SocraticBallin22 wrote:I know the consensus is that it's an insane amount of money and commitment for THJ--and I may agree--but please allow me to play Devil's Advocate for a second and make the Case for the THJ Offer Sheet:1) Following the Korver trade last year, THJ averaged 18 ppg on 47% shooting from the field and 38% shooting from 3 (elite SG numbers across the board). By giving him this offer sheet, the assumption is that he can produce like this for the 4 year term of the contract. If so, this price becomes more than reasonable.
To put it another way, if I told you Player 'A' (forget the name right now) who is 25 years old will average 18 - 20 ppg on 47% shooting and 37% from 3, would you offer him a 4 year, 71 million contract? Your answer would be: yes...that would be a bargain for those statistics and a player that age entering his prime. The question remains: can he consistently produce like this or was it a fluke?
2) In the playoffs, he was one of the leading scorers on the Hawks and impressed outplaying Bazemore, who has a similar deal to what we just offered THJ and was invisible in the playoffs. He showed he can step up and play under pressure and be a lead guy. Not every player can do this. He has this in his genes from his father, who was a clutch player and played better under pressure. You don't think it's valuable to have a player like this on your team?
3) Regardless of the amount, he fits the timeline of the rebuild with our young core. He's 25, so you add him along to the core of KP, Frank, Willy, Baker and Dotson (all under 25).
4) Say what you want about him, but he worked on his game like a dog and had a breakout campaign last year that came out of nowhere. You have to respect a player like that. Being delegated to the D League I'm sure humbled him. And instead of sulking, he worked on his game and vastly improved. The Hawks GM is on record saying he would match any offer for him, although granted he never expected this type of amount. But they value him and wanted to keep him. They see him as part of their rebuild.
5) This is not the THJ we remembered. He got sent down to the D league to work on his defense. And he did and improved. He's a much better all around player who is more of a 2 way player now. He has polished his game.
6) Melo will be traded, and we need another scorer to absorb the loss. That's exactly what THJ is: a flat our scorer
7) If we get THJ, Lee will be moved for a salary dump. He's at 12 mill per, so that will offset THJ. I love Lee; he was my favorite Knick last year, but at 31, does not fit out timeline.
Again, the question is: do you think that THJ's breakout second half and playoff run last year was legit or a fluke? If it's legit, then the contract is not as outrageous as it appears.
Fair assessment.
Yes - of course, it would be better if the money was less. However, if it was less Atlanta would match, so NY obviously wants him back and they made an offer that is hard to match.
Whether this is a good call or not, time will tell. I do think it fits with the plan of building with youth. THJr was here already and he is a young vet who has been through hard times in the NBA. He survived it and thrived at the end of last year. That says something about his character. His dad was a bull dog. Seems like junior has some of that in him.
Lee is getting 12. IF he is moved, you could make the case that it is an upgrade in scoring and age. His D needs to get better and it has a bit. A 20 point scorer is needed when Melo is dumped.
I am cautiously optimistic about this move. Let's see how it plays out.
