http://www.newsday.com/sports/print...4161500mar01,0,123.story?coll=ny-sports-print KNICKS NOTEBOOK Taylor needs to shape up BY GREG LOGAN STAFF WRITER March 1, 2005 If Maurice Taylor sees much action in his first couple of weeks as a Knick, it will be a reflection of how desperate they are for another low-post scorer. Knicks coach Herb Williams yesterday acknowledged Taylor isn't in NBA shape. The program lists Taylor at 255 pounds, but that's being generous to the burly power forward. He started for Houston at the beginning of the season but was on the injured list when the Knicks traded for him because Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy felt he was out of shape. "He's in decent shape, but you have to play basketball to be in basketball shape," Williams said of Taylor. "No treadmill or no bicycle is going to prepare you for running up and down the court, pushing and shoving, turning and cutting. We have some practice time here the next three days [before Friday's game in Orlando] where he gets to get out and play and get his rhythm back. He's always been a very good scorer and that's what we're going to need him to do." Taylor scored seven points in 13 minutes against the Lakers last night.
Kurth Thomas is playing like a man possesed. With the way he's playing lately, getting a guy like that at the trade deadline would have been a key acquisition for a team and could have made a impact similar to the one Rasheed Walllace had on the Pistons last year. Everytime I read the boxscore and see his numbers it hurts a bit to think how much of a difference he could have made for the Rockets. If we could have traded him for Juwan Howard but chose not to give up Howard... I don't want to know about it.
I never understood how Mo couldn't be more of a factor down low on the defensive and offensive ends along with rebounding. He is 6' 9" and about 260 lbs. He is strong, so he should have been able to get good position on both ends. He can also jump unlike Weatherspoon but still Weatherspoon still could outrebound him. It just seems like he has all the tools to be a good Power Foward on the defensive end and offensive end but he never had the desire to do it. With that size and strength he should be able to handle atleast the lower level forwards and hold his own with the star forwards.
I think we offerd Howard for Thomas and the Knicks turned us down. No surprise. We could still be in play for Thomas next year. We have expiring contracts that they might be interested in. And we could probably offer Howard and our 2006 1st rounder for Thomas and they would do it considering their desire to acquire 1st rounders to add youth. They essentially did that with the Nzar for Rose deal.
The #1 was, supposedly, to be able to pay off Detroit for the hiring of Larry 'The Bags are kept packed' Brown.
Giving Isaiah expiring contracts is like feeding a cow with beef stew. He won't take it, but he will produce tons of it and give it to you.
.......and it's time to peek in and see how Pillsbury-T is doing. averaging LESS numbers across the board. Had the single 15 point game which had people wondering if he'd get a reawakening, but has since scored (in order) 2, 2, 6, 0, and 2. Owch. Evan
Oned od the 1's is to, supposedly, pay for Larry Brown. Aren't all our expiring contracts, save DW, IT dumps? Besides, where does it say that IT will survive April?
