Soft player a hard sell

By MITCH LAWRENCE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
 
It's right back up the New Jersey Turnpike for Keith Van Horn, who comes to New York with a big contract, and a reputation for being soft and a history of disappearing in fourth quarters.
Just what the Knicks don't need.

Van Horn's "maximum money" contract calls for $13 million this season, $14.5 million next season and $15.5 million in 2005-06. Adding $43 million in guaranteed salary to their already bloated payroll, the Knicks are taking on a player whose two previous teams, the Nets and Sixers, felt they didn't get enough bang for their bucks.

"He's a good player," said one Eastern Conference GM. "But when you pay a guy 'max money' and he's not a 'max-money player,' there's going to be problems."

Just ask Allan Houston, right? In Van Horn's case, he might have some trouble in New York matching his productivity from last season, when he averaged 16points on 48% shooting for the Sixers. But by trading for him, the Knicks obviously aren't expecting much out Antonio McDyess, who continues to rehab from major knee surgery, or No.1pick Mike Sweetney, an undersized power forward who has struggled in summer-league play.

"Van Horn is not strong enough to be a post-up player, and he's not quick enough to get past quicker threes by driving the ball," said one Eastern Conference scout. "With the Knicks, he won't have an easy time getting shots. He needs to play with a point who can penetrate and kick it out to him on the wing, where he has three-point range."

But the Knicks don't have that player. The Nets did in Jason Kidd, and Van Horn made significant contributions in Jersey's run to the 2002 Finals. But he wasn't popular with teammates, and after the Nets were swept by the Lakers, he was singled out for criticism (but not by name) by several players, most notably Kenyon Martin.

"The problem is, Van Horn plays at a slower speed than a lot of guys," said a Western Conference executive. "Sometimes it doesn't look like he's trying."

Which is bound to cause a backlash at the Garden, because VanHorn is replacing Latrell Sprewell, who didn't always play well, but always played hard. And unlike Van Horn, who has problems guarding opponents, Sprewell was solid defensively.

"The Garden could be a tough place for Van Horn," said the scout.

Especially if he continues to vanish late in games. That was one of the knocks against him in Philly, along with his failure to give the Sixers a second scorer in the postseason.

After a solid first-round effort against New Orleans, he reached double figures only once in the six-game conference semis against Detroit. In the final three games he totaled only 12 points. And with the season on the line in Game 6, he produced only two points, leading to his return trip up the Turnpike his big-money contract and soft reputation still very much intact.

Originally published on July 24, 2003 by the NY Daily News