If the goal was to return to the NBA playoffs, the Knicks were doomed from the start last season. Latrell Sprewell showed up for training camp with a fractured shooting hand that would cost him eight games and Antonio McDyess suffered a fractured left kneecap that cost him the entire season.
Even though the Knicks improved by seven wins to 37-45, there's little point in simply bringing back the same lineup and hoping for a healthy McDyess. Everyone in the organization knows the Knicks have to take dramatic steps to get better, and coach Don Chaney isn't pulling any punches when he says changes are in the works this summer. After drafting three players last week, the Knicks expect to be very active during the free-agent negotiating period, which opens tomorrow and often acts as a catalyst for trades.
"I think we have to do more," Chaney said. "I think you have to take everything in stages. Right now, we have to work out the European guys and find out if they will be available. If we can get that done, we can go from there to trades and the free-agency market."
First-round power forward Mike Sweetney definitely will be on the roster this season, but the contractual status of second-round big men Maciej Lampe and Slavko Vranes with their European teams is uncertain. General manager Scott Layden expects to talk to Real Madrid today about Lampe's buyout clause, and he's trying to arrange for both to play with the Knicks' rookie league team starting July 14 in Boston.
Regardless of whether there is a need to clear roster space for Lampe or Vranes, the Knicks are expected to be in the market for a free-agent center. They also are bound to consider point guards, as they can buy out Charlie Ward's contract for $2 million.
Via Newsday
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Scott Layden's plan to revamp the Knicks roster could include Celtics All-Star power forward Antoine Walker.
The Knicks and Celtics have had serious discussions in recent days concerning a deal for Walker, according to a league source.
A potential deal could include Latrell Sprewell, whose contract matches Walker's. Or Boston could be looking to cut payroll by adding several lower-salaried players, including Kurt Thomas. A third team may have to be involved in order to complete the deal.
Walker, who will turn 27 in August, has averaged 20.8 points and 8.7 rebounds in seven NBA seasons. But the 6-9 forward was severely outplayed by Kenyon Martin in the Nets' four-game second-round sweep of Boston. Walker averaged just 14 points and shot 34% in the series.
Since the Celtics' playoff exit, Walker has been the subject of several trade rumors, including one to his hometown Chicago Bulls. While Walker is a talented albeit moody player, many teams have been turned off by his contract, which calls for him to make $28 million over the next two seasons.
Sprewell is also scheduled to earn $28 million over the next two seasons, although his contract includes an opt out clause for July 2004. The Knicks have been looking to move Sprewell since last summer but have found few willing partners.
Via New York Daily News
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Beware, Kurt Thomas, Latrell Sprewell and Charlie Ward. The Knicks plan to carry momentum from Thursday night's draft and make some July splashes as free agency begins tomorrow.
In a 2003 free-agent class much deeper than last summer's, the Knicks prefer to execute a sign-and-trade rather than use their $4.9 million mid-level exception. (They may have to use some of that exception for 7-foot rookie small forward Maciej Lampe).
"We have to do more," Don Chaney said. "To be honest with you, we probably will make some trades and that will determine where we are. I'm very positive we will make some trades."
The Knicks' immediate needs haven't changed much since the draft, though it would be absurd to land another power forward. The drafting of Mike Sweetney at No. 9 is enough Antonio McDyess insurance, but it still left the club undersized at the three frontcourt positions.
So Sprewell and Thomas are not safe. The Knicks would love to get longer at small forward and center and maybe add quickness at point guard. Ward will have immense trade value for a payroll-trimming club because of a buyout clause in his contract.
The Knicks are intrigued by restricted free agent Lamar Odom, a 6-9 small forward who would provide much-needed athleticism. It would take a sign-and-trade to make it happen because the Clippers will probably match a mid-level exception offer.
Via New York Post
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Knicks Jun 2003 Archive
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Miami Herald | Jun 30, 2003
He was supposed to be a top 10 lock, perhaps going as high as No.
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New York Daily News | Jun 29, 2003
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 also chanting for him to select St.
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New York Post | Jun 29, 2003
Knicks GM Scott Layden said he drafted 141/2 feet of center Thursday.
