Bring back Cap'n Zeke. He'll know what to do.

Posted by djsunyc:

no confusion:

trade an expiring and the pick for a player. (nash?)

trade another expiring for a player. (vince?)

s&t lee for a player. (josh smith?)

sign a player via the MLE. (sheed?)

make a midseason deal for another player using expirings.

the knicks can put together a 50+ win team next season w/o any problems by taking advantage of the economy. you can substitute some of those players for other guys like diddy, etc. point is, what the knicks are doing is stupid unless they have a deal already in place for lebron or wade.

+1

Posted by djsunyc:

no confusion:

trade an expiring and the pick for a player. (nash?)

trade another expiring for a player. (vince?)

s&t lee for a player. (josh smith?)

sign a player via the MLE. (sheed?)

make a midseason deal for another player using expirings.

the knicks can put together a 50+ win team next season w/o any problems by taking advantage of the economy. you can substitute some of those players for other guys like diddy, etc. point is, what the knicks are doing is stupid unless they have a deal already in place for lebron or wade.

No way do you trade a lotto pick and expiring for 3 years of an aging Nash.
I like the idea of trading either Nate or Lee for another player or pick. I think Lee can be of benefit to us. We just have to have a defensive presence near him.

We need to get some two way players. Guys that we have (minus Jeffries who has no offense, Chandler and Gallo) don't play defense.

I guess I just trust management. We moved some immovable contracts and I'm all into having faith in this management team. That said, I'm not sure if Curry can be moved. He might be off the books and turn into another Max player in 2011.

This is going to be one exciting off-season, starting with the draft and on into some inevitable trades and signings.

Guys, there is reason for optimism. Remember, this is $$ rich NY and the economy is down, so we will inevitably bring (buy) talent.

Lastly, this coach wants a group of guys who know how to play together. Guys like Gallo and even Lee without his defense. Those guys often don't cost the most. But we could use one star along with that kind of team...

For me, Lee's a good player and has my respect but he's a guy I'm not willing to commit all this money too. If we had the cap flexibility, he's a no brainer to keep, but since we're saddled with some bad contracts that probably won't be moved by 2010 (Curry and Jeffries - who in their right minds is gonna want to trade for these 2 stiffs???) you have to think long and hard about locking Lee up for $10 mil. a pop for 5 or 6 yrs. I've been saying it for the better part of 2 yrs. now, Lee - nice player, good guy, but he's replaceable and UPGRADABLE. No doubt in my mind. To me, you snag another pick in the middle of the first round and grab a DeJuan Blair - that's an upgrade. You grab a 2nd rounder and grab an underrated 2-way PF prospect in Taj Gibson, that would further help cover Lee's absence. Not to mention, you grab Blair and Gibson, now maybe I don't want Chris Bosh anymore. Now maybe I'm OK at the 4 spot & I focus on other FAs.. But hey, that's me...

To tell you the truth, I'd semi-scrap this whole thing here and build it up with as much young talent as they can get their hands on. And as I said in my rant the other day, there will be options provided they're thinking along those lines.

*Lee - I'd look to move him in a deal where we're getting an expiring or two and a pick no later than 15 (hopefully higher). I'd love to deal him off to Utah and grab this kid Koufos and possibly our 1st rounder back for next yr., but I don't know if that's possible. But that's a trade worth making. Love the idea of adding Kosta Koufos. He's no Shaquille O'Neal but he's a very skilled, above average NBA center for at least the next decade.

*Nate - I'd keep him provided he doesn't go overboard with his contract demands. Very good player who's fun, exciting and has a good deal of respect from most of the top players in the league. With that respect and his talent, he could be a bigtime recruiting tool for us at the end of next year, along with D'Antoni, the coach every player around the league loves and wants to play for. Whether you like them or not, D'Antoni and Nate Robinson are big pluses for us when you look at it in those terms... But hey, if Nate wants too much money, he could pack his bags as well. Like I said the other day, you give me a 2nd rounder or possibly even an undrafted Jack McClinton and I could make him work in Nate's 'Leandro Barbosa' role. Point is, Nate's valuable but he's just as replaceable as David Lee when you get right down to it.

--------------

(1) I'd look to draft Jeff Teague and let him develop into the lead scoring guard for this team for the future. I think he's young and he needs to tighten up a few areas but his potential is scary. I like some of the other guys like Warren, Maynor and I do like Tyreke Evans, but I just see big potential with this kid Teague. If I'm Donnie and this kid's still on the board, he'd have to be nuts to say to himself, "well we have Duhon so I'll pass." Nuts!!!!!!

(2) Even with Cuttino Mobley still on the books, there's 11 players under contract on this team for next season. That means 4 open spots, maybe 5 (I know Cuttino remains on the books but does he take up a roster spot as well??). I'd love to add Teague with our pick, then add an additional 3 young players with either extra picks or by inviting the right guys to training camp. Plus who knows, a trade of Lee and/or Nate here, then a buyout or two there, now you open up more roster room. Believe me this is necessary - there's a good chance a lot of guys will be moving on after next season (Hughes, Harrington, Q, Duhon, Chandler if you trade him for a guy like Koufos, etc...) and it's time to start thinking about replacing them.

