What are the "two years" ? This season and next ? So is it really one season + 10 games to evaluate the guy ?

Posted by FrenchKnicks:

What are the "two years" ? This season and next ? So is it really one season + 10 games to evaluate the guy ?

exactly. the other thing is that the LLE is only good for 2 years (it's a max 2 year contract)

Posted by TheGame:

I think this move signifies that IT is going for a swing man in the draft. We definitely could use one, but please don't go get a one dimensional shooter who cannot pass or defend.

I agree 100%. We need a fundamentally sound players who can play both ends. However, it's my belief that if we're going to build around Curry, we should get a shooting guard who can score 20 points from shooting and OCCASIONAL penetration, ala Allan Houstonish. To me, Marbury would make an outstanding player for another team, but not here. Francis just sucks. We need to rebuild that backcourt, and a good shooting guard is a nice start.

Posted by joec32033:

Posted by islesfan:

Where exactly does this major project fit?

That is my main question. Now if we were able to package Frye and say the 22 pick for like the 13th pick, or something in the lower lotto range and we grab someone like Jeff Green or Corey Brewer.

I had mentioned something similar involving Nate in another thread. I agree that this is the next logical step. If we can identify a can't miss SG (who can pass and defend as well as shoot) in the lottery, we should be able to turn Frye and our draft pick into a high first round pick and solve our SG problem. I would do a trade of Frye and our pick for a top-12 pick and a second round pick if a top SG were available. We can then get a SG and also draft a project athletic PF in the second round. With IT's eye for talent, the second rounder could also turn into a solid rotation player.

Also, others mentioned that we won't have Morris's Bird rights. Even assuming that we won't, this kid is not going to play himself into a $10 million a year contract in one year. He is going to need a couple of years to develop even assuming he has above-average potential. So we should be able to resign him for something less than the MLE next summer with no problem if we want to keep him. This will also eliminate the chance that the MLE will be used next summer on another JJ type stiff.


[Edited by - thegame on 03-24-2007 2:52 PM]

Anybody notice that CBS is hardly showing any kentuky highlights?

They just showed Randolph Morris very briefly, but only cuz they were highlighting every game in the first round. It was maybe a 2-3 second highlight.

They are seriously not trying to acknowledge Morris.

And more importantly, does that mean he's simply decided to leave school in the middle of the semester? :)

good job of thinking outside the box by Isiah & his staff... could this be the next Jackie Butler, or could this be a legitimate future piece for this team to build with? at LLE dollars, the risk was well worth taking.

curious to see how long it takes for the first "Morris>>>>>Curry" thread to appear... i'm banking on 2 games.

[Edited by - TMS on 03-26-2007 10:06 AM]

anyone think there might have been some David Stern league type collusion to help us land him?

Posted by Solace:

Does Isiah really deserve the credit for this one? Maybe Glen Grunwald is getting cut a little short for his role in this?

all final personnel decisions rest w/Isiah... the idea may have been brought to him by Grunwald, who knows... but in the end, it's Isiah's call, & he made a good decision... not too hard to give the guy credit for this one IMO.

Hey man before Grunwald ever came into the picture Isiah knew about this guy. He obviously kept a spot open for him and I really don't think Isiah needed Grunwald to come up with this idea. This has Isiah written all over it. It's not like he hasn't been doing things like this all along. He loves to pluck young prospects out of minor leagues and this is no different. Also the kind of player that he is, tends to support Isiah being the main guy. He loves the strong inside players, like Curry or Jackie. It's more likely that he instructed Grunwald to pay attention to how he was doing, but I still think this is an Isiah move thru and thru.

I hope Isiah doesn't ever wanna coach in college.....

Seriously, I think that something that is being overlooked is the HUGE impact this is going to have in the future. Think of it this way. Isiah has just effectively for the first time ever used college basketball as a veritable minor leagues system where you can get a player mid-season and at the same time may have had a serious impact on future drafts.

Think of this. How many kids now are just going to declare for the draft to just gain the Free Agent status, whether they are good enough to go there or not?? How many kids do you think see this as a way to have the best of both worlds? Declare for the draft-but don't hire an agent, now you have the best of both worlds. You can return to school and possibly even leave mid season if an NBA team feels it needs/wants you.

Plus you have no "rookie" salary cap that limits you in the draft. If a team wants they can sign you to whatever they want as long as they have the room.

It was a very slick move by Isiah and I loved it. Now looking at the possbile consequences of this are a little unsettling.