Yardbarker: New York Knicks

MSG to host NBA All Star game in 2012?

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:22:15 -0500

Madison Square Garden was built in 1968 and is the oldest building in the National Basketball Association. The last and only time it hosted an All-Star game was in 1998 when Michael Jordan played his last season with the Chicago Bulls. The old Garden hosted three All-Star Games between 1954 and 1968. On April 3rd, MSG unveiled their plans to renovate the world's most famous arena. The project is going to cost around $500 million dollars which will be funded fully by the Garden. The opening date will be targeted for the 2011-2012 season. Some of the upgrades include: re-designed entrance, more comfortable seating with better views, sound and LED video systems in HDTV, 68 new mid-level suites, 20 new floor-level suites, and improved locker rooms for athletes. The renovations are going to begin in 2009 and the Knicks plan to fill out an application to host the All-Star game when the upgraded Garden is ready. Orlando could be the main competition for New York because they are building a new arena. The last Knick to make the All-Star team was Allan Houston in 2001. If the Knicks land a big name free agent in 2010 then their drought of not having an All-Star should end. Also, if Lebron James comes to New York, he could electrify the new renovated Garden during that special weekend. The NBA has awarded new arenas with an All-Star Game: 2002 (Staples Center in Los Angeles), 2005 (Pepsi Center in Denver) and 2006 (Toyota Center in Houston). However, over the past three seasons the league has placed the game in warm cities such as Houston, Las Vegas and New Orleans. The 2009 game will be played in Phoenix, and Dallas is considered the favorite in 2010. However, the NBA league office is in New York and All-Star weekend in 1998 was a great success. Commissioner David Stern was also born in New York and wants to see the Knicks franchise make a successful turn around.

Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Lots of Signings Edition

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:16:08 -0500

Former Celtic Sebastian Telfair isn't the only player who plays with guns. Hornets' guard Rasual Butler was arrested June 23 after witnesses told Miami Beach police a man holding a firearm had made threats. Based on the arrest report, when police arrived at the scene, Butler was seated in the back seat of a sport utility vehicle. When officers asked Butler if he had any weapons, he told them he didn't, but that his gun was in the car. The police found an automatic weapon that was cocked and had a bullet in the chamber on the floor of the car. Butler was scheduled to enter a plea on Wednesday, but the hearing was reset for Aug. 4. First, the Clippers signed Baron Davis away from the Warriors. Then, the Warriors signed Corey Maggette away from the Clippers. But the Warriors were not about to let the Clippers get another of their players if they could help it. They have matched the offer that the Clippers made last week to Kelenna Azubuike. The Warriors also signed Ronny Turiaf away from the Lakers, who chose not to match the offer, and they signed their second round draft pick, forward Richard Hendrix. The Warriors then completed a very busy day by re-signing their free agent guard Monta Ellis to a six-year, $67 million contract. Ellis got quite a raise in that as the 40th player selected in the 2005 draft, Ellis was paid just $770,610 last season. He will earn $11 million in 2008-2009. Ellis was the Warriors' shooting guard last season, playing next to Baron Davis, but with Davis' departure, he is expected to move to point guard this season. By keeping Azubuike, the Warriors will no longer pursue free agent swingman Maurice Evans who was reported to have signed with the Warriors. But, a Warriors source told Bay Area News Group that Evans spurned their three-year, $6.4 million looking for more money, and so the Warriors changed direction and matched the Azubuike offer. There have been rumors that the Celtics have contacted Evans and it seems that he would be a nice fit for the Celtics who could use an athletic swingman like Evans who's known as a solid defender and good three-point shooter (sound like anyone the Celtics just lost?). The Warriors still have unfinished business though as they haven't re-signed free agent Andris Biedrins. Biedrins' top choice is to stay with the Warriors. He is looking for a salary somewhere in the ballpark of the five-year, $50-plus million. With the other signings for the Warriors, it looks like that kind of a deal is out for Biedrins, however. He could reject any Warriors' offer and accept the $3.6 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next offseason or he could accept any of several lucrative contracts being offered by European teams. Just hours after bringing former Nugget Chris Anderson back to the team, the Denver Nuggets agreed to a one-year deal with free agent guard Dahntay Jones. Jones was drafted by Boston in 2003 but sent to Memphis in the trade that brought Kendrick Perkins and Marcus Banks to Botson. Jones was also given a look by the Celtics last season in training camp. After a good showing in Summer League, the Nuggets gave Jones a one-year fully guaranteed deal for the NBA minimum of $926,678. Some money details are coming out on a couple of big deals. The Express News reports that The deal that the Spurs gave Kurt Thomas was for a total of $8 million — $4.2 million next season and $3.8 in 2009-10. The Spurs have also signed Anthony Tolliver, who impressed on the Spurs' summer league squad, to a partially guaranteed contract. This is similar to the contract the Celtics signed Brandon Wallace to after his impressive summer league last season. Details on Josh Childress' contract with Olympiakos have emerged. His contract is worth $32.5- million over 3 years. The Hawks had offered five years at $33 million but it wasn't enough to keep Childress from jumping the NBA ship for Europe. After landing the big free agent of the offseason in luring James Posey away from Boston, the Hornets are trying to re-sign their own free agents. They are hoping to resign Jannero Pargo who wants a three-year deal but they lost Chris Andersen to the Nuggets. Word is that they are going to let Bonzi Wells walk but may make an offer to try to keep Ryan Bowen. With the official signing of Anthony Roberson on Wednesday, the Knicks now officially have 16 contracts which is one more than the NBA max and their league high payroll is once again over $100 million at $100,161,287. They need to do something and odds are that with a crowded backcourt, Marbury and his $21.9 million contract may be the one to go. other options may be Malik Rose, or one of the other smaller contracts like Balkman or Collins who have a team option for the 2009-2010 season. Sebastian Telfair's three-year deal with the Wolves is worth $7.5 million with $2.3 million this coming season and an option to stick with the Wolves in 2010-2011 for $2.7 million. Reports are that the Wolves appear to be getting closer to re-signing Ryan Gomes. Their offer will probably be in the $3 million a year range. There aren't many teams who can offer much more than that left in the hunt for free agents. After losing one of their free agents, the Lakers are still trying to come to an agreement with their other free agent, Sasha Vujacic. Vujacic is seeking a multiyear deal from the Lakers averaging about $5 million a year. Vujacic was hoping for a six-year deal, but anticipated it could be a shorter contract. However, word from Vujacic is that he is prepared to leave the team and accept an offer from a European team in the next few days if the Lakers don't make him an offer he considers to be fair. East Valley Tribune suggests that the flexibility that Matt Barnes will give the Suns makes Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa expendable and might open the door for them to go after Kirk Hinrich who they have been interested for some time. I still think that Barnes would have been a great pick up for the Celtics, especially since he signed for a minimum contract. It seems as though the Blazers will spare nothing to try to dissuade teams from signing Darius Miles and thus put his $9 million in salary back on their club. First there was the leaking of the details of his suspension to the median. Now, Blazers GM is giving out details of Miles' injury that could land him in hot water. From the Sports Tribune: "Two doctors said Darius had the worst microfracture injury they had ever seen," Pritchard said on an Oregonlive.com blog this week. "They would never have him play basketball and the odds of having knee replacement surgery is high. I hear that, and as a general manager, I didn't want it on my conscience – that I had a kid have to go through a knee replacement surgery. That's a pretty major surgery. They saw (two bones) and replace (the knee). It's a bad deal." In a story posted April 14 on the Portland Tribune's Web site, Pritchard said, "The doctors had actually said, 'If you were my son, I'd never have you pick up a basketball again.' I'm the kind of GM (that) I wouldn't want that on my head that he ever had to have knee replacement." By revealing the specific details of Miles' injury, Prichard is in violation of the privacy provisions in the Health Insurance Portability and Availability Act of 1996. All of the underhanded activity by the Warriors in trying to prevent teams from giving Miles a chance make me really hoping the kid gets his comeback. Besides, I still am angry over the league not giving the Celtics any relief when Reggie Lewis died. I really hope Miles comes back and sticks it to the Warriors. Josh Childress has opened the flood gates for NBA players considering jumping to Europe for lucrative deals when they can't get what they feel they are worth in the NBA. The latest to consider the jump is former Celtic Delonte West. Russian basketball team Dynamo Moscow is discussing a two-year, $10 million offer with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West, according to source close to West. Delonte is a restricted free agent and he could sign a $2.76 million qualifying offer for the 2008-09 season and become an unrestricted free agent next year if he chooses to stay in the NBA and doesn't feel that the Cavs are offering enough. Delonte has been plagued with various injuries throughout his career so far and so taking the qualifying offer is risky if he is unable to stay healthy and earn a bigger payday next season.

