Posted by sexualtennis:

why? it's not like the knicks had any chance of getting him anyways.

Right...Keon always said he wanted to play in a warm weather area. I don't think the Knicks had a chance.

Because he probably didn't want all the pressure. What would you rather do, get thrown around night-in, night-out on a team that wouldn't contend or backup CWebb for 25 minutes a game in Sacramento with no pressure on a team with a good chance of winning the title.

Posted by mason:

Who does'nt like to play in the mega of NY.

Ah, everybody? The last impact free agent we signed was Houston, and the Knicks had to put on the full court press to sign him. Face it, why deal with the NY media and the pressure of over 20 seasons without a championship when you can get the same money, better weather, less prssure, and play with more talent somewhere else.

Well, the only places I would call vacation resorts are in the warm weather states. Maybe places you can ski in winter too - but Milwalkee? Detroit? Even Chicago, that place is cold and windy (at least they have a city to hang out in though). I dunno if its really the fact that NY is a pressure town, I think it has more to do with NY management personally. Dolan has no clue what he is doing and Layden has his hands tied. We dont have a good coach either. I think thats about enough reason for Keon to say..."hmm why dont I take a few million and go play for Sac - they have webber, bibby, peja, christy, oh wait - and a REAL BIG MAN at the 5, maybe we can win a championship!" No doubt NY is the mecca of basketball, but who wants to play for a team that isnt going to be in the championship hunt for a few years? Money might have something to do with it, but I think there are a few more reasons on the list.

When was the last time we were under the salary cap? If you can't even get in the game-you cant play. Funny why do guys like Jason Giambi and Roger Clemens Mike Piazza etc....on down the line play in NY? Giambi was going to get nearly 100mm from oakland more than enough to satisfy anyone. Mike Piazza didnt have to resign with he Mets and Roger cedeno took less money this year to play with the Mets. the Rangers never have trouble finding free agents Bobby holik ws going to get big money from plenty of teams but chose the rangers. How could anyone who hs worked or lived in NYC say this town scks to live in or play for? you have to be kidding me guys like mason oakley etc.. were crushed to leave. darn ive been to a ton of different cities in the US but there is jus something special about NYC and I would only put LA Chicago Miami and Orlando as secondary to the big apple. why is patrick working out here? because he loves the city man. new york is unique its just an excuse the real problem is and will be that we signed andersen eisley and weatherspoon to long term contracts that exceed their playing value by miles and driving up AH contract was again just plain bad business there is only one blame the blame lays on ths shoulders of the moves in the last three years. blaming it on anew york is a farce i work in the city and used to live in the city and wouldve never hanged a thing i live in ct now because of my family but my best times in life were in nyc and always will be. Grew up in brooklyn PS 230 on to Poly prep then Fordham.

My answer and i'll say it again is the Knicks aren't players in free agency because of the moves layden has made since he got here. You cant play the free agent game unless you are under the cap. Ny has nothing do to with it. We dont have the salary room to even think about it. All that cap money is tied up in players like travis the hitman Knight and Howard "I'm not giving a penny of these checks back sucka" Eisley. These guys are laughing all the way to the bank at the fans expense. the only thing that will straighten this franchise out is massive no shows mid way through the season. I have seen it before and I believe we will get off slow. If we continue quickly down that path and we sit at 12-28 at the break it will be a ghost town and EVERY newspaper radio station and fan wil be calling for blood and the bottom line is you will ultimately have to listen to the customer. Chaney might be the fall guy 1 but there will be more following his tukiss out. Just remember this 99% of Yankee fans are Knick fans and many of those got stuck without being able to watch their team in their own town because of Dolan. If baseball strikes fans may get a bad taste in their mouth for supplying entertainment$$$$$ to over paid worthless players. plus it loos like both the giants and Jets will be good. there are many factors working against the knics besides their weak roster.

Just the fact alone that we signed Allan Houston means we would be players in the free agent market. That same year we snagged Childs. We havent been under the cap for the majority of it's exsistence. Clarence Weatherspoon stepped right up when the $$$ were offered. have the Knicks been a team guys have used to up their ante? Sure rashard Lewis is doing it to Dallas right now. But I cant recall to many FA spurning the Knicks when we had a cap opportunity to sign someone. Our roster has been packed for the better part of a dozen years.

the fact remains you buld a good team through the draft free agency and last trades. trades for the most part are usually accomplished when you need to move talent from one position you may be deep in for another position. Some teams have been lucky to pick up guys who were supposed damged goods because of their personalities sprewell webber and that is a place wher you can get a nice trade. And Im not doubting for one second that IF healthy AM isnt a top 25 player. But the fcats are the Knicks just have to many holes to fill and they lack talent in to many areas to go along with youth size and speed. you pick up these attributes in the draft. there is no conclusive evidence that AM makes a team better. he had Lafrentz Van exel and a better all around team in denver and still they were under 500. This was a time to go to the draft. This summer shouldve been a time to look at trades for guys like Stromile Swift and free agents like Michael Redd. With a nice draft of Amare apick up of Michael Redd at the very least you start to bring back the identity of the Knicks with two fiery players who can play the game. Add a guy like Stromile Swift at the 4 with amare learning off the bench. Adding thrre great young players in one year with two who already put up big NBA numbers in limited mts and the other a big big time stud who is a legitimate 6-10 250 pds who couldve played our center position in 2 years. We still would ve won just as many games as we would with dice+++ we have a beautiful core and headtsrt for a team for the next 10 years.

We have no plan right now its just fill in the player and hope to get an 8 seed. Its just going to implode and if DICE for some reason walks or is not healthy forget it we are doomed for 7 years. just to much risk with not enough reward.

Hey BRIGGS, if your idea of a “big time” free agent is Childs and Weatherspoon then the situation is worse than I thought. You’ve got problems. But keep reading because I think I can help you:
As big time free agents go, Houston is it, and until you do better than Childs and Spoon, well your argument just gets weaker. The Checkets/Grunfeld team, which you are so fond of acquired most of their impact guys, though trades: Spree, LJ, Harper, Oakley, and Camby. As for Swift, you are one of those fans who think just because you want a player your team should be able to get him. You want to send 2, 3, or even 4 garbage players to get a good player. It doesn’t work that way. We could send them all our junk and it isn't bringing back Swift. We don’t have anything that would bring Swift here. Even our marquee players wouldn’t bring us Swift because of their salaries. Spree, Houston, Camby, Dyse, none of these players or any combination of these players with our current players would have brought Swift here. The only thing that could have brought him here was a combination of factors that would include our pick. That Denver team Dyse was on was pathetic. Van Ex is a score first point guard that the Lakers were happy to get rid of, and Lafrentz puts up the quietest 13 PPG I have ever seen. These are not better players than Spree, and Houston. Dyse has played with junk his whole career. You act like you have a crystal ball, but your inability to provide any substantive basketball information just makes your words seems hollow.


[Edited by - nwny on 08/18/2002 21:26:15]

Just because teams want them doesn't make them "big time". The question was name another "big time" free agent the Knicks have signed other than Houston. Still waiting.
As for Swift, lets see you put together this trade. Use Real GM and post the link. And don't post a BS trade like Ward for Swift, just becasue the salaries might work. The teams involved must actually have expressed interest in the player or players simular to the player we have.