Well, friends, the floor just fell out from under the 2008-2009 New York Knicks. They showed some promise, but "some promise" ain't Donnie Walsh's business. No, we've got bigger plans. Such plans call for patience, though, and patience begins tonight. The Knicks will face the Bucks with a sparse lineup that wouldn't even be helped that much by the incoming players. Writing a game thread now feels a little like Drew Carey introducing Whose Line Is It Anyway?-  "Welcome to the New York Knicks: The team where half the players are guests and the points don't count!" Going into night one of limbo, I've got some questions:

- Stephon Marbury has been activated, meaning the Knicks have 9 healthy bodies for tonight's game. Will Steph play? On a scale from "1" to "Glen Rice's entire New York tenure", how awkward might that be?

- Who starts? Lee will surely step in for Randolph, but who gets Crawford's spot? Does Quentin Richardson slide down? Does Marbury, of all people, start? I bet Robinson gets the go at 2, but look for Anthony Roberson to get actual minutes.

- Dammit, I wish Danilo Gallinari was healthy right now. Can someone set Il Gallo up with a back transplant? I'll give him mine, I swear.

Last time the Knicks played the Bucks, Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva beasted all over the undersized frontline. The frontcourt just got even more undersizeder, so get psyched for more beatdowns to come. The rest of this season's going to be an offensive lovefest with little defense to be seen. The Wait begins tonight.

Upon attempting to finish this post, I realized we may have to retire my signature game thread phrase. Zach Randolph was the inventor of "Get them W's", and it doesn't feel right to use it without him. Thoughts on a new line to punctuate my threads?

Tipoff's at 8:30. Check out Brew Hoop for all your Milwaukee coverage of tonight's matchup.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Good morning afternoon, friends. Sorry this took so long. It's not easy to post recaps on a Friday night when you're in college (it is when you're sick and rarely leave bed, but leave me alone). Last night's game was a glimpse into D'Antoniball at its sweetest. Both teams caught the run-and-gun bug (note: don't refer to that as simply "The Bug".) and played a fast-paced, crisp game with leads growing and shrinking faster than you could feel feelings about them. I'll get some complaints out of the way, and then give you a recap of some promising themes and individual performances.

- The Knicks shot a ghastly 9-19 (47%) from the free throw line. That can't happen, and would've been the number to point out if they'd lost.

- Though the Wiz don't really boast what you'd call a powerful frontcourt without Brendan Haywood, Etan Thomas, Andray Blatche, and Javale McGee (more on this guy later) caused plenty of problems. The Knicks were outrebounded 50-36, and while I can't find the points in the paint stats, they got a bunch. I know this.

Moving on, let's take a look at how some individual Knicks fared:

Chris Duhon- Chris had the sort of game we expected from him going into the season, and looked pretty solid. He had a quiet but meaningful 6, 12, and 7 in 36 minutes, and hit a huge three to get the Knicks back ahead when they briefly fell behind in the fourth quarter. I'd like to see Chris attack the rim a little more and hit cutters more consistently (Try alley-ooping David Lee. It'll work. Can't say the same for Randolph.), but it's hard to argue with 12 assists and 0 turnovers from your starting point guard. Hats off to Chris.

Wilson Chandler- Wil got the start tonight, and I was sure this would be the night we learned his limitations and remembered that he's young and better on the bench. I was very pleasantly surprised. Added to the lineup to match the more perimeter-oriented Antawn Jamison, Chandler didn't disappoint. Jamison had 24 points, but shot more threes (2-7) than he'd probably like to, and looked frustrated and out of rhythm most of the night. Wilson deserves credit, also, for being the Knick with the quickest response time on help defense. Meanwhile, he continued his offensive renaissance with 17 points on 8-12 shooting. More hats off to Wilson.

Zach Randolph- At what point do I say I was wrong for wanting to trade Z-Bo for Darko Milicic this summer? Probably not after 5 games, but what the hell. Zach's shining in the D'Antoni offense, and was an inside-outside threat last night. He'd bull through the paint for hook shots and layups, and then step outside for smooth 18 to 20-foot jumpers. There will always be a few possessions where everybody stands and watches Randolph shoot a contested jumper, but he's working more and more within the flow of the offense and looking impressive while he does it. Zach also skyed- yes skyed- for a few rebounds, and pulled down 13 in total. I'm running out of hats.

