Thursday "Morning After Insider"

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Around midnight Wednesday, 29 teams left the bar and took their latest finds home for the first time.

It's the morning after . . .

When Jerry Krause rolls over this morning, Jay Williams will probably never look better. When Donnie Walsh sees Freddie Jones smiling back at him, he'll wonder just how much he had to drink Wednesday night.

The draft speculation is history. But the trading speculation is already in high gear. Some big deals were made, but in many ways, we we're left with more questions than answers after Wednesday night's trading frenzy. What didn't happen may be more significant than what did.

Who will play point guard for the Knicks? Exactly when will Andre Miller find a home? Will Baron Davis ever show up in New Orleans? Is Donald Sterling ready to open his wallet? Again, just how much did Donnie Walsh have to drink before the draft? Insider has the answers . . .

Insider Draft Grades: Knicks, Heat big draft day winners

Scott Layden pulled off the King Kong trade of the night. The Rockets took King Kong. Pat Riley? He let nine other GM's do the work for him.

The Knicks and the Heat were the big winners in Wednesday's draft. The Knicks were able to get back on the winning track immediately with the trade for Antonio McDyess. Chris Wilcox or Nene Hilario would've given them some fresh blood, but I think Layden's right, you just can't rebuild in New York.

No one improved themselves more than the Rockets did with the combo of Yao Ming, Bostjan Nachbar and Tito Maddox. Hate Yao all you want, but he's a 100 times better than Kelvin "Jack Squat" Cato. Nachbar is a combo of Hido Turkoglu and Peja Stojakovic and will have an instant impact behind Glen Rice. Maddox is a bit of a sleeper, but was the best pure point guard at the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp.

The Heat were just fortunate to watch Caron Butler fall in Paul Pierce-like draft night drop. Were it not for some last second-bumbling by the Cavs and the Clippers, he never would have been there. Still, when you get a guy who may be the best player in the draft at No. 10, you get an "A".

The big losers Wednesday? I have no idea what Indiana was thinking. No. 14 was just too high for Freddie Jones. He's an undersized shooting guard who only really had one good year in college. It's hard to believe that he's better or will ever be better than Qyntel Woods, Kareem Rush or Jiri Welsch -- all of whom where still on the board when the Pacers picked at 14. He is explosive and runs the floor well and is a great athlete. But he's a late first-round pick at best. Boooo!

The Cavs also get low marks for not pulling off a decent trade for Andre Miller. As for the Nuggets, you have to give them an incomplete for the next few years until we get a better chance to evaluate Nikoloz Tskitishivili and Nene Hilario.

With that said, click here for the 2002 draft grades for all 29 teams.

Knicks blockbuster may be the tip of iceberg

Knicks president Scott Layden's back was to the wall. The firing squad was ready. A blindfold, a cigarette, a lottery pick and a bunch of bloated contracts were his last possessions.

The talks with Nuggets forward Antonio McDyess were going nowhere. McDyess hemmed and he hawed. He asked about Houston, and Orlando. His agent, Andy Miller, told him it was New York or nothing.

McDyess, who's always been an odd cat, wasn't sure he was ready for the bright lights and catcalls of Broadway. But he was the only man who could pardon Layden Wednesday night.

So with just five minutes to spare before New York was to make its selection at No. 7, all the talk stopped. McDyess finally gave the team the thumbs up it was looking for. He agreed to waive an opt-out clause in his contract, guaranteeing that he'll be a Knick for at least the next two seasons.

The Knicks turned around and sent Marcus Camby, Mark Jackson and Nene Hilario (No. 7) to the Nuggets for McDyess and the 25th pick that turned into Frank Williams.

It was the type of blockbuster trade that Layden needed to side step the firing squad that was taking aim in the Garden. The Knicks had the highest payroll in the league, but were still mired in the lottery.

Layden's logic was simple: What's better than a young Antonio McDyess?

Answer: The real Antonio McDyess.

Layden's ability to pull off a draft-day miracle, just as we were ready to write off the Knicks for years to come, is just one move in a series of steps that will be played out the next month as the NBA silly season rears its head.

If Layden has his way, the Knicks aren't done. They spent most of Wednesday also trying to land disgruntled Cavs point guard Andre Miller. At several points during the day it looked as if the Knicks had pulled off that deal as well. But the Cavs remained torn between adding McDyess to their team or going younger. When the deal fell through, the Knicks decided to take McDyess and run.

Now, expect the Knicks to change their focus to Dallas. The Mavs are offering Nick Van Exel in return for Kurt Thomas and Charlie Ward. Van Exel may be tough to deal with, but he's the dynamic point guard they've been looking for.

And expect the Knicks to use their mid-level exception to go after free-agent big men like Rasho Nesterovic or Jerome James. Neither player is the final answer in the middle, but both can rebound and block shots.

Rolling The McDyess

Marc Berman / New York Post

McDyess cut team no slack

Kyle Ringo / Rocky Mountain News

To Fans, the Future for the Knicks Is Now

William C. Rhoden / New York Times

With the Knicks, a healthy dose of injured pride

Mike Lupica / New York Daily News

Cavs were just seconds away from trading Miller

The Cavs' drafting of Dajuan Wagner almost assures that point guard Andre Miller should keep his bags packed, but GM Jim Paxson sounded like he was actually considering keeping Miller around.

"We'll feel very comfortable playing Andre and Dajuan together," Paxson told the Akron Beacon Journal. C'mon.

