# David Lee Seeking 13 Million Per Year?



## USSKittyHawk (Jul 22, 2005)

> That broad goal could dictate dozens of decisions in the coming months, and could have major consequences for several players — David Lee and Nate Robinson in particular.
> 
> As first-round picks in 2005, Lee and Robinson are each eligible for lucrative contract extensions this summer. Without the extensions, each would become a restricted free agent in 2009 and, potentially, an unrestricted free agent in 2010.
> 
> ...


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/s...l?_r=2&ref=basketball&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Is David Lee worth 13 million dollars per year?


----------



## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

He has Varejaoitis.

6-8 mil a year is about the most I would pay for him. But then again the Knicks is made of money.


----------



## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

My answer to Davis Lee would be a big **** you. I would then sign and trade him to another ****ty team in the league.


----------



## NorthSideHatrik (Mar 11, 2003)

I really like both of those guys, but there role players. i'm sorry but 10/9 guys aren't worth max money. I mean come on, David Lee is a hustle and heart kind of guy. In 30 minutes of playing time he gets 10pts. You can't win a championship with that. He's an outstanding back up, a guy who can fill in for your starting 4 in periods of injury, and he belongs in your 8 man rotation. But NO WAY IN HELL he is a max player.

Max salaries should be saved for the dynamic duo whos going to win you a championship.

Would knicks fans do this if they got the offer. If someone had the cap space to absorb Curry's salary (and didn't really want him), would you trade a late lotto pick and expiring contracts for Curry, Lee and Robinson. based on talent your getting ripped off, but you have to view getting rid of curry as addition by subtraction. If this team is going to be turned around you have to dump salary and start over.


----------



## NorthSideHatrik (Mar 11, 2003)

also, you have to remember a different agent said David Lee is worth that money. He's trying to drive up the cost. The more a 10/9 guy gets paid, the more he can ask for, for his guys. He's giving the market a kick in the ***.


----------



## Krstic All-Star (Mar 9, 2005)

I'd go $8-9 million, but not $13 mil. No way no how.


----------



## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*First off...*

He is not worth the max..period. Secondly, asking for the max is where negotiations start. What would you expect him to ask for to start? Thirdly, if anyone hasn't noticed, Lee has not hit his ceiling yet. As the article said, he is a very coveted player and teams to not covet bench players. Lee is absolutely capable of averaging 15 and 10...plus a couple of assists and assorted steals and the occasional block. He always plays hard and is a good influence on his teammates. Max player? Nope, but a helluva lot better player than you guys give him credit for. For 10 million, who's a better option?


----------



## Ruff Draft (Nov 21, 2004)

13!?!? :rofl2::rofl2:

8-9 Mill is right.


----------



## thatsnotgross (Dec 4, 2006)

If he wants 13 million.. it would be best for us to trade Randolph or Curry with Lee's current contract now and get an expiring contract with a first round pick.


----------



## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

Danny Ferry's pretty desperate these days. I bet you could unload Bootsy Randolph on him for expirings and a first.

Speaking of Boots Randolph (the composer of _Yakety Sax_, aka The Benny Hill theme song), here's a personal favourite use of his music.

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mxJi-si5FRY&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mxJi-si5FRY&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>


----------



## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

So long Lee, we hardly new ya.


----------



## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

13 million for a glorified rebounder ? :rofl2:

Also the article says that he has improved every year, that is not true because he did not this season. He is worth 6-7 million, but that's it.


----------



## Tragedy (Dec 9, 2002)

I wouldn't even do 8-9 million, just because that will eventually be 13 mil or so after raises.

6-7 mil sounds right, but we don't have a franchise guy. You can't be throwing money around at supporting cast without having a centerpiece IMO.


----------



## Truknicksfan (Mar 25, 2005)

> 13 million for a glorified rebounder ?
> 
> Also the article says that he has improved every year, that is not true because he did not this season. He is worth 6-7 million, but that's it.


glorified rebounder??? You mean glorified hustle guy, rebounder, hard worker, and can finsih around the rim with the best of them. yeaaahhh goodd summary of him as a player.

And how can u excpect him to have better stats this year when the team won 23 games and u have curry and zach killing the teams offenseive chemistry. He can esaliy be a 15-10 guy. Easy.

As for the 13 mil, not worth it, but hell take less so im not worried.


