Andrew wrote:...although its nice to think about.

I hate that we gave up the picks just to drop salary, but I realize now that it is most definatly about making NY an attractive destination for a Max player. NY shed 9M in salary for next year. If we didn't the team's supporting cast would have been:

Hill
Gallo
Chandler
Douglas
Jeffries
+ 1 player signed for ~5M

There is no way we are able to sign Lee or any near all star player. Thats not that attractive to me. Now with the 9M less in salary, we can construct a team that has a better supporting cast.

Gallo
Chandler
Douglas
Lee or Boozer (10M -12M?)
+ 1 player signed for ~3-5M

I think I'd take Lee over Hill and Jeffries every time.

Its a risk, but I see the logic. 2 max players is great if they want to wait to have a team built around them, but I think that is an unreasonable expectation.

True, but to a point. Is Lee = Hill, Jeffries and 2 picks? I don't think so.

WindsorPl wrote:Is Lee = Hill, Jeffries and 2 picks? I don't think so.

you beat me to it... if Donnie made all these moves so he could clear cap space to re-sign D Lee to a lucrative extension this summer do u think most Knick fans will accept that as good value?

EnySpree wrote:This is a joyous time my dudes......and it's not just all about Lebron and his scrotum....so please get off it.

nah caca... that's where u wrong... this is ALL about Lebron & his scrotum... D Wade, Bosh or Amare better be ready to carry Lebron's jock strap this summer & save our franchise, otherwise we'll be tasting Morey's ass for the next 10 years while we watch all our prospects flourish in Houston.

knickstorrents wrote:

WindsorPl wrote:
True, but to a point. Is Lee = Hill, Jeffries and 2 picks? I don't think so.

Unfortunately, I agree. You can't put a price on hope and that's what those draft picks are. The Hollinger assessment of our trade is correct... it's a C.

Read like an F, but he was kind enough to gve them a passing grade. He has a mortgage to payoff.

However, New York gave up a lot of assets in order to make this deal work. The Knicks sent out two young pieces: their 2012 first-round pick (top-5 protected) and young forward Jordan Hill. With no 2010 first-rounder, whomever they entice to take their money will be playing with Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas, Eddy Curry, Bill Walker and six guys making the minimum. (No, not David Lee -- he's an unrestricted free agent).

Rodriguez also could stay in the mix if the cap number comes in higher than anticipated or if New York can trade Douglas on draft day. This is a great situation for Rodriguez to thrive in since coach Mike D'Antoni's system is so dependent on creative point guards, so we'll see whether he makes good on his promise as a drive-and-kick guy.

New York should be able to trade Curry for another fat contract (no pun intended) next year, but it remains to be seen whether the lure of the Big Apple is enough to overcome what looks to be a limited supporting cast.

Meanwhile, consider the other scenario. If those A-list free agents stay with their original teams, the Knicks are pretty much hosed -- they'd be left to re-sign Lee, overpay some other second-tier free agent and go 32-50 for the next half-decade. This is a high-risk strategy forced upon them by the misery of the Isiah Thomas era, and it remains unclear how well it will pan out.

If they get James and Bosh, which is Plan A, they're automatically on a championship level again. But what happens if LeBron tells the Knicks, "No thanks."

The Garden will fall down.

It's quite possible that James will turn down a chance to come to the Knicks, even if Bosh is the one player he says he wants to play with from the Redeem Team. As much as the Cavs have done for him to give him a championship team, including stealing Antawn Jamison from the Wizards on Wednesday, if he's got an ounce of loyalty, he will re-sign for three years, minimum.

If James stays and Dwyane Wade remains in South Florida, as is expected, then the Knicks will have to move onto Plan B.

That will hurt, but there's nothing written that says that Walsh has to use both slots this summer. In fact, if he can't get James or Wade with one of the two slots, he should offer a "max" deal to Bosh and hope he accepts. Then, he should wait one more summer to use the second "max."

Of course, Bosh will be in high demand, with Miami and the Bulls also looking to add the one big man who is seen as deserving of the biggest deal. But otherwise, for the Knicks, it would be wise to hold off on giving the second "max" until 2011.

The last thing the Knicks need to do is spend zillions on Carlos Boozer, Amare Stoudemire or Joe Johnson and try to build around one of those three. If they do that, then they are inviting the very kind of trouble they ran into in the last decade. Thankfully, after seeing what Isiah Thomas did to set the franchise back, it doesn't sound like the plan.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2010/02/18/2010-02-18_knicks_free_up_money_for_lebron.html#ixzz0fyupf9GV

couldn't agree more w/the bolded part of this article... but waiting til 2011 is an excercise in futility, cuz that option was open to us even before this trade was made... in essence, if we don't land 2 of the top 4 FA's this summer, then this trade was completely unnecessary & we could have simply held onto our assets... Donnie needs to come through this summer & sign 2 out of Lebron/Wade/Bosh/Amare... consolation prizes like Boozer, Lee & Joe Johnson could have been signed w/o this trade being made & none of them are players u want to build your franchise around to begin with... go that route & we're just repeating the same mistakes we made over the past decade.

