TripleThreat wrote:

nixluva wrote:I have to laugh as some of the crass and impatient posters on this forum when it comes to our own young prospects. Can we give them more than one or two seasons to actually develop?

http://www.spotrac.com/nba/new-york-knicks/cleanthony-early/

Cleanthony Early signed a 2 year / $1,352,395 contract with the New York Knicks, including $507,336 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $676,198. In 2014-15, Early will earn a base salary of $507,336. Early has a cap hit of $507,336 while his dead money value is $507,336.

NBA 2nd round draft picks offer a different scenario in terms of team control and cost controlled years. An impending lockout is another hurdle. That even 2nd rounders now are eyeing that big salary cap bump and want a piece of that pie is another.

In short, 2nd round picks offer less obligation ( NBA first rounders are GUARANTEED at least two first years of some guaranteed money period, hence why OKC did the controversial Josh Huestis pick with the intention of stashing him and deferring the obligation in a silent handshake deal, while 2nd rounders and UDFAs aren't guaranteed anything except what their agents can leverage or negotiate) but cede more potential freedom the player.

The sooner Early shows what he will likely be, the better for the Knicks. I realize he spent much of this year injured, but given the Zen Master/Melo contract timeline, and factoring in Shumpert is gone and Hardaway's defensive/developmental problems, it's critical for Early to either develop or not in a speedy fashion.

He doesn't need to be the answer to each and every one of the Knicks current problems overnight, however he does need to show where he stands in terms of answering any of those problems potentially for the future. Big difference but still critical.

You are chastising people for time the Knicks don't have. Seriously dude, I've said it before, read the damn CBA sometime. Look at draft history sometime. Consider why trades happen when they do go through and why proposed ones don't. Time better spent than laughing at other people here.

That's nice that you posted this information but we're still in Early's rookie season. He's had surgery and other injuries which have set him back. My point wasn't that we should wait forever but when it comes to making judgements we need to show some sense of reason and perspective. Nothing you wrote is a validation for crass impatience with a rookie prospect who has been hampered by injury in his rookie season.

I don't appreciate your insults. I don't think it's necessary to consider every possible contingency of the CBA every time I make a post. Yes it's very educational to understand how the CBA impacts team decisions, but in this case I wasn't suggesting that we can wait forever for a player to develop, however, teams like the Spurs are very patient with their prospects and they've been rewarded with that patience. There's a balance that can be struck.

You have been going on and on about this Timeline for Phil and Melo. It doesn't mean that they're making all of their decisions based on that timeline. In fact they should have more than one timeline. One that is for Melo and another for the team as a whole which is much longer and future looking based on the young players they've added and will add in the draft. Phil has talked about the team having a future component as well as a current one. That's how you build sustainability. There isn't just one timeline based on Phil's and Melo's age.