Robinson expected to return to Knicks

By Marc J. Spears and Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports 7 hours, 5 minutes ago

Nate Robinson(notes) is close to signing a one-year, $5 million contract with the New York Knicks, a source with knowledge of the talks said Saturday. The deal is expected to be finalized early this week.

Robinson, a restricted free agent, was courted by Greek team Olympiakos. He averaged a career-best 17.2 points and 4.1 assists in 74 games with the Knicks last season. New York, which nearly traded Robinson to Sacramento midway through the season, is trying to preserve as much salary-cap room as possible for the 2010 free-agent class.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ys-freeagentbuzz072509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

An interesting point I had not thought of here. Does this not mean that there is no cap hold for him in 2010?

He gets his raise. No cap hold in 2010. If we strike out in 2010 we can still re-sign him.

Does this make him URFA or RFA though?

I think it still leaves us in the driver's seat to retain him regardless of status because if he couldn't get paid in this FA market - imagine 2010 when there are so many more big names to be had. If teams didn't want Nate this summer why would they want him next?

Donnie keeping assets and keeping flexibility at the same time. Good work there.

Now if only Lee would come down off his high horse, punch his agent in the face, and accept a similar deal from Donnie we're ready to get going here.

Offer Lee a 1 year 7M deal. No higher, because, if you choose to retain/extend him, you still have a position of power as to the size of contract you offer.

Posted by Cosmic:

An interesting point I had not thought of here. Does this not mean that there is no cap hold for him in 2010?

He gets his raise. No cap hold in 2010. If we strike out in 2010 we can still re-sign him.

Does this make him URFA or RFA though?

Actually, since we would still have Nate's bird rights, there is a cap hold for him for that 2010 off-season. If he signs for $5 million, then his cap hold (if I'm correct) would be for 150% of his salary, or $7.5 million.

To get rid of that cap hold, we would have to renounce Nate's bird rights before free agency.

My guess is it doesn't even come to that though. I think Walsh just resigns him to that one year deal and trades him at the deadline. Since we still have Nate's bird rights, then we should be able to get at least something (even if it means getting rid of Jeffries' salary).

By some miracle if Nate lasts the entire season, then Walsh will just renounce his bird rights and let him go to another team, which will be a lot easier this time around since Nate will be a UFA.

Am I the only one here that thinks that Nate got his money because he didnt do his bidding thru the media? What does Lee and his dumb ass agent do now?? Nate played the good part, kept his mouth shut( and I dont think he was in on that
" I was disrepected") thing. I hope im right and Nate looks like the good guy and has a great yr. Lee better get his pen ready and sign for 6-7mil and shut up and play already!! By the way do we go after Bayless???

We could have bayless for much less than sessions and let him develop.

Does Bayless show any playmaking ability (other than for himself)?

Please tell me whats more important wins and losses or development??

Good move. I'll be glad to have Nate around.

Posted by Allanfan20:

Posted by cooch2584:

Please tell me whats more important wins and losses or development??

Are you asking me that?

1) We can still get Sessions, but at the same time, it might be a little more worthwhile to go after a guy like Hakim Warrick.

2) Wins and losses and development are both important.

3) Nate doesn't get in the way of either one of those, neither does Sessions. It's good we'll get him back.

i'd go after warrick and pursue a sign and trade of dlee for bayless and other considerations with the blazers.

i love nate but sessions is a guy who can create for himself and others he played in a system that was halfcourt imagine his stats with d antoni plus d antoni got sick of nate as the season prgressed. The other d antoni loves sessions