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Post by kgooglog on Jul 17, 2009 10:48:28 GMT -5
Newsday is now reporting that David Lee and agent Mark Bartlestein are in discussions with Donnie Walsh concerning resigning Lee to a back-loaded contract which would allow the Knicks to still go after their FA targets in 2010-11. Obviously the main problem is Bartlesteins's continued belief that Lee is worth $10-$12 million dollars a year and Walsh's publicized statement that "his (David's) numbers are very way off" in terms of what the Knicks have in mind for a David Lee contract, but the positives are that neither side are going to stop talking and that negotiations will continue until both sides agree that there is no resolution. According to Newsday, progress has been made in terms of Lee's demand for the aforementioned figure. Bottom line. I think David Lee will be resigned by Walsh in a couple of days. My prediction on the salary? $6.5 million for 5 years.
Utah is shopping Carlos Boozer around the NBA, with Carlos saying that if he is to be traded, he would prefer the Lakers, Heat, or the Knicks. In light of Utah's stance of not wanting any expensive players back with multiple year contracts, the Knicks would need to sign Nate Robinson to the one year qualifying offer of $2.9 million dollars, then package Robinson with the 80% insured Mobley contract, which, in effect, would make the trade Carlos Boozer for a "free" Nate Robinson. Miami, LA, or Chicago cannot acquire Boozer without giving back salary. The Jazz, in my opinion, would jump at the chance to get rid of Boozer's contract for this package, which does work for both teams. I used Gallo's salary, which is approximately $3,000,000 for this season and approximates Nate's QO salary. Of course there is the little matter of Robinson signing the qualifying offer, but, like Lee. I see this situation being resolved very quickly.
Why do this deal, if you're Walsh? Because Boozer is better than David Lee in nearly every respect on the court except attitude. He is a post up player who also averages a double-double every night Conversely, if and when Donnie signs Lee, where on Earth do we play both PFs? Perhaps the mere ides of Boozer being a viable option, provides Walsh with even more leverage in negotiations with David as well.
With a signed David Lee on board, we look to trade him, and I just read that the New Orleans Hornets are in such dire financial straits that it was mentioned that Chris Paul may actually be on the market! Paul himself went public and stated that he feels that he believes that he will be traded. I have little idea of what this team needs, but would the Hornets consider a one year David Lee commitment (Lee settling for a one year deal for whatever amount Walsh thinks CP3 is worth? I'd give Lee a one year deal for $12,000,000 in order to acquire the best PG on Earth.
Although what I just proposed basically keeps Curry and Jeffries in Knick uniforms and does impact our cap, one cannot argue how substantially better the 2009 Knicks would be. The PG situation is resolved for the next decade, and Carlos Boozer may be bait which lures the unhappy D-Wade here as our one elite FA signing for 2010.
Chandler will not be our SG in this case, and moves back to starting SF alongside Boozer, who I believe the Knicks can sign for the max if they can acquire him this year.
In this formulation, the Knicks have the best back court in the NBA, possibly a top 5 forward line-up in Carlos Boozer and Wilson Chandler, and our pivot situation remains Darko/Gallo/Curry/Sene.
The Knicks, by default, have an extremely deep bench in Harrington, Hughes, Douglas, Duhon, J-Hill, and any two of the pivots we cannot start.
This is just another thought of mine, one which allows us to improve the PF, SG, and PG situation in one fall swoop. Lee takes his gritty game to the soft Hornets, who save millions of dollars and can avoid going bankrupt. D-Wade is the best off-guard in the NBA, and Boozer is a huge upgrade over Lee.
