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Knicks, Chris Duhon agree to 2-year deal


After four years with the Bulls, point guard Chris Duhon is moving on, verbally agreeing to a deal with the Knicks on Friday, according to Duhon and his agent, Kevin Bradbury.

Bradbury could not comment on the terms of the deal. But a source said it was a major commitment on the part of the Knicks -- a two-year deal starting at the full mid-level exception. The value of the mid-level exception will be announced on July 9 (when contracts can officially be signed) but it's expected to be about $5.8 million, making Duhon's total contract worth around $12 million.

"I am just excited, I am ready to get to work for the Knicks," Duhon said. "It's a big stage, playing in New York. It's something every player in the NBA wants."

Duhon met with the Knicks on the first day of free agency. Making Duhon their first free-agent meeting was a clear indication that the new Knicks brass -- general manager Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D'Antoni -- was committed to making him their point guard. Duhon also met with the Magic on Wednesday, and was receiving interest from other teams. But the Knicks' willingness to offer their full mid-level slot showed they wanted Duhon.

"Chris could have shopped himself around more, but in the end, he wanted a fit where he felt comfortable and he knew what kind of opportunity he would be getting," Bradbury said. "He wasn't worried about trying to find more money on the market or anything like that. He wanted the right situation, and this just felt like the right situation."

The Knicks surely need Duhon, the best point guard now available on the unrestricted free-agent market. The team is expected to release point guard Stephon Marbury this summer. Even with Marbury, New York ranked last in the league in assists, and ranked 27th in 3-point shooting (33.7 percent).

Duhon averaged 6.9 points in his career with Chicago, but was mostly asked to be a defender and a ball distributor, taking open 3-pointers when they presented themselves. He averaged 4.5 assists in his Bulls career, against just 1.37 turnovers. More than half his shots with Chicago were 3s, and he made 35.6 percent of them.

Duhon had been liked by ex-Bulls coach Scott Skiles, who plugged him into various roles throughout his Chicago career. Typically, the team would try to make undersized guard Ben Gordon a starter early in the year, then give up on that idea, moving Gordon back to the bench in favor of Duhon's height and better defense. Duhon played 300 games for the Bulls, and 159 of them as a starter.

The opportunity to play for D'Antoni, maestro of the Suns' up-tempo offense before coming to the Knicks, was a major appeal for Duhon. "You know he is going to want to run and push the ball," Duhon said. "I feel, with the opportunity, I can do that. Really, I can't wait to get started."

He'll be starting on a long, daunting road, of course. The Knicks haven't finished over .500 since their magical Finals run in 2001. But the team drafted highly regarded forward Danilo Gallinari last week, and now, Walsh and D'Antoni are hoping that Duhon can play a key role in getting the team back into postseason contention.


edit: added link to top

[Edited by - cosmic on 07-04-2008 3:32 PM]

This confirms it. They didn't throw this kind of money (even for 2 years) to keep Marbury on the team. Or at least I hope they didn't. They better waive this fool.

BTW, can you post a link Cosmic?

time to pack your bags Dinglebury.

This feels like the second coming of Howard Eisley.

i like this signing personally... we now have a few guys who play a more team oriented style of basketball.

why would anyone bash a 2 year MLE signing for a guy w/a 4-1 assist to turnover ratio for his career? hell, if we'd have signed Marcus Williams to that deal some o'yall would be busting a nut like there's no tomorrow right about now.

What, were all NBA quality guards taken?

The backup PG of my enemy is my starting PG.

Walsh has yet to do anything to improve this team.

Posted by islesfan:

What, were all NBA quality guards taken?

The backup PG of my enemy is my starting PG.

Walsh has yet to do anything to improve this team.

I don't think that is true.

A He did not sign anyone past two years
B Duhon scks he was almost released by the Bulls last year so when he gets jacked in the starting position it will help us get a higher draft pick --so the signing might be a blessing.
C While I think we couldve executed much better on draft night in many ways even simple ways I dont think Gallinari is a bust and could be a nice niche player in the league.

As I said earlier, Duhon is solid. $6 million a year for Chris Duhon is definitely an overpay on a per year basis, but at least we didn't lock him up long term. As for Craw and Nate, they're really not point guards, unfortunately. If either of those guys could really play point, their value would much higher than it current is. Mardy is also terrible. Marbury, hopefully, won't play a minute this year. So, factor that in an Duhon definitely has a role for a two years. The benefit of this is that for two years, it gives a solid player, but not someone who is likely to improve our record drastically. Then, we'll have given a good two year evaluation to Duhon.

The ultimate conclusion I have is that this is really a low risk move. There probably aren't a lot of free agents who would've been into two years of MLE money. So, us not screwing up is an instant B+.

[Edited by - Solace on Jul 04 2008 4:37 PM]

ANOTHER Bull. Yech...

Otherwise, I'm OK with this.