Dream scenario:
-- Draft Jeff Teague with our pick & trade for Kosta Koufos (tremendous upgrades moving forward at the two most important positions on the floor).
-- Acquire another two picks anyway possible (buy a pick(s) - don't be cheap Dolan, convince him it'll be a wise investment, get a pick or two back in Nate/Lee trades, get a pick from Utah-even a second rounder-in a Koufos deal, etc..) and upgrade team depth with guys like DeJuan Blair, Sam Young & Taj Gibson. The perfect 3 guys to round out and toughen up this roster. I love these three for us and to me, instead of talking about winning the lottery and getting Blake Griffin, each of these three are obtainable and realistic guys we could target provided we can snag some extra picks here. Look, if we ever won the lottery or even got the 2nd or 3rd pick, great, you take a Griffin or a Jordan Hill and then adjust from there, but there needs to be a realistic plan in place and that plan should focus on maxing out our possibilities and making this team as attractive as humanly possible for a 2010 FA. Why even waste your breath talking about guys like Griffin, Hill or Thabeet when the percentages aren't in our favor to acquire these top tier guys? Focus on realistic possibilities first and foremost, then if we get lucky, we get lucky...
-- Can't land that extra 2nd or hopefully even 3rd pick? No problem. See who's left at the end of the draft and plan on inviting some of the undrafted talent to camp next summer. Personally, I'd love to bring guys in like Jack McClinton, KC Rivers & AD Vassallo with a chance to make the club and round out the roster. These guys can play and they could help us...


[Edited by - finestrg on 04-05-2009 09:07 AM]

Posted by BRIGGS:

Posted by Finestrg:

For me, Lee's a good player and has my respect but he's a guy I'm not willing to commit all this money too. If we had the cap flexibility, he's a no brainer to keep, but since we're saddled with some bad contracts that probably won't be moved by 2010 (Curry and Jeffries - who in their right minds is gonna want to trade for these 2 stiffs???) you have to think long and hard about locking Lee up for $10 mil. a pop for 5 or 6 yrs. I've been saying it for the better part of 2 yrs. now, Lee - nice player, good guy, but he's replaceable and UPGRADABLE. No doubt in my mind. To me, you snag another pick in the middle of the first round and grab a DeJuan Blair - that's an upgrade. You grab a 2nd rounder and grab an underrated 2-way PF prospect in Taj Gibson, that would further help cover Lee's absence. Not to mention, you grab Blair and Gibson, now maybe I don't want Chris Bosh anymore. Now maybe I'm OK at the 4 spot & I focus on other FAs.. But hey, that's me...

To tell you the truth, I'd semi-scrap this whole thing here and build it up with as much young talent as they can get their hands on. And as I said in my rant the other day, there will be options provided they're thinking along those lines.

*Lee - I'd look to move him in a deal where we're getting an expiring or two and a pick no later than 15 (hopefully higher). I'd love to deal him off to Utah and grab this kid Koufos and possibly our 1st rounder back for next yr., but I don't know if that's possible. But that's a trade worth making. Love the idea of adding Kosta Koufos. He's no Shaquille O'Neal but he's a very skilled, above average NBA center for at least the next decade.

*Nate - I'd keep him provided he doesn't go overboard with his contract demands. Very good player who's fun, exciting and has a good deal of respect from most of the top players in the league. With that respect and his talent, he could be a bigtime recruiting tool for us at the end of next year, along with D'Antoni, the coach every player around the league loves and wants to play for. Whether you like them or not, D'Antoni and Nate Robinson are big pluses for us when you look at it in those terms... But hey, if Nate wants too much money, he could pack his bags as well. Like I said the other day, you give me a 2nd rounder or possibly even an undrafted Jack McClinton and I could make him work in Nate's 'Leandro Barbosa' role. Point is, Nate's valuable but he's just as replaceable as David Lee when you get right down to it.

--------------

(1) I'd look to draft Jeff Teague and let him develop into the lead scoring guard for this team for the future. I think he's young and he needs to tighten up a few areas but his potential is scary. I like some of the other guys like Warren, Maynor and I do like Tyreke Evans, but I just see big potential with this kid Teague. If I'm Donnie and this kid's still on the board, he'd have to be nuts to say to himself, "well we have Duhon so I'll pass." Nuts!!!!!!

(2) Even with Cuttino Mobley still on the books, there's 11 players under contract on this team for next season. That means 4 open spots, maybe 5 (I know Cuttino remains on the books but does he take up a roster spot as well??). I'd love to add Teague with our pick, then add an additional 3 young players with either extra picks or by inviting the right guys to training camp. Plus who knows, a trade of Lee and/or Nate here, then a buyout or two there, now you open up more roster room. Believe me this is necessary - there's a good chance a lot of guys will be moving on after next season (Hughes, Harrington, Q, Duhon, Chandler if you trade him for a guy like Koufos, etc...) and it's time to start thinking about replacing them.

