Posted by Caseloads:
Posted by Bonn1997:
Posted by Paladin55:
From today's MY Times- The article was also about Hill and Kidd, but this is the part on Lee:
Lee’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, has expressed frustration at the lack of progress on contract talks. He is seeking a deal that averages $12 million a year, which is at least $4 million more than the Knicks are comfortable spending on Lee. But no team appears willing to meet that price, and Lee is a restricted free agent, which gives the Knicks leverage.
“We don’t really stand anywhere,” Walsh said of the talks, “because in the case of David, he wants a large number and I really couldn’t do that.”
Walsh said he had not made a formal offer to Lee, “because it wouldn’t do any good.”
“I’ll start over again,” he added, “and see if we can get to a reasonable number.”
At least at this point, it looks like Lee's agent is still operating as if Lee has multiple suitors, and that $12 M is a starting point, and he may be willing to drop to $10 M through negotiations.
I guess Lee's agent disagrees with King1 on the market being set, since he's asking for more than all those other players got.
all he can do is ask
For Lee's agent it is coming to the point where he (and Lee??) may be in a "face saving" mode, where they have to stick to the 12M number and perhaps only budge if they can make it seem that they are doing so for the good of the team- in essence, making it seem that Lee's acceptance of 8M is a selfless act on his part. Lee can actually do this himself if he fires his agent, hires a new guy, and Walsh agrees to $8.5M with some kind of team option figured in. Lee gets a legit contract for his ability/market value and seems to do it for the team, and Walsh has the option to look at things at the end of Lee's contract and decide if he wants him that final year, possibly saving him some big bucks.
It is pretty obvious that Walsh is in control here, and that his patience has worked to put Lee and his agent into a corner they never expected to be in. To me, Lee has already lost- now he and his agent should be concerned with damage control and trying to end this as painlessly as possible.
I would still not mind seeing some kind of S&T with Utah- the type that Briggs has suggested. Getting Koufos and our #1 and Boozer, for Lee and Mobley. Don't know how the numbers work out in terms of the league, and caps, and whatever, but something like that would work fine for me if Walsh decides that he does not want to go above 8M with Lee, and Utah is willing to go a little higher.
Might mean the end of Lee's relationship with his girlfriend, though. Not sure she would want to follow him to Utah.
[Edited by - Paladin55 on 07-11-2009 10:00 AM]No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities- C.N. Bovee
7/11/2009 12:01 AM
