Post by redstorm177 on Sept 3, 2007 18:52:55 GMT
After completing three trades during the final week leading up to the trade deadline, the Knicks' GM was willing to sit down with our very own Marc Berman to answer a few questions in an interview exclusive to the New York Post.
Marc Berman: Let's talk about the first trade that happened about a week ago involving the Chicago Bulls. I know that a lot of fans have already grown attached to Paul Milsap in the short time that he's been in New York, so what possessed you to make that trade? Was it really worth picking up a very late, unproven first round pick this year when you already knew that Milsap is legit player in this league? From what I've seen of Viktor Krhyapa, he's not nearly enough to justify this trade.
Knicks' GM: This upcoming draft is going to be the deepest draft that we've seen in years. Paul is a great player, but unfortuanately, he wasn't going to reach his fullest potential backing up David Lee. We all know that David is here to stay, which means that Paul would be forced into a backup role. We feel as though we can pick up a player in this draft that will fill one of the positions we truly have a need for. As for Viktor, he's going to develop into a special player with us. He has good size, a good understanding of the game, and a terrific work ethic.
MB: Alright, a couple of hours before the trade deadline, you shipped starting small forward Matt Barnes to the Spurs for a 2008 1st round pick. Up until this trade, all indications pointed to Barnes re-upping with the team this offseason since he is arguably the second or third best player on the roster. Why did you decide to trade him away for a pick that should be very late in a draft that won't even be here for another year and a half?
KGM: It was a hard decision to trade Matt, but this trade gives our team a little bit more flexibility this offseason. As you already know, we are slated to have over $42 million in cap space at the end of this season, and we intend to make a huge splash in free agency. If we held on to Matt, we may have just let him walk for nothing as we want to free up as many roster spots as possible heading into the signing period. The worst case scenario for us would be that we have to start waiving guaranteed contracts to make room for incoming free agents. Aside from that, we also picked up a first round pick next year which is a huge asset. We now have seven first round picks in the next two drafts.
MB: That brings us to the Malik Rose for Jared Jeffries swap that occurred minutes before the deadline. As of now, it looks like you will be sliding back a few spots in the draft since you will also be switching secound round picks with the Celtics. What's the deal with this trade? On paper, it looks like one injured reserve candidate for another.
KGM: I realized that trading away Jared earlier in the year was a huge mistake. He is a special talent that leaves it all on the line on the defensive end of the court. Malik was definitely not happy here as he hadn't suited up for action during the last couple of months. Financially, we will be saving about $2 million each year which could be very valuable on the free agent market. But mostly, we made this deal to bring Jared back.
MB: It was reported that a deal was in place to send Stephon Marbury and others to the Washington Wizards for a package centering around Caron Butler. Was there any truth to this rumor?
KGM: Absolutely not. I have told the media a thousand times that Stephon Marbury is 100% untouchable. I have not once mentioned his name in trade discussions. He is the heart of this team, and he is our franchise player. When he becomes a free agent this summer, I will do everything in my power to convince Steph to continue to lead our franchise in the upcoming years. The ball will be in Stephon's court this offseason, and if he is not in a Knick uniform next season, it will be because he decided he wanted to play elsewhere.
MB: There are still a few months left until the end of the NBA regular season, but the Knicks' season was virtually over a couple of months ago. Let's talk about the offseason. Losing has its benefits, and right now it would appear that your team is going to land a top pick in the upcoming draft. Who is at the top of your wishlist, Greg Oden or Kevin Durant? Also, there will be no shortage of top-tier free agents on the market with names such as Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, and Rashard Lewis available. Is there any one player that you intend to lure to New York with your cap space?
KGM: As far as the draft is concerned, we will be very happy with any one of the top talents that will be available. If it so happens that we land the top pick, we are going to take the player that best fits our team. Maybe that player is Kevin, maybe its Greg, or it may even be a player that no one is really talking about as the top pick. As for free agency, I'm not going to go into details regarding any specific player as that is a conflict to the NBA's tampering rules. I'm just going to say that Garnett, Carter, and Lewis are all tremendous players...especially Garnett.
