by Michael Naclerio

Yes, we all saw the picture of David Stern and Billy Hunter embracing, although that doesn’t mean a deal has been completed. Yet with the signing of the CBA agreement on the horizon, speculative roster talk is back in action.  Once the ink officially dries there are a few new regulations which will impact the Knicks upcoming off-season (2 weeks or so) roster moves. And as most of you already know, there are quite a few moves that need to be made.

Headed into the season opener on December 25^th against the Boston Celtics, the Knicks only have 9 players under contract, which will likely jump to 11 when they come to terms with draft pick Iman Shumpert and pending Derrick Brown’s qualifying offer already on the table.  The Knicks already check in at just under $60 million committed to the 2011/12 season, not including Shumpert or Brown’s salaries.  Already over the ~ $58 million cap, the Knicks will have to turn to league minimum salaried players and their altered mid-level exception. (more…)

TO: ALL PLAYERS

FROM: G. WILLIAM HUNTER

RE: SETTLEMENT

As you have heard, early Saturday morning, the NBA and the players reached a settlement in the Anthony antitrust case, the Minnesota lawsuit brought by several players and supported by your National Basketball Players Association following the disclaimer of interest voted by the Player Representatives less than two weeks ago. I offer my sincere congratulations for the significant achievements won on behalf of all players as a result of that settlement.

Over the next two weeks, the parties involved in the Anthony lawsuit will engage in a four-step process in an attempt to open training camps and free agency on December 9th and begin the 2011-12 season on Christmas Day. (more…)

As we enter day 6 of what may be a very long NBA lockout, we reflect on an interesting day 5 exchange between the New York Times, Forbes and the NBA.  Yesterday morning the NY Times called out the NBA for claims that it is losing money.  In the article they included a Forbes study depicting the last 22 years of the NBA’s estimated financial performance, showing the only losing season in the last 2 decades occurred during the strike-shortened season of 1998-99.

Last night, the NBA fired back in an email statement to the NY Times, blasting the Forbes report as “inaccurate” and saying the “estimates do not reflect reality.”  The statement added, “The league lost money every year of the just expiring CBA.”   The Times includes the full statement which runs completely counter to the Forbes report.

Nuff said…if you want to buy a pair of your own head to http://shopjorts55.com.

Via MSG:

By Michael Naclerio

GRADE B:

While the Knicks drafted players who fill two of the team’s holes last night – center and guard/size and defense – it still remains to be seen whether they did so in the most effective manner. Buying into the second round was a wise decision but the player they nabbed might not even see playing time under Mr. Mike “I hate Rookies” D’Antoni. With the 17th pick, the Knicks elected to pass over Chris Singleton of Florida State, who was considered by many to be the premier defensive player in the draft. Instead, they opted for George Tech combo guard Iman Shumpert. As the draft got closer, the noise that Donnie Walsh and Co. had become enamored with this guard’s defensive and offensive abilities kept getting louder and louder. (more…)

by Michael Naclerio

Here at KnicksTweets we’ve deemed it unnecessary to develop another run of the mill mock draft in anticipation of today’s draft. Instead we think it’s more productive to analyze each of the most  respectable sites and their respective mock drafts. At least the lottery picks that is, and your beloved Knicks too of course, don’t fret. Hey, we’ll even throw in who we think that team should draft to fit their roster, not that they’ll actually do it.

Included in this analysis will be ESPN, NBAdraft.net, HoopsHype, HoopsWorld, and DraftExpress. Fox sports get left out because they actually seem to be using the mocks of NBADraft.net and as for CBS sports they simply can’t seem to make decisions, 5 mocks is far too many for any one site. (more…)

by Michael Naclerio

Amidst the whirlwind that is the Knicks front office right now, the CBA negotiation and an offseason that requires a number of holes to be filled we contemplate the upcoming draft. Although Donnie Walsh will not be signing back on as Knicks President of Basketball Operations, he will remain with the team as a consultant through the next season and will still contribute to selecting the Knicks upcoming 17th pick in the NBA draft this Thursday. Although Donnie’s involvement may slightly ease the minds of the Knicks fans (as long as the player the Knicks choose does not rhyme with Hordan Jill), many are still hungover about why Donnie was let go in the first place. (more…)