The Nuggets received an All-Star point guard to pair with Carmelo Anthony, it's a interesting move considering he has a ton of money left on his deal and they'll have to make a decision a $14 million dollar option when Mr. Big Shot is 35. Escalating contracts to players in their mid-30s are a scary proposition.

So what does that tell you about Marbury? Walsh can't get a sniff for him. Clearly, he couldn't fathom a trade for Iverson, since the roster space on his team can't allow him 3-for-1 deals, plus a team is getting back Marbury. Hence, he has no value.

And I find that to be remarkable.

Continuing on our Sean Williams rant, the story we told yesterday is a valid one. But let's be clear, the Knicks have not reached out. I've heard plenty of fans bark that Mardy Collins has no trade value, which is part of the reason why I was shocked to hear that the Nets would listen to that offer. But, they really want Williams to go away. We've learned Rod Thorn picked up Williams' option for the simple reason to trade him, because he thinks he has value. And clearly, it can't be any more than a former late first round pick and a second rounder.

The pick is basically money, and with the Nets in a finacial bind, they may not even really want that, but based on Thorn's savvy good fortune to snag Chris-Douglas Roberts in the second frame this past June, why wouldn't he take Collins, a four-year college player with a good IQ (music to Lawrence Franks' ears), and the chance to snag another sleeper for a guy who doesn't fit in their plans?

Maybe the fear would be to see Williams explode in NY, but that's a risk. Does that risk equal the chance to add backcourt depth and draft another inexpensive sleeper?

Obviously, the Donnie Walsh/Harrington connection, and the New York connection between Walsh and Chris Mullin. But remember, Don Nelson didn't exactly enjoy his brief stay here (35-24 in 95-96), so you can bet a deal will be difficult to swing if he has any say. Nellie does love big guys and Curry teamed with Andres Biedrins would be an interesting and possibly very effective tandem. Curry would allow Nelson to bring the talented Brandan Wright along slowly.

The question becomes how long can the Warriors take Harrington's demands, and how willing are they to eat Curry's final year?

Again, it may take adding, say, Nate Robinson (the Warriors would have to add a player to make it work) so you have to ask yourself, how badly do you wish to bring in a talented, yet moody, big man who would add great cap relief, in addition to unloading Curry?

I've always said, no coach will ever bitch at a player for taking a shot if he plays hard on the defensive end. And I've always preached that if you are having trouble getting your shot off, as Crawford seemed to in D'Antoni's half court sets, rebound the ball. Then it's yours to do whatever you want with it because you've earned the ball in your hands.

In the first quarter of last night's game, Crawford got a rebound and took the ball on a nice drive in transition and got to the basket, made the layup and got fouled. The ensuing free throw allowed for him a free opportunity to get feel for his jumper. The next possession he made a three. So in essence, that one rebound translated into 6 quick points.

The organization, headed by Donnie Walsh, loves this kid and I'm happy the fans get to see why. As I've said before, stats are way too often misleading and when you take a look at Ewing Jr.'s output on paper at Georgetown, he should be in law school somewhere right about now.

"Tony Rice Balls" has pulled an interview with Zach Randolph at 10 o'clock. ZBo's play has gained tremendous respect from Coach D'Antoni this preseason. The show will be from 10-11pm.

ust because they can dribble doesn't make them point guards. Point guards are born. This is not to say that Duhon is Steve Nash, he's a below average NBA starter, but what he gives you on both ends of the floor is a 100% upgrade. This is why D'Antoni refers to Duhon as a "winning player," see there's more to winning than cross over pull ups or ferociously attacking the rim off the bounce.

"a€¦Duhon had seven turnovers in the preseason opener and another four Tuesday, including two in the final two minutes of crunch time, says Berman. "Part of Duhon's value is so microscopic, you can't even see it watching the game, D'Antoni saida€¦"

Really? Getting over screens and leading a well-balanced offense is "microscopic" ? Seems pretty clear to me.

"a€¦Besides being perceived as a winning player, Duhon has another decided edge over Marbury, in D'Antoni's mind," Lawrence wrote.

'Our defense has to get much, much better,' the coach (D'Antoni) said. 'I think Chris is one of our better defenders. It would be hypocritical of me to say, 'We've got to get better defensively,' and then take him out. But we've got to figure out a lot of things."

But Marbury's role isn't one of thema€¦"

Defensively? Absolutely not. If I watch him get under another screen Mitch, I'm throwing my TV out the window.

The question becomes does D'Antoni switch to a slower set for a few minutes with Curry, or force the big man to develop his catching and passing skills earlier in the shot clock?

If Donnie Walsh evaluated last year that the team lacked a facilitator, trust his judgement. Duhon's presense may equal plenty more wins, just by the sheer efforts (or lack there of) from the guards that we've seen over the past few years, and the fact that he takes so few bad shots.

Needless to say this with the direction the game is headed, this would be a superlative move by Donnie Walsh.

Tommy Dee talks about a not so meaningless preseason game on Theknicksblog Minute....

WHEN: 7PM

WHERE: Air Canada Centre

WATCH: MSG

Projected Lineups:

Toronto

PG: Jose Calderon

SG; Anthony Parker

SF: Jamario Moon

PF: Chris Bosh

C: Jermaine O'Neal

Knicks

PG: Chris Duhon

SG: Jamal Crawford

SF: Quentin Richardson

PF: Zach Randolph

C; David Lee

WHEN: 7PM

WHERE: Air Canada Centre

WATCH: MSG

Projected Lineups:

Toronto

PG: Jose Calderon

SG; Anthony Parker

SF: Jamario Moon

PF: Chris Bosh

C: Jermaine O'Neal

Knicks

PG: Chris Duhon

SG: Jamal Crawford

SF: Quentin Richardson

PF: Zach Randolph

C; David Lee

WHEN: 7PM

WHERE: Air Canada Centre

WATCH: MSG

Projected Lineups:

Toronto

PG: Jose Calderon

SG; Anthony Parker

SF: Jamario Moon

PF: Chris Bosh

C: Jermaine O'Neal

Knicks

PG: Chris Duhon

SG: Jamal Crawford

SF: Quentin Richardson

PF: Zach Randolph

C; David Lee

WHEN: 7PM

WHERE: Air Canada Centre

WATCH: MSG

Projected Lineups:

Toronto

PG: Jose Calderon

SG; Anthony Parker

SF: Jamario Moon

PF: Chris Bosh

C: Jermaine O'Neal

Knicks

PG: Chris Duhon

SG: Jamal Crawford

SF: Quentin Richardson

PF: Zach Randolph

C; David Lee