Marc Berman: Let's talk about the first trade that happened about a week ago involving the Chicago Bulls. I know that a lot of fans have already grown attached to Paul Milsap in the short time that he's been in New York, so what possessed you to make that trade? Was it really worth picking up a very late, unproven first round pick this year when you already knew that Milsap is legit player in this league? From what I've seen of Viktor Krhyapa, he's not nearly enough to justify this trade.
Knicks' GM: This upcoming draft is going to be the deepest draft that we've seen in years. Paul is a great player, but unfortuanately, he wasn't going to reach his fullest potential backing up David Lee. We all know that David is here to stay, which means that Paul would be forced into a backup role. We feel as though we can pick up a player in this draft that will fill one of the positions we truly have a need for. As for Viktor, he's going to develop into a special player with us. He has good size, a good understanding of the game, and a terrific work ethic.
MB: Alright, a couple of hours before the trade deadline, you shipped starting small forward Matt Barnes to the Spurs for a 2008 1st round pick. Up until this trade, all indications pointed to Barnes re-upping with the team this offseason since he is arguably the second or third best player on the roster. Why did you decide to trade him away for a pick that should be very late in a draft that won't even be here for another year and a half?
KGM: It was a hard decision to trade Matt, but this trade gives our team a little bit more flexibility this offseason. As you already know, we are slated to have over $42 million in cap space at the end of this season, and we intend to make a huge splash in free agency. If we held on to Matt, we may have just let him walk for nothing as we want to free up as many roster spots as possible heading into the signing period. The worst case scenario for us would be that we have to start waiving guaranteed contracts to make room for incoming free agents. Aside from that, we also picked up a first round pick next year which is a huge asset. We now have seven first round picks in the next two drafts.
MB: That brings us to the Malik Rose for Jared Jeffries swap that occurred minutes before the deadline. As of now, it looks like you will be sliding back a few spots in the draft since you will also be switching secound round picks with the Celtics. What's the deal with this trade? On paper, it looks like one injured reserve candidate for another.
KGM: I realized that trading away Jared earlier in the year was a huge mistake. He is a special talent that leaves it all on the line on the defensive end of the court. Malik was definitely not happy here as he hadn't suited up for action during the last couple of months. Financially, we will be saving about $2 million each year which could be very valuable on the free agent market. But mostly, we made this deal to bring Jared back.
MB: It was reported that a deal was in place to send Stephon Marbury and others to the Washington Wizards for a package centering around Caron Butler. Was there any truth to this rumor?
KGM: Absolutely not. I have told the media a thousand times that Stephon Marbury is 100% untouchable. I have not once mentioned his name in trade discussions. He is the heart of this team, and he is our franchise player. When he becomes a free agent this summer, I will do everything in my power to convince Steph to continue to lead our franchise in the upcoming years. The ball will be in Stephon's court this offseason, and if he is not in a Knick uniform next season, it will be because he decided he wanted to play elsewhere.
MB: There are still a few months left until the end of the NBA regular season, but the Knicks' season was virtually over a couple of months ago. Let's talk about the offseason. Losing has its benefits, and right now it would appear that your team is going to land a top pick in the upcoming draft. Who is at the top of your wishlist, Greg Oden or Kevin Durant? Also, there will be no shortage of top-tier free agents on the market with names such as Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, and Rashard Lewis available. Is there any one player that you intend to lure to New York with your cap space?
KGM: As far as the draft is concerned, we will be very happy with any one of the top talents that will be available. If it so happens that we land the top pick, we are going to take the player that best fits our team. Maybe that player is Kevin, maybe its Greg, or it may even be a player that no one is really talking about as the top pick. As for free agency, I'm not going to go into details regarding any specific player as that is a conflict to the NBA's tampering rules. I'm just going to say that Garnett, Carter, and Lewis are all tremendous players...especially Garnett.