I don't get a chance to do this often, but there's an awful lot of buzz around the trade deadline, not to mention the dire economic climate has forced all teams, including the Knicks, to consider some difficult choices in roster management. A few of these links are old, but are still highly recommended reading:

*  Dreams of David Lee:  Tom Ziller, one of the very best basketball bloggers out there, considers the market demand for David Lee in the context of the needs of his Sacramento Kings. Since he penned the piece, the salary cap considerations seem to have gotten even more dire for the league, such that some of his estimates might reasonably be adjusted downward (also, the Thunder are presumably not in the running they were at the time the article was written, with the Chandler trade).  Still, it's one of the more rational discussions of Lee's worth in the context of teams' needs and the reality of their financial situation.

* More Shrinking Salary Cap Considerations: Chris Sheridan doesn't really tell Knick fans anything they didn't already know (Knicks are not likely to keep Nate and DLee), but it's a good summary of the current environment based on the latest discussions from the All-Star weekend.

* TalkHoops Talks To Me: I was lucky enough to be featured in last Wednesday's edition of "Ask A Blogger" on MVN's Eight Second Violation, put together by the tireless Zach Harper (very active when it comes to blogging and on Twitter).  Zach's most interesting question to me was to ask who I would choose between Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari. I didn't want to choose at first, but as I thought of it more, the answer was pretty decisive.  (Thanks Zach, for the thoughtful exchange!)

* D'Antoni Does Defense:  I have always felt that Mike D'Antoni gets a knee-jerk rap from most casual fans when it comes to his teams' ability to play defense. Nobody would mistake the current Knicks for a defensive juggernaut, but D'Antoni didn't choose most of the current roster. Thankfully, Kevin Pelton makes the case for D'Antoni as more defensively aware than most give him credit for. Great, great read.

"D'Antoni's teams have never been the defensive liabilities they were made out to be in the media. On a per-possession basis, the Suns generally ended up right around league average. The natural conclusion was that D'Antoni was an acceptable defensive coach and an elite offensive one. This year's results have undercut that position. D'Antoni still appears to be a terrific coach, just not in the way we assumed. It's a thought that borders on preposterous, but perhaps D'Antoni's true genius lies in his ability to take gifted offensive players without the same knack for the other end of the floor and cobble them into a competent unit."

*  David Thorpe High on Knick Chances in 2010:  The superb blog Third Quarter Collapse, which covers the Orlando Magic, has published a series of interviews with David Thorpe of ESPN and IMG, one of the more knowledgeable basketball minds and developers of talent. The interviews are understandably focused on the Magic, but there are substantial insights into the league as a whole, and in the final part, he addresses the Knicks directly:

What are the odds, obviously with 2010 and LeBron, Bosh, Wade, Amare, all those names. What are the odds that the Knicks get LeBron? Obviously that's been the talk forever now. Do you think it's really going to happen? Do you think LeBron will go to New York?

I can only give you the inside I have as a guy that knows players as well as I do. Players like change. Players, especially like LeBron, are so hooked into the business part of being a professional basketball player that there is no one that can touch New York except for maybe the Lakers, but probably not. Probably New York is it. I think that people underrate the idea of playing for a guy like Mike D'Antoni. I think that he's one of those guys that let you play. I think the team is starting to realize it now. Some of the guys that complained last year are kicking themselves, saying 'what the heck are we thinking about? This guy is a joy to play with compared to most other people.'

 

I think that those combinations suggest that, sure it's possible. I wouldn't begin to guess of whether it's going to happen. I don't think LeBron knows. How can we figure out it when I'm quite sure he hasn't figured it out? When I was coaching high school kid years ago, and they would ask me 'where do you think he's going to go?'  I would always say 'I don't think he knows, how would I know?' I don't think he's thinking about it. I think LeBron is very focused right now on trying to win a ring. I think he plays around a little bit with the idea but I think he's trying to win games and I think he'll do the same thing next year. Then there will be some real soul-searching after that. 

 

It's possible. There's no question of that. He'd be silly not to consider those options.

Do you think New York will get two max guys, no matter who they are?

Yeah, it seems likely. I'm not sure they'll get two of the big four that we're talking about, but they'll get two All-Stars. There's no question. If Gallinari keeps on developing the way he's doing, then maybe they won't need Bosh quite as much unless they want to go small, which is certainly possible. David Lee is playing out his mind, and that may change what they need.