[h2]Candidates selling Melo in pursuit of Knicks job[/h2]
Posted on: August 10, 2010 7:02 pm
NEW YORK -- We're barely a month removed from the biggest free-agentfeeding frenzy in NBA history, and already the next wave has begun.
The
Knicks'controversial attempt to hire Isiah Thomas as a consultant hasn'tdissuaded candidates from pitching themselves as the right man for ajob that team president Donnie Walsh has left vacant since he was hiredtwo years ago -- a day-to-day GM who eventually would succeed him. Thelatest twist, according to sources familiar with the situation, haspotential candidates angling to present themselves to Walsh and Gardenchairman James Dolan as the man who is capable of delivering
Carmelo Anthony as a free agent next summer.
The overtures have fallen on deaf ears with Walsh for two reasons,sources say: 1) Walsh has yet to receive clearance to hire a generalmanager to handle the day-to-day basketball operations, and 2) Therespected, 69-year-old executive has grown tired of the free-agentrecruitment game and the dishonest pitches that invariably come with it.
Walsh's desire to decompress from the untoward free-agent hysteria,however, didn't stop Dolan from hiring Thomas -- who was ousted andreplaced by Walsh and coach Mike D'Antoni in 2008 -- as a consultantwhose primary duty will be to recruit free agents. Sources say thehiring may very well be struck down by the NBA, which has strict rulesagainst team employees having contact with high school, college andinternational players not yet eligible for the NBA draft.
Thomas positioned himself to return to the Knicks by convincing Dolanthat he played an important role in the team landing free-agent powerforward
Amar'e Stoudemire this summer. The Knicks struck out on
LeBron James and
Dwyane Wade and decided they needed someone with Thomas' clout to ensure it wouldn't happen again.
But Thomas isn't the only current or former NBA executive trying totout himself as the man who can persuade Anthony, a free agent nextsummer, to join Stoudemire with the Knicks. Part of that strategy,sources say, includes efforts on the part of at least one candidate topitch himself to Creative Artists Agency -- the firm that representsAnthony -- as an addition to the Knicks' front office who could bringAnthony with him.
Walsh has had it on the back burner for sometime to hire a lead assistant with a big enough profile -- andsubstantial enough resume -- to replace him when he retires. Such amove would create a rare spasm of continuity for an organization thathad known nothing but change and turmoil prior to Walsh's hiring twoyears ago. Strong indications within the organization this summer havepointed to former player Allan Houston being groomed as Walsh'ssuccessor. Houston impressed Dolan and other team officials with hisperformance in an expanded role during the free-agency period thissummer.
Walsh is two years into a four-year contract, and theKnicks must decide by March 31, 2011 whether to guarantee the finalyear of the deal.
Anthony, an ideal fit for the Knicks,already has told confidants this summer that he's eager to exploreplaying in New York. His dilemma is whether to turn down a three-year,$65 million extension offer from the
Nuggetswith only 10 months left in the current collective bargainingagreement. The new deal is expected to be much less lucrative forplayers. Sources say owners who were rattled by this summer'sfree-agent frenzy -- orchestrated by CAA, which represented James, Wadeand
Chris Bosh -- are determined to clamp down not only on player salaries in the new agreement, but also player movement.
Anthony's desire to play in New York is so strong, sources say, thatthose close to the three-time All-Star have scoffed at the efforts ofexecutives touting themselves as being able to deliver him.
"Carmelo already wants to play in New York," one person with knowledgeof his plans told CBSSports.com. "He doesn't need anybody to bring himthere. He's a gunslinger. That situation is perfect for him."
Anthony's teammate,
Chauncey Billups,said after Team USA practice Tuesday that he still doesn't know whetherAnthony will sign the extension or test the free-agent waters nextsummer.
"If I was a betting man? I don’t know," Billupssaid. "Of course, I'm biased because I'm playing on the team thathe’s playing on. But I'm optimistic that he’s going to comeback and play for the Nuggets. I know he loves the city. Shoot,he’s been there since he was 20 years old. So I'm optimistic, butI don’t know. I wish I did, but I don’t."
