fishmike wrote:

yellowboy90 wrote:I like what Afflalo has done at times on offense for the knicks this season but his game does not look like it will transfer as he gets older unless he comes off the bench. I also think the Knicks need to upgrade their passers. That's why Batum is at the top of my list. Conley would be nice but he is too old. I don't want the knicks to dive into the win now pool with players who have short windows. I like players 28 or younger.

Re: Tyler Johnson

He is a RFA and the highest any other team can pay him is MLE type money. The chances he leaves Miami are very slim unless a S&T happen. One more option is trying to get him by using a poison pill but I'm not sure that will have the same effect as it did since the cap is jumping again.

this is more me. Bring in Batum who would be more reasonably priced. Move AA to the bench. Keep Jose for his last year. Hopefully play Grant more minutes and he eventually takes over the PG post.

Most all the Mike Conley scenarios in my head seem far fetched. I like him a lot, but hard to envision him leaving Memphis unless they decide to blow it up, and maybe they do.

I'm with you on Conley. He is great just not at the price and age for this team because they still need money to keep up their depth. Also, if you get Conley, Jose would have to go and I am not sure the F.O. will cut bait with Jose.

PG--Calderon/Grant
SG--N.Batum/A.Afflalo
SF--Melo
PF--K.Porzingis/J.Noah
C--Rolo/J.Noah

Bench--L.Thomas, D.Williams, L.Galloway, K.O'Quinn.

That team could do some damage next year.

BRIGGS wrote:I always like looking ahead--see what paint we need for the picture. I still have the same outlook.

#1. I want to resign Aaron Affalo--its a priority for many reasons Id give him the 4 years 40mm knowing that year 4 might not be the best but thats ok - I THINK HE HAS A PLAYER OPTION. HE MIGHT OPT OUT SINCE HES PLAYING WELL AND LOOK TO RESIGN FOR MORE MONEY

#2 As long as Lance Thomas is reasonable 4-6mm resign him - A SOLID 3 &D ROLE PLAYER MIGHT ASK FOR 8-10 IN THIS NEW CAP

#3 If Derrick Williams opts out same thing resign him in reasonable territory 6-7mm - DITTO FOR AFFALO

#4 Ill take Langston back but it has to be cheap 3mm or less - SOLID ROLE PLAYERS IN THIS NEW BIG CAP WILL ASK FOR 6MILL AND UP

Gone Seraphin Early Sasha Admundson - AGRRED, I MIGHT EVEN ADD OQUINN

Free agents--Im not into signing mega deals with anyone--we have our players and the shots wont be there for a big time player...AGREED. WE NEED A PASS FISRT pg

I love these two guys

1. Dwight Powell--the guy has so much potential hes actually a really good 3 point shooter (NO HES NOT..HE CANT SHOOT AT ALL) yet his inside game has expanded and hes a really solid defender rebounder. I see him more as a fit than Willy G hes faster taller more mobile with much mnore diversity and will have 3 years NBA experience hes an RFA so its going to take some spending albeit within reason. I LIKE POWELL ALOT BUT HES BASICALLY A RIGHT HANDED BRANDON WRIGHT

2 Tyler Johnson--hes been playing hurt this year but I love this guy. Hes a legit 6-4 and hes a aguy who will make the play that is there athletic plays with energy good teammate etc..I LIKE HIM TOO BUT HES TOO INJURY PRONE AND NOT A PASS FIRST GUY

Draft - IRRELEVANT TO ME SINCE WE DONT HAVE A FIRST ROUNDER. I DOUBT ANY DRAFT PICK WILL MAKE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT. ITS ALL ABOUT GETTING LUCKY AND IM NOT GOOD AT EVALUATING LUCK IN THE 2ND RD

overall i agree with your points BRIGGS. bring back the role players that fit around our two stars. just add a PG. i cant believe im saying this cuz two yrs ago i hated him...but i wouldnt mind signing brandon jennings. ive been watching EVERY pistons game since his return. i think the injury HUMBLED him. he is no longer a gunner, he has SLOWED down and most importantly hes looking for teammates first. he along with jose as a back up would be cool for me

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:

fishmike wrote:Mike Conley now is great. Mike Conley at the money it would take him to leave Memphis... not so much. I would not pay $20mm to bring him here. He's a really good player, but he's not a star, and Im not paying him star money. Rather resign our guys mentioned above, especially if they are reasonable deals.

If $20M is what it will take to get him, he's not going to be a Knick, even if he wants to come here. IMO.

You guys need to stop thinking by the old salary cap standards. Conley has consistently been a top-10 PG in the league the last few years, and is only 27 years old. He is commanding max money.