I think it's more about trying to get at least 2 very good players this offseason. And by doing that we're instantly a good team and likely a playoff team.

Then you look at the 2011 offseason with another good chunk of cap space to add yet another very good player to a now very attractive destination.

Suddenly? You have a VERY VERY GOOD TEAM!

....had we stayed put this cannot and does not happen. No star is coming ALONE to play with what we had. We would have likely struck out entirely this offseason. Now we have a much better chance. Had we stayed put we would be stuck with a roster that was still going to win 35 games at best and selected 8th (non franchise talent) in the 2011 draft. 2011 offseason comes and we're still not an attractive destination....and the ball of mediocrity keeps on rolling into 8th draft selection (non franchise talent again) in the 2012 draft.... AND the ball of mediocrity KEEPS ON ROLLING.

What Donnie did was at least give us the CHANCE, and a GOOD ONE at that, to GET OUT OF THIS RUT!

STaying put ENSURED we stayed in that rut.

Being upset over Jordan Hill who is a terrible player, a 2011 SWAP OF PICKS (SWAP, GUYS, NOT AN OUTRIGHT GIVEN UP PICK, JEEZ, STOP SAYING ITS TWO PICKS OUTGOING ITS NOT!!!!), and a 2012 pick which is likely to be a pretty bad pick by the time we get there and have built are team ---- is flat out insane to me.

We took an EQUAL risk here. I'd rather take the risk that could yield a winner than take a risk that would ensure we stayed right where we've been all these years, making predictions of 35 wins each summer for the upcoming season.

I cannot understand the line of thinking so opposed to the path we took.

I'd say more but I summed up my feelings in the new thread i made "two years to clean up, 2 years to build up"

Those who can't handle the reality of that post I made are just lost...but now they should stop being upset and let things take their course.

TMS wrote:

If they get James and Bosh, which is Plan A, they're automatically on a championship level again. But what happens if LeBron tells the Knicks, "No thanks."

The Garden will fall down.

It's quite possible that James will turn down a chance to come to the Knicks, even if Bosh is the one player he says he wants to play with from the Redeem Team. As much as the Cavs have done for him to give him a championship team, including stealing Antawn Jamison from the Wizards on Wednesday, if he's got an ounce of loyalty, he will re-sign for three years, minimum.

If James stays and Dwyane Wade remains in South Florida, as is expected, then the Knicks will have to move onto Plan B.

That will hurt, but there's nothing written that says that Walsh has to use both slots this summer. In fact, if he can't get James or Wade with one of the two slots, he should offer a "max" deal to Bosh and hope he accepts. Then, he should wait one more summer to use the second "max."

Of course, Bosh will be in high demand, with Miami and the Bulls also looking to add the one big man who is seen as deserving of the biggest deal. But otherwise, for the Knicks, it would be wise to hold off on giving the second "max" until 2011.

The last thing the Knicks need to do is spend zillions on Carlos Boozer, Amare Stoudemire or Joe Johnson and try to build around one of those three. If they do that, then they are inviting the very kind of trouble they ran into in the last decade. Thankfully, after seeing what Isiah Thomas did to set the franchise back, it doesn't sound like the plan.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2010/02/18/2010-02-18_knicks_free_up_money_for_lebron.html#ixzz0fyupf9GV

couldn't agree more w/the bolded part of this article... but waiting til 2011 is an excercise in futility, cuz that option was open to us even before this trade was made... in essence, if we don't land 2 of the top 4 FA's this summer, then this trade was completely unnecessary & we could have simply held onto our assets... Donnie needs to come through this summer & sign 2 out of Lebron/Wade/Bosh/Amare... consolation prizes like Boozer, Lee & Joe Johnson could have been signed w/o this trade being made & none of them are players u want to build your franchise around to begin with... go that route & we're just repeating the same mistakes we made over the past decade.

In like the second to last paragraph the writer makes a rather large error in what will be available to us in 2011. He is operatin under the assumption we are letting Lee walk and only getting 1 max guy in 2010. That is all well nd good but he says "....second max deal in 2011...". In 2011, under the writers assumptions Lee is gone. One max FA so we are talking at least 17 mil or so. The writer forgets Curry's contract is up so we are talking 28 mil or so available in 2011. Of the Knicks don't excercise the option on Will you are at 32 mil or so. That is almost enough for another 2 max FA.

Just my basic assumption math. But that looks kind of promising.

jusnice wrote:No way on god's planet did Donnie do what he did to build around Lee and a player like Boozer. No way. You don't sell off a #8 pick and two additional picks to build a team around Lee. I will have to relocate to a remote place and turn off the internet forever if that's the case.

I'll say it right now, if Donnie does not use the cap space wisely and we end up giving up 2 lottery picks in 2011 and 2012, I think that would pretty much be the death blow to me as a fan.