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Post by will1682 on Sept 16, 2009 20:41:20 GMT -5
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Post by irish2u2 on Sept 16, 2009 21:52:25 GMT -5
This rumor is getting airplay again and I don't see it.
Utah signed Paul Millsap whose game is eerily similar to Lee's this summer. I don't see how or why they would pay 8 million plus for Lee PLUS Millsap.
I do think they will trade Boozer and they likely need a PF in return but they also have our pick next year in the draft.
Here is a short list of excellent Power Forward prospects that should be available with our pick in the draft next year.
Cole Aldrich of Kansas.
Greg Monroe of Georgetown.
Craig Brackens of Iowa State.
Larry Sanders of VCU.
Michael Washington of Arkansas.
Patrick Patterson of Kentucky. My favorite.
DeMarcus Cousins of Kentucky.
Gani Lawal of Georgia Tech.
Jarvis Varnado of Mississippi State.
Any one of these guys at rookie scale is a bargain. All of these guys have serious ability. Why the rush to get Lee? Plus, would Lee want to go to Utah (he would have to give his approval to the deal) with his girlfriend in New York and Utah's starter already signed at PF? Now he would get minutes at center too behind Okur but again do you pay 8 million for a backup player even if he plays 2 positions?
The answer is "yes" if you have deep pockets but Utah, whose owner died this year, does not have deep pockets.
I guess we will see but somehow I think the resurrection of this rumor is directly due to Lee's agent more than anybody else especially since he told the press yesterday they were still working on sign and trade senarios for Lee.
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Post by will1682 on Sept 17, 2009 1:12:24 GMT -5
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Post by irish2u2 on Sept 17, 2009 5:39:09 GMT -5
Will
I agree Alan Hahn seems to be the new voice of the Knicks. To me keeping Lee just makes a lot of sense. Now if the Raptors want to deal Chris Bosh then.... ; )
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Post by kgooglog on Sept 17, 2009 11:33:40 GMT -5
Bill...
I definitely see your point about the Jazz having an almost identical player in Paul Milsap, but David Lee has one of the traits that Utah always covets in an NBA player--character, a solid citizen, and a no problem guy when it comes to role. Also, Carlos Boozer has no defined role on this Jazz team anymore. I also think that Boozer's $12,000,000 salary is a huge drain for a player who they obviously want to move.
Acquiring Boozer, from a Knicks perspective, would be a coup de gras, IMHO. Walsh would be in the driver's seat, once more, in terms of either keeping Boozer--who would be a definite draw for free agents and he is a true PF who is a better fit, IMHO, than Dave would be on this Knicks team. I know Boozer is older than Dave, but we would really upgrade the PF position with him in our line-up. This is also Boozer's last contract year, and he will up his game, for sure.
Utah's Knicks draft pick may not be as high this year as it was this past year. We have improved our team and, if Utah is somewhat strapped financially, doesn't it make sense to perhaps trade a $12,000,000 for a Knicks package that can also include the Mobley contract and possibly the maximum $3,000,000 cash allowance a team can add to make the salaries match? David Lee can be signed to the qualifying offer instead of the $3,000,000 cash, if the Jazz want Lee.
I think if there is a chance David Lee can be exchanged for Carlos Boozer, a GM has to do it for many reasons. Boozer is a star forward, when healthy, and he is healthy now. NY will also acquire his "Bird" rights if a trade is made and Donnie can make an end of the season evaluation concerning resigning Boozer. Meanwhile, this saga with Lee will end.
I definitely think Utah would consider a few of the scenarios I presented, especially any that involve substantial cash savings; e.g. Mobley's insured contract and cash considerations.
I also think that if Chris Bosh is available at season's end, Boozer may be a more attractive piece for the Raptors in a sign and trade--I forgot if Bosh signed an extension or not. The Raptors want Bosh obviously, and to be honest, I'd prefer CB4 over Boozer long-term, but getting BOTH LeBron (Isola says it is a 90% chance that he King is a Knick next year) and Bosh may be a tall order without the sign and trade scenario.
BTW, I completely agree that Alan Hahn has been our most reliable, and enjoyable sportswriter in NYC as is Howie Beck from the NY Times.
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Post by daglazer on Sept 17, 2009 16:40:26 GMT -5
A sign and trade of Lee (with a contract at $7.5M per year, plus $3M in cash) makes the trade work under the cap. I, of course, would love to have Boozer on our team. He would be the first true quality low post player since we traded Ewing.
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Post by kgooglog on Sept 18, 2009 11:47:53 GMT -5
A sign and trade of Lee (with a contract at $7.5M per year, plus $3M in cash) makes the trade work under the cap. I, of course, would love to have Boozer on our team. He would be the first true quality low post player since we traded Ewing. Of course, I agree with you, DA. We have no low post scoring and while Boozer may not yank down 14.5 boards, he gives us that "draw" for other elite FAs if he has an awesome season this year. I like David Lee for many reasons, but Boozer is an upgrade. If Utah likes him, and there are few reasons not to like Lee from a Utah perspective--he can also obviously be a spot center and he hustles his rear off, I can definitely see Lee being traded for Boozer, if I were the Jazz GM. The mere fact that Lee hasn't been signed yet is not a good sign, despite Donnie saying both he and Nate would be inked to one year deals. If the stated plan is to just sign Lee for one year, let's do the sign and trade for Carlos Boozer. Imagine Boozer with LeBron as a point forward. If Curry is shipped out and my gut tells me he will be, Darko or even Gallo can be a high post pivot who will not clog the paint area, which is also a variable I see for this 2010 and beyond Knicks team. Training camps open in two weeks. David Lee is not signed. It doesn't look good, IMHO. Carlos Boozer has stated that New York would be a nice place for him to play, and he listed only three teams he would want to play for. I want him. |
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