THIS TRADE WON'T HAPPEN, but IT WOULD REALLY HELP US KNICKS FANS

By: Adam Pally

As the draft approaches, us knicks fans are getting more and more apthetic and resigned to the fact that it is going to be another mediocre year, and that Zeke is not going to pull off a blockbuster. So, I will suggest this blockbuster, and hope to god that someone can get this done...

3 way trade...

Atlanta gets
Channing Frye
Luke Ridnour
Damian Wilkens
New York Knicks 1st round pick

Seattle gets
Jamal Crawford
Jared Jeffries
Zaza Pachulia
Marvin Williams
Nate Robinson

New York gets
Ray Allen
Salim Stoudemire
Lorenzen Wright

ATLANTA -- Sends out Zaza and Marvin, but they bring in the Point Gurad they have wanted forever in Ridnour, a capable 4 who may or may not get better if he gets some heart, and a real nice gritty wing to compliment. They also free up some cap space by losing Zaza's mid level deal and Lorenzen's stupid contract. It hurts losing Marvin a former 2 who was selected before paul and dwill, but picking up the Knicks first rounder, eases the pain, and now they can select Horford 3, acie law 11, and then that wing that you know they are just itching to grab with 23... This will give Atlanta one of the best young nucleaus's in the league, if not the best...

Starting 5
Frye - C
Horford -- PF
Smith -- SF
Johnson -- SG
Ridnour -- PG

Key Bench
Josh Childress
Speedy Claxton
Damian Wilkens
Sheldon Williams
# 11 pick PG (Acie Law or Crittenton)
#23 pick (Daquon cook or Almond or Bellinelli)

SEATTLE
Unloads Ray's contract for smaller parts a' la Chris Webber's kings deal. They bring in hometown fave's Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson to spice up their back court, and then get what should have been a defensive specialst in Jeffries. If he can return to his level of play he had at Washington he can certainly help Seattle lock down someone, which is something they havent done since payton left. Add on top of that, a starting caliber center in Zaza who is highly under rated and you have a nice deal. But the cherry on top is Marvin Williams. A number 2 pick with number 1 talent, he can play anywhwere from the 4 to the 2, as does they number to pick seattle has coming in Kevin Durant. Now if you sign and trade Rashard Lewis for some nice parts, Swift develops to something more than an NBA Odoyle, you get a coach that plays in that D'antoni style, you could have the makings of one of the most exciting teams in the league.

Starting 5
C -- Chris Wilcox
PF -- Zaza
SF -- Kevin Durant
SG -- Marvin Williams
PG -- Jamal Crawford

Key Bench
Nate Robinson
Jared Jeffries
Robert Swift
Collison
And all those forigners/second round picks/pieces you pick up from a Lewis sign and trade

NEW YORK -- This is obvious... New York gets the shooters it has so desperately coveted since Eddy Curry became a beast on the inside. Granted Jesus Shuttlesworth is on the wrong side of 30, but the boy can still light it up, and Salim, when he's not sparking it up, is one of the best shooters in the world, and Zeke loves them Stoudemires. Sure they give up a draft pick, which is about the only good thing Isiah does, but they gain stuff better anyway. And if they can pick up a 2nd rounder this draft is deep enough, and Isiah has a good enough eye for talent, theyll pick something up in the end, plus, they signed Randolph Morris, who was first roudn talent anyway.

Starting 5
Curry -- C
Lee -- PF
Q-Rich -- SF
Allen -- SG
Starburry -- PG

Key Bench
Balkman
Stoudemire
Collins
Malik Rose/Jerome James
Randolph Morris

Unfortunately this trade wont happen because Lenny Wilkens will not trade with NY, Atlanta won't trade with anyone, and it is probably too good to be true. Alright idiots, rip it up.

NBA MOCK DRAFT 2.0

With the individual workouts coming to a close and the draft coming up on Thursday here is my second and possibly final mock draft. These picks are what will happen if there are no trades made. Most likely there will be some moves made, so this mock draft will not be perfect.

1	Greg Oden 7-0 C, Ohio State

-How do you pass on Oden? He is a monster in the middle on defense and has shown the offensive promise as well.

2	Kevin Durant 6-10 SF, Texas

-A great consolation prize for the Sonics. Durant is the best offensive weapon to come out of school since that epic class of Lebron, Melo, and Wade. He is going to be a 20ppg guy from day one.

3	Al Horford 6-10 PF, Florida

-Even though the Hawks went big with Sheldon Williams last year, they can't pass up on a talent like Horford. Horford is going to be an All Star PF for many years.

4	Mike Conley 6-1 PG, Ohio State

-A lightning quick point guard who will push the tempo at all times and make teams respect the Grizzlies running game. Add him to Rudy Gay and Hakim Warrick and you have the foundation for a fast breaking team as good as any.