Yep. Goran Drgic got 5yr $92M. That's the going rate for Conley - that's the low end for Conley - Conley is way better than Dragic and defends.

I think Conley would be a perfect fit with this team, especially next to Afflalo in the backcourt.

I don't know how much I'm willing to pay - but if you want to max out the Melo years a lineup like this would be a great way to do it:

Conley
Afflalo
Melo
KP
Rolo

bench: Grant, Galloway, Lance, DWill, KOQ

Conley to me is the missing piece. That team, with KP and Grant in year 2 - I think that team can win 50-55 games and compete for the ECF. Heck, KP already owns Love every time they play and Bron is aging. With Conley to lock down Kyrie Irving, that team might be able to beat the Cavs.

thats assuming DWill/AA/Lance opt in (or Lance resigns cheap).

Many things can change, but how do we pay Conley that money? Seems like signing him would be at the expense of DWill/AA and that doesnt strike me as huge improvement. I like Money Mike a lot.

We have $19M in cap room, give or take. We have more like $34M if DWill and Afflalo opt out. We could stretch Calderon to get an extra $6M in cap room, I believe (stretching his final season of $8M over five seasons on the cap). So we'd have ~$40M to sign Conley, Afflalo, DWill, Lance and Langston. I think that's possible.

Conley $18M, Afflalo $10M, DWill $5M, Lance $5M, Langston $2M

There's a way to do, I'm sure. Maybe give DWill and Lance $6M each and then when we are at the cap, use the Room exception of $3M to sign Langston.

crzymdups wrote:

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:

fishmike wrote:Mike Conley now is great. Mike Conley at the money it would take him to leave Memphis... not so much. I would not pay $20mm to bring him here. He's a really good player, but he's not a star, and Im not paying him star money. Rather resign our guys mentioned above, especially if they are reasonable deals.

If $20M is what it will take to get him, he's not going to be a Knick, even if he wants to come here. IMO.

You guys need to stop thinking by the old salary cap standards. Conley has consistently been a top-10 PG in the league the last few years, and is only 27 years old. He is commanding max money.

Yep. Goran Drgic got 5yr $92M. That's the going rate for Conley - that's the low end for Conley - Conley is way better than Dragic and defends.

I think Conley would be a perfect fit with this team, especially next to Afflalo in the backcourt.

I don't know how much I'm willing to pay - but if you want to max out the Melo years a lineup like this would be a great way to do it:

Conley
Afflalo
Melo
KP
Rolo

bench: Grant, Galloway, Lance, DWill, KOQ

Conley to me is the missing piece. That team, with KP and Grant in year 2 - I think that team can win 50-55 games and compete for the ECF. Heck, KP already owns Love every time they play and Bron is aging. With Conley to lock down Kyrie Irving, that team might be able to beat the Cavs.

thats assuming DWill/AA/Lance opt in (or Lance resigns cheap).

Many things can change, but how do we pay Conley that money? Seems like signing him would be at the expense of DWill/AA and that doesnt strike me as huge improvement. I like Money Mike a lot.

We have $19M in cap room, give or take. We have more like $34M if DWill and Afflalo opt out. We could stretch Calderon to get an extra $6M in cap room, I believe (stretching his final season of $8M over five seasons on the cap). So we'd have ~$40M to sign Conley, Afflalo, DWill, Lance and Langston. I think that's possible.

Conley $18M, Afflalo $10M, DWill $5M, Lance $5M, Langston $2M

There's a way to do, I'm sure. Maybe give DWill and Lance $6M each and then when we are at the cap, use the Room exception of $3M to sign Langston.

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:

fishmike wrote:Mike Conley now is great. Mike Conley at the money it would take him to leave Memphis... not so much. I would not pay $20mm to bring him here. He's a really good player, but he's not a star, and Im not paying him star money. Rather resign our guys mentioned above, especially if they are reasonable deals.

If $20M is what it will take to get him, he's not going to be a Knick, even if he wants to come here. IMO.

You guys need to stop thinking by the old salary cap standards. Conley has consistently been a top-10 PG in the league the last few years, and is only 27 years old. He is commanding max money.

Yep. Goran Drgic got 5yr $92M. That's the going rate for Conley - that's the low end for Conley - Conley is way better than Dragic and defends.

I think Conley would be a perfect fit with this team, especially next to Afflalo in the backcourt.

I don't know how much I'm willing to pay - but if you want to max out the Melo years a lineup like this would be a great way to do it:

Conley
Afflalo
Melo
KP
Rolo

bench: Grant, Galloway, Lance, DWill, KOQ

Conley to me is the missing piece. That team, with KP and Grant in year 2 - I think that team can win 50-55 games and compete for the ECF. Heck, KP already owns Love every time they play and Bron is aging. With Conley to lock down Kyrie Irving, that team might be able to beat the Cavs.

thats assuming DWill/AA/Lance opt in (or Lance resigns cheap).

