he is well worth the full MLE, but i'd prefer getting him via sign & trade using KT & saving the MLE for a frontcourt player(s) if possible.

That's the big concern here. THe Bulls are in a big leverage position because Craw is a RFA. They can hold out for the 15 days or w/e they have to match and try to extract more than what we want to give up in a deal. Of course they may just play poker with us and they might not want to match at all and just want to see if we show our cards. If we do get Crawford to sign an offer sheet its gonna be a tense time untill we find out whether or not we can get him.

Posted by VDesai:

With the sign and trades, the signing team almost always tries to get the player to sign a deal first. The team losing the player than looks for something in return rather than offering him more money. It'll go like this...we make the offer to Craw, if he takes it, the Bulls then say "hey, we'll match it unless you give us KT etc," and then we make the deal.

yeah, so? you would still have your MLE if you did that anyway, no?

Posted by TMS:

Posted by VDesai:

With the sign and trades, the signing team almost always tries to get the player to sign a deal first. The team losing the player than looks for something in return rather than offering him more money. It'll go like this...we make the offer to Craw, if he takes it, the Bulls then say "hey, we'll match it unless you give us KT etc," and then we make the deal.

yeah, so? you would still have your MLE if you did that anyway, no?

It would seem so, since its essentially a trade of contracts. Of course then we'd then have to sign Crawford for more than the MLE...

If you can be an all-star in NY (and I bet Jamal has the kind of self-confidence to think he can be), you'll come out ahead after endorsements if you have a $5 mil salary than you would in a place like Utah or Atlanta with a $7 mil salary

[Edited by - Bonn1997 on 06/30/2004 22:24:55]

Posted by joec32033:

Posted by BRIGGS:

first thing you have to do is actually get him to sign one. i think when all is said and done he will either get a knockout offer over his head from left-field or he will sign a deal perhaps a bit more than the MLE with his own club with a smaller term and or opt outs. there is not going to be any sign and trade with the Knicks and he is NOT going to be a Knick--lets put the odds at 1%


i do believe the knicks have a solid 30-40% chance at Dampier.

With all the talk about Crawford coming to NY and virtually nothing said about Dampier even looking here AND asking for 10 mil, you think there is a 30%-40% chance of Dampier being here and a 1% chance of Crawford being here?!?

This is actually great news. I usually think the exact opposite of what Briggs says is true, which would mean there's a 99% chance of Crawford coming to the Knicks and a 60 to 70% chance of Dampier coming! This should be an even better offseason than I could have imagined

It would be great if Briggs would say that there's a 0% chance of Kobe or Rasheed coming

http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/17667.htm

KNICKS SET TO POUNCE ON CRAWFORD

By MARC BERMAN

July 1, 2004 -- Aaron Goodwin, the newly minted super-agent, told The Post yesterday the Knicks will strongly be in the running for his client Jamal Crawford if the Bulls drop the ball today when free-agency begins.

"I will tell you Jamal's initial interest is to stay in Chicago, but he'd love the opportunity to play in New York," said Goodwin, the subject of a Sports Illustrated feature last week that crowned him the NBA's top agent after netting LeBron James. "He's Chicago's to lose. Isiah [Thomas] likes his style of play and the thinking is he will fit in well. He was interested in Jamal in Indiana, too."

At midnight last night, Thomas was permitted to begin calling free agents. He planned on ringing the two biggest fish — Kobe Bryant and power forward Rasheed Wallace. Bryant told The Post during the Finals he would make a recruiting visit to New York if the Knick president invited him, saying, "I'll be there."

However, Thomas can only get Bryant via sign-and-trade, which is unlikely. Thomas has a better chance with Wallace, who has repeatedly said his decision is not based on basketball but the comfort level of his wife, Fatima, who is from Philly, and their four children. His wife, according to sources, wanted to see a trade to the Knicks last winter.

So it is, armed with the mid-level exception worth a little more than $4.9 million, that Crawford becomes the Knicks' best hope at landing an impact player — at the position they need help. He can play shooting guard and point guard and the Knicks need another perimeter scorer with Allan Houston's arthritic knees and Shandon Anderson exposing himself as the NBA's most overpaid player.

The Bulls drafted point guard Ben Gordon with the third pick and guard Chris Duhon in the second round, seemingly bracing for Crawford's departure. The Bulls can match any offer, but Chicago is expected to be scared off if Thomas offers the maximum long-term mid-level deal — six years, $37 million. At that point, they may want to do a sign-and-trade with the Knicks.

"I can only go by what their people tell me," Goodwin said. "They called me the day before the draft to tell me who they were taking. It was a sign of respect. They said they wanted to do a three-guard offense. But at the end of the day, talk is cheap. [Today], we'll see if it's just grandstanding. If Chicago decides not to be a player, the doors are open."

With the mid-level, the Knicks have little chance at top free-agent centers, Marcus Camby, Erick Dampier and Stromile Swift. Camby loves Thomas, who drafted him, and loves New York, but Denver says it will go higher than the mid-level exception to retain him. Camby's agent said he won't consider teams over the cap.

Thomas has some interest in Detroit big man Mehmet Okur, but he's expected to receive offers higher than the mid-level from under-the-cap Phoenix and Utah. Memphis GM Jerry West said he will match any offer to Swift.

The Knicks' best hope at a big man is ex-Knicks Michael Doleac or Antonio McDyess. They might be able to get either of them for the smaller exception, which, according to union attorney Ron Klempner, has risen to $1.6 million. Problem is, only a two-year deal can be offered.

The Knicks will play wait and see with their two free agents, Vin Baker, who never became a low-post offensive force and struggled on defense, and swingman DerMarr Johnson. Johnson will play on the Knicks' summer league team in Long Beach, Cal., his fate to be determined there.

Interestingly, Goodwin represents Baker, too. Package deal?

"It won't be a package deal, but it will be a package conversation," Goodwin cracked.

Copyright 2003 NYP Holdings, Inc.

It's getting very interesting. I have a feeling we might end up getting Crawford for the MLE, but you think we might end up getting Camby via sign and trade? Thomas and Camby really seem to like eachother, but who knows?