Call security -- there's an Orange man among us.

Chaos and confusion reigned at the Canary Island Cervelo training camp. In what appeared to be a serious security breach, rival ProTour team Rabobank succeeded in placing a mole within the Cervelo team. A brazen move that brought the spy into close contact with Cervelo operations, training plans and proprietary technology.

The shocking development was all the more amazing considering the rider in question was wearing a bright Rabobank jersey that made no secret of his allegience. The spy even succeeded in joining the team for training camp photos and was only exposed when the photographer asked “the rider in the orange jersey” to move closer in.

Cervelo directeur sportif Alex Sans Vega was at a loss to explain how a rider wearing a bright orange and blue jersey could slip so effortlessly into the group of white and black clad riders. “It is unbelievable. Perhaps our sunglasses are too heavily tinted,” said Vega.

Cycling experts also noted that the women’s Cervelo team was also training with the men’s team. A distraction that may have permitted the Rabo spy to move freely without notice. “Sure, it’s a possibility. The boys were excited, obviously. We let our guard down,” Vega said, clearly perplexed.

Hotel security personal forcibly escorted the rider and his bike off the premises when it was revealed that the alleged undercover agent was in fact new Cervelo hire Theo Bos, a Dutchman who spent last year with Rabobank. Bos promised to get rid of his old Rabo jersey and change immediately.

Raquel is one hot cave girl.

We’re not saying Mark Cavendish is in danger. We’re only saying watch out and stick close together because crazy things have happened here.

Boy Racer and his Columbia HTC team are training in the Canaries, on the Spanish island of Lanzarote. This is the exact location where in 1966 they filmed the fantasy adventure One Million Years B.C. That last part evidently standing for Before Columbia.

The original theatrical poster invites us to  ”Travel back through time and space to the edge of man’s beginnings…discover a savage world whose only law was lust!” Savage as in vicious dinosaurs ripping cave men apart like deli hot wings. Doesn’t matter how fast you can sprint on a bike if there’s a tyrannosaurus rex behind you.

And there was the lust. Because the dish in question was none other than 60’s sex bomb Raquel Welch. It may be that even 44 years later there’s some lust left over, a tribe of sex-hungry cave girls still hiding out that would distract the training regime of the most hardened bike rider. Did I really say hardened?

Beware deadly dinos.

One Million Years B.C. concerns the story of the Rock and Shell tribe back in the pre-historic day battling the aforementioned dinos and each other. At the thrilling climax, a huge volcano erupts, basically destroying the planet, leaving only the sexy Raquel cave girl and one lucky man to rebuild the human race.

In actual fact, the island of Lanzarote is home to the largest submerged volcanic tunnel in the world. Hey, you never know when one of these babies can blow and team Columbia would be well-advised to have helicopters ready. Scorching hot lava will melt down a titanium or carbon fiber bike in minutes.

All we’re saying is, crazy things have happened on Lanzarote. They filmed the sci-fi movie The Krull here. A story of an alien called the Beast and his band of Slayers making life difficult for hero Liam Neeson. The princess is taken to the Black forest and much evil is done and by the way there’s no bike path there. Go at your own risk to the castle.

Cavendish vs. Alien?

Is that enough to scare off a merry band of bike racers? Then what about Alien Mine, also filmed on this Canary rock? An interstellar war between humans and reptiles with Dennis Quaid as savior. Blood, destruction and laughable story structure. Dangerous things just occur on a regular basis on this island.

Lets all just say a short prayer for Cavendish and Columbia HTC. What with the screaming hot lava, vicious dinosaurs, alien reptiles, beasts, slayers and sex-starved cave girls, things could get pretty rough. This is no training camp vacation and Mark Cavendish may rue the day the Columbia brass said, pack your bags, boys, we’re Canary-bound.

The sooner they get off the island of Lanzarote, the better.

The near demise of Saxo Bank in a snow bank.

Saxo Banks’ winter training camp nearly turned tragic yesterday in Denmark when all members of the ProTour team, including Tour France contender Andy Schleck, were buried alive in an avalanche.

According to news sources, the team was on a mountain bike ride deep in the Rold Skov forest when Schleck triggered an avalanche by screaming “I’ll kill Contador” into the thin mountain air. Within minutes the entire squad was buried 20 feel under.

“It was terrifying,” said Jens Voigt.” We were hit by a massive wall of snow. We were buried alive. But we pretended it was just another one of Bjarne’s crazy team building exercises. I could just feel one of Andy’s legs and would squeeze it to let him know he wasn’t alone.”

Team Manager Bjarne Riis, trailing the team on a snowmobile, was able to radio immediately for help. “If this had been Caisee d’Epargne or Astana, people would have died, said Riis.  ”That’s what the training is for. An avalanche, Alpe d’Huez, it’s all the same. I knew my guys would pull through.”

Within ten minutes a rescue team was on site poking the deep snow with 20 foot probes. “Suddenly I felt this stabbing pain but it was a good pain,” said Frank Schleck. “I knew it was salvation.”

The team had several cups of nice hot chocolate, then went for a plunge bath in a sub-zero lake before setting out on a night hike.

An Astana double-dose. The A & B team.

Whoever manufactures the Astana team wear better double production quick. There are two ProTour teams wearing the blue and yellow of Astana at two different camps. Crazy stuff.

The original Astana, now known as the Donor Team for Radio Shack, is training around Pisa, Italy. The new riders are still wearing their old team colors as they await their krazy kazak kits. That’s a triple K for those scoring at home.