Josh Childress's Great Escape

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:09:26 -0500

The NBA season is over but there is some wheeling and dealing going on. Elton Brand is a Sixer. Richard Jefferson is a Buck. (Doesn't that sound derogatory? I guess being a Buck is an insult.) Corey Maggette is a Warrior. My former fantasy basketball sixth-man Matt Barnes is a Sun. Chris Duhon joins the Apocalypse. Hype man Ronny Turiaf is getting live in the Bay now. TJ Ford is a Pacer. Jermaine O'neal is a Raptor. Marcus Camby is a Clipper. Talk about getting dissed. Camby was released for cap space and a secound round draft pick. Camby wisely predicts that the draft pick probably won't even make the team. Josh Childress is an Olympiaco. Olympi-who? J-Childs joined a team in Greece. The Hawks offered him $33 milli-ons over five years without including taxes and the Greeks offered $21 milli's in the air after the tax man cometh. Josh did real good. He's gets paid more and in a stronger currency with fringe benefits like free lounging. Good thing the Hawks drafted for the same position for five years in a row. They have been running through forwards. It looks like Team Josh is over. Josh Smith and Josh Childress might be gone. The big issue is what does this mean for the NBA and future NBA prospects? The high school kids looking through college brochures might be enticed to hit the Euro-league for seven figures instead of dodging freshman classes until the NBA draft while looking for ways to cover up booster scholarships. (Whew, I got winded after reading that sentence again.) Also, what impact will this have on the NBA benches? If a guy can make more money and start in Europe then why would he ride the pine in the NBA gaining no respect or PT. There's some rich people in Russia that could afford to bank-roll some serious basketball squads. What if they went after stars that are losing their home-side appeal like Vince Carter or Jason Kidd? This is an interesting time for the NBA. This could be bad news for the guys that go undrafted or get cut from NBA squads. It's already hard enough to become a professional basketball player. The last thing they probably want is competition from players with NBA job security. I hope Josh has some thick skin. It's all peaches and cream right now but those European fans have no boundaries. At least not in soccer where racism is obvious at times.

Will the Knick Dogs be Subjected to "The CAT"?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:41:15 -0500

Will the knicks utilize CAT as means to improve the teams lack of conditioning?

Blazers Advance

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:42:23 -0500

In the "Keep Your Picks" Playoff, the Portland Trail Blazers have defeated the Phliadelphia 76ers 108-99. PF Zach Randolph was named MVP of the game. The Blazers will play the Pistons in round two. For complete game stats, check out the NBA DraftNation page.

Malice in the Palace (Original Version) starring Ron Artest

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:52:44 -0500

In the wake of the WNBA version of Malice in the Palace, here's revisiting the original :

Next Move: Bring in a Center

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:41:25 -0500

Donnie Walsh needs to bring in a big man to protect the hoop. Here's a few ideas.

lebron is the man

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:42:07 -0500

i cant believe lebron james's cavs didnt make the playoffs his first 2 years in the league. they were definitely a great team. i think because of salary cap issues, no team will be able to afford the help he needs to win a ring.

gallinari hurt again

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:38:30 -0500

gallinari got hurt again. what else is new? whether it's donnie walsh or isiah or even scott layden, it never fails! our bad luck! looks like we should have never traded ewing! lets see when the knicks will win anothe rchampionship now!

Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Mind Blowing Artest Rumor Edition