Many things can change, but how do we pay Conley that money? Seems like signing him would be at the expense of DWill/AA and that doesnt strike me as huge improvement. I like Money Mike a lot.

We have $19M in cap room, give or take. We have more like $34M if DWill and Afflalo opt out. We could stretch Calderon to get an extra $6M in cap room, I believe (stretching his final season of $8M over five seasons on the cap). So we'd have ~$40M to sign Conley, Afflalo, DWill, Lance and Langston. I think that's possible.

Conley $18M, Afflalo $10M, DWill $5M, Lance $5M, Langston $2M

There's a way to do, I'm sure. Maybe give DWill and Lance $6M each and then when we are at the cap, use the Room exception of $3M to sign Langston.

I like the Noah/Batum scenario the best... at least right now. Jose looks like he's back to being the player Phil traded for. Not a world beater but a good floor general and stop gap guy until a) Grant is ready or b) its 2017, his contract expires and we chase Westbrook with a max. That being said things could change in a week.

I don't really think we can get Westbrook. And I don't know if I see a way to pay Batum and Noah. You can get one of those guys. I think they can add one really good player this off-season. I'd vote Conley now. I don't hate Jose at all, but to me, that's the best opportunity for an upgrade. I like Grant a whole bunch - play him alongside Conley for 20 minutes a game for all I care. But Conley is a huge upgrade and to me it's the position we can upgrade the most. To me the upgrade from Afflalo to Batum is nice, but not as massive as an upgrade from Calderon to Conley.

callmened wrote:ill reply IN CAPS BRIGGS...i pretty much agree with what you said though

BRIGGS wrote:I always like looking ahead--see what paint we need for the picture. I still have the same outlook.

#1. I want to resign Aaron Affalo--its a priority for many reasons Id give him the 4 years 40mm knowing that year 4 might not be the best but thats ok - I THINK HE HAS A PLAYER OPTION. HE MIGHT OPT OUT SINCE HES PLAYING WELL AND LOOK TO RESIGN FOR MORE MONEY

#2 As long as Lance Thomas is reasonable 4-6mm resign him - A SOLID 3 &D ROLE PLAYER MIGHT ASK FOR 8-10 IN THIS NEW CAP

#3 If Derrick Williams opts out same thing resign him in reasonable territory 6-7mm - DITTO FOR AFFALO

#4 Ill take Langston back but it has to be cheap 3mm or less - SOLID ROLE PLAYERS IN THIS NEW BIG CAP WILL ASK FOR 6MILL AND UP

Gone Seraphin Early Sasha Admundson - AGRRED, I MIGHT EVEN ADD OQUINN

Free agents--Im not into signing mega deals with anyone--we have our players and the shots wont be there for a big time player...AGREED. WE NEED A PASS FISRT pg

I love these two guys

1. Dwight Powell--the guy has so much potential hes actually a really good 3 point shooter (NO HES NOT..HE CANT SHOOT AT ALL) yet his inside game has expanded and hes a really solid defender rebounder. I see him more as a fit than Willy G hes faster taller more mobile with much mnore diversity and will have 3 years NBA experience hes an RFA so its going to take some spending albeit within reason. I LIKE POWELL ALOT BUT HES BASICALLY A RIGHT HANDED BRANDON WRIGHT

2 Tyler Johnson--hes been playing hurt this year but I love this guy. Hes a legit 6-4 and hes a aguy who will make the play that is there athletic plays with energy good teammate etc..I LIKE HIM TOO BUT HES TOO INJURY PRONE AND NOT A PASS FIRST GUY

Draft - IRRELEVANT TO ME SINCE WE DONT HAVE A FIRST ROUNDER. I DOUBT ANY DRAFT PICK WILL MAKE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT. ITS ALL ABOUT GETTING LUCKY AND IM NOT GOOD AT EVALUATING LUCK IN THE 2ND RD

overall i agree with your points BRIGGS. bring back the role players that fit around our two stars. just add a PG. i cant believe im saying this cuz two yrs ago i hated him...but i wouldnt mind signing brandon jennings. ive been watching EVERY pistons game since his return. i think the injury HUMBLED him. he is no longer a gunner, he has SLOWED down and most importantly hes looking for teammates first. he along with jose as a back up would be cool for me

I love our guys but I am not as high on the role player as both of you are, and the prices suggested are not in line with talent you are securing, especially back-dropped against eating up cap space for a free agent signing that would put the Knicks into the Championship caliber range. Now, I am projecting a bit and for me the barometer game to feel out value this year was against the Spurs. Salary cap this upcoming season to hit about $89M and the next will be about $108M. Gotta keep doing the math so that we keep an eye on the free agents coming up.