Meanwhile over in Tucson, Arizona, team Radio Shack is also wearing the Astana colors since over ten of their riders left Astana to ride for Armstrong and former Astana manager Johan Bruyneel. They are still waiting for the new Radio Shack wear while Nike works through the final prototypes.

That’s a whole lot of Astana. While this gets sorted out, let’s try to keep everything straight in our heads. Astana A, original formula, is the Alberto Contador squad; Astana B (for Bruyneel) is the not-quite-dressed Radio Shack team.

That’s a lot of Astana Laundry.

The Pisa cycling metaphor

File in ironic cycling photos: The Astana Pisa pose.

Here’s a photo that makes Twisted Spoke laugh with all the underlying irony. The famed crooked tower in Pisa is a metaphor for all things Astana.

Alberto Contador leaning toward leaving Astana, then leaning toward staying.

Crooked Kazah rider Alexander Vinokourov back in the fold.

A team roster that tilted heavily toward Radio Shack with over 10 riders leaving to join Lance Armstrong and former DS Johan Bruyneel.

The uneven record of the Astana team management– the missed paychecks, missed UCI deadlines for licensing, the shaky, uneven financing.

The back and forth, right and left of the Oscar Pereiro contract squabble — he’s retiring, he’s not, he’s not invited to camp, he’s going to camp.

This is a team out of balance, destabilized and trying to find secure footing again.

Good luck with that, guys.

It’s the beginning of a new week to stir up trouble.  Let’s get inspired!  EVERYONE sing along now with MRS. BANKS!  

One of my most high-profile portraits is now a part of an award-winning campaign!

A little more than a year ago, I photographed New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning for the American Heart Association’s “What Moves U” billboard campaign. Then, on Oct. 9, 2009, at the Jersey Shore Public Relations & Advertising Association 35th Annual JASPER Awards (honoring excellence in New Jersey’s public relations, marketing, advertising, design and communications industry), the campaign received a Silver JASPER award. (The campaign consisted of 31 billboards throughout New Jersey, each featuring my portrait and encouraging children to be active.)
 
I remember this shoot quite clearly. It was August 2008, and I had approximately 10 minutes to make the photo that’s on the billboard (seen above). Eli was in the middle of training camp in Albany, N.Y., and he was coming off a Super Bowl victory.

I had set up a makeshift studio outside of UAlbany’s cafeteria so that Eli could step in and have his picture made before running off to lunch. A white backdrop was taped to a brick wall and lightstands with strobes and umbrellas were held in place with sandbags. It was not a very pretty or high-tech setup! Instead, it was simply intended to get the job done quickly.

 
I knew exactly what photos we needed, and I had sketched out the scenarios the night before. I also asked one of the Giants’ PR people to stand in for Eli once I had the backdrop and lights set up. This way, I didn’t have to test anything when Eli arrived.
 
The quarterback had just finished up the day’s first practice and he clearly wanted to get the shoot finished in a hurry. I tried a joke (OK, we all know that my jokes stink!) and Eli gave me a look that said, “Let’s just get this done.” So, that’s what we did. I gave some posing directions, got the pictures I needed, and called it a day. We all walked away happy.
 
In fact, the Giants were thrilled. They said that the portraits of Eli were some of the best and most flattering they’d seen. That made me feel like – despite the fact that the actual shooting took only 10 minutes (plus all the planning and setup and breakdown time) – I’d put in a good day’s work. The JASPER Award confirms that! Yay!

Turkoglu makes his Raps debut tomorrow night

Some news on an otherwise slow sports day: Hedo Turkoglu has been cleared to make preseason debut tomorrow night against the Celtics, signalling the end of his fall vacation and the beginning of what I’m hoping will be something good in Toronto. Turkoglu’s presence in the lineup means Jay Triano will have his starting five in tact for the first time, meaning we’ll finally be getting a good idea of what we’re in for this season in Raptorland.

Turkoglu has been in camp from day one but hasn’t seen much action due to fatigue from his NBA Finals run with Orlando and having played for Turkey at the European Championships this summer. I don’t necessarily agree with having him sit for two weeks — for example, the Lakers’ Pau Gasol played in the same Finals and championships but didn’t miss any time in Training Camp — but as long Turkoglu’s ready for opening night, I suppose it’s not that big a deal. Now he and Triano have to prove that he is.

The Raptors, by the way, open the regular season on Oct. 28 against The LeBrons.

This years Training Camp, which Coach Weber called the most competitive in his time here in Cincinnati, wraps up this week. The camp saw potential ‘Clones spend most of their time practicing behind closed doors down at USBA; they did have two public sessions at Northlands Ice Center, which will serve as their new practice facility. I was able to check both sessions out and was impressed with what I saw.

The Team also played two preseason games against the Toledo Walleye. The first game, played at USBA, saw the ‘Clones control the play but ultimately lose 3-2. The second game played at Toledo’s Tam-o-Shanter saw the Cyclones’ offense come to life and take a 7-4 decision.  John “the Hammer” Hamel’s official recaps for both games can be found here.

As the team gets ready to pack up and head on the road to Elmira, where they will open the season, Coach Weber still has some tough decisions to make before Wednesday, when the final rosters are do. The latest round of cuts inlcude Sam Bloom (F), Travis Winter (F), Jason Woll (D) and Felix Petit (F).

