# This plan had better work.



## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

people like to claim salary cap space is the only way the knicks can make a contender is cap space when in truth it is a home run swing that usually fails just like all the other ways

so far it has cost the knicks

Zach Randolph = all star, 20.4 pts 11.8 reb 49% fg
jamal crawford = a frontrunner for 6th man of the year 17.6 pts 46% fg
no MLE player in summer 2009
only chris duhon in 2008 because he accepted a 2 year deal
jordan hill the 8th pick in the 2009 draft
nate robinson
renaldo balkman 
mardy collins
qrich expiring contract & 
stephon marbury's expiring contract...which could be used as trade chips but because the team couldn't take on more salary 
and jared jeffries.

and of course 2 seasons in which the players and fanbase had to watch a substandard product because management were not trying to put the best product on the floor due to cost cutting.


on the bright side the knicks have accomplished their goals in cap management...they have enough for almost 2 max space FA'S plus they could in a perfect world put out this lineup
David lee at center
bosh at the 4
Gallo at the 3
Lebron at the 2
Tmac at the 1

with these guys off the bench

wilson chandler 
jon bender
sergio rodriguez
tony douglas
jr giddens...or some min. salary player
bill walker...or some min. salary player
eddy curry

that team would be a legit title contender even with a decidedly weak defensive interior...but team with exceptional talent elsewhere have been able historically to get cheap bigs who can still play but take less for a chance at a ring...especially if the believe they will get the minutes they deserve...a guy like marcus camby comes to mind. 


if it works its great , the only time it actually worked was for the magic when they signed tmac and grant hill...ultimately that team won nothing . Hill was hurt early and often while Tmac developed into a superstar, but his lack of supporting cast and injury proneness sabotaged his team and made the magic 1st round fodder for true contenders.

the team it didn't work for the chicago bulls wound up with brad miller, eddie robinson and ron mercer...need i say more?

half a decade later they gutted themselves for a shell of ben wallace...went just as bad as in 2000.

in truth not a single team currently in the top 4 seeds in either conference has its best player because of free agency they drafted or traded for him.

and this is all in the hands of a man Donnie walsh who has no significant history at all of wooing free agents...i'm usually an optimist but i cant see it happening...but i'm very hopeful that i'm wrong.


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## Punk (Feb 4, 2010)

Donnie Walsh took the Pacers from the bottom and turned them into a NBA finals team and since he left, look where the Pacers are right now. That alone should woo free agents.

Besides, your playing in a fun system. Chance are after tonight, Sergio, House and T-Mac will stay.

Right now, New York is in a great position to bring over any sort of big name free agent and if they don't they still have T-Mac, House, Sergio and just use that money to sign other capable players like Kyle Korver, Tyson Chandler, etc.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

I've never seen a team ever take a "home run swing" like the Knicks are doing, having limited draft picks in the next few years (and trading their most recent top pick), unloading rotation players, etc. High risk, high reward.

Then again, do they really have a choice? The hardest part about building a team in the NBA is getting out from "bad" territory. It usually takes drastic moves to go from bad to good. 



Punk said:


> Chance are after tonight, Sergio, House and T-Mac will stay.


If the Knicks keep those guys, won't that prevent them from signing 2 max free agents? They could still sign one...but not two. Or so I thought.


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## Punk (Feb 4, 2010)

yodurk said:


> If the Knicks keep those guys, won't that prevent them from signing 2 max free agents? They could still sign one...but not two. Or so I thought.


They don't really need to sign 2 max unless they can negotiate the two superstars to take be so money hungry if they want the Knicks to be able to afford better players to be put around them. We all know if LeBron doesn't get a title and he does come to NYC. He would rather not sign a max contract if that means they use the rest of the money by signing other guys around him and a Chris Bosh or Amare.

T-Mac still says he would take less money to stay on a LeBron James/Chris Bosh team. That would attract more free agents already, you can easily sign House, Sergio and Lee to a decent contract with or without 2 max contracts.

So, any way you look at it. The Knicks can only get better if they stick with the guys they traded for and add a LeBron James and Chris Bosh.



> Then again, do they really have a choice? The hardest part about building a team in the NBA is getting out from "bad" territory. It usually takes drastic moves to go from bad to good.