The first question for me is always: do we have enough projected talent today to get to the last round. 5 solid starters, 2.5 to 3 all-stars, 1 very high level all-star, high level 6th man, 3-4 solid bench guys. That's what I think you need.

In one sense I can see a starting rotation of Rolo, KP, Melo on a championship team IF Rolo gets better, I think he can get good enough (this summer will be telling, he comes back with polished post moves, face the basket jumpshot and/or a better sense in passing, we got something). I think AA would be a good microwave off the bench (just not a good enough passer, defender, 3point shooter as a championship starter) but an excellent Mamaba type to lead bench play and start when you need him too. I can't tell on Grant timeline but I think he'd be a very good bench PG off the bench in the very least.

Knicks still need 1 more high level talent guy. Who is it? An alpha dog wing who can just get his whenever he wants. A guy who can carry the team for months at a time. I think this guy missing from the Knicks.

You start signing LT, AA, DWill, Gallo at the above prices and you cap yourself out on a big alpha dog. Remember, they were all cast-offs last year and can (relatively speaking) be found again. I would say that if LT got a good handle and was a better passer, I might sign him to a long term deal. The other guys are all replaceable with equal talent.

crzymdups wrote:One thing to think about for Free Agency this summer - thank frickin' god we got KP.

Dude just looks fun to play with and NBA guys know he's a budding superstar. Every single team is gonna have $20M to offer - everyone's gonna get overpaid. So it becomes a question of what else can you offer.

The narrative of the Knicks having the young, limitless potential of KP, brand new passing Dad Melo, solid professionals in Rolo and Afflalo, good team guys in Lance, Langston, DWill, solid young guy Grant, etc, back in the playoffs, Zen Master running the show...

The Knicks are going to be an attractive destination this summer to get that one piece. I'd love to get Batum or Conley - I'd cheer like heck on either move. I think they will meet with the team and listen.

I thought the GameThread dudes landed on ThisMelo

crzymdups wrote:

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:

fishmike wrote:Mike Conley now is great. Mike Conley at the money it would take him to leave Memphis... not so much. I would not pay $20mm to bring him here. He's a really good player, but he's not a star, and Im not paying him star money. Rather resign our guys mentioned above, especially if they are reasonable deals.

If $20M is what it will take to get him, he's not going to be a Knick, even if he wants to come here. IMO.

You guys need to stop thinking by the old salary cap standards. Conley has consistently been a top-10 PG in the league the last few years, and is only 27 years old. He is commanding max money.

Yep. Goran Drgic got 5yr $92M. That's the going rate for Conley - that's the low end for Conley - Conley is way better than Dragic and defends.

I think Conley would be a perfect fit with this team, especially next to Afflalo in the backcourt.

I don't know how much I'm willing to pay - but if you want to max out the Melo years a lineup like this would be a great way to do it:

Conley
Afflalo
Melo
KP
Rolo

bench: Grant, Galloway, Lance, DWill, KOQ

Conley to me is the missing piece. That team, with KP and Grant in year 2 - I think that team can win 50-55 games and compete for the ECF. Heck, KP already owns Love every time they play and Bron is aging. With Conley to lock down Kyrie Irving, that team might be able to beat the Cavs.

thats assuming DWill/AA/Lance opt in (or Lance resigns cheap).

Many things can change, but how do we pay Conley that money? Seems like signing him would be at the expense of DWill/AA and that doesnt strike me as huge improvement. I like Money Mike a lot.

We have $19M in cap room, give or take. We have more like $34M if DWill and Afflalo opt out. We could stretch Calderon to get an extra $6M in cap room, I believe (stretching his final season of $8M over five seasons on the cap). So we'd have ~$40M to sign Conley, Afflalo, DWill, Lance and Langston. I think that's possible.

Conley $18M, Afflalo $10M, DWill $5M, Lance $5M, Langston $2M

There's a way to do, I'm sure. Maybe give DWill and Lance $6M each and then when we are at the cap, use the Room exception of $3M to sign Langston.

Not for nothing, but Knicks can pay Afflalo $9.6m and LT close to $6m without cutting into cap space.

AA qualifies for 120% of his salary as a non-Bird exception and LT can get 104.5% of this year's average salary, which may be from $5.5 to $5.8m.

Best part is if they don't do anything until the KNicks use their cap space, Knicks can go over the cap to do it.