I was a bit disappointed to see Woll and Petit go. I’ve always liked the tenacity of Woll back on the blueline; he played a physical and chippy, yet mostly clean game. He played a solid game but compared to the others in the defensive core, I just don’t think that he had the same skill and someone had to be the odd man out. The Waiving of Petit caught me completely by surprise. The numbers Felix generated in the Junior ranks would suggest that he has plenty of offensive potential. Coach Weber spoke briefly about Felix Monday night at the Coach’s Show stating that Felix was very good on the PP, but didn’t mention much else about it. It’s only speculation but my guess is Felix wasn’t quite solid enough in the defensive zone.

As I type, the Cyclones announced they have released Kyle Hagel from his Tryout Agreement. I can’t say that this really surprises me, I figured that only Hans Benson or Hagel would make the squad. During the preseason game I was impressed with Benson’s skating where a Hagel didn’t really show up for moe other than his fight, which was a solid performance I should add.

The release of Hagel puts the roster at 23.  The ECHL roster maximum for active players is 20 (not including suspended players or injured reserve). The League allows for 3 players to be on active reserve; one on 3-day, one on 7-day and one on 21-day. With creative use of the IR, Chuck will not be required to waive another player. However, that would require someone to be put on the 21-day IR to start the season.

Barring another player release, the next stop is Elmira and the regular season, which makes me wonder; what’s worse than the bus trip to Elmira for a road game? How about the bus trip to Elmira for a HOME game.

-Mike-

Sure, it was preseason. And sure, a few solid players (namely Jimmy Kilpatrick) were missing from the lineup, but one thing stuck out in my mind: boys, the net is 6′ x 4′. Not any larger. I haven’t looked for a box score, but for the amount of shots the scoreboard showed (in the 30-40 range if I remember correctly), I have a hard time believing many were on net. Every time a great opportunity arised, there was a whiff, a squeaker, or they just downright missed the net completely. Still came away with two goals, and had Mayer not bobbled a rebound early on, may have come out with a win. Toledo had a lot of energy, though, but that seemed to sizzle as the night went on.

Scott Reynolds did not disappoint in his return to the Cyclones. He and Ehgoetz seemed to pick up where they left off in 2008. There’s incredible chemistry between those two, especially on the PK. Reynolds looked like he’d never left — good to know a year in Europe didn’t soften him at all!

And while I’m updating with  my $0.02, check out the where are they now: http://cycwords.wordpress.com/where-are-they-now/. Now that all of the US pro leagues are in season or holding camps, we’ve been able to track down a lot more of them.

– Dannielle

On the day the Cyclones open their two game preseason schedule, they announce the addition of goalie Jeremy Smith (from Milwaukee) and Jon Landry (free agent).

I guess life just got a little tougher if you’re a defenseman trying to make the squad.

As we roll into the 1st preseason game I wanted to catch up on a few things. First, here’s a list of all the guys that have rolled through camp thus far:

Forwards

Sam Bloom

Jonathan Duchesneau

Kenton Dulle

Barret Ehgoetz

Kyle Hagel

Adam Krug

Bryan Leitch

Felix Petit

Matt Pierce

Scott Reynolds

Brett Robinson

Dustin Sproat

Mark Voakes

Travis Winter

Hans Benson

Mike McLean

Jimmy Kilpatrick

Defensemen

Michael Busto

Reid Cashman

Jamie Coghlan

Shawn Fensel

Jason Josza

Kirk Medernach

Brian O’Hanely

Brock Sheahan

Jason Woll

Dwayne Zinger

Doug Krantz

Kevin Roeder

Goalies

Robert Mayer

It appears that Milwaukee has finally gotten around to sending us Jeremy Smith, but nothing official from the team yet.

Secondly, if you’re planning on heading down to USBA for tonight’s preseason tilt against the Toledo Walleye, here are the guys you definitely won’t see in action: Jonathan Duchesneau, Kenton Dulle, Adam Krug, Kirk Medernach, and Shawn Fensel. Duchesneau, Dulle Krug and Medernach were released and Fensel was suspended.

I had a chance to check out the public training camp sessions and was impressed with the size and speed of the squad. Chuck has some tough decisions to make regarding who will stay and who will go; just about any of the guys who may not make the team can play at this level and are guys we would have welcomed with open arms last January.

I’ll be updating later with my impressions of tonight’s game later tonight.

-Mike-

[As the Knicks draw ever so closer to the Sanctified date indicated by the 2010 Plan Cult Holy Trinity, resident blogger Orange and Blue throws some lime in that 2010 koolaid and dares to question the logic of the Holy Trinity Franchise Orthodoxy!]

Hang Ten at the Tides Crest . . . or a Wipe Out at the Tsunami on the Horizon?

Three is the Magic Number and Good Things Come in Threes, heck if you use numerology to size up what number the sacred day 2010 produces, … ta da it produces the number 3! Hey if you spell out the names of the three members of the Knicks 2010 Plan Cult Holy Trilogy: Donnie Walsh (11); Lebron James (11); and Alan Hahn (8) you get 11+11+8=30 but in numerology is actually 3. Whoa! This ain’t coincidence people, … there are magical forces at work in the universe beyond our control fating the fortunes of Walsh, Hahn and James together in a cosmological equation beyond our understanding. No Doubt about it! The 2010 date as day of jubilee is indeed on its way!

“THE PLAN,” getting ready to Hang Ten at the Tides Crest…?

