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islesfan
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When Knicks Look at Future, the Future May Look Away
By HOWARD BECK
Published: March 5, 2008
There were boos Monday night at Madison Square Garden, though not for the usual reasons. The Knicks were losing, of course, but the jeers were stoked by a more subtle act: the removal of Nate Robinson from the game in the final minutes.
In the empty final weeks of another dismal season, fans are groping for shards of optimism. So they cheer every jitterbug step by Robinson and every gritty rebound by David Lee — two Knicks who most represent the faint promise of better days.
Imagine, then, the howls of anguish if Lee and Robinson decide to escape the misery, the chaos and the Garden politics by leaving as free agents. If circumstances are bad enough, it could happen in the next two years.
As third-year players, Lee and Robinson are both eligible to sign lucrative contract extensions this summer. When that time comes, they will have to weigh the benefits of financial security against the drawbacks of playing for the league’s most dysfunctional franchise.
In three years with the Knicks, Robinson and Lee have endured the Larry Brown-Stephon Marbury feud, the Brown-Isiah Thomas feud and the Thomas-Marbury feud. They have played for two coaches, and could see a third by next fall. They have lost twice as many games as they have won.
As members of the news media obsess over the whereabouts of Marbury — the pouting face of the Knicks’ inglorious recent past — it is the Knicks’ future that could be at stake as they trudge through the final 22 games.
Lee and Robinson say it is too soon to ponder their decision. They acknowledge that dollar figures will not be the only issue to consider. But for now, they are projecting a rosy, politically correct view.
“Put it this way,” Lee said. “I love New York, I love playing in New York, love everything about New York. I wish we could win more.” Channeling Frank Sinatra, he added, “If I could choose to make it anywhere, it’d be in New York, to be a part of the team that turns it around.”
Robinson, in a separate interview, echoed that theme.
“I’m the type of person that I love a challenge,” he said, “and here is a challenge for us to win. I would love to stay here.”
The first decision belongs to the Knicks’ front office, which itself could be in transition this summer if Thomas is fired as the team’s coach and president. But whoever is in charge is almost certain to offer the extensions.
Robinson and Lee are the Knicks players most coveted by rival executives. Robinson, a fleet-footed 5-foot-9 guard, is supremely athletic and a gifted scorer. Lee, a 6-9 power forward, is among the best rebounders at his position and is a consummate team player. Each is a hustling, high-energy player who routinely draws the loudest ovations at the Garden.
Neither one projects as a superstar, but if the Knicks ever acquire a true franchise player, they would be valuable teammates.
Without extensions, Robinson and Lee would become restricted free agents in the summer of 2009 and unrestricted free agents in 2010.
Under N.B.A. rules, the extensions can span up to five years, with a starting salary of up to about $13 million. Lee and Robinson will probably command less. But their starting salaries will surely exceed the league average (about $5.3 million).
By N.B.A. standards, Lee and Robinson have earned modest salaries under the league’s rookie scale. Robinson, the 21st pick in 2005, has earned $3.56 million in his first three seasons. Lee, the 30th pick in 2005, has earned $2.78 million.
Conventional wisdom dictates that players sign big contracts as soon as possible, to guard against a possible career-ending injury.
“I’m not a guy that’s real flamboyant in my lifestyle, so money probably doesn’t mean as much to me as it does to other guys,” Lee said. “But everybody wants to have that security.”
Robinson, who has two young sons, said signing a big extension was “the smart thing to do.”
“Growing up, struggling, my mom raised three kids all by herself,” he said. “I want my kids to have a better life than what I had growing up.”
Eric Goodwin, one of Robinson’s agents, said that money is never the only factor when he is advising clients.
“It’s about the opportunity to grow, it’s about the opportunity to be on a good team and to be somewhere where you’re wanted,” he said.
The Knicks’ personnel moves — via the June draft, free agency and trades — could also have an impact on the decision on whether to sign, Goodwin said.
“You look at everything,” said Mark Bartelstein, who represents Lee.
If Robinson and Lee want to keep their options open, they could sign for three or four years, rather than the maximum five.
The decision is also a tricky one for the franchise. The Knicks are on track to be under the salary cap in 2010 — after the contracts of Marbury, Malik Rose, Quentin Richardson and Jerome James have expired. The 2010 free-agent class could include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Every signing the Knicks make before then will cut into their cap space.
(The Knicks will have to add some payroll in any case. They have only four players — Jamal Crawford, Eddy Curry, Zach Randolph and Jared Jeffries — under contract for the 2010-11 season, at a total of $45.6 million.)
But there are no sure things in N.B.A. free agency, so the Knicks will probably make every effort to keep Lee and Robinson, who could be valuable trading chips as well as valued teammates.
If it didn’t work in Phoenix with Nash and Stoutamire... it’s just not a winning formula. It’s an entertaining formula, but not a winning one. - Derek Harper talking about D'Antoni's System
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