This guy hustles, is 14th in the league in scoring, and plays a little defense all after accepting a demotion to the bench.

He loves the team, and plays harder than almost any other knick. He's been the only reason we've been in some of these games, but yet so many kill him on here.

If he had some decent ballers on this squad, he'd be a monster.

2009-10 Statistics
PPG 20.3 RPG 6.40 APG 1.6 EFF + 17.88

ramtour420 wrote:I didn't even think about Hughes for some reason, but you are right- Hughes has been a great teammate and a true professional. I can definately see him staying around. One thing i was wondering about tho, ever since we got Larry , is his relationship with Lebron. Did Cleveland trade him? Were there probs between those 2? I hope not. . .

hughes is just making the best of his time here, you sign him long term or leave him hanging around for our future-- he reverts to his ways.

god bless him for using this opportunity in the best possible way to prolong his nba career, but a place on our team? no.

ramtour420 wrote:So far he is the only veteran that i'd like to keep in 2010. nd yes, he definately has flaws but he plays with passion and tries every time. That gets him in trouble sometimes.

I agree. I'd like to see him part of the 2010 team. If I could only take one, it would be him. In fact, regardless of how many players I could keep, I might only keep him. Hill, Douglas and to a lesser extent Gallo are too soon to tell though.

How would possibly keeping them affect our bottom line?

TMS wrote:

joec32033 wrote:I like Al, I like Hughes. As far as I am concerned though Hughes is an MLE player to a little below. All is at about the $8-$9 mil range, IMO.

How would possibly keeping them affect our bottom line?

that's why i think Hughes is the only vet i would realistically be interested in keeping... i think Al is effectively pricing himself out of our range w/the #'s he's putting up considering what our plans are for next season & beyond.

Al isn't stupid. He'll take a pay cut if it means playing in his home town with 2 Max FAs. I don't see him as being greedy.

I think we have a realistic shot of having Amare, Joe Johnson and Al Harrington in our starting 5 next year. And that's if things DON'T go perfect.

TRU wrote:

TMS wrote:

joec32033 wrote:I like Al, I like Hughes. As far as I am concerned though Hughes is an MLE player to a little below. All is at about the $8-$9 mil range, IMO.

How would possibly keeping them affect our bottom line?

that's why i think Hughes is the only vet i would realistically be interested in keeping... i think Al is effectively pricing himself out of our range w/the #'s he's putting up considering what our plans are for next season & beyond.

Al isn't stupid. He'll take a pay cut if it means playing in his home town with 2 Max FAs. I don't see him as being greedy.

I think we have a realistic shot of having Amare, Joe Johnson and Al Harrington in our starting 5 next year. And that's if things DON'T go perfect.

there's no way we can sign Al or even Hughes for that matter to even a MLE contract if we sign 2 max guys... if we dump Curry's contract somehow we might have the cap space to do something like Amare, JJ & Al, but that's a big if... right now as it stands, we have the cap space to sign 1 max guy & another guy at a little above MLE dollars.

TRU wrote:Got it. It's unlikely but still a possibility.

And there's a better chance of that (amare jj al) than us actually convincing 'bron or wade to come here.

That's why you gotta love this plan. After years, we finally have flexibility. The next test will be walsh's artistry as a GM.

You got it and you understand it. This path we are taking is about FLEXIBILITY.

And, I will still say this... we have what, roughly 60M in expiring contracts? (I haven't looked it up recently). So, well, know what? Over the next 2.5 months we can still swing the most amazing deals, a Boston Celtics Offseason Prior to Their Title type deadline, if it is there to be had.

We are the most flexible team in the NBA right now. And...I'm not talking in terms of grabbing our ankles in ways no other team ever has.... I'm talking in terms of expiring deals, enticing youth, and the nearly league leading in 2010 cap space (I think the NOTS edge us by a few mil, but, again, people say Bron won't join the 3-14 Knicks because they are losers, but, somehow he will join the 0-16 Nets!? LOL!?)

TMS wrote:

Over the next 2.5 months we can still swing the most amazing deals, a Boston Celtics Offseason Prior to Their Title type deadline, if it is there to be had.

Boston had Al Jefferson along w/a #5 lottery pick to deal to get KG & Ray Allen... we have neither.

Well, according to some, Chandler, Lee, and Nate are probably a whole lot better than that asset pool!

So, we're set bud!

But, well, you get the point. We're flexible....with a plan. A plan that could be potentially consummated sooner than later. (Hey, what if we grab Boozer who agrees to an extension and then Melo in the offseason with our cap space?)

You know, things like that.

What we DONT WANT TO DO IS TWO THINGS:

1) (John Gabriel has done it before) Continue to shed contracts expecting a max free agent (Tim Duncan) to join your team, get spurned, and still spend 3 more years of shedding salary hoping to land that same free agent again (Tim Duncan) only to strike out twice and leave your team screwed and trying to sign second tier talent, one of who was crippled, to dual max contracts (T-Me and G-Cripple).

2) Be the Bulls. We rebuilt. We have cap space (Nobody takes it) SOMEONE take our cap space PLEASE!! (no one takes it) Malcontent player gets ditched by multiple soon to be contending teams and gets desperate (Jalen Rose) and said team throws him the max because they have it and no one else will take it (Chicago Bulls).

That, is....potentially our future....with us purposely remaining a mess hoping for the NEXT big time FA market - OR - giving it to whoever will take it! (Joe Johnson) and remaining mediocre as a result.

Yeah, those are possibilities to happen.Unfortunately.