OBTW “The Plan” = 7 + “Tatoo” = 5… 7+5 = 12 = a numerological … 3!

Ain’t the Plan Lovely?…

Back to reality and some spiking of that 2010 Koolaid with a dose of questions and some unheeded reality. As noted previously, the 2010 Plan Cult Holy Trinity represents a shifting of the tide for the Knicks organization. However, does that tide in and of itself usher in a whole different set of imbalances detrimental to the building of a contending NBA Franchise. Currently the Franchise’s actions, or lack thereof, indicate that management may have key free agents expire when their contracts are up without possibly obtaining anything in return. Additionally, the Franchise option not to secure an up and coming buck to address the team’s need at point guard, where such a move may have provided the organization with an additional value added asset when exposed to the current system of play. Lastly, the current head coach’s, failure to address the need for adequate coaching on the defensive side of the ball, while insisting on a style of play that devolves into an overreliance on three point shooting and long jumpers is a model that has consistently failed to succeed against more defensively oriented coaching models. More importantly is the understated nature of the gamble at play in 2010 and the great stakes for the Franchise should 2010 not materialize as ideally expected. At stake in the latest “Win Now” gamble, and make no mistake 2010 is “Win Now” on a studder step, may very well be the slow but steadily replenished cupboard of talent nursed to fruition over the span of time after the Scott Layden regime. What may be deduced from assessing the possible flaws, actual miscues and high stakes gamble at play resulting from management’s dogged stated fixation with “the plan,” suggest that the organization might just as easily Wipe Out as it just may Hang Ten when the 2010 Tsunami of inflated expectations comes to the shores of Knicks Fate.

Maybe NOT!…

Maybe NOT!!!

Squandering Assets and opportunities?

I. LoveLee hand, DeadLee hand, drifting Nates and fleeting fates

The contract plights of RFAs David Lee and Nate Robinson, in which both waited till the week before the beginning of the 2009-10 training camp to secure one year offers beyond the qualifying minimum[1], could result in a scenario whereby the Franchise may fail to retain either player when they join the pool of unrestricted free agents in 2010. The Franchise’s failure to secure both players in a manner which may have provided them fuller trade possibilities, namely by resigning either or both in the summer of 2008, may prove to be an important miscue when one considers the importance of young capable talent in today’s NBA. It is important to remember that an absence of talented trade assets is a situation experienced by the Knicks in it’s recent past under the Scott Layden Regime[2] and addressed, in part, by the succeeding Isiah Thomas Regime. Although Thomas’ efforts to cycle limited and undesirable players for questionable young talent via trades that stripped the Knicks of draft prospects in 2007 and 2010 failed, Thomas’ drafting acumen did yield the Franchise several popular and capable talents in the trio of Lee, Robinson and Chandler. Back to the point. Young capable talent, when acquired at a relatively reasonable cost, are important assets in the league because they may be used as resources that facilitate sound trades to acquire talent in return. By sound I mean not the lopsided variety entered into by Isiah Thomas in his wayward trade efforts to revitalize the barren talent cupboard left to him by Scott Layden.

A valid question then is Could David Lee and or Nate Robinson have been resigned in the summer of 2008 when their value, prior to heavy minutes in the “[ ]”Antoni system, was still low and conjectural[3] instead of inflated and debatable? [4] The resigning of Lee and possibly Nate when their value was conjectural rather than debatable would have allowed the franchise to have either or both available and as preserved trade assets. Perhaps a contract offers at a more reasonable price scale with increases prior to 2010 and a decrease in salary for 2010 coupled with a team option in the 3rd year and a player option in the 4th year would have preserved the Franchise’s option to exercise a trade of either one or both Lee or Robinson without the required permission that must accompany one year contracts of players acquiring Larry Bird or Early Bird Rights.[5] Such an arrangement could also have allowed all parties better options long term to test and use value as new outside free agent streams opened up in succeeding years beyond 2010. It should not be forgotten that much discussion of both David Lee and Nate Robinson has continued to be inextricably tied to possible cap reducing moves for the summer of 2010 and in particular as trade inducements to help facilitate trades with current Knicks’ undesirables Eddy Curry and Jared Jefferies. Additionally the retention of Lee and Robinson would have given the Franchise additional trade assets for the purposes of acquiring outside talent in return, since very few upper tier talents just leave their franchises without that franchise obtaining something in return, should the 2010 pool have dried up or not flowed as expected. Lastly despite the many articles written in the NY Press regarding Robinson’s supposed immaturity and Lee’s player limitations both have shown the professionalism lacking from franchise Albatrosses Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury. Namely, both Lee and Robinson have consistently shown improvement to their overall games by addressing voids in therein. Moreover, Robinson’s relentless offensive abandon for a player his size and Lee’s willingness to play out of position on defense, contribute to making both players far less gambles had they been resigned in the summer of 2008 than either Curry or Marbury were due to both players histories with their prior teams. With all that said did Walsh’s failure to secure Lee and Nate in the summer of 2008 signal the squandering of a Lovelee hand potentially turned Deadlee should Nate and Lee exit the franchise for nothing in return?