----------



## DANNY (Aug 9, 2005)

David Lee (or his agent) pondering...

if marbuy can get 20 million, i can get 13!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

Truknicksfan said:


> glorified rebounder??? You mean glorified hustle guy, rebounder, hard worker, and can finsih around the rim with the best of them. yeaaahhh goodd summary of him as a player.
> 
> And how can u excpect him to have better stats this year when the team won 23 games and u have curry and zach killing the teams offenseive chemistry. He can esaliy be a 15-10 guy. Easy.
> 
> As for the 13 mil, not worth it, but hell take less so im not worried.


He is a role player, a career 10-12 ppg / 9-11 rpg undersized PF, you don't pay them more than 6-7 mios or you are screwed with the salary cap.


----------



## Tragedy (Dec 9, 2002)

Truknicksfan said:


> glorified rebounder??? You mean glorified hustle guy, rebounder, hard worker, and can finsih around the rim with the best of them. yeaaahhh goodd summary of him as a player.
> 
> And how can u excpect him to have better stats this year when the team won 23 games and u have curry and zach killing the teams offenseive chemistry. He can esaliy be a 15-10 guy. Easy.
> 
> As for the 13 mil, not worth it, but hell take less so im not worried.


15/10 isn't 13 mil. that's 8 mil.


----------



## Tragedy (Dec 9, 2002)

croco said:


> He is a role player, a career 10-12 ppg / 9-11 rpg undersized PF, you don't pay them more than 6-7 mios or you are screwed with the salary cap.


Agreed. He's a complimentary role player. 13 million a year is what you give your number 2 guy.


----------



## Truknicksfan (Mar 25, 2005)

> 15/10 isn't 13 mil. that's 8 mil.


Thats why I said in my orignal post..."_As for the 13 mil, not worth it, but hell take less so im not worried_."


----------



## WeMiss Charles Oakley (Apr 18, 2008)

No doubt his agent planted that story in the newspapers...smart. 

He sure isn't worth it, and the Knicks should trade him to anyone that will take on one of those awful contracts (The big center that never plays, or Q-Rich or Zach).


----------



## knicksfan (Jan 4, 2003)

I wouldnt push much more than the MLE for Lee honestly, he's a good double-double off the bench, but he's not exactly a star. We can't overpay hustle guys, that's what screwed us up in the Scott Layden era with guys like Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley and Othella Harrington. If he's really seeking this much, pack him up with Zach for expirings and a 1st rounder. We need to immediatly differentiate between potential solid core guys, and potential go-to guys. Lee is certainly the former moreso than the latter. 

As far as Q-Rich goes, I don't consider him a "bad contract" per se. He sure gets hurt a lot, but he's a good shooter off the bench who also goes inside, rebounds and plays his butt off when given the opportunity to do so. Heck, if you want to go super-small ball on occasion, he'd even be an asset at power forward. I've always very strongly liked Richardson as a player, and was upset that he was not given the opportunity to show more. If he's stuck playing two-guard with other athletic superstars then he can't use the combination of great strength he has coupled with the athleticism, but in a post spot I think he would. I don't see him as a liability at all as a power 3/4 type player. 

Heck, if Barkley played Power Forward in the league for so many years at 6-5, we can ask Q-Rich (who's an inch taller) to play the post. Not to sound like some crazy wishful thinker, he's no Charles Barkley, not even close, just my point is that we should use him as a backup post player, because of his strength and rebounding ability. I like him as a player.


----------



## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

David Lee getting that kind of money really isn't as out there as it seems players of his relative ilk do get that money sometimes , Nene got 6 yrs. 60 mil.

dalembert also got that kind of money , tyson chandler and eddy curry after seasons not so dissimilar than Lee .

the differnce of course is potential...they have more than Lee , you can run an offense around curry 

Tyson and dalembert can singlehandedly anchor your defense.

Nene hasn't proven he is worth that much yet in any way .

okafor turned down 12 mil. a season .

deng and gordon on the bulls each turned down 5 yr. 50 mil. offers.

to ask for this kind of money is not a wild notion nor is it even for him to get it , but he will be counted among the members of the league as overpaid, unless he winds up avg. near 20-10 and i strongly doubt the 20 will happen.


----------



## Tragedy (Dec 9, 2002)

Da Grinch said:


> David Lee getting that kind of money really isn't as out there as it seems players of his relative ilk do get that money sometimes , Nene got 6 yrs. 60 mil.
> 
> dalembert also got that kind of money , tyson chandler and eddy curry after seasons not so dissimilar than Lee .
> 
> ...


Are any of them worth it? NO.