The Celtics did it. People seem to forget that. Right now, I would consider T-Mac, Paul Pierce and Sergio as Rondo. The Celtics at the time already knew the wanted to build around him, Tony Allen and Perkins. The Knicks have their choices of young talent and adding those "Two" Superstars is the next piece.


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## Tragedy (Dec 9, 2002)

It's not inconceivable for someone like Lebron to take a one or two year contract at a lower amount, then resign for the max. The way he led the charge to have 4 year contracts with a player option in the 4th means you can't assume he'll suddenly follow the status quo. I feel he'll try to change the game in more ways than 1, and one of those ways will be the way contracts are done.

I could see him taking a 1-3 year contract, while telling whoever he's signing with to take a similar contract in order to have more leeway for his team to sign more players. 

I could see him thinking hey, I have my endorsement money, the 100 mil nike contract - and do something unconventional with his NBA contract. 

Or he could sign standard max contract. But one thing we've learned about Lebron is that he doesn't consider himself in the same manner players usually consider themselves. Nor do I think the thought of physical security is something he really considers. A player of Lebron's caliber could get hurt tomorrow, have three micro-fracture surgeries and still be offered a max contract from multiple teams.

Whether or not Bosh and Wade think the same way will be proven soon.


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## Floods (Oct 25, 2005)

Punk said:


> Donnie Walsh took the Pacers from the bottom and turned them into a NBA finals team and since he left, look where the Pacers are right now. That alone should woo free agents.


Maybe a very very stupid free agent being advised by Spike Lee and Fireman Ed.


> Besides, your playing in a fun system. Chance are after tonight, Sergio, House and T-Mac will stay.


lol

Yeah, players will be falling all over themsleves to play in a FUN!!! system that has yet to yield any meaningful results, with some pretty good players.


> Right now, New York is in a great position to bring over any sort of big name free agent and if they don't they still have T-Mac, House, Sergio and just use that money to sign other capable players like Kyle Korver, Tyson Chandler, etc.


Are you nuts? If the Knicks don't attract a big free agent, they're screwed. ****ing Kyle Korver and Tyson Chandler won't make any difference. Their next 3 drafts are in serious doubt right now, because of this.


Punk said:


> They don't really need to sign 2 max unless they can negotiate the two superstars to take be so money hungry if they want the Knicks to be able to afford better players to be put around them. We all know if LeBron doesn't get a title and he does come to NYC. He would rather not sign a max contract if that means they use the rest of the money by signing other guys around him and a Chris Bosh or Amare.


No, you have to sell them on the Knicks having a better chance to win than whatever situation they're currently in, before you can even begin to dream about any of them taking a discount for NY. I don't think that applies to any of these players, nor do I think they are that dumb.


> T-Mac still says he would take less money to stay on a LeBron James/Chris Bosh team. That would attract more free agents already, you can easily sign House, Sergio and Lee to a decent contract with or without 2 max contracts.


No it wouldn't. T-Mac isn't going to influence anyone's decision.


> So, any way you look at it. The Knicks can only get better if they stick with the guys they traded for and add a LeBron James and Chris Bosh.


Is that so? You know, if the Nets stuck with their current core and were able to add Chris Paul and Joe Johnson to the mix, they might have nowhere to go but up.


> Right now, I would consider T-Mac, Paul Pierce and Sergio as Rondo.


You are insane, delusional, horribly misguided, intoxicated, only recent began following the NBA again after a 5 year hiatus, or some combination thereof. Wow.


> The Celtics at the time already knew the wanted to build around him, Tony Allen and Perkins. The Knicks have their choices of young talent and adding those "Two" Superstars is the next piece.


**** ballscientist, this is as sig-worthy as it gets.


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

Tragedy said:


> It's not inconceivable for someone like Lebron to take a one or two year contract at a lower amount, then resign for the max. The way he led the charge to have 4 year contracts with a player option in the 4th means you can't assume he'll suddenly follow the status quo. I feel he'll try to change the game in more ways than 1, and one of those ways will be the way contracts are done.
> 
> I could see him taking a 1-3 year contract, while telling whoever he's signing with to take a similar contract in order to have more leeway for his team to sign more players.
> 
> ...


These guys are all signing for 5 year maxes, and trying to force sign and trades for 6 year maxes. The reason that Lebron, Wade, Bosh, etc. got the contracts they did, was so that they could get as many years possible under the current CBA, as they knew that the next CBA would be less player friendly.


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