II. Penny Wise Pound Foolish? A buck stopped but not here as common sense yields to timid purse strings

As the summer of 2009 developed, it became increasingly clear to the Knicks and many amongst their fan base that the current solution at point guard was insufficient. The organization indicated as such through their pursuit of various point guards available in the 2009 summer free agent market- e.g., Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, Ramon Sessions-and the drafting of rookie point guard Toney Douglass. As Jason Kidd, thankfully, decided to spurn the Knicks and Andre Miller secured a deal with the Trailblazers, Ramon Sessions reportedly remained the main point guard in the Knicks cross hairs. As articulated by Tommy Beer of Hoopsworld, Ramon Sessions presented the Knicks a point guard prospects with a good combination of height, strength and upside.[6] Also as Beer points out, while not fully seasoned, Ramon Sessions’ two year stint in the NBA with the Bucks clearly demonstrated the young pure point guard’s upside- e.g., Sessions 15.1 PPG, 7.6 assists, 4.2 boards, and 1.3 steals per game average as a starter in 37 games for the Bucks. Additionally Ramon Sessions per 36 minutes per game production, in the half court oriented Bucks offense, in terms of assist and scoring exceeded[7] that of Chris Duhon’s whose production benefited from exposure to the “[ ]”Antoni up tempo style of play. [8]

As the summer sailed along numerous reports emerged of Walsh’s mythical patience at play, craftily waiting out Sessions. During the summer of 2009 the Bucks organization made offseason moves that pointed to their lukewarm interest in matching offers made to Sessions above the qualifying minimum. As the New York Sports Daily’s continued their boisterous speculation that the Master Turtle, like an apex predator was awaiting the perfect time to pounce over the free agent point guard, Sessions services were snatched up by Walsh protégé, David Kahn, who signed the RFA to a contract offer totaling 16 million dollars over four years, which the Bucks failed to match.[9] The moment which many NY Sports reporters, and fan boys, so brazenly claimed was Walsh’ for the taking in which Walsh supposedly had the up an coming and relatively inexpensive point guard where Walsh wanted him, became just more hot air.  Because Sessions was secured to manageable contract, which the Knicks easily could have exceeded, Sessions’ services and possible value increase while in the “[ ]”’Antoni  offense was squandered. For a team, such as the Knicks seeking a point guard capable of better directing the “[ ]”’Antoni offense, and with a skeleton crew possibly entering into the summer of 2010, the failure to sign an affordable and talented player with a combination of physical tools and potential to address an important aspect of the team’s offensive scheme may just result to be another Penny Wise Pound Foolish Move on the part of the 2010 Cap Space Cult.

III. Lost in a mess of Seven Seconds or Less and the 2010 Cap Space Cult Tunnel Vision: the unheeded overtures of Defense wins Championships and No Rebounds no Rings

As opportunities are lost and assets possibly squandered in the dream world tunnel vision that is the 2010 Plan, often neglected are the possible limitations with the Knicks’ current style of play. As previously noted the acquisition of Mike “[ ]”Antoni at the coaching helm is a move that was a significant improvement in many ways from the former listless coaching tenure of the Isaiah Thomas era. However, if the ultimate goal for the franchise is to eventually contend for and win an NBA Championship, then the current style of play, with its nonchalant approach to the defensive side of the ball, and apparent failure to bolster coaching on that end, may well prevent the franchise from its stated objective. During the 2008-09 season the Knicks were ranked 28th out of 30 teams in scoring defense, yielding 107.8 points per game, and 28th out of 30 teams in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to connect on 47.98% of their shot attempts.[10] Certainly the absence of a presence in the middle of the paint to anchor the defense would help but the problems affecting the Knicks defense may be as much philosophical as they are a reflection of the franchise’s absence of an interior presence. The current approach towards the defense is exemplified in  “[ ]”Antoni’s simplistic player personnel preference approach to bolstering the team’s defense to the current exclusion of any wholesale improvement in the team’s overall coaching approach on that end, which would require either a greater attention to coordinating and orchestrating that side of the ball or acquiring an assistant capable of effectively directing defense. For instance, although “[ ]”Antoni may be credited with favoring players prepackaged with a defensive mindset, “[ ]”Antoni’s failure to properly direct or acquire such a director on that end indicates a general  unwillingness to craft an orchestra on defense for the grand stage. During the course of the 2008-09 season opportunities existed to enlist the services of Mark I’avaroni, Bill Lambieer and even former Knicks defensive standout Charles Oakley but no move was made by the organization to acquire either named coach or personnel.  Ultimately, could it be that the simple valuation and acquisition of individual defenders without acquiring defensive oriented coaching to improve and provide cohesiveness and structure on that end, hints at a neglect of the defensive side of the ball[11] that rivals, former Eagles coach Buddy Ryan’s self destructive spurning of his offensive players during his tenure with the formidable NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles teams.

In addition to the concern with the teams defense, less mentioned is the Knicks shortcomings in the area of rebounding. Although the Knicks were ranked 8th in total rebounds per game the Knicks ranked 26 out of 30 teams in rebounding differential giving up 4 rebounds more per game 46.1 than secured 42.1. Lee in 2008-09 Season ranked third in the league in rebounding pulling down 11.7 rebounds per game. With David Lee’s possible exit in the summer of 2010, in order for the 2010 Caps Space Cult to carve out further Cap Space[12] for Le Saviour, the remnant Knicks roster may well end up without any proven rebounder approaching Lee’s ability. That scenario could likely lessen the scraps of talent on the Knicks roster when the Franchise invites the King or their next “Saviour” onto the Garden.

All Eggs in a Basket with some large holes in it, … or …

Going to a shoot out with plenty of ammo but not enough men?