Dream scenario:
-- Draft Jeff Teague with our pick & trade for Kosta Koufos (tremendous upgrades moving forward at the two most important positions on the floor).
-- Acquire another two picks anyway possible (buy a pick(s) - don't be cheap Dolan, convince him it'll be a wise investment, get a pick or two back in Nate/Lee trades, get a pick from Utah-even a second rounder-in a Koufos deal, etc..) and upgrade team depth with guys like DeJuan Blair, Sam Young & Taj Gibson. The perfect 3 guys to round out and toughen up this roster. I love these three for us and to me, instead of talking about winning the lottery and getting Blake Griffin, each of these three are obtainable and realistic guys we could target provided we can snag some extra picks here. Look, if we ever won the lottery or even got the 2nd or 3rd pick, great, you take a Griffin or a Jordan Hill and then adjust from there, but there needs to be a realistic plan in place and that plan should focus on maxing out our possibilities and making this team as attractive as humanly possible for a 2010 FA. Why even waste your breath talking about guys like Griffin, Hill or Thabeet when the percentages aren't in our favor to acquire these top tier guys? Focus on realistic possibilities first and foremost, then if we get lucky, we get lucky...
-- Can't land that extra 2nd or hopefully even 3rd pick? No problem. See who's left at the end of the draft and plan on inviting some of the undrafted talent to camp next summer. Personally, I'd love to bring guys in like Jack McClinton, KC Rivers & AD Vassallo with a chance to make the club and round out the roster. These guys can play and they could help us...


[Edited by - finestrg on 04-05-2009 09:07 AM]

I see no way we can get Koufus not even for pick 7. I wouldnt want to resign Okur--he'll be 31 next year and want a 5-6 year contract--anyone grabbing him we'll get 3 years of downside play on a HUGE contract. Id keep Koufus Fasenko Millsap to go with Williamd and Brewer--they have 3 draft picks and cap room in 2012 or maybe in 2010 if they find a team for Kirelenko. They could find nice packages for both Okur and S+T Boozer and completely rebuild the team for 10 years. Thats the whole gig in the nBA--they were lucky Koufus fell to them.

For us Id think we may need to go the same route--we need to rebuild with young players and if the right FA is there when we have cap room --OK but dont spend just to spend.

Honestly hope 1 is to lose as many games as we can and hope that GS canb tie or go ahead of us.

[Edited by - BRIGGS on 04-05-2009 09:49 AM]

Dude you're probably right. Honestly if I were running the Jazz, I wouldn't be interested in dealing Koufos either. But who knows what they might be thinking in terms of accessing their immediate future. If they intend on going for it out there, they might be better off keeping the core of Okur (who still has gas left in his tank btw), a recovered Carlos Boozer and a resigned Millsap intact and then adding pieces to that. Say something like a resigned Nate at $6 or 7 mil. per., Wilson Chandler and maybe even our 2nd rounder next yr. for an expiring Matt Harpring and Koufos. Nate and Chandler would be great additions for their bench (Nate might be the 6th man of the year and Chandler's starting material even on that club. They drafted Morris Almond but he hasn't panned out there - Sloan didn't like him and his option wasn't picked up) and they'd still have Fesenko around to bang and backup Okur and Boozer - Okur, Boozer, Millsap and Fesenko with more mins. and a bigger role PLUS the additions of Robinson and Chandler to that, ALONG WITH the other pieces they already have (D. Will, Brewer, etc...). With Sloan running things, that's a nice nucleus that could easily contend. Remember, they do the wrong things here like dealing Okur away for junk and/or letting Boozer walk for nothing or very little, now you're talking Williams getting pissed and wanting out even though he just resigned longterm. Williams is the man there now and the one who drives the bus - he could sour if he thinks the club isn't trying to do what it takes to compete. The last thing they'd want is D. Will. demanding a trade right? Utah's in a very different situation than us. With the right additions, that team could go to the finals and when you get right down to it, that's what it's all about. Meanwhile we're a disaster - a team that basically needs an overhaul. We should be looking at every possible angle in order to improve, sparing no expense along the way...


[Edited by - finestrg on 04-05-2009 11:12 AM]

Piece of Cake

5. Sign David Lee

4. "the phone lines are now open..."

3. Immediately enroll Eddy Curry in The Duke University weight/ behavior program, mandate that he plays LV Summer League or petition the league for a mental exemption

2. Send Larry Hughes to a leadership training course

1. Draft Cole Aldrich

Posted by misterearl:

Piece of Cake

5. Sign David Lee

4. "the phone lines are now open..."

3. Immediately enroll Eddy Curry in The Duke University weight/ behavior program, mandate that he plays LV Summer League or petition the league for a mental exemption

2. Send Larry Hughes to a leadership training course

1. Draft Cole Aldrich

Thanks misterearl. Not for your wacky ideas, but for keeping your post short. I just can't bring myself to read a 5000 word essay on this subject.