Post by irish2u2 on Jun 27, 2009 11:31:21 GMT -5
There is obviously going to be some conjecture here but that has never stopped me before, right? 
For now my leap of faith will not include getting Ricky Rubio.
Donnie Walsh realizes how important David Lee is to the basketball team and the fans and David realizes New York could be special in a very short time so they reach a compromise deal for less money and years with the verbal assurance once the pieces are in place Lee will get his just rewards. Working in our favor (hopefully) is we make a big trade to jettison some salary (more on that later), the financial climate in the NBA keeps owners from emptying their pockets and Lee sincerely loves the Knicks and New York.
Nate gets traded. My hope is an expiring contract and a 2010 first round draft pick.
Donnie trades Jared Jefferies. The Wizards just got two guards in Miller and Foye plus Gilbert Arenas is healthy. Jefferies for Mike James works and James contract expires next summer which is why we can afford to re-sign David Lee.
The Knicks will not use their MLE especially if they can keep Lee. We don't resign Chris Wilcox because we drafted Jordan Hill.
The Knicks come into the season healthy. Primarily that means Eddy Curry and Danillo Gallinari are in the rotation. This also means Lee can play PF which suits him better.
Wilson Chandler gets a good shot at the starting SG position. If the Knicks are going to keep him this is the position he lands especially with the expiring contracts of Larry Hughes and Mike James (hopefully).
Gallinari sees PT as a hybrid forward but mostly at small forward. Keep in mind D'Antoni is a master at the mix and match so Gallo could play center too as a high post shooter and passer.
We have two question marks at center. One them emerges as a quality NBA starter and my bet is on Darko Milicic. The Knicks are better at defending the basket, we get low post scoring plus Milicic is good at stepping out and hitting short jumpers which is a new wrinkle for the Knicks offense.
A good sign for success next year, and also factor in we can let it all hang out as we have no first round draft pick next year, are all the guys in the last year of their contracts. Duhon, Darko, Harrington, James (Mike and that is we pull off the trade) and Hughes are all in the final years of their deals. They are playing for new contracts and that is always a strong motivator. Some of these guys will be gone by February but we may keep one or two depending on circumstances and our cap situation.
Chris Duhon gets more rest with Douglas backing him up. Douglas adds a perimeter/man defender component to the Knicks. He can score too so he takes Nate's job of providing a spark off the bench.
Chandler, Hughes and James man the SG position.
We have Lee and Jordan Hill at the PF. We are longer and more athletic and Hill can block shots plus he is a decent scorer with some range.
We have Curry and Milicic at center. We now have two real NBA centers so no more Lee mismatches in the post.
We have Harrington and Gallinari at SF. As Gallo improves he gets used more and more across the front line. His shooting and passing ability are tailor built for Mike D and the Knicks.
We are deeper, more talented and taller. We should be better defensively. I believe this team will crack the .500 mark and make into the playoffs. We can still get there if we lose Lee and keep Jefferies. I think we will get a quality player in return for Lee in a trade and Jefferies staying or going isn't earth shattering either way it goes. The keys for next year are as follows:
1) Health. Gallo has to come back at 100% as does Curry and that means a much lighter, in shape Eddy Curry.
2) The light goes on. This is especially true of Darko Milicic and Eddy Curry.
3) The rookies perform. NY is a tough place to play but if they are able Hill and Douglas will play. Because of lack of depth at PG and maybe losing Lee our two rookies will get thrown to the wolves. Let's hope the wolves go hungry.
4) Wilson Chandler makes the transition to SG. We have Gallo and Harrington and we are angling for LeBron so Wilson has to carve out his slot at another position. A 6'8, athletic SG who plays both ends of the court sure sounds nice.
5) Play as a team at both ends of the court. The Knicks looked good last year when they passed the ball and played unselfishly. Our defense was horrific last year so even a modest improvement means more "W's".
The Knicks not just need to save money for next summer. They have to develop a competitive cast of players who are under contract for 2010 too.