The Knicks are immediately a 55 win team with this line-up,
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Post by irish2u2 on Jul 17, 2009 12:56:38 GMT -5
I read the Hahn piece outlining the possibility of signing Lee for 9 mil this year then using the maximum salary reduction of 10.5% to get Lee down to 8.05 mil for 2010 and then offering him 10.5% increases for the remainder of the contract. The average salary would be 9.3 million for 5 years and a contract of nearly 47 million dollars which is 15 million more than Paul Millsap would get from Utah. The Knicks could sweeten the deal with a player Early Termination Option in 2011 when Lee is at his prime of 28 and the Knicks would still have his Bird Rights so they could go over the cap to retain him. Perhaps a signing bonus this year which counts against the cap but not salary is the key. Millsap got 6 million in a "bonus" which Portland thought would scare off the fiscally cautious Jazz. Now take that 6 million bonus and Lee gets his 10 million a year, Bartlestein delivers to his client and if we trade Curry this year it's a savings overall with Lee included for next year. On to Carlos Boozer. My first concern is Boozer and Curry together since they both like the low post. Boozer is better than Lee but how is he going to drag his 260+lbs up and down the court in D'Antoni's offense? On the plus side Boozer can hit jump shots, he's a good rebounder and because he started for Jerry Sloan you know he is a good defender. Lee is reportedly miffed at what he believes is "disrespect" from the Knicks as reported from a "source" in the NY Post (Marc Berman) today. www.nypost.com/seven/07172009/sports/knicks/source__nate__lee_feel_disrespected_179785.htmAll this may factor into a Boozer trade though Utah will want a good, young player in return along with salary considerations. The Mobley contract is a great card to play but Jazz fans would riot in the streets if Utah traded Boozer for cap considerations and Nate Robinson. Alan Hahn of Newsday brings up another good and valid point and that is the logjam of players up front. Accept that Wilson Chandler will go to SG and we have Lee or Boozer, Gallinari, Harrington, Curry, Milicic, Jordan Hill and Jared Jefferies to play 3 frontcourt positions in D'Antoni's notoriously tight rotation. Who plays? We want to showcase Curry so he has to play but that is all right since he can't play 40 minutes a night for Mike. That should mean Darko gets at least 20 minutes a night. That leaves Jordan Hill out of the mix and looking for garbage time. What about Gallinari? With Lee or Boozer eating up minutes at PF where does Gallo fit in? If indeed Gallo is a future star he needs PT and there won't be a lot available with either one of two experienced and accomplished players using 35 minutes a game. We could play Gallo at SF where his ability to pass could be a huge asset but Harrington is in a contract year and after all he is the Knicks leading returning scorer. Of course a lot of the logjam becomes a non issue if we trade Curry especially if we can do so early in the season or, Praise Jaysus, in the off season. That allows Darko a chance to earn the job, Hill some PT and maybe we use Gallo at all 3 frontcourt positions. I think Nate is a goner and we get nothing back. Lee doesn't want to play in Greece. The shooting this summer has been abysmal but then again it always is as evidenced by the best shooter in the draft Stephen Curry's 32.5% FG percentage in 5 games. Let's hope negotiations continue with Lee and everything gets resolved though I note if we do trade for Boozer then DA will be insufferable with two Dookies on the Knicks. ; ) Great post Ken. |
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Post by daglazer on Jul 17, 2009 13:36:38 GMT -5
On to Carlos Boozer. My first concern is Boozer and Curry together since they both like the low post. Boozer is better than Lee but how is he going to drag his 260+lbs up and down the court in D'Antoni's offense? On the plus side Boozer can hit jump shots, he's a good rebounder and because he started for Jerry Sloan you know he is a good defender. ..... Let's hope negotiations continue with Lee and everything gets resolved though I note if we do trade for Boozer then DA will be insufferable with two Dookies on the Knicks. ; ) Great post Ken. If Carlos could get up and down the floor in Duke's fast break offense when he was pushing 275-280 his junior year, then he can run the floor at 260.  Just remember, that Duke won its last title with Boozer and Duhon in the lineup. Now for a serious scouting report on Carlos. He is an excellent low post scorer as he has great footwork and can shoot with either hand in close. This makes him difficult to guard one on one. He is adept at the pick and roll and because he is fundamentally sound (and very strong), he is a very good rebounder. He is not an explosive leaper though. As such, he does not block shots and has trouble guarding post players who can really jump. He tries to make up for this weakness by proper positioning. Ideally, you want to pair him up with a center who can shoot jumpers and block shots. Darko could actually be a really nice fit next to Boozer. He is good, but not great at passing out of double teams. Personally, I thought that Utah did not use him in the post enough. So, I would love to get him anyway possible. And the Mobley contract makes a lot of sense as part of a package with Utah. And, if they want a real player back, then I want our 2010 1st round pick back. |
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Post by irish2u2 on Jul 17, 2009 14:28:44 GMT -5
Good points DA especially the observation about getting our pick back for next year. A spot on analysis of Boozer too though you neglected to mention his great baseline turnaround jumper or his ability to hit the midrange shot.
The question is who would the Jazz want back? I find it unlikely it would be Lee and I would not trade Gallo, Chandler, Hill or Douglas either. The only possibility I see is a three way (or more) and Lee in a sign and trade.
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Post by daglazer on Jul 17, 2009 15:31:29 GMT -5
Ken, I was thinking that they might want Chandler who is a versatile player who is also a good defender. He would do very well for Jerry Sloan. Plus, Chandler is still on his rookie contract which makes him affordable. I would trade Chandler to get back our 2010 pick. That draft is going to be loaded and there is a chance that a team picking 10th could get a future star. There will be at least 3 top notch bigs in that draft as well as some top notch perimeter players. At a minimum, we would be able to replace Chandler.
I also think that having the Bird rights to Boozer would make it easier to sign Lebron. He and Boozer have played together before and played well. Boozer is a reliable inside scorer who does not clog up the lane. As such, we would not need to have enough cap space for two max contracts.