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:45:06 -0500

In the Zzone reports that the Nets' free agent Bostjan Nachbar will be heading to Europe. According to legaue sources, Nachbar will sign with Dynamo Moscow in Russia. Another of the Nets' free agents, Nenad Krstic has also received offers to play overseas but would prefer to remain in the NBA. The Nets may be looking for a sign and trade with him. Not everyone is chomping at the bit for a big payday overseas. Will Bynum left lucrative offers overseas for a shot at making it to an NBA team. He played with the Pistons summer league team hoping to stick with the team as their No. 3 point guard. Bynum's gamble paid off and has agreed to a multi-year deal with Detroit. Bynum was signed by the Celtics in 2005 after he played with their summer league team. It was Bynum's signing that he and Tony Allen were celebrating when Tony was charged with assault in that night club shooting. The first of the Pistons' three second-round picks in last month's NBA draft, Walter Sharpe, is expected to sign a two-year deal as well. The Nuggets are looking to continue their cost cutting spree. After giving away Marcus Camby for a second round draft pick, word is that the Nuggets would trade Allen Iverson, Kenyon Martin or Nene, if anybody wanted them. Iverson has the most trade value with an expiring $20.84 million contract, he would be valuable to a team looking to clear salary-cap room for next summer. If the Nuggets, like every other team in the league, want to try to clear cap space for the summer of 2010, when LeBron and several other key stars will be free agents, then it might make sense for them to give away Iverson for nothing, as they did with Camby. The Knicks are have a new GM and a new coach. Isiah Thomas has been banished to NBA Siberia or something like that, but the Knicks still are struggling. They had the 6th pick in the draft and chose 19-year-old Danilo Gallinari. In his lone Summer League game for the Knicks, Gallinari went scoreless in the first 2½ quarters and then had an impressive seven minutes in the second half when he scored 14 points. After suffering a back injury in their game against Cleveland, he missed the final 4 games. The NY Post raises the issue that Gallinari's summer league makes the Knicks question whether he'll be durable enough to withstand the NBA's physical pounding for 82 games. A European source said Gallinari had various hamstring and knee problems in Italy, but a Knicks source said that was "growing pains." Ok, if they say so. Mark Bartlestein, who was instrumental in getting James Posey a big payday in New Orleans, is also Eddie House's agent and coincidentally, he is also the agent for Devean George, who has been linked to the Celtics in rumors lately. After the Celtics re-signed his client Eddie House, Bartelstein said the Celtics are interested in another of his free-agent clients: forward Devean George. Eric Pincus, a contributor to Hoopsworld for the Lakers and Clippers had this to say about George on the CelticStuff list: I know George well – he's athletic – can shoot – and is a better than average defender. He's not a particularly bright basketball player though – doesn't have a great handle – and can't do much more than spot up. He also gets hurt a lot – and doesn't play through pain well – especially because the core of his game is athleticism – when that's hampered he can be quite useless. I am not a big fan of signing him. He proved what kind of a team player he is when he almost blocked the trade for Jason Kidd. I would have much rather had Matt Barnes. I am sure that Danny knows what he is doing though and we'll have to see what he has up his sleeve. The Star Tribune is reporting that the Timberwolves have agreed to a multi-year contract with Sebastian Telfair. Telfair is another one of those players with potential and when he finally gets his head right will be a player. The Wolves now have 2 point guards on the roster in Randy Foye and Telfair. Still unsigned is Ryan Gomes who reportedly is seeking the full MLE. It seems that either he will have to go elsewhere or settle for less. It sure would be nice if he would agree to half the MLE in order to come back to Boston. He would be a great fit for the Celtics. Some have speculated that Josh Childress is waving the offer in Greece in front of the Hawks as a bargaining chip. However, Childress and his advisory team, including his agents are in Greece meeting with officials from Olympiakos. It's doubtful that the entire group would have gone all the way to Greece simply to dupe the Hawks. He is seriously considering signing there. The Pacers had a couple of decisions after making a big splash with the Jermaine O'Neal trade. They need help in the frontcourt, it won't be from 7'0" center David Harrison. Team officials said last week they are going in a different direction and have no interest in re-signing Harrison. Shawne Williams has had some problems off the court in the past year and the Pacers would like to rid themselves of Williams and his problems, but Pacers president Larry Bird says that he doesn't believe in buying out contracts, an issue that has arisen in regard to Williams and Jamaal Tinsley. So, if they want to rid themselves of yet another player with baggage, it will have to be via a trade. Seems that Larry should have tacked Williams on to O'Neal and shipped him off to Canada. If nothing comes up in the physical that Matt Barnes is completing today, he will be signing a veteran's minimum one year contract with the Suns today. I still say he would have been a nice fit with the Celtics. Finally, this rumor is pretty mind blowing. The SacBee is reporting that Detroit may be putting together a package for Ron Artest. Now wouldn't the Detroit fans just love having Billy Ron Ron there? After that brawl, Artest has been pretty much a villain in the Palace. This is one I'll have to see to believe.

