Via Marc Berman’s Knicks Blog:

Allan Houston is about to be named general manager of the Knicks. That is, general manager of the Knicks’ new D-League team it will operate in Erie, Pa.

The D-League appointment takes Houston, who’s been the Knicks assistant GM, out of the running for the club’s presidency that will be vacated by Donnie Walsh on July 1. Glen Grunwald has been named interim president starting July 1, and the Knicks could name an interim GM, with personnel directors Mark Warkentien or John Gabriel possibilities. Houston has been serving as the team’s assistant GM.

Running the Erie Bayhawks will give Houston an inside track of one day becoming Knicks president, as he’s well-liked by owner James Dolan.

This is the job Allan Houston needs before getting the keys to the Porsche.  Assuming this new role actually takes him out of the running for Knicks’ vacancy at president, we are impressed by the move.  We had the feeling Allan was being groomed for the job, but without experience as a shot-caller, we feared he would be a “Yes man” if named too early.

I remember first hearing about Twitter when Senators were caught using it during congressional sessions. Despite initial doubts, Twitter has since taken off with the NBA at its forefront. NBA players, teams, and fans alike anxiously use the social media outlet to connect, but recently the #Knicks fan base has witnessed the true power of Twitter.

Gianna and Allan Houston - March 2010

11-year-old Gianna Gergoire was diagnosed with brain cancer last July.  Her brother, The Knicks Blog Radio host Anthony Donahue, turned to what he knew, Knicks fans. “It started in July, when the fans of my show rallied around my sister and everything,” said Donahue in a phone interview. (more…)

Via NY Post:

“A great player. A great player,” Ewing, now an assistant coach for the Magic, said of Anthony at the morning shootaround before playing the Knicks on Tuesday night. “New York hasn’t had two bona fide superstars since Willis (Reed) and Earl (Monroe) and Clyde (Frazier). Those guys are two bona fide superstars (Stoudemire, Anthony).”

Ewing was asked for the best player he ever played with.

“Second-best teammate? John Starks, Allan (Houston), Spree (Latrell Sprewell), Oak (Charles Oakley),” Ewing said. “But they’re not Carmelo. They’re not Carmelo.”

Knicks fans can only wonder what might have been if a player of Carmelo Anthony’s caliber had been paired alongside Ewing in the 90′s.  Starks and Oak might have been fan favorites, but compared to the sidekicks that Magic and Jordan had, it was truly a one man show at the Garden during the Ewing years.

1953 – Knicks win in Syracuse 85-81, in a game that saw 97 fouls called. Knicks finish 37-56 from the foul line. Carl Braun led the Knicks with 21 points (6-16 FG, 9-14 FT).

1969 – The Knicks tally their 11th consecutive victory and 20th consecutive home victory with a 98-92 win over San Francisco. Walt Frazier records a triple-double in the victory with 24 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists.

1998 – Allan Houston scores 34 points, including 22 points in the third quarter, in the Knicks 102-91 wire-to-wire victory over Cleveland at Madison Square Garden.

1999 – Knicks become only the third NBA team in post-clock era to hold two consecutive opponents to under 70 points with a 78-69 win over Detroit at MSG. Four days earlier, they held the Bulls to 68 points in a 73-68 victory.

Via The Associated Press:

Dwyane Wade says he felt unwanted by the Knicks and thought that LeBron James could have ended up in New York.

The Miami Heat guard said New York is a big stage and could make a player a worldwide star, so he saw it as a possibility for James.

But Wade says he didn’t “think they really wanted me here anyway.”

Via Twitter:

Via NY Post:

Nuggets GM Mark Warkentien was let go yesterday by Denver and will be strong Knicks’ GM candidate if Walsh decides to make a hire. The Post reported recently the well-respected Warkentien, a friend of Walsh’s, had a preliminary interview with the Knicks last summer after being given permission by the Nuggets owner.

Apparently Allan Houston is still the favorite though…

Via ESPN NY:

Walsh would neither confirm nor deny Houston’s status. “He is working with me to learn the position of GM, whether with the Knicks or elsewhere,” Walsh said. “I feel Allan has the tools to be a great GM.”

Sources said both owner James Dolan and coach Mike D’Antoni are comfortable with Houston, who is currently listed as the team’s special assistant to the president.

Now we are talking!!!

Via LoHud.com:

Former New York Knicks star Allan Houston on Tuesday taught some local children the acronym “FISLL.”  It stands for faith, integrity, sacrifice, leadership and legacy — all ideas he hopes to instill in his new charges at the Carver Center’s Summer Sports Program.

Houston held the first of five Tuesday morning basketball clinics for the 40 students enrolled in the sports program. Houston said the introductory clinic was merely “an appetizer to what we can bring.”

The Port Chester Carver Center, which focuses on meeting the needs of underprivileged youth, has had a relationship with the sports star’s Allan Houston Legacy Foundation for several years. The Legacy Foundation was started in 2001 as a charitable fund, and has since supported and executed many programs aimed at education and development of life skills.

They’re kids, excited that it’s summertime, and willing to learn and soak it up like sponges,” he said. “They want training on the court and about how to live life the right way. We can teach them fundamentals … that you have to pay attention to details and that’s how they get better as people.”

Allan Houston, a coach’s son through-and-through, is a difference maker in the lives of so many people less fortunate than him.  When you see so many me-first athletes in today’s sports world, it is refreshing to consistently see one who gives back as much Allan Houston.  We should all be proud that such a community leader represent the New York Knicks.

Via NY Post:

The Knicks sold basketball — but they also sold being a billionaire.

It lasted two hours, and the major themes were New York’s endless energy — and the chance for “The King” to reap as much as $1.94 billion in salary (from a five-year max deal) plus endorsements if he bolts Cleveland and finishes his career with the Knicks.

That astonishing number comes from a study commissioned by the Knicks from the marketing consultant Interbrand.

It outshines the estimated $700 million James would likely earn in Cleveland, the $690 million he’d make in Chicago or the $600 million he’d pocket in Miami, the study showed. The Nets are not mentioned in the study.

(James’) agent, Leon Rose, stated in an e-mail to The Post, “Both teams [the Knicks, and, earlier in the day, the Nets] represented their organizations well, and we appreciate their interest and effort.”

(full story here)

Interesting…money talk b.s. walks.  Wonder if the Nets commissioned a  global branding consultancy and had a report based on facts or if Jay-Z and Prokhorov were all about sizzle…selling their global status and billboards across from MSG?

KnicksTweets is still LeBroptomistic.