While much of the talk about King James emphasizes his aspirations as a mogul and not just icon, often lost in that conversation is King James’ serious aversion to losing and desire to reach the leagues pinnacle by winning a championship. The most instrumental example of the Kings’ unwillingness to readily accept defeat was on display during his recent playoff appearance against the more balanced Dwight Howard led Orlando Magic team, when King James refused to shake Hands with the victorious Magic team that had eliminated the Kings Cavaliers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. With that as the backdrop is it possible then that King James would so readily bolt an average team on an organization that has attempted to improve the product on the Kings behalf for a possibly gutted Knicks team that could be without its best rebounder, a scorer off the bench, and direction at the point. Would James, leave a team ranked near in the top five to ten in most defensive categories[13] for a team that ranks near the bottom in those same categories. Also consider that the 2010 market is not simply the Knicks play pen that the local press paints it out to be as there will be other potential buyer’s, many of which may possess either a combination of comparable cap room or a fuller set of complimentary talent or both. [14] With the possible holes in the Knicks roster that may result from the Franchise’s effort to maximize every bit of cap space for LeSaviour, why would James, or any upper tier free agent for that matter, merely go for only a bigger salary if the supporting cast offered by other teams may generally be better constituted than the remnant supporting cast the Knicks stroll out in 2010?  Lest everyone forget that Superstars generally need sidekicks and a capable team around them in all aspects of the game.

The Stakes at Play

As stated earlier a tide has turned for the Knicks Franchise as they have shifted from overpaying for players whose production would not yield results towards an end game of entering into and succeeding in post-season play to an agenda of obtaining cap space flexibility to secure star caliber talent in the upcoming free agent wave. But no matter how lovely the plan might appear it is nonetheless a gamble and yet another variation on a creature that has been fostered by New York’s win now mandate- 2010 will be only two full regular seasons and three summers removed from the end of Isiah Thomas’ regime. With a team that may well lose two of it’s own key free agents and has passed on acquiring talent that could address a key component of the offense, not to mention the important task of improving the team’s play on the defensive end, the stakes at play in this gamble might leave the franchise without their long sought out Savior and possibly with another empty cupboard. Should the Knicks not “Hang Ten” and rather wipe out on the wave of 2010 free agency, it will be the fan base who will finally have to come to terms with the Tsunami of heightened expectations fed to them by the local sports media.

U2’s Staring at the Sun

Waves that leave me out of reach
Breaking on your back like a beach
Will we ever live in peace?

‘Cause those that can’t do
Often have to
And those that can’t do
Often have to preach

To the ones
Staring at the sun
Afraid of what you’d find
If you took a look inside
Not just deaf and dumb
[you’re] staring at the sun
[you’re] not the only one
Who’d rather go blind

[1] David Lee’s deal is reportedly worth 7 million dollars in 2009-10 season with incentive clauses that could increase the value of the contract to 8 million. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ys-leeknicks092409&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

The increase in David Lee’s contract to a maximum of 8 million would occur only if the Knicks make the playoffs in the 2009-10 season.  Nate Robinson is reported to have signed a one-year deal worth more than the 2.9 million qualifying offer the Knicks are required to extend to Robinson by league rules.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/david-lee-re-signs-with-knicks-1.1471520

[2] For a thorough discussion of the Knicks’ dearth of talent under the Scott Layden regime and the Herculean efforts of Isiah Thomas to revive the Franchises’ talent base, See http://www.cosellout.com/?p=128

[3] An article suggested that the 2008 offseason negotiations to resign Lee would have had to have started at about 6 million per season at minimum. See New York Post article “’Shaky’ Deal: Lee Status with Knicks Up in Air: by Marc Berman (last updated 7/14/08 at 6:46am)

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/shaky_deal_U1LbMN5E8MR9IkRPsPgBvO

[4] David Lee’s production per 36 minutes per game in “[ ]”Antoni system of play increased Lee’s scoring average by 4.07 points per game from 12.43 PPG to 16.5 PPG, his rebounding average per 36 minutes per game increased by .5 per game from 11.1 RPG to 11.6 RPG.

Nate Robinson’s statistical production in terms of points per 36 minutes also improved by about  4 point per, from 16.733 PPG to 20.7 PPG, while in the “[ ]”Antoni system of play. Robinson’s assist per game per 36 minutes increased by 1.6 per game, from 3.3 APG to 4.9 APG with his turnover remaining steady 2.2 TOV to 2.3 TOV with “[ ]”antoni.

See Player Statistical Reference at Basketball Reference.Com

http://www.basketball-reference.com/

[5] See Coon, Larry (2005); “NBA Salary Cap/Collective Bargaining Agreement FAQ”

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm, last visited September 28, 2009

In particular read answer to question80. When can a team trade a free agent it signs? Do they have to keep him forever?

[6] See Tommy Beer’s Hoopsworld.com Article entitled “Knicks: Sessions Makes Sense in New York!” (last updated 8/4/09 at 9:04am ET)

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13500&print=yes

[7] Ramon Sessions per 36 minutes per game scoring and assist average is 15.3 points per game and 7.9 assist per game.

[8] Chris Duhon’s per 36 minute per game scoring and assist average during the 2008-09 NBA season with the New York Knicks is 7.0 assist per game with 10.9 points per game. That figure represented a .725 assist per game increase from Duhon’s 4 year career assist total of 6.275 with the Bulls and a 1.225 point per game increase from Duhon’s 9.675 points per game average while with the Bulls.