5	Yi Jianlian 7-0 PF, China

-The first foreign player to be drafted. The Celtics are looking to move this pick for a veteran player who can help get them to the playoffs, but if they can not look for Yi to get picked.

-	Corey Brewer 6-8 SG, Florida Brewer is a lock down defender who can help Redd out by getting to the bucket with ease.

7	Spencer Hawes 7-1 C, Washington

-Hawes will provide the T'Wolves with the big body to play next to Garnett, that they have been looking for. Hawes is an offensive talent who will have to get better on the boards.

8	Jeff Green 6-10 SF, Georgetown

-A playmaker who can help pg Raymond Felton out. Felton needs help on offense, and while Green is not a great scorer yet, he will help the team get into a flow.

9	Brandan Wright 6-10 PF, North Carolina

-The Bulls are the beneficiary of a Wright slide. He slides because teams realize how young and unprepared he is, but the Bulls are the perfect spot for him to go. Tyrus Thomas and Wright would give the Bulls 2 great talents at the PF spot to use in a trade for a veteran.

10	Joakim Noah 7-0 PF, Florida

-All energy all the time. The Kings need help selling their team to the fans, and Noah's enthusiasm can help do that. Imagine him and Ron Artest diving all over the court and collecting every rebound.

11	Acie Law 6-4 PG, Texas A&M

-Finally the Hawks get themselves a point guard. Law is a fearless shooter, but not a setup guy. He will give them offense, but have a hard time getting his teammates involved.

12	Al Thornton 6-7 SF, Florida State

-The perfect complement to Andre Igudola. He is a jump shooter who is athletic enough to put it on the floor. Probably the 2nd best scorer in the draft.

13	Nick Young 6-7 SG, USC

-A slasher who can take the place of Desmond Mason. Young would look great on the receiving end of a Chris Paul pass on the break.

14	Javaris Crittenton 6-5 PG, Georgia Tech

-The point guard of the future now that Sean Livingston is a question mark to return healthy. Crittenton has a great jump shot and handle, but needs to learn how to run a squad.

15	Julian Wright 6-9 SF, Kansas

-Wright's slide is not that shocking, since he has not shown a consistent jumper in his workouts.

16	Jason Smith 7-0 PF, Colorado State

-A big man who can help spread the floor for the Wizards. Does not provide them with the defensive help they need up front, but he will help put points on the board.

17	Sean Williams 6-10 C, Boston College

-Has refused to work out of the Nets, but I still think they will draft him. He is exactly what the team needs; Size and Defense.

18	Gabe Pruitt 6-4 PG, USC

-A solid PG who would help Baron Davis get rest during the regular season, so he can be fresh for the playoffs.

19	Thaddeus Young 6-8 SF, Georgia Tech

-An athletic wing, whose talent far exceeds his draft position. He has the talent to become an effective NBA player, so lets see if he has the drive.

20	Rodney Stuckey 6-5 SG, Eastern Wash.

-A combo guard that would be perfect next to D.Wade in the backcourt. His shooting touch would help keep defenses honest.

21	Josh McRoberts 6-10 PF, Duke

-The 76ers need help at power forward, but can McRoberts be that guy. He has the talent to be a starter, but he has always been soft. Not a strong finisher around the hoop, even though he is capable of using either hand.

22	Morris Almond 6-6 SG, Rice

-Another piece to the puzzle for the Bobcats. They need help scoring and Almond's specialty is just that.

23	Wilson Chandler 6-8 SF, DePaul

-Rumors have it that the Knicks have given Chandler a promise at this pick. Lets see if Isiah finds another role player again or can he finally get a star?

24	Rudy Fernandez 6-6 SG, Spain

-One of the best combo guards in Europe, but will have to stay overseas for another year.

25	Derrick Byars 6-7 SF, Vanderbilt

-Byars has the size and shooting touch to find a place in the league, now only if he had the athleticism. Think Rasual Butler.

26	Nick Fazekas 6-11 PF, Nevada

-The Rockets love big men who can step out to the 3 point line and take pressure off of Yao and TMac.

27	Marco Belinelli 6-6 SG, Italy

-Torched team USA last summer from all over the court. A bit soft, but can stroke it from deep. Would be a clone of Richard Hamilton.

28	Glen Davis 6-9 PF, LSU

-If Davis can keep his weight down, he would be a great help to the Spurs, by giving them a big man to come off of the bench that can score. Perfect fit for Davis.

29	Tiago Splitter 7-0 PF, Brazil

-Another player that the Suns can keep abroad for year of 2. Splitter is a hard worker on D and on the glass.

30	Daequan Cook 6-6 SG, Ohio State

-I doubt the 76ers keep all three first round picks, but if they do look for them to take a chance on a point guard prospect. In a draft weak with pg's, Cook is the best bet at this point.

