Posted by djsunyc:

Posted by joec32033:

But DJ, he isn't getting thrown to the wolves...In the middle of his BEST SEASON EVER no one thought Lee was worth $10 mil, let alone $12(except maybe King).

all we know is that portland + toronto + detroit didn't think he was worth $10 mil (if that's what he was asking for) since they were the only teams under the cap by $8+ mil.

Posted by Solace:

I think bitty has a point. I don't think Lee is necessarily being unreasonable and his stats match the price point. The problem is, he put up the stats on an awful team and the Knicks have a long term plan. Whether or not Lee is worth $10 million a year is debatable, but from Lee's agent's perspective, they are comparing Lee to other guys who are making in that ballpark, so bitty's point is valid.

I'm also happy to see that we haven't caved in and paid more than we should. Let's stop hating on Lee for no reason, though. This board has turned on Lee extremely fast, and really for no valid reason, IMHO.

Posted by djsunyc:

Posted by joec32033:

Posted by djsunyc:

Posted by joec32033:

But DJ, he isn't getting thrown to the wolves...In the middle of his BEST SEASON EVER no one thought Lee was worth $10 mil, let alone $12(except maybe King).

all we know is that portland + toronto + detroit didn't think he was worth $10 mil (if that's what he was asking for) since they were the only teams under the cap by $8+ mil.

The fact that he has not been signed and traded on a $10 mil contract shows either no team wants him at that price or doesn't think he is worth the assets even at that price.

OR...the only contract other teams can give back are 2 years long and that cuts into walsh's 2010 plan...

Posted by King1:

This is business why are people taking this so personal?

Posted by Solace:

I think bitty has a point. I don't think Lee is necessarily being unreasonable and his stats match the price point. The problem is, he put up the stats on an awful team and the Knicks have a long term plan. Whether or not Lee is worth $10 million a year is debatable, but from Lee's agent's perspective, they are comparing Lee to other guys who are making in that ballpark, so bitty's point is valid.

I'm also happy to see that we haven't caved in and paid more than we should. Let's stop hating on Lee for no reason, though. This board has turned on Lee extremely fast, and really for no valid reason, IMHO.

Posted by orangeblobman:

It's like this...players with similar numbers in similar situations have gotten that 10-12m paycheck. I doubt if Lee truly believes he's worth that much. But he does believe that's what can be gotten; he believes, or his agent does, that the money is out there for a player that put up the numbers Lee did.

Let's not get angry at Lee and assume he is delusional-- it's just how the system works and he's playing it.

Posted by djsunyc:

it's quite possible he has alot of offers from teams over the cap...the problem is that walsh has to agree to a sign and trade for lee to get his money and he may not like what the other teams are offering.

verejao just got $50 mil and he is NOT a better player than lee.

odom just turned down $10 mil/year for 3 years.

i don't think the issue is the $$$/year, i think the issue is the # of years. i think lee wants 6 years from the knicks and they are only offering 4, which means he'll be a free agent again at 30 where he may not get $8/year at that point.

lee is the newest knick under the bus. start a pool to see who the next knick will be...

Posted by djsunyc:

btw, i'm not a big fan of lee but i don't think judging the player based on team performance is the way to go. i think you have to see the player's skillset and where he is in his career and go by that.