[9] Associated Press “Sessions to fill Rubio’s Shoes in Minnesota,” Krawzcynski, John, September 15, 2009. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g1I0RUcT7zvlTBR0Id4REm7h2FfgD9AO2HPO0

[10] http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/statistics?stat=tmcompare&season=2009&seasontype=2&league=nba

[11] To D’antoni’s credit he recently recognized that he did not properly emphasize defense during the 2008-09 NBA Season. D’antoni has set a goal to have the Knicks in the top half in defense for the upcoming 2009-10 Season. Via Twitter (Marc Berman, New York Post), September 29, 2009.

[12] Note that unless a Team renounces their rights to a player, that player’s salary is counted against the team’s payroll at a percentage relative to the particular type of free agent that that player represents.

Since, David Lee negotiated a contract with the Knicks above the Qualifying Minimum of his Rookie Scale Contract he will become a Free Agent in 2010 not on a Rookie Scale Contract, which would place his cap hold at 150% of his current salary, 7 million annually, or a 10.5 million cap hold on the Knicks 2010 Salary Cap. The Knicks could clear that cap hold by renouncing David Lee’s rights. However, once renounced in that particular situation the Knicks cannot undo that renouncement even if they wipeout against the 2010 Free Agent Wave. See Questions 14, 29, 30, and 32-34 in Coon, Larry (2005); “NBA Salary Cap/Collective Bargaining Agreement FAQ”.

[13] Cleveland Ranked first in scoring defense limiting their opponents to 91.4 points per game. They ranked 2nd in defensive field goal percentage limiting their opponents to 43.0% shooting. Cavaliers ranked 7th in shot blocking averaging 5.3 blocks for contest. The Cavs also ranked 3rd in rebounding differential outrebounding their opponents by 3.3. rebounds per game. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/statistics?stat=teamstatreb&season=2009&seasontype=2

[14] Assume Salary Cap in 2010 = 57,000,000.00

** Indicates key player in team’s possession

The list below points to teams who will likely have significant cap space in order to be players in the 2010 free agent market. The cap space estimates are rough estimates and do not take into account the cap space hold rules noted above in footnote 12 or other rules applicable to determining Salary Cap Space that can be found in questions 14, 19, 20 and 35 of Larry Coons Salary Cap FAQ

Information regarding team salary commitment scenarios and salary cap space alternatives in 2010 extracted from tables found at Hoopshype Team Salaries and Payroll page found at http://hoopshype.com/salaries.htm

Cavs in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $25,346,007 when James test free agency

- $8,196,764.00 should James not opt out- not likely

(Notable Players, possibly, still on Roster:)

- A. Varejao, M.”Williams, D. West, D. Gibson, J. Moon.

(Key Expiring Contracts or Players possibly electing to exercise Player Options)

- **L. James, S. O’Neal

Knicks in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $35,099,217.00

- $29,664,176.00 retaining both W. Chandler and D. Gallinari

(Notable Players, possibly, still on Roster)

- Wilson Chandler, Danillo Gallinari, Jordan Hill, Toney Douglas, Eddy Curry, Jared Jefferies.

(Key Expiring Contracts or Players possibly electing to exercise Player Options)

- D. Lee, N. Robinson

Rockets in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $17,339,518.00 assuming Aaron Brooks retained by Rockets

(Notable Players, possibly,  still on Roster)

- Yao Ming, Shane Battier, Trevor Ariza, Aaron Brooks.

(Key Expiring Contracts or Players possibly electing to exercise Player Options)

T. McGrady, L. Scola, Y. Ming

Heat in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $51,190,760.00 D. Wade Opts out and team options exercised retaining M. Beasley and M. Chalmers

- $34,041,517.00 should D. Wade not opt out (not likely) and the Heat retain M. Beasley and M. Chalmers

(Notable Players, possibly,  still on Roster)

- M. Chalmers, M. Beasley.

(Key Expiring Contracts or Players possibly electing to exercise Player Options)

- **Dwayne Wade, U. Haslem

Bulls in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $19,330,174.00 in cap space with only J. Noah and D. Rose retained.

- $13,073,368.00 in cap space for 2010- assume J. Noah, D. Rose and T. Thomas retained by Bulls

(Notable Players, possibly,  still on Roster)

- L. Deng, K. Hinrich, J. Salmons, D. Rose, T. Thomas, J. Noah

Kings in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $21,759,595.00  no team option exercised and no qualifying offer tendered

- $18,953,707.00 if S. Rodriguez retained with qualifying offer

(Notable Players, possibly,  still on Roster)

- K. Martin, A. Nocioni, B. Udrih, F. Garcia, T. Evans

Clippers in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $17,907,455.00 assuming E. Gordon and A. Thorton are retained by Clippers.

(Notable Players, possibly,  still on Roster)

- B. Davis, C. Kaman, B. Griffin, E. Gordon, A. Thorton

Nets in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $39,176,520.00 not retaining RFO and not exercising team options to retain named players

- $25,010,456.00 in cap space retaining RFO with QO and exercising team options on named players

(Notable Players, possibly,  still on Roster)

- D. Harris, B. Lopez, Y. Jianlian, J. Boone, S. Williams, C. Lee, C.Douglas-Roberts

Blazers in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $18,365,374.00 Blazers extend QO to L. Aldridge and exercise team options retaining G. Oden, J. Bayless, R. Fernandez and N. Batum

- Blazers will likely resign Brandon Roy effectively limiting their participation in the 2010 market.

