crzymdups wrote:Knicksfan wrote:crzymdups wrote:Just because the Rockets acted unethically (which I absolutely agree, they did), didn't mean the Knicks had to respond like babies to spite... who, exactly? Who did the Knicks spite by responding that way? The fans? That's what it feels like.
Respond like babies? Because they wouldn't take the offer, while they were probably getting the Felton deal done? Or was it by not matching Lin, which according to this article they discussed and considered til the end but couldn't get the insurance trade proposal needed to take the hit on the big contract?
I know most still hate the Knicks for this situation and this time, contrary to the past, they may not be the only bad guys in the issue. They made their mistakes, true, but new details are coming to the surface that let you know they didn't see this from a personal standpoint and the other sides, namely Houston and Lin, have just as much responsibility in the mess as New York.
Here's a good point - if you weren't sold on Lin and knew you wanted Camby... before Lin technically signed with Houston, include Lin in the Camby deal as a sign and trade.
Get more assets.
Knicks COULD have done that before Lin signed the offer sheet. And Camby was a Knick before Lin signed the offer sheet.
Sooo. That's one way they could have not responded like babies.
I understand it is easier to believe the Knicks simply didn't want Lin back so its easier to blame New York, but again that is a simplistic way of analyzing this.
I believe the Knicks did want Lin back and when he got the first offer, they were making plans with Lin in mind as they were going to match the offer. That is why they didn't explore (did they?) making a bigger trade with Lin included so they got assets for him. Since it is expected that a team that makes an offer won't change it, they weren't worried about the process.
Then things get out of hand. The Rockets change their offer to poison pill status and not only that, but Lin signs it immediately, removing any chance of a sign and trade. At the same time, market keeps moving and only a few Point Guards remain, one of them their backup plan, Felton. They make the trade so they can still be competitive in case Lin has to be let go, but they still try to explore scenarios where they keep him. Options seem to be limited, leading to the harder than believed decision to let Lin go.
Im sincerely not trying to side with anybody in that interpretation of what happened. I think all the sides made mistakes, some probably acknowledged and some not. Maybe Lin believed NY would really match any offer and signed the new offer sheet without considering it was a tougher poison pill than expected. Maybe the Rockets just upped their offer at the request of Lin's team and not to screw NY and check-mate them so they let Lin go. New York definitely made a mistake taking the Rockets verbal agreement as an official one and not preparing for what happened, but again the Rockets did break an unspoken business rule in the NBA.
I think that in this case, contrary to past controversies, the Knicks are taking way more heat and blame than they truly deserved. They made mistakes during this process, but it seems they explored most options they had before concluding they couldn't match Lin.