The Cavs were just seconds away from trading Miller to the Clippers Tuesday night. According to the L.A. Times, after negotiating most of the day, the Cavaliers called the Clipps just as they were turning in their No. 8 pick -- offering to make a deal for Lamar Odom if the Clippers would draft Caron Butler for them and give them No. 12.

However, the Clippers had already phoned in their selection to the league -- Chris Wilcox -- making it official.

The Clippers then spent the next 10 minutes calling the Suns, who were drafting No. 9, and the Heat, drafting No. 10, trying to trade Wilcox for either pick so they could take Butler.The Suns had already turned in their pick, high school star Amare Stoudemire, and the Heat weren't passing on Butler.

The Clippers will keep talking to the Cavs, but they also are talking to the Hornets again. According to the Times, they also had a deal in place that would have sent Baron Davis to L.A. for Odom, Chris Wilcox and Melvin Ely, but owner Donald Sterling nixed it late Wednesday night.

If they want to keep things alive with the Cavs, it will be a little harder now unless Darius Miles is part of the deal. The Knicks will keep trying, too, but they have little the Cavs would be interested in. The Pacers may be in the best position to make something happen. They can offer Jamaal Tinsley, Al Harrington and Freddie Jones for Miller.

Wagner da juan for Cavs

Chris Tommasen / Akron Beacon Journal

Forward-Thinking Clippers Pull Power Play

Mark Heisler / Los Angeles Times

Clippers at Least Land One Guard

Elliott Teaford / Los Angeles Times

More trades to come . . .

There were a few other draft-day deals gone bad that may resurface again this summer.

The Wizards had a deal in place with the Magic that would've sent Jahidi White and the No. 11 to Orlando for Mike Miller. However, the deal was contingent on Amare Stoudemire being there when the Wizards drafted. When he was drafted by the Magic, they pulled out of the trade. Given that the Magic really addressed none of their needs in the draft, you can bet that they'll continue to shop Miller in an effort to land a starting point guard (GM John Gabriel wants Darrell Armstrong coming off the bench next season) and a big man or two.

The Grizzlies and Heat had worked out a trade Wednesday night that would've sent Stromile Swift and Brevin Knight to Miami in return for the No. 10 pick. However, Miami quickly pulled out of the deal when Pat Riley realized that Caron Butler would fall to him. Expect Memphis GM Jerry West to do whatever it takes to push the lackadaisical Swift out of the picture.

The drafting of Jay Williams by the Bulls could spell the end of the Jamal Crawford experiment in Chicago. The Wizards have been the most active in trying to get Crawford, but the T-Wolves, Sonics, Pistons, Nuggets, and the Magic are all interested. Bulls GM Jerry Krause says he's not interested in trading Crawford, but with the addition of Roger Mason in the second round, the bell tolls for thee, Jamal.

A few other underachieving teams will try to shake things up. The Bucks were dangling Glenn Robinson before the draft in an effort to free up more playing time for Tim Thomas. And the Timberwolves have a serious point guard situation to resolve. With Terrell Brandon recovering from knee surgery and Chauncey Billups testing the free-agent waters, the Wolves have shopped Wally Szczerbiak around in search of a top-flight point guard.

Keith Van Horn looked like he had worn out his welcome with the Nets at the end of the season. The Sixers have put a for sale sign around Dikembe Mutombo's neck. Eric Snow is on the block as well. The Pacers are hoping someone will take Austin Croshere off their hands. The Warriors will give away Danny Fortson. The Nuggets are open to offers for James Posey.

The Blazers would like to package Dale Davis with Bonzi Wells in a sign-and-trade. The Raptors are leery of giving Keon Clark a big contract, and may be willing to broker a sign-and-trade. And you just can't forget the obligatory Vin Baker and Penny Hardaway rumors that are just part of the NBA's summer fabric.

Right now it's all talk. But given the torrid trade pace we've already established ... we'd better strap in.

Wizards Take Two

Steve Wyche / Washington Post

Crawford's future goes up in the air

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Donald Sterling: "Money is no factor to me."

Speaking of the Clippers, does their aggressive pursuit of Andre Miller and Baron Davis mean what we think it means . . . are the Clippers ready to pay their guys?

"I spend that kind of money on any given day in some of my business dealings, and maybe that much twice a month," Sterling told the L.A. Times. "Money is no factor to me."

We'll pause while you pick yourself off the floor. Donald Sterling paying the luxury tax?

"I don't see any humor in that," Sterling said. "But that would be my No. 1 objective in the universe [hitting the luxury tax]. That would mean I have the best players on my team. If I'm really sincere, and I am, that we will pay all-star prices for All-Star players, then that's my clear business objective now."

Then Sterling got specific, saying he'll max out Elton Brand.

"We would like to sign him for six years [a maximum contract]," Sterling said. "I'm sure that's Elgin Baylor's plan to sign him, and to do it this year. Elton is a quality player and a quality person, and of all the players we have, there is a clear consensus he belongs here as a cornerstone of the franchise."

Again, we'll wait for you to stop laughing.

He then said he'd rely on Baylor's judgment when it comes to paying Michael Olowokandi. "If he wants Olowokandi," Sterling said, "we'll have Olowokandi." "If we make $20 million in profit, or spend $20 million more than we take in, that's no big deal to me. The issue in this business is to get the best players you can, keep them and put a competitive team on the floor. I look at Olowokandi, Odom, Brand, [Darius] Miles, [Corey] Maggette, [Quentin] Richardson and [Keyon] Dooling as major parts of this organization, and whatever it takes to sign them, we want to sign them."

It may be time to stop laughing.

Clippers' Sterling is ready to buck a trend