BRONX WORLD TRAVELERS LOSE AGAIN

Here is the an episode from a new series Bronx World Travelers that a friend of mine created. The series focuses on the Washington Colonels, the team that loses every game to the Bronx World Travelers (think Harlem Globetrotters). In the first episode we see the Washington Colonels' coach in a press conference after their 125th loss in a row. Funny stuff.

Ted Williams is a Grump

HDTV Stikes Again

More in "Guys I Don't Need to See in High-Def" - the Julian Tavarez edition.


Listen, I love the guy, he is weird and total chums with Manny but you need to look at face. Damn he is ugly. I watched the Sox/Braves in regular TV and I could have crammed peanut butter in his acne scars. I am not saying I wouldn't blast him. But I would close my eyes.

The Pirates: Laugh To Keep From Crying

I love the Pirates. They are my baseball team #1. And I saw this on-line, less than 2 weeks after the Sopranos finale: A spot on in-game parody involving the Parrot and other organizations characters (those are perogies, by the way, and they race each other on field between innings at PNC Park).

You think I would bee pleased by this clever little clip. NO. Not at all. Why are they good at this and SUCK at giving me a decent baseballl team to watch. I hate the Pirates ownership. The controlling owner is named "Nutting" which is exactly what he has been doing all over Pirates fans for a decade. Give us a beautiful stadium, but nothing to put in it. Great videos, but awful highlights (we just got shut out by Jeff Weaver, who had previously been 0-6 with a double sigit ERA). All the bells and whistles, but don't the bells and whistles need to be attached to something, like a train, even a merry-go-round would be good.

Being a Pirate fan these days is like living in exile of a once proudd country, waiting for the revolutionary coup that never comes:
Actual protest have been scheduled - http://www.pittsburghsportsinsider.com/?p=970
As well as - http://iratefans.com/
Where have you gone, Andy Van Slyke? (http://whereisvanslyke.blogspot.com/)
www.sellthepirates.com

Keep up the fight, comrades.
But maybe, to be more accurate, its what my cousin John told me before this season:
Being a Pirate fan is like having colon cancer

SPORTS MOVIES FOR THE SUMMER

BALLS OF FURY (preview)
From the guys who brought you Reno 911, comes a story about the underground world of Ping Pong. Are you all serious? While we think this is going to have it's funny moments, and be a repeat viewing, why do we have to revert back to the old cliche of underground world of some lame sport? Is that seriously the only way to make it funny or sell it?

GRACIE (preview)
One Girls fight to play on the boys high school soccer team after her brother dies in a car accident. This is the Davis Guggenheim's follow up to the Academy Award winning film, "An Inconvenient Truth." This movie stars every out of work actor you recognize from the 90's, most notably Elisabeth and Andrew Shue. It is the first time that this brother-sister combo will grace the big screen together, and the first time since Melrose Place got cancelled in 1998 that Andrew has gotten a part in anything.

MR. WOODCOCK (preview)
If I wanted to see Billy Bob Thorton as an asshole coach I would have rented Friday Night Lights, Bad News Bears, or School For Scoundrels. Why would I need to pay $ to see that again? He must be taking career advice from Al Pacino, who has made a living over the last 10 years just by picking parts in which he can yell.

THE GAMEPLAN (preview)
Anybody want to see The Rock as a star football player whose team is turned upside down when he realizes he has a daughter? I didn't think so.

US SOCCER STRUGGLES TO ADVANCE

US needed a questionable call to advance to the Gold Cup Final over Canada. C'mon guys we can't even beat Canada easily? US Soccer continues to struggle despite all the talk how they are beginning to turn the corner. Being a sports fan, you know your team will inevitably struggle at times, but this is getting ridiculous. This team struggles almost every game they play. I would say it is time to look outside for a coach, but we did that after the World Cup and nobody wanted the job. The outside world looked at the head coaching spot like it were the plague. Can you blame them? Coaching the team is a thankless job, because Soccer is so far down on the national radar, that if they start to win, fans will say 'what took them so long,' and if they keep losing, there will just be 'I told you so's' thrown around.
Here is a recap of the game. (ESPN)

BOOZE GOT THE BETTER OF ME

Take a look at the blog, Thank You Isiah, to get a good sense of the ridiculous bets I am willing to make when I am drunk. This is a website devoted to all news pertaining to the Chicago Bulls, so you might be wondering how I ever got involved in a drunken bet with one of their writers? Well apparently they had to explain it to their readers as well. Here is an excerpt from a posting from my friend Brian Cook, who apparently writes for TYI:

"How is any of this Bulls-related, you ask? Good question, and I have an even better answer. Although I'm sure he hopes I've forgotten, this past December, Tim made me a drunken $20 wager that Luol Deng would never average 20 points a game over a full season. (I initially said that he would one day average 25, but Tim was audacious, perhaps magnanimous enough to lower that to 20.) I'm expecting that to happen by the end of the '07-'08 season, so three or four of my drinks at my high school's annual reunion in December 2008 are going to be courtesy of Tim. I'm looking forward to them."

