Here we go again.

Consider this the first Knicks-griping post of the 2002-03 season. Said season hasn’t even started yet, of course, and we’ve already lost Sprewell for six weeks. Bleah. Update: And it’s already getting worse. Apparently Kurt Thomas has been arrested for hitting his wife. Bleah Bleah.

So long, Ew.

After seventeen years in the league, longtime Knicks center Patrick Ewing calls it quits. So long, big fella. You earned a break, despite what all the haters have to say. (I still think if Riley had benched Starks in Game 7, the no title albatross wouldn’t be a factor, but ah well.)

Trade Winds Blowing.

Many NBA trades went down in my absence, including Miller to the Clips, Big Dog to the Hawks, and – the biggest – Mutombo to NJ for Van Horn. While that’s a great pickup for Jersey (and losing Van Horn is addition by subtraction), I’m actually kinda glad the Knicks-Mutombo trade fell through. Much as I’d love to see Travis Knight off the roster, I gotta think Kurt Thomas has more upside than Mutombo these days. I’d say Mutombo’s probably a season or a slight injury away from looking Ewing-tired. We’ve already been down that road with Glen Rice and Mark Jackson.

Gotham Makeover.

ESPN tries to reinvent the Knicks. Houston for Van Horn sounds better than any of the Sprewell trades I’ve been hearing.

Short Term Thinking.

Mitch Lawrence doesn’t like the McDyess trade.

Double Sixes or Snake Eyes?

Scott Layden gambled big last night in the NBA draft, trading away the seventh pick, Mark Jackson, and Marcus Camby for All-Star PF Antonio McDyess and the 25th pick (PG Frank Williams.) I like it…if McDyess can play a full season, it’s a great trade, at least for the short term. (Camby was great when he was healthy, but he was just Mr. Glass too often, and Mark Jackson has had a fork in his back the past two seasons.) Plus, Dice is a legitimate low-post option, while Camby was more of a clean-up guy on the offensive boards…McDyess will draw double teams and open it up for Spree and Houston. Now, if the Knicks can sign free-agent C Keon Clark and actually trade PF Kurt Thomas and PG Charlie Ward to Dallas for PG Nick Van Exel, we’re suddenly a contender again. Not a championship contender, mind you, but good enough to represent in the East until we can get back under the salary cap. All in all, a much better night than the Frederic Weis fiasco of 1999. By the way, I thought it a nice parallel that the same summer US joins the world in competitive soccer, the NBA opens its doors to the world…six of the first round picks, including obviously the first pick (Yao Ming of China), were international players.

With the seventh pick…

The NBA Draft is tonight at 7pm on TNT (good historical recap here)…here’s hoping for lots of crazy trades accompanied by zingers from Sir Charles, the Jet, and EJ (Inside is far and away the best sports program on television.) As noted yesterday, Knicks pick seventh.

Selective Service.

With trade winds blowing around the NBA, ESPN offers its final mock draft before the real deal tomorrow night. Looks like the Knicks may indeed pull off a legit big man in Maryland’s Chris Wilcox or (possibly) Brazilian phenom Nene, although I’d think “baby Iverson” Dajuan Wagner is still on their list too. Either way, I’m expecting NY to unload at least half their litany of undersized PF’s (Thomas, ‘Spoon, Harrington) and backup PG’s (Jackson, Ward, Eisley) sometime this summer.