Jamal Crawford- Jamal Crawford is alternately so exciting I could poop and so aggravating I could...well...poop. I guess that's more of my problem than it is his. The point, though, is that Jamal's fourth quarter performances are like a roller coaster, if roller coasters shot you into the air from 3 steps behind the three-point line, contested, early in the shot clock at the end of a close game. Jamal followed his fourth quarter shenanigans, which included the aforementioned 28-foot brick and a really poor attempt on a fast break, with a brilliant drive to the rim and a long and-one, so I can't stay mad at him. He also finished with 23 points, so nice job, Jamal. The hat's staying on, but nice job.

David Lee- If poor David Lee has to box out 7-footers every night, his rebounding numbers are going to go way down. Props to him, though, for keeping his head up and dropping an efficient 13 points despite only snaggling 1 rebound. Word has it Dave was put on an intravenous supply of rebounds after the game. You know, to keep him nourished.

Anthony Roberson- Roberson can shoot, but probably shouldn't shoot quite so much. More importantly, though, he can play some pesky-ass defense, and will likely be getting more minutes.

Nate Robinson- Nate was generally under control, hit 8 of his 15 field goal attempts, and dropped 17 points to go with 3 steals on the other end. He's the embodiment of the D'Antoni system, and the game very noticeably changes when he's on the floor.

Quentin Richardson- Since I've mentioned everybody else, keep doing what you do, Q. Richardson hit a couple threes and did as noble a job hanging with Caron Butler as anybody possibly can. That guy's really good.

Mardy Collins- Oh hey! I forgot! Mardy got 10 minutes of his own and, well, he didn't break anything and hit his only field goal attempt. He also played some nice defense on one play, or at least that's what Gus Johnson said. Hats off to Mardy!

Some other notes:

- Javale McGee is immensely entertaining, both in the basketball sense and the schadenfreude sense. J-Mac (too soon?) threw down a couple monstrous alley-oops and swatted a couple shots with his 9'8'' wingspan. Then again, he also completely shanked two alley-oops and scored at least 4 points for the Knicks by goaltending shots. You know how when giraffes are young they're still getting used to those long limbs and they trip all over themselves and look generally awkward? No? Oh. Nevermind.

- Holy crap, I love Caron Butler.

- Holy crap, the Wiz miss Gilbert Arenas. Their offense sometimes made me say "god DAMN that's ugly offense." And I watch the Knicks every night!

- Kelly Tripucka provided the color in Walt Frazier's absence, and did a pretty nice job. I have very little recollection of what he said, which means he wasn't irritating, which mean's he was better than 75% of color commentators.

- The Wiz had one of those "Kiss Cam" things going between quarters, and they tried to set up Mardy Collins and Anthony Roberson. That's soooo awkward, cause like, they just broke up.

In short, this was an enthralling win, and it put the Knicks above .500 after three or more games for the first time since January of 2005 (thanks Mase). The Wiz are a sorry team without their injured star, but the Knicks won this one on their own accord, with dedication to pushing the ball, and shot selection that was bold but not ridiculous. The next game is Sunday at 3 p.m. against the Jazz, which is gonna be a challenge. For the Knicks and for me. Who wakes up before 3 on a Sunday?

We all sensed it was coming, but the news was made official today. From ESPN:

Ewing's contract was only partially guaranteed for the league minimum of $430,000, although Walsh said money was not a factor in the Knicks' decision to cut him.

"In the immediate future, shooting could be a problem for this team," Walsh said.

D'Antoni had said that the fact that Ewing's father is a Knicks legend could not be ignored, but it wouldn't factor into the decision. Patrick Ewing is a Hall of Fame center and the Knicks' all-time leader in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and steals.

"I think he's a lot better than what I thought he was, and I think he has a chance to make the NBA," D'Antoni was quoted as saying in Monday's New York Times, before Ewing's release was announced. "I think he's got work to do. Would he help us on the floor this year? I don't know."