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Post by ReneNYG1 on Jul 17, 2009 20:29:10 GMT -5
Im I the only one that thinks Lee can eventually put up Boozer numbers and stay healthy,I don't think Boozer defense is all that great and it sucks when he's not on the floor.Why are the Jazz given up on him.I like Lee and I think if we get him at Kenny's numbers's it's a steal and if we get him on Irish's numbers we might consider trading him he has to think about that if he really wants to stay.I hope Kenny right and we get him that cheap.Let's stick to Lebron plan ,Wade and Boozer while nice have had injury history which with our luck we better off without that risk.That's why I changed my mind with Miller he's a bull and will give you minutes.
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Post by irish2u2 on Jul 17, 2009 21:19:49 GMT -5
Rene
I doubt Lee ever becomes the offensive player that Boozer is now. As for defense the case could be argued that anybody starting for Jerry Sloan has to be good on defense. It's his #1 priority and passion. It's also how he played when he was with the Bulls so many years ago. I like Lee. I know Lee. There is a limit on his ceiling as a player.
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Post by whensly on Jul 18, 2009 1:19:58 GMT -5
The pressure on Walsh for a signficant upgrade not just next year but now
is on. What is worse is he can't mortgage the future by tying up cap money.
boozer is attractive though I suspect the heat or da bullz will end up with him.
C'mon Donnie..do your thing~
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Post by irish2u2 on Jul 18, 2009 8:51:50 GMT -5
I get the feeling Donnie's hands are tied. He can't significantly upgrade the team and take on payroll because he know trading Curry and Jefferies would be difficult. Besides my interests are not on Boozer but what happens with Lee and down the road, Rubio. Call me optimistic but I think Rubio still doesn't want to play in Minnesota and the fact GM Kahn is negotiating for a buyout with Rubio's Spanish team indicates to me a deal might be in place. Of course I could be dead wrong. ; )
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Post by jbnewyork162 on Jul 18, 2009 12:56:56 GMT -5
Honestly, I doubt Utah would do a deal directly or apart of a multi team deal with us based on the fact that they own 1st rounder next year and wouldnt want to help us by giving us a chance to ruin their draft position with our pick Zeke gave away a few years back. So based on that atleast for this i dont think any deals with Utah will happen.
And honestly if I were Utah i wouldnt deal with us for that reason either.
-Jason
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Post by irish2u2 on Jul 18, 2009 13:09:02 GMT -5
Jason
I agree primarily because Utah has financial issues with their owner passing away during the season and draft picks are cheap, in NBA terms, talent.
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Post by kgooglog on Jul 18, 2009 14:40:48 GMT -5
Howard Beck of The NY Times said the same thing via twitter today, as Jason did. Utah would never deal Boozer to New York because of the 2010 UNPROTECTED pick that Zeke gift-wrapped in the Marbury deal.
Boy, is that deal looking worse and worse every day, considering the cast of players who are already in the top 10...That's another reason I want NY to have a great season, as I do not want the Jazz to have any shot at John Wall.
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Post by mercury on Jul 18, 2009 15:16:10 GMT -5
The pressure on Donnie stems from the fact that Utah posseses the Knicks 1st round pick. I would actually perfer the Knicks to be a lottery team if we still owned the pick. But since Isiah loved to hand out number 1 picks the Knicks are in a tough position. Secondly the Knicks have to stick with the 2010 plan and not take on salary. The team is stuck at a crossroads. However, after next season the Knicks will be able to start making moves. If the Knicks are a lottery team this season that will have been 3 lottery picks given away in the last 5 years. This has been a great road block to our rebuilding. To add we didnt get equal value in return with Marbury and Curry, both have been just horrible on and off the court for the Knicks. The saving grace for Isiah could be some of his late 1st round picks have turned out better than most lottery picks.
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Post by jbnewyork162 on Jul 19, 2009 6:30:10 GMT -5
In response to Mercury, the best pick to date IMO is Trevor Ariza based on his game to game impact and his steady improvement annually isnt on the team and honestly if we signed him for the full midlevel for a multi year deal he'd be the best value to put next to any of the super free agents next season whether it be Roy, Lebron, Wade or Bosh or whatever.
In response to "All things being considered, we better have a 2011 plan too because that's when Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony can opt out and bee unrestricted free agents even though one would think they'd respectively be resigned. But still!
Just bloggin.
-Jason
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Post by irish2u2 on Jul 19, 2009 10:55:06 GMT -5
In response to Mercury, the best pick to date IMO is Trevor Ariza based on his game to game impact and his steady improvement annually isnt on the team and honestly if we signed him for the full midlevel for a multi year deal he'd be the best value to put next to any of the super free agents next season whether it be Roy, Lebron, Wade or Bosh or whatever. In response to "All things being considered, we better have a 2011 plan too because that's when Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony can opt out and bee unrestricted free agents even though one would think they'd respectively be resigned. But still! Just bloggin. -Jason Funny thing you should mention an alternative plan...  From RealGM: www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/60665/20090719/knicks_lining_up_alternatives_to_lebron/ |
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Just remember, that Duke won its last title with Boozer and Duhon in the lineup. 