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Miami Herald | Jun 29, 2003
He was supposed to be a top 10 lock, perhaps going as high as No.
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New York Times | Jun 29, 2003
After surviving the first round of cuts for the United States junior national team earlier this month, Al Jefferson, a 6-foot-9 high school senior, wrote USA Basketball a letter saying he would not be joining the team.
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Newsday | Jun 28, 2003
The biggest upset of the NBA draft might have been that all three picks made by Knicks general manager Scott Layden received cheers instead of the customary boos.
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New York Daily News | Jun 28, 2003
The Knicks could be looking at a new starting power forward come fall, and we're not talking about Antonio McDyess.
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Star-Ledger | Jun 28, 2003
Call it just another Knicks draft aftermath: What many believed was very good fortune may turn out to be a very bad headache.
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New York Times | Jun 28, 2003
The wait seemed endless for Maciej Lampe.
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Newsday | Jun 27, 2003
The wait was excruciating for Maciej Lampe, who was seated on the floor of the Theater at Madison Square Garden last night along with the rest of the projected lottery picks in the NBA draft.
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New York Post | Jun 27, 2003
John Starks will try to win the championship that eluded him for 14 NBA seasons.
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New York Post | Jun 27, 2003
ELVIS wore a cream colored suit, a shiny blue cap, and a stony expression that everyone inside The Theater at Madison Square Garden could relate to.
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New York Post | Jun 27, 2003
When Knicks' GM Scott Layden came to bat at No.
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Star-Ledger | Jun 27, 2003
Some foreign intrigue nearly forced the Knicks to settle for the same ol', same ol' last night, but it ultimately enabled them to get the two forwards they wanted for the price of one.
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New York Times | Jun 27, 2003
As fans streamed into the Theater at Madison Square Garden for the N.
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New York Times | Jun 27, 2003
LeBron James aced his first N.
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newsday | Jun 26, 2003
If New York fans in the Theater at Madison Square Garden could boo Knicks general manager Scott Layden for trading the seventh pick for former All-Star Antonio McDyess during last year's NBA draft, then Kansas forward Nick Collison figures he has reason to worry if the Knicks call his name with the No.
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Dallas Morning News | Jun 26, 2003
On the eve of the NBA draft, former Texas point guard T.
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Indianapolis Star | Jun 26, 2003
"With the fourth pick of the 2003 NBA draft .
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New York Daily News | Jun 26, 2003
Milos Vujanic is on the move again, but the Yugoslavian point guard is not headed to New York.
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New York Daily News | Jun 26, 2003
Scott Layden used last year's NBA draft to get a veteran power forward with the potential to immediately alter the landscape in the Eastern Conference.
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Philadelphia Inquirer | Jun 26, 2003
Penn's Ugonna Onyekwe had just finished working out for the New York Knicks.
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New York Times | Jun 26, 2003
The most promising prospects in tonight's N.
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Newsday | Jun 25, 2003
There is no quick fix for the salary-cap problems that have anchored the Knicks in lottery land the past two seasons.
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New York Daily News | Jun 25, 2003
The Toronto Raptors are acting more and more like the team that will make the first major move in what is expected to be an active night of trades during tomorrow's NBA draft.
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New York Post | Jun 25, 2003
Across the street from the Garden yesterday, T.
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New York Post | Jun 25, 2003
Latrell Sprewell has lobbied Knicks management for a big post-up player to dump the ball inside and take heat off the perimeter.
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New York Times | Jun 25, 2003
Chris Bosh had a brief conversation with his role model during the N.
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New York Times | Jun 25, 2003
Until one night in December, Chris Kaman was in the middle of the United States and as out of the minds of the National Basketball Association experts as any prospect toiling in some small town in the most remote corner of Siberia.
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New York Daily News | Jun 24, 2003
Don Chaney described Antonio McDyess as being "ahead of the game" in his rehabilitation from left knee surgery, but the Knicks coach admitted yesterday that no one can say for certain when McDyess will return.
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New York Post | Jun 24, 2003
The bad sign? Don Chaney has no idea if Antonio McDyess will be at training camp.
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New York Post | Jun 24, 2003
Sounds as if Don Chaney is hoping for another blockbuster.