It's a real shame. Mini-Pat was one of the cooler guys on the team, and he brought that perpetual possibility of a Sports Center-worthy dunk. Especially on a team that's already taken some injury hits to the frontcourt, Ewing may have garnered some playing time. That said, keeping Anthony Roberson instead was more fiscally responsible (or so I hear), and A-Rob has more clear-cut NBA skills (that silky jumper) to offer. The roster is now down to 15, meaning we're ready to go for Wednesday night. The article goes on to indicate that Duhon and Crawford are the expected backcourt starters.

Anyway, P&T wishes the best of luck to Ewing Jr. There's more to him than just the name, and I'm sure he'll reemerge somewhere before long.

Hey guys. I've got video of some training camp footage and conversations from this morning coming as soon as I can get it on to a computer. In the meantime, I headed back to the gym this evening to catch some more practice. D'Antoni's drills reflect his coaching style like you wouldn't believe. They ran 3-on-3 fast break drills and 5-on-5 drills where the offensive team had to score with 8 on the shot clock. A few player key-ins from the day's second meeting.

Allan Houston- I must say, Allan's touch looks as sweet as ever, and he was holding his own defending quicker guys like Marbury and Crawford. He didn't participate at all in some of the faster 5-on-5 drills, but H20 looks surprisingly fresh overall.

Nate Robinson- Nate was his usual self on offense. He knows his guys well and his point guard instincts appear to be improving as they have each year. Nate did appear to be either lapsing in attention or dogging it in a few of the drills, though, and was the last guy back on D a couple times.

Jared Jeffries- It was the very first day of D'Antoni's system, but even so, Jeffries had a bit too much trouble keeping up in drills. He was loafing and missing directions three and four repetitions into a drill and throwing things off for the whole team. Jared did, however, block Dan Grunfeld's shot so forcefully it startled me.

Anthony Roberson- Anthony Roberson can shoot the damn lights out. He's got a lot of confidence in his shot and simply cannot be left open on the perimeter. Said Steph to Donnie Walsh, "he's like a mini Allan Houston!".

Quentin Richardson- Q's intensity is almost frightening. He's clearly feeling the heat of Wilson Chandler reaching for his starting 3 spot. Richardson was animated all night, screaming, spiking balls, and throwing towels after any miscues in the scrimmages. You can tell he sets the tone for the younger guys by taking practice so seriously.

Wilson Chandler- Wil's looking as physical and active as ever, and the jumper is falling more than it was last year. Still needs some work, though.

Chris Duhon- I wasn't too happy when the Knicks signed Chris Duhon, but it's obvious that the guy's an intelligent basketball player. He got D'Antoni's complex drills down quickly and was often the one directing traffic and correcting the mistakes of guys like Jeffries. Du's shot wasn't falling all that consistently, but I like his overall game and the way he carries himself on the court.

Stephon Marbury- Steph's running well, shooting well, and looking healthy. He appears upbeat and focused at all times. For all his offcourt hijinks, the man is all business between the baselines.

Patrick Ewing, Jr.-...is probably going to break a backboard this year. His dunks always looked ferocious on TV, but up close it becomes even more apparent that he absolutely thrashes the rim. Didn't get to see him shoot much, but his form isn't all that bad.

Danilo Gallinari- Spent most of the evening doing PT-type stuff, but he did get some outside shots up and did a few passing drills. No running or jumping for Gallo, though.

Zach Randolph- Zach may have dropped some weight, and he's running the court surprisingly well.

Eddy Curry: Still a no-show. Didn't get word on whether or not he's still yakking in the hotel room.

Jerome James- ...can get rim. Just saying.

That's it for the moment. I probably won't be able to make it to practice tomorrow, but I plan on being back Thursday and Friday. I hope to have the video I got from today up by tomorrow night. In the meantime, I beg you guys to submit some creative but well-intentioned questions for players and coaches via comment or email over the next few days.

Hello friends. This may be the longest, most difficult month of basketball famine I've ever faced. It's only September 18th! The good news is that training camp is less than two weeks ago and takes place about 2 minutes by foot from where I sit right now, so we have that to look forward to. In the meantime, let's hit a couple links, shall we?

- Jamal Crawford is back on the web at Crawful to Crawesome, and this time he's discussing magazine covers featuring himself, as well as providing a scouting report of the '08-'09 roster. A taste: 

Wilson Chandler: Wilson has gotten a lot better from last year! His range has improved -- his ball handling and his athleticism was always there…I think he's just more confident then anything now and it's showing. I think he'll have a really good year for us!