Knicks finish 2-3 while Bayless shines

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:00:47 -0500

Last summer the Knicks were 5-0 in summer league play and Nate Robinson won the MVP. This summer league did not treat the Knicks as kindly as they finished with a 2-3 record under assistant coach Phil Weber and a player they passed up in the draft won the MVP. In the team's three losses they lost by an average of 22 points to the Suns, Bobcats and Timberwolves. Second-year player Wilson Chandler shined in both of the Knicks victories leading the team with 26 points against the Cavs and 31 points vs. the Suns. The 21-year old led the team in points scored per game (16.2), rebounds (7.8), shot 47% from the field and 81% from the foul line. He seems to be poised to have a solid season in Head Coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo system. Overall, he finished 22nd in points and 11th in rebounds. Anthony Roberson, who impressed team management, was signed to a two-year deal. The former Florida Gator finished second on the team averaging 14.8 points per game. In the team's final game vs. the Wolves he led the Knicks with 23 points and knocked down three from downtown. However, he shot just 39% from the field and dished out 0.8 assists per game. Roberson has unlimited range and quickness, but his passing distribution needs to improve if he wants to develop as a point guard. Renaldo Balkman's summer was also cut short due to a high-ankle sprain he suffered in the second game vs. the Spurs. Nate Robinson played in only two games, but was seen cheering from the stands and receiving frequent advice from D'Antoni. He shot just 2-16 in his limited action but had his jersey retired at halftime during the T-Wolves game for last year's performance. 1st round draft pick Danilo Gallinari played only one game due to a sore back. He scored 14 points in his debut with all of them coming in the second half. "Gallo" showed a deep shooting range, mental toughness and good ball handling ability. However, he had a difficult time defending the 285-pound Robert "Tractor" Traylor in the paint. Team brass was being cautious with the 19-year old Italian and an MRI revealed there was no further damage. The player the Knicks passed on to get Gallinari, former Arizona guard, Jerryd Bayless, lit up the Vegas summer league averaging a league high 29.8 points per game. He slipped to Indiana at #11 on Draft Day when some scouts saw him going as high as #3 to Seattle. The Pacers then dealt him to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jarret Jack and Brandon Rush. Bayless, who is the same age as Gallinari, relied on his quickness, shooting range and scoring aggressiveness to capture the summer league MVP. The 19-year old was also very comfortable and was fearless going to the rack. He thrived in his first game against the Kings, scoring 26 points, and capped off his summer with a 36 point outburst vs. the Suns on Saturday. The 6'3" combo guard also averaged 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. If the Vegas Summer League is any indication of what is to come, Bayless has a bright future and will form a solid, backcourt duo with third year All-Star, Brandon Roy. Bayless was also named to the USA basketball select team which is helping prepare the 2008 senior national team for the Beijing Olympics.

Lebron! Now that's what the knicks need

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:06:13 -0500

I was just looking at some lebron videos that i got off lebronjames.asia...Wow!!! This guy is amazing! Lebron James is who the Knicks need! They better get him in 2 years! I hope he doesn't go to the Nets, otherwise we are in for some real trouble!

Gallinari Injury

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:03:46 -0500

I was reading about Gallinari's injury at knicks.asia. Boy, what a wimp. He's gotta be trying to prove himself right now and I'm sorry, one game, one half rather, is not enough to get him on the team. We got 15 guys on our roster and he better earn his spot!

Walsh Hangs on to Randolph, Curry to Blame

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:11:08 -0500

The Knicks had a chance last week to unload Zach Randolph and his expensive contract. The offer (from the Clippers) was rejected. I've talked to many fans who see it as a missed opportunity. Why wouldn't Donnie Walsh jump at the chance to clear some salary cap room and begin his quest to rebuild the Knicks in earnest? There is only one reason I could come up with and that reason is Eddy Curry. Mike D'antoni's trademark basketball is fast paced and high scoring. Fans love it and Donnie Walsh hopes D'antoni brought both his winning ways and his spectacular style to New York. It is a very particular brand of ball relying on turnovers and a team capable of running the court at top speed. Eddy Curry can't do either of these things. In order for a team to create turnovers they must play defense and let's just say that Mr. Curry is lacking in that department. How many times have you been watching a Knicks game and thought to yourself, "Why is such a big dude so soft?" Eddy Curry makes Yao look like a thug on the court. He also can't run the floor. He lumbers the floor… which just won't cut the mustard in D'antoni's offensive sandwich. Until the Knicks get rid of Eddy Curry they're stuck with Randolph and his $48 million contract. He can run the floor on the fastbreak and, since he's a big man, that makes him a valuable commodity on the Knick's roster for the time being. Randolph's contract is a burden that Walsh would love to get rid of but wins are the number 1 priority and he can drop a double double consistently. I'm sure Walsh and D'antoni had a strategy pow-wow resulting in the Clipper's offer ally-ooped into a trash can. Maybe it was an old school metal trash can with a picture of Patrick Ewing on it. If it makes the Curry fans feel better I don't think Ewing would fit into a D'antoni offense either. Then again if the Knicks had a Patrick Ewing I don't think wins would be as few and far between as they have been recently.

