In today's Daily News, Frank Isola reveals that Kiki Vandeweghe could be in line to replace Zeke. The former All-Star player and Denver GM may be the replacement for only person who has ever sapped my passion for this ballclub.
According to Isola, an unnamed "league executive" told him that,"The NBA is pushing Kiki for that job." This mysterious league executive also said, "It sounds like it is a foregone conclusion that something is going to happen over there at the end of the season. Kiki makes a lot of sense."
In a perfect world the Knicks might abscond from San Antonio with RC Buford or convince Jerry Colangelo to put USA Basketball on the back-burner. But, in this flawed universe I would thoroughly endorse Kiki for the GM gig. He helped bring the Nuggets back into contention by drafting Carmelo Anthony and bringing in Marcus Camby (who he got from the Knicks). He hired George Karl and even his costliest mistake, signing Kenyon Martin, who has been hurt too often, isn't something that I hold against him. And, though, he is a former player, something I don't really like in a GM, he was a two-time Academic All-American at UCLA. He's got some smarts to him.
And, maybe it shouldn’t it matter, but it does. I like the fact that he donned a Knicks uniform and that he played in this building. He was here as the eighties became the nineties and as this team arrived on the scene. Isola believes he would bring a sense of tradition with him and welcome former Knicks back to the Garden. I would love that.