----------



## Tragedy (Dec 9, 2002)

knicksfan said:


> I wouldnt push much more than the MLE for Lee honestly, he's a good double-double off the bench, but he's not exactly a star. We can't overpay hustle guys, that's what screwed us up in the Scott Layden era with guys like Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley and Othella Harrington. If he's really seeking this much, pack him up with Zach for expirings and a 1st rounder. We need to immediatly differentiate between potential solid core guys, and potential go-to guys. Lee is certainly the former moreso than the latter.
> 
> As far as Q-Rich goes, I don't consider him a "bad contract" per se. He sure gets hurt a lot, but he's a good shooter off the bench who also goes inside, rebounds and plays his butt off when given the opportunity to do so. Heck, if you want to go super-small ball on occasion, he'd even be an asset at power forward. I've always very strongly liked Richardson as a player, and was upset that he was not given the opportunity to show more. If he's stuck playing two-guard with other athletic superstars then he can't use the combination of great strength he has coupled with the athleticism, but in a post spot I think he would. I don't see him as a liability at all as a power 3/4 type player.
> 
> Heck, if Barkley played Power Forward in the league for so many years at 6-5, we can ask Q-Rich (who's an inch taller) to play the post. Not to sound like some crazy wishful thinker, he's no Charles Barkley, not even close, just my point is that we should use him as a backup post player, because of his strength and rebounding ability. I like him as a player.


barkley is 6'6, and is a HOFer and top 5 PF of all time. Insulting to even mention Q Rich in the same sentence.


----------



## knicksfan (Jan 4, 2003)

Tragedy said:


> barkley is 6'6, and is a HOFer and top 5 PF of all time. Insulting to even mention Q Rich in the same sentence.


Gotta learn to read a bit, I specifically stated that Richardson is nowhere near the caliber of Barkley, but the fact is that his skillset (in my opinion) would allow for him to be a succesful post player, and therefore something the Knicks can actually use as an asset. I was merely mentioning Barkley to say that guys who have been considered to be too short to play the Power Forward position have been succesful in doing so, and Barkley is a prime example of that. Furthermore, it is my opinion that Richardson's skills (rebounding, good inside defense, great strength, solid defense) would allow for him to become a factor for us at power forward.


----------



## TwinkieFoot (Jul 8, 2006)

knicksfan said:


> Gotta learn to read a bit, I specifically stated that Richardson is nowhere near the caliber of Barkley, but the fact is that his skillset (in my opinion) would allow for him to be a succesful post player, and therefore something the Knicks can actually use as an asset. I was merely mentioning Barkley to say that guys who have been considered to be too short to play the Power Forward position have been succesful in doing so, and Barkley is a prime example of that. Furthermore, it is my opinion that Richardson's skills (rebounding, good inside defense, great strength, solid defense) would allow for him to become a factor for us at power forward.


I don't think playing Richardson at the 4 spot is too wild an idea. If you switch to an uptempo offense, I think he can actually be pretty effective there. I think his natural position on the floor of course is at the 3 spot. For the life of me though, I can not understand why he has never been used in the post at that position where he'd obviously have an advantage over any other player. Isiah wanted a solid post player to go next to Eddy Curry and I think he had him there all the while. The only explanation I could think of not to play Richardson closer to the basket is because of his back problems; you need your back to be healthy in order to bang and rebound.


----------



## Tragedy (Dec 9, 2002)

knicksfan said:


> Gotta learn to read a bit, I specifically stated that Richardson is nowhere near the caliber of Barkley, but the fact is that his skillset (in my opinion) would allow for him to be a succesful post player, and therefore something the Knicks can actually use as an asset. I was merely mentioning Barkley to say that guys who have been considered to be too short to play the Power Forward position have been succesful in doing so, and Barkley is a prime example of that. Furthermore, it is my opinion that Richardson's skills (rebounding, good inside defense, great strength, solid defense) would allow for him to become a factor for us at power forward.


No, I read what you said, but it's STILL ridiculous to even compare. He is a 3 who can do a little in the post, but you're a pf because you GUARD power forwards, not because you play the position. He would be overmatched against the nba's power forwards.


----------



## TwinkieFoot (Jul 8, 2006)

Tragedy said:


> No, I read what you said, but it's STILL ridiculous to even compare. He is a 3 who can do a little in the post, but you're a pf because you GUARD power forwards, not because you play the position. He would be overmatched against the nba's power forwards.


He might not be able to do it full time but he should be alright. Shawn Marion did it for the Suns and although he is more athletic, he's not much taller or nearly as strong as Richardson.


----------



## da1nonly (May 8, 2006)

Id pay him 7-8 mil at most.


