[h1]Early vacations for free agents could lead to summer Garden party for New York Knicks[/h1]
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The Knicks have always been enamored with potential free agent Chris Bosh.
The summer wind came blowin' in from across the sea . . . and swept up
Dwyane Wade and
Dirk Nowitzki, with
Joe Johnson in jeopardy of joining the other marquee free-agents-to-be, and
Chris Bosh, on vacation.
How will the early playoff exits for the Heat, Mavericks, and possibly the Hawks, impact the decisions of those marquee free agents?
"It can't hurt the
Knicks," said one Eastern Conference executive. "Nobody in that group is making a long playoff run with their team."
In other words, it could give any of those players reason to pick up and leave for New York,
Chicago or another team with maximum-salary cap space if they see more early exits in their futures.
It's been early summers for Wade ever since he won the 2006 title. He hasn't been out of the first round since winning his Finals MVP. And after losing to Wade's Heat in the Finals, Nowitzki has been to the second round only once.
Knowing that Bosh might be looking to leave for New York,
Miami or Chicago, the
Raptors have quietly been calling around to get an idea of what they can obtain in a sign-and-trade. The Mavs can also expect a call, if they haven't gotten one already.
Bosh is a
Dallas product and the Mavs need to shake up their team after their latest playoff failure. As poorly as
Rick Carlisle did with his rotations in the loss to
San Antonio, he is not expected to be fired. Expect Mark (I Hate the Spurs) Cuban to make another bold roster move, perhaps involving Bosh. The prediction here is Nowitzki stays and finishes his career a Maverick. Cuban wouldn't have it any other way.
The Knicks have always liked Bosh as a No. 2 option - if they can hit a grand slam and get
LeBron James.
Apparently, that's still the master plan at the Garden.
"Jim is looking forward to seeing what happens," said a person close to Garden chairman
Jim Dolan. "He understands that there are no guarantees with LeBron, but that Donnie (Walsh) has done the best he can to create the opportunity for LeBron to come to New York. He likes the fact that Donnie created the space for two stars. With only one spot, it'd be almost impossible to get LeBron. Now, it's possible to swing for the fences. But like Jim says, it will come down to what is in LeBron's heart and only LeBron knows the answer to that."
What happens if the Knicks strike out on James, but can get Bosh? Will Dolan accept a scenario that brings Bosh but also preserves enough cap room for 2011 and a possible run at
Carmelo Anthony? Or will Dolan insist the Knicks do all their free-agent shopping this July, which could lead to dangerous overspending on players not worthy of maximum-salary contracts (think
Carlos Boozer)
"Jim will let Donnie do what he thinks is right," the source said. "As long as Donnie has a plan in place, he'll go along with that. He'll support what Donnie thinks is the best way to go. And heading to July, Jim is in a good place with the plan."
A day after the Heat lost to
Boston in five games, Wade said his heart is in Miami. But his mind could be elsewhere after the Heat needed a Jordanesque performance by its best player just to win one game. Miami's plan was to sign
Amar'e Stoudemire to keep Wade happy and get his signature on a long-term deal. It wasn't hard to figure out, since the Heat seemed desperate to get Stoudemire at the trading deadline. Miami went so far as to call the Knicks at the 11th hour to see if they would agree to a three-way deal with
Phoenix.
The Heat's inability to pull off a deal in February might be the end of its chances to land Stoudemire. The Suns and their veteran forward have been discussing an extension during the playoffs and are expected to reach one in the coming weeks. Having locked up
Steve Nash and
Grant Hill last summer with multi-year deals, they have to keep Stoudemire.
An early exit for the Hawks might spell the end for coach
Mike Woodson, especially if it means re-signing Johnson. Two years ago, when the general manager's job opened after the team lost to Boston in the first round in seven games, candidates were told by ownership that Woodson was not getting fired. But ownership is expected to change direction with a loss to the Bucks in Game 7 today, with
Milwaukee playing without their top player,
Andrew Bogut. Facing a crippled foe, the Hawks were expected to at least advance to the second round for the second straight season.
A name to remember, if the Hawks' coaching job opens:
Dwane Casey. Dallas' top assistant worked for
Atlanta GM Rick Sund when the two were in
Seattle and is highly regarded by Sund. Widely known for his fiery demeanor and passion, Casey was the
Timberwolves' head coach for 2006 and part of 2007, finishing with a 53-49 record.
The
NBA's summer wind doesn't just sweep up players. In the coming days, it will take Casey to
Los Angeles and
New Orleans, where the Clippers and Hornets want to discuss their head coaching vacancies.
MICHAEL'S BACKUP PLAN
Michael Jordan is expected to call
Doug Collins first if
Larry Brown bolts the
Bobcats for another coaching position (Clippers or Sixers). Jordan played under Collins twice (Chicago and
Washington) and is expected to reach out to someone he knows well and is comfortable with. Now whether Jordan wants to pay what Collins commands - now that he's signing the checks - is another matter. ...
Avery Johnson could have his pick between Chicago, New Orleans or
Philly for his next head coaching job. If Johnson is smart, he'll go with the Bulls, who are done with
Vinny Del Negro and are only a Bosh signing away from moving into the NBA's top tier. ... During the playoffs, the NBA has been without the services of top whistle-blower
Steve Javie, out for the season with major knee troubles. Mark Wunderlicht, another top ref, is also sidelined by injury. When you lose two of your best, it's bound to show up in later rounds. ... Sure, Carlisle screwed up by sitting
Roddy Beaubois for almost the first 10:00 of the fourth quarter, after he dominated the Spurs with his quickness and speed in Game 6. But three of Dallas' mainstays -
Jason Terry,
Shawn Marion and
Jason Kidd - were series no-shows. After combining for 39 ppg. in the regular season, the trio managed only 30 vs. San Antonio, with Marion shooting 41% (vs. 51% overall in the regular-season); Terry shooting 38% (down from 44% in the regular-season); and Kidd, lost against the Spurs' quicker guards, making 30% (down from 42%). ...
Brandon Roy's remarkable comeback - playing for
Portland a mere nine days after knee surgery - was panned by some critics, including
Charles Barkley, once the Blazers were bounced by Phoenix. But with more players seemingly taking more games off than ever before due to seemingly minor ailments -
Detroit's
Richard Hamilton missed a matinee game at the Garden with what the Pistons officially called an "upset stomach" - it was nice to see that some players will still go to great lengths to get out on the court. What made Hamilton's absence troubling was that the Pistons didn't even bother to send a locker room attendant down to the drugstore across the street to buy some
Pepto-Bismol. ... If
Manu Ginobili is going to keep turning back the clock to 2007, then anything's possible for
George Hill's Spurs.
