he is 7-feet tall and 18 years old, alt
hough he is not as NBA-ready as Sweetney, who stands 6-8 if he wears three pairs
of socks. To create minutes for Sweetney, the Knicks should trade Harrington, p
erhaps in a package with Sprewell, and Clarence Weatherspoon.
SPEND WISELY
The Knicks are over the salary cap but can use a $4.5 million exception to sign
a free agent. However, some of that money may be used to settle Lampe's contract
dispute.
The exception will not allow the Knicks to make a serious run at Elton Brand, La
mar Odom, Micheal Olowokandi or Payton. However, Layden likes P.J. Brown, who wo
uld be a solid addition. But Brown will have other offers, perhaps from the Lake
rs and Spurs.
"They need to start making two-for-one or three-for-one trades to get rid of som
e of the dead weight on their roster," says one Western Conference GM. "The Knic
ks have to figure out if they can get equal value for Sprewell and whether Willi
ams is going to be any good. I don't envy them because it's not going to be easy
to get better."
Originally published on June 29, 2003
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.csie.ntu.edu.tw)
◆ From: 218.167.184.251
Knicks 近期熱門文章
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
75
104
27
37
