KNICK NOTES
Portland point guard Damon Stoudamire may be more available than ever. Stoudamire, in whom the Knicks have shown some interest, has now been taken out of the starting lineup.
The Blazers have a point-guard glut with starter Derek Anderson and backups Antonio Daniels and Jeff McInnis. Still, if Latrell Sprewell and the $4.5M exception goes to Portland, the Knicks will need more than Stoudamire coming back. Stoudamire was shooting just 34.5 percent and averaging 7.8 points at the time of his Friday benching.
According to a source, the struggling Blazers have an interest in Sprewell but want to wait to see how plays upon his return. The reasons why a deal between the two clubs could make sense is Blazers GM Bob Whitsitt is never shy to pull the trigger, owner Paul Allen would think nothing of Sprewell’s maximum contract and the Blazers have a lot of pieces.
With Lee Nailon as the beginning, the Knicks are trying to obtain younger players with modest contracts.
*
Usually when Sprewell speaks about the Knicks’ management, it’s in a negative way. His diatribe for two years has revolved around being too small in the frontcourt. But Sprewell had something nice to say about Scott Layden’s summer acquisition, center Michael Doleac, signed as a free agent in August.
On Saturday, in his second game as a Knick, Doleac hit his first field goal as a Knick, made 3 of 5 shots overall, showing the outside shooting touch that Layden raved about in the summer.