Just think of a core group of Lee, Milicic, Gallo, Hill, Douglas, and Chandler with LeBron, Joe Johnson and Steve Nash.
For now my leap of faith will not include getting Ricky Rubio. Donnie Walsh realizes how important David Lee is to the basketball team and the fans and David realizes New York could be special in a very short time so they reach a compromise deal for less money and years with the verbal assurance once the pieces are in place Lee will get his just rewards. Working in our favor (hopefully) is we make a big trade to jettison some salary (more on that later), the financial climate in the NBA keeps owners from emptying their pockets and Lee sincerely loves the Knicks and New York.
Nate gets traded. My hope is an expiring contract and a 2010 first round draft pick.
Donnie trades Jared Jefferies. The Wizards just got two guards in Miller and Foye plus Gilbert Arenas is healthy. Jefferies for Mike James works and James contract expires next summer which is why we can afford to re-sign David Lee.
The Knicks will not use their MLE especially if they can keep Lee. We don't resign Chris Wilcox because we drafted Jordan Hill.
The Knicks come into the season healthy. Primarily that means Eddy Curry and Danillo Gallinari are in the rotation. This also means Lee can play PF which suits him better.
Wilson Chandler gets a good shot at the starting SG position. If the Knicks are going to keep him this is the position he lands especially with the expiring contracts of Larry Hughes and Mike James (hopefully).
Gallinari sees PT as a hybrid forward but mostly at small forward. Keep in mind D'Antoni is a master at the mix and match so Gallo could play center too as a high post shooter and passer.
We have two question marks at center. One them emerges as a quality NBA starter and my bet is on Darko Milicic. The Knicks are better at defending the basket, we get low post scoring plus Milicic is good at stepping out and hitting short jumpers which is a new wrinkle for the Knicks offense.
A good sign for success next year, and also factor in we can let it all hang out as we have no first round draft pick next year, are all the guys in the last year of their contracts. Duhon, Darko, Harrington, James (Mike and that is we pull off the trade) and Hughes are all in the final years of their deals. They are playing for new contracts and that is always a strong motivator. Some of these guys will be gone by February but we may keep one or two depending on circumstances and our cap situation.
Chris Duhon gets more rest with Douglas backing him up. Douglas adds a perimeter/man defender component to the Knicks. He can score too so he takes Nate's job of providing a spark off the bench.
Chandler, Hughes and James man the SG position.
We have Lee and Jordan Hill at the PF. We are longer and more athletic and Hill can block shots plus he is a decent scorer with some range.
We have Curry and Milicic at center. We now have two real NBA centers so no more Lee mismatches in the post.
We have Harrington and Gallinari at SF. As Gallo improves he gets used more and more across the front line. His shooting and passing ability are tailor built for Mike D and the Knicks.
We are deeper, more talented and taller. We should be better defensively. I believe this team will crack the .500 mark and make into the playoffs. We can still get there if we lose Lee and keep Jefferies. I think we will get a quality player in return for Lee in a trade and Jefferies staying or going isn't earth shattering either way it goes. The keys for next year are as follows:
1) Health. Gallo has to come back at 100% as does Curry and that means a much lighter, in shape Eddy Curry.
2) The light goes on. This is especially true of Darko Milicic and Eddy Curry.
3) The rookies perform. NY is a tough place to play but if they are able Hill and Douglas will play. Because of lack of depth at PG and maybe losing Lee our two rookies will get thrown to the wolves. Let's hope the wolves go hungry.
4) Wilson Chandler makes the transition to SG. We have Gallo and Harrington and we are angling for LeBron so Wilson has to carve out his slot at another position. A 6'8, athletic SG who plays both ends of the court sure sounds nice.
5) Play as a team at both ends of the court. The Knicks looked good last year when they passed the ball and played unselfishly. Our defense was horrific last year so even a modest improvement means more "W's".
The Knicks not just need to save money for next summer. They have to develop a competitive cast of players who are under contract for 2010 too.
Just think of a core group of Lee, Milicic, Gallo, Hill, Douglas, and Chandler with LeBron, Joe Johnson and Steve Nash.