Danilo Gallinari: "Gallo" is still banged up a little bit,..so he's just been shooting and riding the bike...but this kid is very VERY confident!! He listens, works hard and wants to get better. Some of you guys may have booed him when we drafted him, but he is going to be a big time player for us one day!

...

Eddy Curry: It will be a transition for him at first because he's used to posting up. But he'll be on the perimeter a lil bit more....he'll get better adapted to the system the more he does it...but we need him...

...

David Lee: We all know David's game by now - all out hustle, rebounds. The thing that will surprise you most is his jumper! He shooting it with so much confidence, I mean even three pointers! He shot one and I said to myself, "No way." And it went straight in.

Great to hear, especially regarding Chandler and Lee. Oh, and one more thing. Even the rather bubbly Jamal can hardly spare a compliment for Mardy Collins:

Mardy: Lost some weight, so he's moving better. Very smart, really good defender!

Poor, sad Mardy.

- Though his back is ailing, Howard Beck reports that Danilo Gallinari is expected to be good to go come September 30th.

- A potential destination for Marbury, should he be waived. Steph+Chalmers and Arthur= MADNESS! (Tip of the hat to Uncle Skeets.)

- Since he's a New York guy and some of this takes place in New York, and since his brother was dilligent enough to email me about the subject, check out Charlie Villanueva's pretty impressive contributions to the community. I like it when families of NBA players email me.

- An interview with Anthony Roberson.

That's all I got for now. Tomorrow, I think we're gonna take a look at potential starting lineups. See you then.

Alright, so maybe it isn't that dramatic. There is, however, a surprising amount of interest around the league for the Knicks' own Zach Randolph. Well, at least one team is interested. As rumors of Zach-to-Cleveland are starting to fizzle (tip of the hat to Cavalier Attitude), new rumblings have emerged from Memphis, of all places. From the Memphis Edge, earlier this week:

The Griz are willing to part with Darko Milicic (last year’s big free agent signing) in a package that wouldn’t require a core player (OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, etc). What the brain trust seems to be debating is whether Randolph fits the Grizzlies’ style on and off the court.

Randolph is a bonafide low-post scorer who can shoot along the perimeter and rebound. But he doesn’t offer much on defense, something the Griz desperately want to upgrade and Randolph’s character issues may present a problem.

That said, the Griz need talent. Randolph would beef up a thin power forward corps of Hakim Warrick and rookie Darrell Arthur. They’ve got a group of "nice guys" so adding one knucklehead in Randolph shouldn’t be a big deal. Although second-year head coach Marc Iavaroni struggled at times effectively communicating with players, he is credited with helping Phoenix big man Amare Stoudemire take his game to the next level.

(HT to Alan Hahn on that one). I think I know now what Portland fans must have felt like last summer. It stirs within me a sort of smug satisfaction to know that another team thinks it has the influence to coax Randolph into maximizing his potential. As far as this particular trade goes, Darko is notoriously underwhelming and injury-prone, but when healthy, might offer some of the defense and toughness currently lacking in the Knick frontcourt. He also comes with a contract that expires in 2010, which fits right into Donnie Walsh's stated plans. Regarding the rest of the Memphis package, we would've been drooling over Kyle Lowry or Javaris Crittenton months ago, but the Duhon and Roberson signings leave little room for another point guard. Funny how things change. Instead, I'd love a future second round draft pick. Or even first round, if that could somehow be finagled.

The issue, as I've mentioned before, is that the meager package the Knicks assembled to acquire Z-Bo (Channing Frye and the Succubus) will likely be in the back of any future trading partners' minds. So if the Grizz aren't willing to offer anything more than Darko Milicic and a box of Snackwells Cookie Cakes (the devil's food ones, not the tasty ones with the mint filling), we just might have to bite. Beggars can't be choosers, ya know?

Improvements for 2008: Frontcourt depth, post defense, and rich chocolatey filling.

I guess the question is how determined we are to rid ourselves of Randolph. Is he dispensable at all costs, or does he have a shot at finding himself in the D'Antoni system? I tend to find myself in the former camp, but let yourself be heard in the comments.