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New York Times | Jun 24, 2003
Scott Layden is at it again.
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New York Times | Jun 24, 2003
Sofoklis Schortsanitis leaves major impressions wherever he goes.
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New York Post | Jun 23, 2003
Baby Shaq today, Chris Kaman tomorrow, T.
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Newark Star-Ledger | Jun 23, 2003
Every NBA Draft begins with a theme, and the 2003 version will be no different.
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New York Daily News | Jun 22, 2003
The Knicks appear committed to drafting Texas point guard T.
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New York Post | Jun 22, 2003
The Knicks could wind up with a rugged Georgetown forward Thursday night after all, but it may not be Mike Sweetney.
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New York Daily News | Jun 21, 2003
The Knicks officially announced yesterday that former Atlanta Hawks coach Lon Kruger had been hired for Don Chaney's staff.
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New York Post | Jun 21, 2003
With 7-5 Russian center Pavel Podzokline pulling out of the draft after being diagnosed with a pituitary gland disorder, the Knicks have a new 18-year-old international flavor of the week: Polish 7-foot small forward Maciej Lampe.
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Toronto Star | Jun 21, 2003
It's NBA draft week and blockbusters are in the air.
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Newark Star-Ledger | Jun 21, 2003
The process of eliminating Latrell Sprewell as the primary source of Knicks' migraines has begun in earnest (again), according to two NBA general managers familiar with Scott Layden's business, and this time the Knicks president is using the team's antihero as a tool to move up in next Thursday's college draft.
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New York Times | Jun 21, 2003
While the Knicks have worked out players of every size and position, they have made no secret of their desire to select a big man in the draft on Thursday.
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New York Post | Jun 20, 2003
Pavel Podzokline, a 7-foot-5 Russian center, has vanished from the NBA Draft as quickly as he rose into lottery consideration.
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New York Daily News | Jun 20, 2003
Scott Layden, who has added three points guards over the last two seasons, is trying to move up in the NBA draft so the Knicks can select Texas point guard T.
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New York Times | Jun 20, 2003
The Knicks staged a workout this afternoon for Marquette's Dwyane Wade, a shooting guard.
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New York Post | Jun 19, 2003
The Knicks received a fax from the reps of 7-5 center Pavel Podzokline yesterday, informing them the Russian giant was diagnosed Tuesday night with a pituitary gland disorder called Acromegaly.
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Jun 18, 2003
Six months after he was fired as coach of the Hawks, Lon Kruger appears to have landed on his feet --- he'll be hired by the New York Knicks as an assistant, according to two people associated with the Hawks and the New York Knicks.
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New York Post | Jun 18, 2003
Bernard King understands all the factors that go into making a decision when you become a free agent.
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New York Post | Jun 18, 2003
It looks increasingly likely that 18-year-old giant Pavel Podzokline will be snapped up before the Knicks pick at No.
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New York Times | Jun 18, 2003
Nick Collison was a first-team all-American as a senior at Kansas last season.
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New York Times | Jun 17, 2003
The Knicks spent this afternoon working out another center who stands nearly seven and a half feet tall, Slavko Vranes, not an unexpected move for a team with an undersized front line.
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New York Daily News | Jun 16, 2003
Lon Kruger is expected to be named to Don Chaney's coaching staff this week, according to a league source.
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New York Daily News | Jun 15, 2003
When Darko Milicic flew into Kennedy Airport last month, he did not experience the typical awe that accompanies one's first trip to the big city.
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New York Post | Jun 15, 2003
Don Chaney has made the mistake once already — mistaking Brendan Malone for Mike Malone on the telephone.
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Houston Chronicle | Jun 15, 2003
On all those long northern California drives to the games Bill Van Gundy was coaching, he and his boys would talk basketball until they imagined themselves someday behind the wheel.
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New York Times | Jun 15, 2003
After an extensive search, the Knicks are close to completing their coaching staff.
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New York Daily News | Jun 14, 2003
Former Atlanta Hawks head coach Lon Kruger has emerged as a leading candidate to join Don Chaney's coaching staff, according to a league source.
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New York Times | Jun 14, 2003
Somewhere in the Knicks' equipment room was a T-shirt fit for a 7-foot-5, 303-pound frame.
