GET IT!?

- Gian of  "7 Seconds or Mess fame is now contributing a "Play of the Week" to Knickerblogger. This week, he highlights what went on behind the scenes of the Nate Robinson explosion...RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES.

- HoopsAddict's Rashad Mobley got some nice interviews and notes from last night's contest in D.C.

- Allan Houston has been named Donnie Walsh's right-hand man. Great to see Allan stick with the organization. Wonder if he's got designs on an NBA executive job in the future?

- You probably heard that Stephon Marbury was denied the opportunity to practice with his Lincoln High School team, but did you know how cool he was back in the day? (Someone thinks they're really cool with that fancy Photoshopping.)

That is all. Have a good night.

We all knew it was coming. Now the deed is done. Knick great Allan Houston and relative unknown Dan Grunfeld were cut from the Knicks, dropping the roster down to 16. Houston will likely assume a position in the team's front office, or perhaps on the bench alonside Mike D'Antoni, at least until his next comeback attempt.

As for Grunfeld...who knows? Dan's a really friendly guy who loves the game, but I don't know if he's got the athleticism or any single knockout skill to make it in the lig. I heard some talk last week of Europe being a possibility for The Grun. Me, I'd peg him for something grander than basketball.

Fresh Grun?

I-Grun Chef?

Whatever his path may be, P&T wishes Dan Grunfeld the very best.

Hello, P&T siblings. Tonight begins the foreword to the '08-'09 Knicks season, so we've got a couple things to talk about in preparation. Before that, though, I'd like to acknowledge some people who helped make the training camp experience happen.

- Thanks go out to Sammy Steinlight, Nick Brown, and Jonathan Supranowitz, who allowed a childish, poop-flinging blogger like myself into training camp and helped everything run smoothly. Thanks to each and every player and coach that braved the harsh, exposing glare of my interviews (including those who didn't make it into the videos...stories for another time). Thanks to my cameramen, Dan Erkes and Paul Matteis, who made the whole deal manageable. Thanks to all my fellow bloggers who linked to, commented on, and hyped up the coverage. Big thanks to all of you P&T users who helped me out with questions and provided feedback on the videos. Finally, special thanks to Anne and Kate Bratskeir, without whom none of this would have been even remotely possible.

Now to some news.

- The Knicks face the Raptors tonight in their first preseason game of 2008. Tommy Dee has your predicted starting lineups, including Chris Duhon at the point and David Lee at the 5. Eddy Curry is expected to suit up, but isn't quite ready to start. Allan Houston will sit this one out. A game thread will be up in advance, and I expect to be able to catch at least some of the game, though probably not all. If anybody wants to recap, that'd be great.

- Stephon Marbury: "Whatever role they want me to play, that's what I will play."

- Mike D'Antoni: "Duh."

- In watching training camp, I got to see a lot of Greg Brittenham in action. Howard Beck wrote a nice piece on the marriage of his training methods and Mike D'Antoni's fast-paced style.

- Alan Hahn does up a nice liveblog from Canada. The Newsday editors were kind enough to translate it from Canadian for us.

That is it for the moment. The first game thread in wayyyyy too long is coming in a few hours. Get psyched.

After practice this evening I got a chance to catch up with the Knicks on topics such as politics, rookie initiation, and the Sonics' move to OKC. Oh, and I finally asked Mike D'Antoni if he'd shave his 'stache. Check it out.

I'll be back at practice tomorrow, so rack your brain for any more questions you might want me to ask the guys. Seriously.

Update: Forgot to mention, Mike D'Antoni smells very nice. Just saying.

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.

So, as you might know, the Knicks are having their training camp at Skidmore College, which happens to be my learning institution of choice. After some negotiations with the Knicks management, I got a chance to head down to camp today and mingle with the New York media to take a look. I've got some video and whatnot coming later, but for now, a few notes of interest.

- Eddy Curry was not in the building today, and has apparently been stricken with a pretty nasty bug. Coach D'Antoni said he was feverish and throwing up this morning, so we may not be seeing him for another day or two.

- Danilo Gallinari spent minimal time on the court, and spent most of practice stretching out and riding a stationary bike.

- Allan Houston can still J. No doubt about it.

- Wilson Chandler jumper looks like it's coming along quite a bit.

- Knicks spokesperson Jonathan Supranowitz, for everything I've said about him in the past, is a very helpful, friendly individual. The same goes for pretty much everyone I dealt with.

Again, there's plenty more where that came from, but I just thought I'd give you guys a little update in the meantime.

From H20 and his people comes this video of the Knicks' oldest training camp signee demonstrating the talent that shaped his career back in the 60s, or whenever he played.

The man can still shoot. More importantly, though, who is that feeding him balls, and is he referencing "Rack 'Em Willy"? Knicks training camp coverage coming soon.

All the sources said Stephon Marbury would be something else- a Clipper, a Heat, a dust bunny- by week's end. The one sources that counts, though, says otherwise:

Walsh said through a spokesman, "He is coming to training camp. We have not approached Stephon about a buyout."

So there you go. No doubt about it, Steph will be at Skidmore next week. I like the discussion that's going on about whether cutting Marbury is the right thing to do. I've personally given in to his buyout, mostly because I think it's time for the Knicks to move forward culture-wise, and partly because I couldn't care less that James Dolan loses money. I'll miss his antics, but Steph deserves a fresh start, and so do the Knicks. If he does stick around, things will probably be alright. I have faith in our new leadership.

Meanwhile, speaking of fresh starts, the horror stories are true. That post article goes on to say that Allan Houston will, indeed, be attending camp this year, hoping to at least get a job on the bench if he can't make the team. Like I've said before, I've got nothing against Houston, but it's pretty aggravating when guys like Renaldo Balkman gets traded and Bobby Jones gets cut without touching a basketball so that a 37 year-old can attempt a longshot comeback bid.

Them's the newses. Thoughts?

Update: Allan Houston's name is now in the SBN database for taggable players. Oy.