(Key Expiring Contracts or Players possibly electing to exercise Player Options)

** B. Roy, T. Outlaw, S. Blake

Hawks in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $25,896,303.00 in cap space with A. Horford Retained

(Notable Players, possibly,  still on Roster)

- J. Smith, J. Crawford, A. Horford

(Key Expiring Contracts or Players possibly electing to exercise Player Options)

- **J. Johnson

Thunder in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $26,730,214.00 in cap space with K Durant and W. Wesbrook retained.

(Notable Players, possibly, still on Roster)

- K. Durant, R. Westbrook.

Suns in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $26,180,796.00 A. Stoudemire exercises Player Option

- $24,313,476.00 A. Stoudemire Opts out and Suns Retian R. Lopez

(Notable Players, possibly,  still on Roster)

- J. Richardson, S. Nash, L. Barbosa, R. Lopez.

(Key Expiring Contracts or Players possibly electing to exercise Player Options)

- **A. Stoudemire,

Grizzlies in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $20,196,987.00 Team options not exercised on OJ Mayo, M. Conley nor extend QO to R. Gay.

- $6,404,998.00 Grizzlies exercise team options on OJ Mayo, M. Conley and extend QO to R. Gay

(Notable Players, possibly,  still on Roster)

- M. Gasol, H. Thabeet, Z. Randolph, OJ Mayo, R. Gay, M. Conley

TWolves in 2010

(Cap space in 2010 not considering cap hold figures)

- $35,494,200.00 no team options exercise – really about $31,494,200.00 b/c of Contract with R. Sessions

- $28,152,448.00 team options exercise on K. Love and C. Brewer – really $24, 152,448.00 same as above.

(Notable Players, possibly,  still on Roster)

- A. Jefferson, R. Gomes, K. Love, J. Flynn,

Pau Gasol no fue uno de los golpes de efecto que la candidatura de Madrid esperaba mostrar al mundo hoy en Copenhague. El MVP del último Europeo no obtuvo el permiso de los Lakers por lo que no pudo trasladarse a defender en persona los intereses olímpicos españoles. ‘Gasolina’ había viajado ya hasta tierras estadounidenses para comenzar el Training Camp con sus compañeros de equipo. Con un aspecto más aseado, quizá seguiendo un ¿nuevo código? de conducta planteado por el ‘hippie’ Phil Jackson y que ha tenido la melenita de Sasha Vujacic como primer damnificado, reducido el volumen capilar y su condición de barbudo, Gasol responde a las preguntas de NBATV en un programa sobre los entrenamientos de pretemporada de los Lakers. Pau conversa sobre su experiencia en el Europeo, su campeonato, le preguntan sobre el estado de su dedo operado y analiza las exigencias ante la reválida del título y la llegada de Ron Artest, un ‘tipo con hambre’, según el español preguntado por el mítico James Worthy. El presentador termina calificando a Pau como el ‘mayor trabajador del mundo’ del baloncesto. Os dejo el vídeo, en el que, como curiosidad, se ve echando unos tiros a Mickeal Gelabale y a Thomas Kelati, dos exACB que luchan por un hueco en el roster Laker.

 http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2009/10/01/rtc_lal_30.nba/

DeRo

With all due respect to Nathan Jawai, it has been some time since I’ve been as excited about a Raptors rookie as I am with DeMar DeRozan. Andrea Bargnani, maybe, but even he took some time to grow on me. Anyway, you’ve likely heard the comparison — DeRozan is the next Vince Carter, so they say. That’s fine by me, as long as he doesn’t play three good years and take the rest of his career off.

DeRozan, who entered the draft after just one year at USC and was born and raised Straight Outta Compton, is already getting consideration for a starting spot from the outset of his first NBA training camp. According to The Star’s Doug Smith, the rookie is coach Jay Triano’s guy, but he’s not “going to give it to him”. Smith suggests starting DeRozan and giving him six or seven minutes at the beginning of each half to gel with the starting unit, then make way for the rest of the crew — Antoine Wright, Marco Belinelli and Jarrett Jack, who I’m assuming will see some time at the two as well as backing up Jose Calderon.

Regardless of his role to start the season, I’m pumped to have a kid like this on the team. Just 20 and dubbed by many as the most athletic player in the draft, I’m surprised he dropped to ninth, considering how many teams draft on potential alone these days. Then again, he’ll have to live up to that “next Carter” title. Here’s hoping he does (and that he doesn’t turn into a baby, get hurt, stop trying, leave Toronto and proceed to destroy every other team he plays for. Have fun Orlando!).

Rondo Fires Up A Shot (Photo by Lisa Hornak)

Comcast SportsNet New England reported last night that Rajon Rondo has been working with former Cavaliers guard Mark Price, on fixing his shooting mechanics.

This is an important change. In the past, Rondo stated that he believed  that practice alone would improve his shot and that he could keep his awkward mechanics.   In the first day of camp, Rondo’s shot has already wowed Doc Rivers:

“I’m impressed with the way he played,” Rivers said after practice yesterday. “He shot the ball really well. He ran the team well.”Providence Journal

Price’s talent that may help Rondo the most is Free Throw Shooting.  Rondo is a  poor FT shooter, but has the talent to draw fouls at a very high rate.   If Rondo is able to convert his FTs, he will become even more confident playing inside, and instead of avoiding contact as much as possible, he may actually begin to complete some And-1 opportunities.