I try not to give fresh rumors too much attention, but I particularly like this one. From Tommy Dee at The Knicks Blog, talk on the Nets side of a New York-New Jersey deal of Nate Robinson for Sean "Chong" Williams. Though this is the only place I've heard the rumors, I'd be very interested to see if this goes anywhere. As much as I love Nate Robinson, he's a surplus guard who might not get to shine with Chris Duhon and Anthony Roberson around. Meanwhile, Williams just might make sense. Says Dee:

Attitude is something that the Knicks want nothing to do with, of course, and Williams is not a perimeter threat, something that Mike D’Antoni loves in his big men. But he can finish in transition as well as keep possessions alive with his active offensive rebounding ability.

His potential and athleticism, along with his defensive prowess, would fit a huge need for the Knicks. Should Eddy Curry show up out of shape and get under the skin of D’Antoni, a frontcourt rotation of Williams, Zach Randolph (who’s not going to Memphis) and David Lee, would be an instant upgrade.

I'm looking for one thing, and one thing only. Well, no. Two things. My original thought was that the Knicks need some damn shot blocking. Chong's swatting ability would certainly be a defensive upgrade over the low-altitude loafing of Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph. The second thing that I just thought of is that the addition of Williams would be a nice step towards replacing the entertainment value of Renaldo Balkman. While Humpty was a lovable space cadet who we assumed to be a stoner, Williams is a lovable space cadet who is, in fact, a stoner. If this source of Dee's knows what he's talking about, it's time for Donnie Walsh to give the Nets a call.

Hello again, friends. It's been a minute since I really got to post, and I missed a few things in that span. Let's catch up.

- First of all, the voting for the Scrubdown is live. I'll give it until the end of the weekend, but it looks like I might have to cut the final list down to 5 or so to guarantee that each scrub gets a post. Show your bench buddies some love.

- The schedule was released this week, and it's a doozy. The Knicks open at home, against Miami, for the first time in a while.  There are three substantial road trips: 5 games in December (including D'Antoni's return to Phoenix), 4 games at the beginning of January, and then another five in the East and Midwest in March. The longest homestand of the year is a four game swing in the middle of January.

- I had a dream last night that the Knicks (starring Andre Iguodala for some reason) had won the first-ever game against the Oklahoma City franchise. I woke up this morning thinking I had to write a recap.

- Barnesgasm, now world-renowned, checks in with his newest "The Knicks Are...". A taste: "Be honest. When you hear Anthony Roberson, you picture two guys frolicking in a meadow, gaily hitting a shuttlecock over a net and taking a break at two for crumpets."

- As far as I can tell, the Italian basketball team is not participating in the Olympics, and we won't be seeing Danilo Gallinari. I'm not really in tune with these things, though. Happy Birthday, by the way, to Danilo, who turned 20 yesterday.

- Speaking of which, did anyone see those opening ceremonies? The lights and shit were cool, but I'm all about the parade of nations. Where else do you ever get to see Syrian boxers and sprinters from Mauritius? It's amazing. Can someone help me come up with a name for my new blog about Azerbaijani wrestling?

That's it for now. Relax, have a great weekend, and enjoy the olympics. Oh, and vote for your favorite scrubs if you haven't yet done so. Peace.

In their third game of the Vegas Summer League, the SummerKnicks will face the Phoenix SummerSuns. Mike D'Antoni will get to watch some of his old players (D.J. Strawberry, Alando Tucker) and some of the guys he's missing out on this year (um...Robin Lopez?). Meanwhile, the Knicks should once again be without Danilo Gallinari, and probably won't have Renaldo Balkman, who sprained his ankle in the last game. I guess it's another opportunity to get a hold on Wilson Chandler's growing game, as well as how Anthony Roberson might fit in New York. Regarding the latter, D'Antoni sees Roberson as an Eddie House type in his fast-paced offense, so I guess we should watch for those sorts of qualities here in the Summer League. Be on the lookout for signs of instant offense, accurate three-point shooting, and finely manicured facial hair from Roberson.

The game is, once again, at 4 p.m. EST on MSG. Arichmix has the recap for today. I'll do my part and cover the two over the weekend. Get them SummerW's.