----------



## thaKEAF (Mar 8, 2004)

<object width="300" height="80"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/KZrUN7_P-O"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/KZrUN7_P-O" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="110" wmode="transparent"></embed></object>


----------



## NorthSideHatrik (Mar 11, 2003)

As far as playing QRich at PF in small ball. If I remember right, he was a PF in college at Depaul. Thats why he slipped alot int he draft. He was a drastically undersized PF who had to switch to the wing. Ironically, I think one of the big knocks on him was his lack of a 3pt shot. He was a hell of a slasher and a damn good rebounder for his size.


----------



## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

an average of 8 mil per year is the absolute max i'd even consider for lee.

that means the salary would be starting closer to the 6-7 mil range.


----------



## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*Better take a look around the league...*

And see what guys are getting. I actually agree with the Grinch on this one. Not worth it but might get 10+. I DO think he could get close to 20 a game, though, if his jumper continues to improve. He really only needs 6-7 fg a game. He gets to the line a lot and shoots FT well. He doesn't take many shots and he gets around 12ppg now. Not sure you want him to be a focal point though. Let him do what he does.


----------



## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*Not to mention....*

In games where he played 32+ minutes, he averaged 14/10.8 Anyone care to find out how many players could match that? On close to 50% shooting? With a couple of assists? And a steal or 2? The guy is so close to a 20/12 guy it isn't funny...and he does it in the flow of the game. The closer you look, the better he gets.


----------



## Idunkonyou (Feb 23, 2003)

LOL at this guy trying to pull a Darko. He will get 5 to 6 million at the most IMO, meaning he will get a 3 year MLE type deal.


----------



## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

Tragedy said:


> Are any of them worth it? NO.


doesn't matter if you feel he worth it , what matters if its a realistic goal of his to try and get it...and it is.


----------



## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

Da Grinch said:


> doesn't matter if you feel he worth it , what matters if its a realistic goal of his to try and get it...and it is.


that's true, but if the decision was mine i'd much rather let him walk and get nothing in return than sign him to a contract like that.


----------



## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

rocketeer said:


> that's true, but if the decision was mine i'd much rather let him walk and get nothing in return than sign him to a contract like that.


i think a good # of GM's would agree with you.

but walsh works for dolan who does not believe he should ever lose a player over money...i think the knicks wind up giving lee at least 10 mil. a year.


----------



## Gotham2krazy (Nov 22, 2005)

I would say the maximum Lee could possibly command is 9 million, while Robinson is in the range of 6.5 to 7.5 and no more. Knowing the Knicks, they'll probably get some overgloated contracts.


----------



## Krstic All-Star (Mar 9, 2005)

^ Anyone who gives Robinson more than $5 million per will regret it shortly.


----------



## GOD (Jun 22, 2003)

7 mil tops. any more and it will just be another bad contract.


----------



## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

Hey I can't blame his agent for trying.If it were me I'd look at what the knicks are paying other guys,compare their performance with David lee's performance and ask for the Max too.He may not have heard about Isiah's firing I guess.


----------



## Dean the Master (Feb 19, 2006)

That's really a huge reach. I think 5 million is a little bit too much already. Lee is a 3 million dollar player in my opinion. He's an energy guy, and can be replaced easily. Yes, he's a fan's favorite, but people needs to keep their sane.


----------



## Krstic All-Star (Mar 9, 2005)

^ $3 million for Lee is far too low. Trenton Hassell is making $4.35, and Kendrick Perkins and Reggie Evans about the same. Lee's a considerable upgrade over each of those - though Hassell is admittedly a SF.


----------



## Kiyaman (Aug 14, 2006)

*David Lee is a 32 mpg player that should've been getting playingtime at both positions PF/SF since his arrival in the league. Some nights he plays like the Lakers Odom, and on other night he plays like the Lakers Gasol.* 

Having David Lee spend time at the 3 and then the 4 position each game would improve his talents and skillz to be a 16/12 performance player. 

David Lee showed his great skillz & talents in his rookie season at the SF position helping the Knicks WIN six straight games. Ever since then the Knicks do not use Lee at the SF position where Lee have the advantage over alot of SF in the league (that is why Lee & Frye was so affective when Lee pulled down 22 rebounds in 28 minutes.). 

Knowing this is why assistant coaches Hann, Aquire, and Herb is useless to this Knick Team as coaches they are part time single player trainers. The next team coach will have David Lee play 6 to 10 minute stretches at the SF position. 
*Hint:* David Lee won the MVP of the Fresh/Soph contest at the SF position.


----------