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Indianapolis Star | Jun 13, 2003
While five NBA teams are without head coaches, Indiana Pacers coach Isiah Thomas is weighing his options to fill two vacancies on his staff.
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New York Times | Jun 13, 2003
At almost every basket in the Knicks' training facility today, a hopeful prospect stood sweating, finishing off a nearly two-hour workout and hoping that he had caught someone's eye.
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New York Post | Jun 12, 2003
St.
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New York Post | Jun 11, 2003
The new buzz of the NBA Draft, 7-5, 300-pound Russian center Pavel Podkozline, will work out for the Knicks on Friday, according to sources.
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Houston Chronicle | Jun 11, 2003
As rejuvenating as a year in broadcasting might have been and as exciting as seven weeks as a coveted commodity had to be, today Jeff Van Gundy returns to the profession for which he spent a lifetime preparing.
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New York Times | Jun 11, 2003
Allan Houston had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee yesterday.
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Houston Chronicle | Jun 10, 2003
Jeff Van Gundy performed his first coaching miracle on Monday.
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Houston Chronicle | Jun 9, 2003
The wait for Jeff Van Gundy's reply will apparently end today.
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New York Daily News | Jun 9, 2003
The Knicks are not about to give Jeff Van Gundy away for nothing.
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New York Post | Jun 9, 2003
There is nothing baby about him.
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Washington Times | Jun 9, 2003
The Washington Wizards could have a new coach as soon as tomorrow depending on what Jeff Van Gundy decides to do concerning an offer to coach the Houston Rockets.
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Houston Chronicle | Jun 8, 2003
Jeff Van Gundy told Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson that he likely would not make a decision until today or Monday and was true to his word.
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Hartford Courant | Jun 8, 2003
John Starks won't be making the short trip across the Tappan Zee Bridge to watch the NBA Finals in person this week.
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N.Y. Post | Jun 7, 2003
The Rockets' Larry Smith has emerged as a candidate for the Knicks' last assistant-coaching opening, The Post has learned.
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Washington Post | Jun 7, 2003
With Jordan and Coach Doug Collins gone, and General Manager Wes Unseld going on a leave of absence, the Wizards are one of several teams trying to fortify their front office and coaching staffs.
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Houston Chronicle | Jun 7, 2003
Thursday, they dated.
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Houston Chronicle | Jun 6, 2003
There were tours of unfinished training facilities and posh neighborhoods.
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San Antonio Express-News | Jun 6, 2003
If it feels like 1999 again, Spurs fans, it's because the sights, sounds and surprising events of 2003 echo with eerie similarities and jarring contrasts.
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Washington Post | Jun 6, 2003
Although he is weighing an offer to be the next coach of the Rockets, Jeff Van Gundy told reporters today in Houston that he interviewed with the Washington Wizards "for a good length of time" Wednesday about their vacant coaching and president of basketball operations positions.
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Boston.com | Jun 5, 2003
A former manager for pro basketball star Mark Jackson, who allegedly embezzled nearly $3 million from the Utah Jazz guard and spent much of it on high-rolling trips to Las Vegas, was arrested Thursday on federal wire fraud charges.
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Houston Chronicle | Jun 5, 2003
Jeff Van Gundy will arrive in Houston today to see what is waiting for him if the Rockets can close the deal to make him their coach.
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New York Times | Jun 5, 2003
Jeff Van Gundy, the former coach of the Knicks, met yesterday with executives of the Washington Wizards to discuss their vacant head coaching position, according to two Eastern Conference officials.
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Houston Chronicle | Jun 4, 2003
For the first time since Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down, the Rockets' search for a coach has a front-runner.
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New York Post | Jun 3, 2003
The biggest upset of the playoffs may be Jeff Van Gundy getting shut out of a coaching job.
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New York Post | Jun 3, 2003
Tony Parker dissed his French countryman yesterday - the Knicks' 1999 first-round pick Frederic Weis.
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New York Daily News | Jun 1, 2003
Charles Smith is wearing an expensive tailored suit and rimless glasses, like so many other successful businessmen who are inside Madison Square Garden on a cold winter's night to watch the Knicks.
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