Well Brian after watching Deng dismantle the Heat in the playoffs, I have a feeling I am going to be mailing you $20, yet my manhood will not let me beg for a take back. Many things can happen to deter Deng from getting that 20 a game, like him getting traded to LA for Kobe or someone else on his team being traded for Kobe. No chance Deng ever gets 20ppg with a guy like Kobe on the team. Till Deng gets 20 a game, I will think of myself as the winner of this bet. Cook, looks like you owe me a lot of drinks this Christmas.

HIT LIST for 6/21/07

• Joey Porter is a madman. (Dorothy Mantooth is a Saint)
• Robert Earl Johnson might as well be running for congress for all we know. (Deadspin)
• Top 10 worst decisions by a high schooler to turn pro. (Winning the Turnover Battle)
• Some Bengals should never be allowed to speak. C'mon you let a "midget suck your dick?" (Kissing Suzy Kolber)
• A great article on Yankees sideshow, Carl Pavano. (ESPN)
  

Pacman To Face Two Felonies

MICHAEL BARRETT FIGHTS HIS WAY OUT OF CHICAGO

After two dugout fights this season with pitchers, Cubs catcher Michael Barrett has been shipped to San Diego for a couple of no namers. Barrett who has been a fighter his whole life, apparently was not welcomed in the clubhouse anymore. I guess you can fight other teams as much as you want, but when it comes to your own teammates, no matter the situation, you can't touch them. The Cubs did the right thing here, by sending Barrett packing. You can't have a clubhouse situation like this if you are expecting to compete for a ring. Lord knows there will always be teammates who do not like each other, that is human nature, but you have to put those differences aside if you want to win. Barrett obviously could not do that, and for that he earned a one way ticket out of town.

PYROGRILL MAKES THE SPORTS PAGE

As I was scouring the sports pages this morning, much to my delight I came across my favorite restaurant. I had to have a double take, because what would PYROGRILL be doing on the cover of the Palm Beach Post sports section? Turns out that the restaurant is located right near a minor league baseball stadium and has become a favorite of minor league players and major leaguers on rehab stints. None of this surprises me. If you are ever in South Florida, you have to check it out.
Here is the article from the Post (Palm Beach Post)
www.pyrogrill.net

VIN BAKER DRINKS AGAIN

Looks like Baker's post playing days look a lot like his playing days. I guess that is what happens when you are an alcoholic. (ESPN)

THE TRADING OF BARRY BONDS

With the baseball season creeping up on the midway point, teams in contention often turn their attention toward adding that final piece to the puzzle to win the World Series. One of those players that teams in contention might seriously consider is San Francisco Giant outfielder Barry Bonds. Bonds is hitting around .300 with 14 home runs, which would be a great boost to any team in need of power. Bonds no longer is a defensive dynamo, so look for American League teams to be the main teams in pursuit, since they can keep him as a DH. Giants GM Brian Sabean was quoted in the San Jose Mercury News, "I don't know if there is [a chance], because of all the factors involved," Sabean told the newspaper. "And it wouldn't be my decision unilaterally. So it's a complicated question and it's not a simple answer."

Would San Fran really trade the face of their organization after 14 great, and turbulent, seasons? San Fran is the only city where Bonds is still cheered, so why would Bonds waive his no trade clause to go to a town where he has most likely been booed? Well because Bonds knows as well as anyone, how easily fans flip flop on players, once they join their squad. You think Yankees fans ever could have seen themselves rooting for Johnny Damon when he was sending them packing in the playoffs while with the Red Sox? No chance, and that is what Bonds would have to believe as well. No matter what happens with the steroid issue, he will undoubtedly go down as one of the better hitters of all time. It was not long ago that he was one of the best fielders as well, but age and injuries have depleted him of that legacy. This is why Bonds has to seriously look at a move to an American League team.

Bonds would be able to cement his legacy as a hitter, let fans forget his terrible play in the outfield, and still chase the championship that has eluded him his whole career. Bonds has no chance to collect a ring in San Fran, which is the main driving force for him to agree to a trade. All this being said, it is difficult for me to see San Fran trading Bonds away, at least until he breaks Hank Aaron's home run record. There has been so much hoopla about this record going down, and the Giants are tied to this. It would be too strange to see Bonds hitting all those homers for San Fran throughout the years and then break the record as a member of the Cleveland Giants. Just too much for anyone involved to deal with. So as Bonds put it so eloquently, "I'm stuck here."