EwingsGlass wrote:Note that these salaries are estimates that presume escalations over the term for the fixed amount (e.g. Lopez 4 years, $54MM is a minimum 12,5MM in year 1.

1	PG	Jerian Grant		               1,310,000			
2	SG	Arron Afflalo		               7,800,000			
3	SF	Derrick Williams	               4,870,000			
4	PF	Carmelo Anthony		              22,875,000			
5	C	Robin Lopez		              12,500,000			
6		Jose Calderon		               7,400,000			
7		Cleanthony Early		         845,000			
8		Langston Galloway		         845,000			
9		Kristaps Porzingis		       3,443,100			
10		Kyle O'Quinn		               3,720,000			
11		Cap Hold - Vet Min Exception					
12		Cap Hold - Vet Min Exception		525,000			
13		Cap Hold - Vet Min Exception		525,000			
14		Vet Min Exception					
15		Room Exception (2.8MM)					

Assumed Cap (I bumped it up to 68.5 for fun. Heard 1-2mm more than 67.1.
$68,500,000

Estimated Dollars sent (this could be less by the O'Quinn & trade which would be timed to occur LAST of all our transactions when the moratorium expires
66,658,100

Estimated Cap Space left:
$1,841,900.00

Plus Room exception of 2.8m..

So, I see two more moves possible plus some flexibility if we move Calderon. He does not appear to fit the 'mold'.

Assume Thanassis gets 1 of the two 525k spots.

Means

Pick:
1 player for 1.8MM
1 Player for 2.8MM
and two vets on minimum contracts.

way to keep it us up to date. I think Lopez should be 200-300k more. So it should be around:

1.5m

or

2.5m.

The smart move would be the 2.5m and two vet min so they basically have two room exceptions

smackeddog wrote:

TripleThreat wrote:

smackeddog wrote:Honestly, after seeing how this offseason went down I would rather have traded with the Kings for Thompson, Stauskas and Landry plus a first rounder and the right to swap 2 future first rounders, and just signed Lopez. Forget Afflalo and Williams.

Sam Hinkie was an assistant and got his first front office job in Houston in 2005. That means, unlike Phil Jackson, Hinkie was able to accrue a decade of front office experience before making the trade with Sacto. Who is a special adviser to Vivek Ranadive, owner of the Kings? Chris Mullin, who was GM of the Warriors way back when Hinkie was making his bones and paying his dues.

Nixluva will rant on and on pointlessly about Phil Jackson does this and Phil Jackson did that. But one thing Phil Jackson does not have is those ingrained built in relationships with agents, scouts and other front office stalwarts around the league, which are critical for making these kind of deals.

Phil Jackson, great head coach, no doubt in anyone's mind.

But as a rookie GM? His learning curve is costing the Knicks assets and opportunity. Just like Vlade Divac will either get burned off the Kings front office or have to learn the hard way from that horrible deal with Philly.

The Knicks current needs simply cannot accommodate the learning curve of a new GM, esp one with such a short lifespan for the team.

Sam Hinkie however is 37 years old. He could give the 76ers a strong 30 years of future GM work if he works out as they hope.

There's more to being a GM than just acquiring picks- he hasn't done a good job using them, nor has he shown any talent for building a team

I see the point went over your head. That's ok, it happens a lot, plus we just don't like each other very much.

Whatever you think of Hinkie's pedigree as GM, he has over a decade of front office experience building relationships with scouts, other GMs, other up and coming front office types grooming for jobs, agents, owners and players.

Those relationships prove critical in getting deals done around the league, not just the NBA, but in any of the pro sports.

This is not about Hinkie as a debate of his skill, this is pointing out where Phil Jackson is limited by simple experience ( no, Nixluva, being a head coach won't cut it, being a GM is a different job. It's like asking why can't the field goal kicker for a NFL team just do the punting as well and save a roster spot. ), against ANY NBA GM with a long tenure of experience and grooming for the job, and it's going to cost the Knicks opportunity over time.

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TEAMS KNICKS ALAN HAHN

KNICKS FIX

MONDAY, JULY 06, 2015

THE KNICKS FIX: KNICKS GET QUANTITY INSTEAD OF QUICK FIX

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Editor's Note: The signings discussed in this piece are not official. Teams cannot announce signings until July 9.

The fact of the matter is, the missed out on the biggest name in free agency. So did 28 other teams.

Marc Gasol was the one marquee name the Knicks were going to chase with the fervor of their 2010 pitch to LeBron James. Gasol fit everything the Knicks wanted and needed as they rebuild the franchise not just in talent, but in philosophy and character.

Gasol never put himself on the open market. He wants to stay in Memphis and made that abundantly clear. No other team, not even the San Antonio Spurs, got audience with him.

So, for the Knicks, instead of eating up the largest portion of their salary cap space on one player, their Plan B became an effort that was quite opposite of the way the team has done business in the past.

Yes, there was a scheduled meeting with LaMarcus Aldridge, who would have taken up the same chunk that Gasol would have. The truth is that meeting was strategically placed, by both sides, at the bottom of Aldridge’s itinerary. Once it was clear that LMA heard what he wanted from the Spurs, his reps and the Knicks agreed there was no reason to pursue.

They created an excuse based on what position he would play. As if that would have been allowed to be the deciding factor in landing the biggest name available in free agency. Both sides had to use their time wisely.

