# Rumor: The Knicks May Have No Choice But To Trade Lee



## USSKittyHawk (Jul 22, 2005)

> Lee is the most popular player in New York these days. His hustle, athleticism and grittiness have made him a bright spot in the squalor. And with Mike D'Antoni implementing his run-and-gun offense, Lee has looked fantastic in the preseason.
> 
> But to keep Lee, who becomes a restricted free agent next summer, the Knicks would have to pay a terrible price, considering that team president Donnie Walsh is trying to clear cap space for the summer of 2010. As the Knicks currently stand, if Walsh signs Lee to a big extension, any hope of having cap space to lure LeBron James goes out the window.
> 
> Walsh has tried to move Randolph and/or Eddy Curry instead, but he isn't having any luck. If we get to late January or February and Randolph and Curry are both on the roster, Walsh is going to have to include Lee to sweeten the package. That's a steep price to pay for the mere chance to lure LeBron to New York. But if he caves and pays Lee, the Knicks are basically stuck with the same crappy team until 2011. I don't think Walsh -- or the Knicks' long-suffering fan contingent -- has that much patience.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=TradeTalk-081015

If Lee's agent is asking for a whole lot of money, then ciya!


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

My opinion is to pay him what he's worth and keep him.

the lebron plan is a dumb plan anyway.


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## Ballscientist (Nov 11, 2002)

I think Lakers can give David Lee 88 mil contract next summer, then sign Kobe, Bynum, Farmar and Odom. 

Kobe and Bynum will need to sign minimum contract if they want the championship.


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## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*I love Lee's game BUT*

he ain't gettin' 88 mil from ANYONE. 50-60 maybe 0ver 6-7 years.


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## Redeemed (Feb 2, 2008)

Ballscientist said:


> I think Lakers can give David Lee 88 mil contract next summer, then sign Kobe, Bynum, Farmar and Odom.
> 
> Kobe and Bynum will need to sign minimum contract if they want the championship.


Oh yeah because Lee deserves 88 mil but Kobe should have to take the minimum. That makes a lot of since, Ballscientist.

In my opinion the LeBron plan really is stupid, because I see LeBron as the type to stay with his team forever unless times really get hard. I don't think he's going anywhere.


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## knicksfan89 (Jan 6, 2005)

keep him I would say and BTW why wasn't there a GDT on the celts game a great win for the knicks even although it was only pre-season


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

damn energy guys like David Lee get 60 million? Whoa.


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## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*Why is he just an energy guy?*

He's a 15+ AND 10+ guy. He's smart, versatile, and a great teammate. He'll probably also get 3 apg and a steal. Who else in the league does that? Just because he hustles ALL THE TIME doesn't mean thats all he does.


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## Truknicksfan (Mar 25, 2005)

> He's a 15+ AND 10+ guy. He's smart, versatile, and a great teammate. He'll probably also get 3 apg and a steal. Who else in the league does that? Just because he hustles ALL THE TIME doesn't mean thats all he does.


Yep! And his free throw shooting and jump shot gets better every season.

If the knicks can they need to keep him, if he is really asking for a ludacris amount then they need to make a decision. Keep a winnner or trade him to clear space for a player that might not even come here?


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

Lee got overrated because he was juxtaposed against lazy malcontents for 3 years...and he was the only Knick you could cheer for, not to mention his skillset is always adored. I don't think he's going to be more than the fourth best player on a title team...he's an energy guy who can shoot, rebound, defend and doesn't make mistakes. Not worth 60M, unless you're a title team and you say what the hell just to keep the run going.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

When did Lee average 15 and 10? I don't remember that ever happening. A career 9/8 player with average D is getting paid 60 million and he doesn't even have a position. Hmmm...


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## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

yeah, I wouldn't pay Lee more than 8 mil a year, at least not until watching him perform on a better team. It's easy to look good playing with a group of underachievers, but had he been on a better team he would just be a role player that ranks around 4-5th best on a team. I think Lee is quite similar to Anderson Varejao from last year. Both forwards feel that they are worth more than they really are and Lee will probably be just as disappointed as Varejao.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

No, Lee is a lot better than Varejao. Varejao has pretty much no skils.


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## Kuskid (Aug 18, 2004)

Dre™ said:


> Lee got overrated because he was juxtaposed against lazy malcontents for 3 years...and he was the only Knick you could cheer for, not to mention his skillset is always adored. I don't think he's going to be more than the fourth best player on a title team...he's an energy guy who can shoot, rebound, defend and doesn't make mistakes. Not worth 60M, unless you're a title team and you say what the hell just to keep the run going.


Exactly. Just because he might be the only player in New York who could play a big role on a championship team, people started to overrate him. He's like the big man version of James Posey in that respect- he's a great role player, but when it comes down to it, he's still a role player.


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## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

Dre™;5722243 said:


> No, Lee is a lot better than Varejao. Varejao has pretty much no skils.


Their stats don't differ that much with Lee playing slightly more minutes. Lee is 11/9 while Varejao is 7/8. Varejao is a much better defender (the best post defender on the Cavs) that can defend PF/C. While I do feel that Lee is a better overall player, their values can't differ by that much.


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## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*First......*

The money you suggest he is worth is in line with what I posted. Second, if you don't think he is a 15/10 guy as a starter in this system, you don't know much about basketball. He plays 35+ minutes, he'll get those numbers....and at 55% +.


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## ChosenFEW (Jun 23, 2005)

Ballscientist said:


> I think Lakers can give David Lee 88 mil contract next summer, then sign Kobe, Bynum, Farmar and Odom.
> 
> Kobe and Bynum will need to sign minimum contract if they want the championship.



:lol:

AAAHAHAHAHAH!!


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

seifer0406 said:


> Their stats don't differ that much with Lee playing slightly more minutes. Lee is 11/9 while Varejao is 7/8. Varejao is a much better defender (the best post defender on the Cavs) that can defend PF/C. While I do feel that Lee is a better overall player, their values can't differ by that much.


They might have similiar numbers, but also consider Varejao is a recipeint of Lebron feeds where all he has to do is dunk half the time. He can't shoot or dribble...he's pretty much a nonfactor on offense. Lee is one of the better shooters in the league at the 4 spot, and like the numbers show, he's only gonna get better in this system. He's also playing with a number of black holes in NY.


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

truthfully lee doesn't deserve a 10 mil. a year deal, but he's gonna get it , if not from the knicks than some1 .

he has a legit chance to be the best domestic born caucasian in the nba (in a country thats 70% white thats worth money), despite the fact he is a mediocre defender , and isn't good enough on offense to warrant a team game planning to stop him or double team him , he basically scores as a cog in the offense in the flow of the offense on mostly garbage and hustle points....and he boards very well.

not really worth a 6 yr. 60 mil. deal, but he'll get it .


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## pac4eva5 (Dec 29, 2005)

if a trade is most likely, what do u guys expect to get for him?


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

I can't see them getting a deal that would benefit them more than his presence, but if they don't want to pay him, that's what they'll have to do.


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