Rumors and Free Agent Updates - OKC Thunder Edition

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:02:58 -0500

The Globe has a little tidbit buried at the end of an article about Marcus Camby. They report that the Celtics are still strongly interested in signing Eddie House and Tony Allen. The source said House and Allen are both also receiving interest from other teams as well. According to this, both are seeking three-year deals. I am sure the Celtics would want to sign as many 1 year minimum contracts as they can to limit their lux tax hit. They do have their MLE that they can split among players now that Posey is out of the picture. I think bringing both back would be a good move. If Tony can stay healthy, he can bring a lot of what they lost in Posey defensively. The Lakers have decided to let Ronny Turiaf go to the Warriors when they didn't match the offer made by Golden State. It is believed by many that the Warriors are over-paying for Turiaf just as many believe that the Hornets over paid for James Posey. The Lakers' off season approach is completely different from the Celtics' approach. The Celtics had 6 free agents and will more then likely let the majority of them go. They will have 2 rookies coming in and would not go the 4th year to retain Posey who was a crucial part of last season's team. The Lakers on the other hand are trying to keep their team from last year together as much as possible. There is much to be said for building chemistry and keeping a team together. It is a pretty risky move by Danny to think that you can bring in 5 or 6 new players and expect the same chemistry that led the Celtics to 66 wins and a title to return. The Warriors-Clippers-Sixers triangle continues as word is that the Warriors are now targeting the Sixers' restricted free agent Louis Williams. Williams' scoring knack would make him an intriguing fit in Don Nelson's system. Sources are reporting that the Warriors are planning to make a "big run" at him. This you take my player so I'll take yours is very interesting stuff. The Warriors are also reportedly interested in former Celtic Delonte West and the SF Chronicle reports that West might be close to signing an offer sheet. Since Delonte is a restricted free agent, the Cavs could match any offer the Warriors make to him. The Cavs are negotiating with West who reportedly seeking Beno Udrih type money (5 year/$32 million) and are also looking into possible replacements just to cover their backs. One possible alternative could be Orlando's Carlos Arroyo. The Dallas Morning News reports that the Mavs are unlikely to re-sign free agent 6-8 guard/forward Devean George. They also list a number of teams interested in the 6'8" guard/forward who averaged 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds last season for Dallas. The Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Hornets have expressed interest in George and they project that with the loss of Posey, the Celtics may be the next in line to take a look at him. Dime reports that the team formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics will now be called the The Oklahoma City Thunder. I wonder what the mascot will look like. I don't think I have ever seen a thunder. Lightning...yes, thunder... no. Maybe they will have a puffy cloud type thing. I may be old school but I prefer the old names that ar plural like the Celtics, Bucks, Knicks, Lakers, etc. Players can say, "I am a Celtic" and it sounds good. Or I am a Laker or I am a Knick. It just sounds wrong to say I am a Heat. Or I am a Magic. Or I am a Thunder. Slow news day and too much time to ponder on all these things. Marc Stein has some interesting stuff on Darius Miles' suspension. Sources say all 30 teams were notified this week by league memorandum that the drug which earned Portland Trail Blazers castoff Darius Miles a 10-game suspension to start next season -- if Miles can find a job -- is the appetite suppressant Phentermine. A weight-loss drug, basically. Steep as a 10-game ban is, then, Miles' mistake is nothing bound to scare teams away from signing him. He's tried out for at least four clubs already this month -- Boston, Dallas, New Jersey and Phoenix -- and is expected to command no more than a minimum salary in his comeback from long-standing knee problems, because the 26-year-old still has $18 million in salary coming from the Blazers. I say he is worth taking a chance on. A minimum salary, partially picked up by the league isn't much to gamble on a kid with his potential, versatility and length. Danny said that he was impressed by his workout for the Celtics so I believe that Miles may still be in the mix to fill one of the Celtics' remaining spots. Danny has taken a chance on two other players who were passed over because of knee problems in Leon Powe and Bill Walker. Powe has worked out great and I have a feeling that Walker will too. But if Danny continues to wait, the Mavs are very interested in Miles as well and may be the team that takes a chance on him.