Another reality that has yet to be presented involves Greg Monroe, who, for months, was linked to the Knicks as a free agent target. The Knicks reportedly met with Monroe on the first night of free agency, but contrary to reports based on what Monroe’s agent, David Falk, said, the Knicks never made a full max offer to Monroe. In fact, I’ve heard from a few people that the Knicks never made any offer to Monroe. The max, apparently, was assumed by Falk.

There was interest in Monroe, but the plan changed at the NBA Draft, when the decision to draft 7-1 project Kris Porzingis was made. With Porzingis, an offensive talent, the Knicks needed to focus on a defensive-minded big man.

This is why DeAndre Jordan, not Monroe, became the priority. Jordan, who was frustrated being overshadowed on the endorsement front by teammates Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, had an interest in the New York market. Jordan’s defense and rebounding would have been major assets for the Knicks, but there was greater competition for his services. The Dallas Mavericks, in Jordan’s home state of Texas, were a better fit.

Enter .

has long admired Lopez. You can just imagine what that meeting was like between the two eccentric personalities, who, I’m told, became fast friends. Lopez brings the Knicks a defensive presence who is also quite mobile and, most importantly, has a high basketball IQ. He'll easily fit into the “learners” category when it comes to the Triangle Offense.

At a reported $13.5 million per year, Lopez becomes the second-highest paid Knick on the roster (behind Carmelo Anthony). He’s coming off a season limited to just 59 games due to injury, but he did return for the playoffs. He's a good defensive big who can also finish around the rim (66.9% FG within three feet) and is a better-than-advertised offensive rebounder.

After moving JR Smith, Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr., the Knicks had a desperate need on the wing, so they signed to a two-year deal at a bargain of $8 million per year, based on the market. Afflalo will be 30 when the season starts and was a teammate of Melo’s in Denver. His Szczerbiak Slash Line (FG/3PT/FT) is 45.3%/38.5%/81.9%, which is right at the criteria my studio partner Wally Szczerbiak calls for when labeling someone a good shooter.

[Note: Wally believes you must shoot 45+% FG, 40+% 3PT and 80+%FT]

Afflalo struggled in Portland after he was traded late in the season from Orlando. His reputation as a good defender took a hit after his years with the Magic. But he's considered a pro’s pro -- a high-character player who the young players in Orlando raved about -- and, of course, he’s in that “learners” category, too.

The third addition is somewhat of a gamble and a curious one., the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, reportedly signed for two years at $5 million per year. Williams, at 6-8 and 240 pounds, has been considered a bust, but he’s still just 24-years-old. His issues have mostly surrounded the fact that he hasn’t been a good shooter at the NBA level and his production elsewhere -- especially rebounding -- has not made up for it.

Williams has proven to be a strong finisher near the basket (59.2% within 8 feet last season), but those numbers plummet the further away he goes (between 8-16 feet, he shot 27.8% last season). Despite paltry perimeter shooting, he actually proved to be reliable from a critical spot on the floor in today’s game: the corner three. Williams hit 10 of 36 (45.5%) from the left corner three-point spot last season.

Another statistical quirk: Williams was 29th in the NBA in dunks (65), which is notable since he was rarely the focus of the Kings offense this season. By comparison, no Knick finished in the Top 50 in dunks in the NBA last season.

The question will be if Williams can build off last season, and also live off the many opportunities afforded by the Triangle Offense along the baseline.

The addition that, to me, is the most intriguing is , a 6-10, 240 pound late-bloomer who's from Queens. O’Quinn, at 25, is still developing and could wind up being a steal at a reported $4 million per year.

O’Quinn is a bit raw, but has improved each year in Orlando. He averages 13 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per 36 Minutes. You also have to point out that he averages 5.2 fouls per 36, so he’s got to watch that part of his game.

What you also like is that he shoots 76.8% at the rim (0-3 feet) and a very steady 44.8% between 8-16 feet.

He represented the last of the Knicks cap space for this summer. The team does qualify for a $2.8 million “room” exception, which they are expected to use on a remaining veteran that's still available.

At this point, the Knicks have 8 players under contract for next season, with the two first round picks Porzingis and Jerian Grant yet to be signed. There's also last year’s second-round pick in the organization. The NBA requires 12 players on the active roster for a game.

Along with the exception, the Knicks can offer the veteran’s minimum to other players to fill out the roster.

What can’t be overlooked is that the Knicks did maintain flexibility in the future, which is especially important with the salary cap exploding upward in each of the next two offseasons. Right now, there are just three players who are committed to contracts beyond 2016-17. After the first round picks are signed, it will be five.

These factors -- and adding a second first-round pick this year when they don’t have one next year -- are important as the franchise takes the route of the slow build over the quick-fix effort that just wasn’t available this summer.

TPercy wrote:Frank Isola: FYI Knicks fans, no date has been set for the parade honoring Phil Jackson's free agent victory.

if he said that he did a great job last year then he probably thinks that he deserves to go to GM Hall Of Fame after this offseason.

ESOMKnicks wrote:Quick question: now that we have lost Aldrich and Jason Smith, if RoLo goes down, who plays center? O'Quinn looks undersized. So is Amundson. If we weren't shooting for the stars in free agency, why couldn't we at least build a balanced team?

Knicks drafted a 7'3 guy in KP
Knicks have a 7'1 guy on their summer league team
Knicks drafted a 6'11 dude from KPs team

I think thats phil least problem. Hes been a back up his entire career and said we are lacking bigs. So im sure hes in tune with this issue....if it is an issue.