smackeddog wrote:

fishmike wrote:Presti is a competent GM. Lets not overrate him. Dude had Ibaka/Westbrook/Harden/Durant on the same roster and made one finals appearance which they lost. OKC has retained assets from trading those all star players and generally kept payroll reasonable, which has always put them in the middle of things but Presti was practically handed every FO's dream.

I think that's a bit unfair. What he has shown is an excellent drafting ability AND a very good ability to develop talent. Also good at scouting other players talent. Leveraged the Clips desperation into one of the best trades an NBA team has made in recent times. I think he ticks all the boxes.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/executives/prestsa99x.html

Anyway Presti would be a good hire, good track record, etc... Im not giving up picks to compensate OKC thats for sure

BigDaddyG wrote:

Nalod wrote:Toronto's dilemma is they offered Masai an extension and he said no. He expires at the end of next season. If Knicks ask for permission and they grant it, then what?
What if Knicks say "2nd round pick or stuff it". Toronto says not good enough. Meanwhile Ujiri has said he is gone. Knicks say, well, we can wait until next year when he is free. Toronto won't want him around. Not saying he'd make bad trades, etc, but its done. He can't really stay on. Toronto can hire his GM to run the show.
Raptors win by not paying him and get at least a 2nd round pick. Or they can get nothing.
He can walk out of Toronto saying he accomplished everything he wanted and delivered. Also left the team in great shape.
There is a path. The two pick that were asked as per rumor, I wonder who that was and who was buying? Also the contract status?
Make no bones about it, You can hire Presti and no guarantee any of this goes well. Even Masai, no guarantee. I hate the idea of any picks of value.

This sounds like a solid negotiating strategy...now come up with a plan that involves an inpatient Dolan running point.

There is a reasonable path to Ujiri. That he did not extend was the key. Either he recognizes the opportunity or sees Dolan as his ATM to fund his passions.
He should care about knicks moving two draft picks!!!!! He can maneuver without being ugly about it. He won't resign. Next year they walk into the free agent class and the Draft with a guy about to leave. That won't work. He is gone. Toronto will try to get what they can but at the end of the day they lose him for nothing. Knicks can give Raptors a token for appearences. The Commish makes it all work.
Be curious to know the two picks offered and who was involved as well as the contract status.

BigDaddyG wrote:

Nalod wrote:Toronto's dilemma is they offered Masai an extension and he said no. He expires at the end of next season. If Knicks ask for permission and they grant it, then what?
What if Knicks say "2nd round pick or stuff it". Toronto says not good enough. Meanwhile Ujiri has said he is gone. Knicks say, well, we can wait until next year when he is free. Toronto won't want him around. Not saying he'd make bad trades, etc, but its done. He can't really stay on. Toronto can hire his GM to run the show.
Raptors win by not paying him and get at least a 2nd round pick. Or they can get nothing.
He can walk out of Toronto saying he accomplished everything he wanted and delivered. Also left the team in great shape.
There is a path. The two pick that were asked as per rumor, I wonder who that was and who was buying? Also the contract status?
Make no bones about it, You can hire Presti and no guarantee any of this goes well. Even Masai, no guarantee. I hate the idea of any picks of value.

This sounds like a solid negotiating strategy...now come up with a plan that involves an impatient Dolan running point.

i might question the "great shape" comment. He won the Championship and is a hero for it. Roster is old, and there are some nice pieces but when Lowry and Gasol fall apart???

I agree with the other comments that any compensation should be minor, and frankly I think that's appropriate under the circumstance. Ujiri is not Midas -- not trying to disrespect him in the slightest

He fired a COY and pushed all his chips into the center of the table getting Kawhi and Gasol but that wasn't a long term plan

It really sucks that he only got to the finals once and lost with Durant, Westbrook, and Harden (with Scott Brooks as coach). Let's certainly not give him any credit for assembling that team in the first place and keeping them as long as he did on a limited budget against a backdrop of Oklahoma City. Yeah, I know the first two were drafted as Sonics even though the team relocated to OKC about a week after Westbrook was drafted.

I'd take Presti in a second especially if we could get him without paying in compensatory picks.

fishmike wrote:

WP76 wrote:I mean it's not like Presti isn't better than any GM the Knicks have had in the past couple of decades--with a fraction of the checkbook and cache New York has.

It really sucks that he only got to the finals once and lost with Durant, Westbrook, and Harden (with Scott Brooks as coach). Let's certainly not give him any credit for assembling that team in the first place and keeping them as long as he did on a limited budget against a backdrop of Oklahoma City. Yeah, I know the first two were drafted as Sonics even though the team relocated to OKC about a week after Westbrook was drafted.

I'd take Presti in a second especially if we could get him without paying in compensatory picks.

I dont think you would find a person here who would object to the bold

There are a number of people on this board that aren’t high on him at all.

BillTheButcher wrote:Should have never let Pat Riley go , we would of had a couple of chips.Dude lost Wade,Bosh and James and he already rebuilt the Heat in no time.Anyways I just want Dolan to hire someone with a proven record of winning and making power moves.Enough ****ing misery treat the Knicks like the Rangers and we will put all these failures behind us.

We had no choice. Riley left without even waiting for a counter offer which, honestly, would've been a waste of time.