Good afternoon, basketball fans. We've got some Knicks and SBN news to get to, so let's forge ahead.

- First off, I'd like to formally welcome two new blogs to the SBNBA community. Fear The Sword is our sweet new blog for the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Peninsula Is Mightier will be covering the Miami Heat from here forward. We're sure to be in touch with those Eastern Conference rivals throughout the season, so get familiar.

- Via HoopsWorld, some reasons why the Z-Bo deal is being held up.

Memphis seems interested in the deal, but is pushing hard for a future first round draft pick. The Knicks have made it clear that the only way they'd send out a future first, is if they got a promising young player in return. The Grizz reportedly put Javaris Crittenton on the table; the Knicks seem luke warm on JCritt. It's been suggested by sources close to the Knicks talks, that the Knicks would send a protected future first if it returned Hakim Warrick or Kyle Lowry. The Grizzlies seem less than interested in that combination.

Now this deal is growing a little, isn't it? I say we push for Mayo in return. Seriously, though, the inclusion of a first-round pick is a little scary, desperate as a I am to dump Randolph. I suppose it depends just how protected the pick was and exactly who we'd get in return. Crittenton and Lowry are nice pieces, and would've been targets a few months ago, but would now be surplus guardness amongst the likes of Duhon, Robinson, Roberson, Marbury, and Collins. Warrick seems like a good fit for the D'Antoni offense, but who knows where he'd fit either in the Knicks frontcourt. I say we keep it simple, but if the deal does grow, the name mentioned aren't too shabby. (Tip of the hat to Alan Hahn.

- Knickerblogger breaks down the deal as only he could do. Possible consequences and further steps are discussed, as well as alternatives to the pre-existing packages.

- Speaking of shabby, this man needs to go away permanently. I would assume that Houston has no actual shot of making the team, but if we finish the summer by dumping Renaldo Balkman and handing a paycheck to Allan Houston, I'm gonna fart a plum.

- For those of you as befuddled as I am with the previous bit of news, some insight from Barnesgasm. Turns out H20 ain't the only unwelcome Knick making his not-so-triumphant return.

- Meanwhile, Jamal Crawford is back to work at Crawful to Crawesome. In a post entitled, "I Hear You", he responds to comments and dishes on Eddy Curry:

People are really down on Eddy, but the Eddy they saw last season isn't really Eddy. Yea, last year was a down year for him and he would be the first to tell you that...he puts more pressure on himself then anyone else could. I know he cares because after a lot of losses we would say, "If we could just get a couple of wins in a row..." It really bothered him... Our fans are hard on him because you guys see what he can be, how dominant at times he is, and when you guys don't see that all the time you wanna strangle him! LOL

People forget two seasons ago he averaged 19 pts. and 7 rebounds and some people were saying he should've been an all star....But I guess in this game you're only as good as your last shot, game, last season.....

Strangling Eddy Curry is no laughing matter. That's a big neck, you know. Anyway, it's good to see that Jamal's got some understanding of our perspective on things, even if he casually drops middle school AIM abbreviations.

That's it for the moment, niños. TTYL!!

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.