all the better... this isnt a must deal for us. Personally I would rather have thee $10mm in expiring deals in Feb than Crawford to start the season.

Posted by fishmike:

all the better... this isnt a must deal for us. Personally I would rather have thee $10mm in expiring deals in Feb than Crawford to start the season.

I'd rather have Crawford. I don't think you'll get a more talented player with 3 small expiring contracts be it now or Feb.

it's funny because even with the trade and getting the better player back--it COULD actually make us worse--fine by me:>)

Posted by djsunyc:

Posted by BRIGGS:

it's funny because even with the trade and getting the better player back--it COULD actually make us worse--fine by me:>)

how IN THE hell could this trade make us worse? are you talking about on the court or our cap? b/c on the court, there's no way in hell this makes us worse...

Don't pay attention; he just likes to bash the Knicks and always imagine the worst case scenario. Crawf is a very talented kid that I'd love to get on the Knicks.

I disagree that NY can only go so far because we are in a Salary Cap bind. Detroit set a precedent when they traded Hill for Wallace and Atkins. Young talent is out there that can be obtained in ways other than the draft. NY is going to win the division next year... How can they have no chance?

Posted by BRIGGS:

could giving up all of our frontcourt depth actually hurt?

Which of the following players that have been rumored to be involved in the trades to get Crawford do you think are crucial to our frontcourt depth?: Shandon Anderson, Moochie Norris, Othella Harrington, Dikembe Mutombo (maybe). None of them are starters or even the first frontcourt player off the bench (right now Sweetney is the 1st off the bench)

Unless Isiah can get Drew Gooden, good young front court players aren't usually given away. Crawford and Damps are the best two fits for the Knicks at this point. Yes, Isiah has backed himself into a corner of sorts, but then so have Crawford and Damps. They both want to come to NY at this point, it's just a matter of figuring out HOW.

I believe Isiah can make a trade with Chicago. The problem is getting Damps. But there was a quote from him about how if he couldn't get a big contract, he'd sign for the MLE somewhere. Interesting thing about that? Indiana, Memphis and Dallas have all used their mid-level. If Damps is talking about taking the MLE, it's probably from us.

I think this team needs to do everything it can to add Damps AND Jamal. If you can only get one, fine. But don't make some other stupid move just for the sake of making a move. I wouldn't mind bringing back the same squad. I fully believe a full season of healthy Allan and Tim and Kurt would bring the four seed.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/ny-spknix233903961jul23,0,7227486.story?coll=ny-basketball-headlines

Crawford a fan of NY
Agent trying to broker trade that would send restricted free agent to Knicks; hopes to sit down soon with Isiah, Paxson

BY GREG LOGAN
STAFF WRITER

July 23, 2004

If Jamal Crawford and agent Aaron Goodwin have anything to say about it, the restricted free- agent guard will be in a Knicks uniform next season. Goodwin is working so hard to broker a deal that he has asked Knicks president Isiah Thomas and Bulls general manager John Paxson if they would agree to a face-to-face meeting in the next few days.

Not surprisingly, Goodwin said Thomas would jump at the opportunity, but he still was waiting to hear back from Paxson last night.

"I think we can get something done by all getting together," Goodwin said yesterday. "I proposed we get together. They both received it well. Isiah is ready any time. I expect to hear from Paxson today ... If that happens, we can get it done in hours. Absolutely. It's up to Paxson, but if we can all sit down, it will be done with the weekend."

Paxson has all the power in this negotiation. Several potential trades have been proposed, but the Bulls' GM has shown the most interest in a deal that would send Crawford and the long-term contracts of Jerome Williams and Eddie Robinson to the Knicks for Shandon Anderson's long-term deal and the expiring contracts of Frank Williams, Othella Harrington and Dikembe Mutombo.

Thomas' attempts to replace Mutombo in the deal with guard Moochie Norris, who has three years left on his contract, have been refused by Paxson, even though the Knicks president offered to chip in $3 million to nearly offset Norris' salary this season. Asked if there's a way to do the deal without Mutombo, Goodwin said, "Yes."

He also downplayed earlier reports that Paxson wants Crawford to sign for the $5-million midlevel exception rather than get a deal in the vicinity of seven years for $55 million. "That's not a concern at all," Goodwin said. "Every deal has been set up where Jamal gets the salary he wants. Paxson doesn't control that. We didn't need him to do that [sign with another team for the midlevel]."

Of course, Paxson has indicated he would match any midlevel offer to Crawford, who has decided he wants out of Chicago now that it's obvious the Bulls have no intention of signing him to a long-term deal.

"Jamal talked to Paxson," Goodwin said. "He wanted to come back, but it was clear to Jamal that he was not being invited back with the same vigor that New York is trying to acquire him. I'm thinking we can reach a deal if we all get in the same room."

Goodwin was in Cleveland yesterday with LeBron James, but another of his clients, free-agent forward Vin Baker, who was expected to visit the Cavaliers, didn't make the trip. The agent said Baker has decided he wants to remain with the Knicks, and Goodwin said he thought the two sides might even reach an agreement in time for Baker to sign a deal today. The Knicks are believed to be offering their $1.6-million salary exception, but Baker was hoping for a larger portion of the $5-million exception.

On another front, the Knicks' Thomas hasn't given up on landing free-agent Golden State center Erick Dampier. If he can keep Mutombo out of the Crawford trade, he might be able to use him in a multiteam sign-and-trade deal for Dampier, who has an offer from Atlanta starting at $8 million a year but is holding off accepting because he would prefer to join the Knicks and is worried the Hawks are planning to trade him in December to another team.

Nothing will happen until Dampier's agent, Dan Fegan, returns from a weekend trip to Spain, but the Knicks undoubtedly will try to find a third team that can provide the players to satisfy Golden State GM Chris Mullin. According to one NBA source familiar with the negotiations, a potential Dampier deal "is a work in progress."

Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.

If the Knicks sign Dampier to a two year deal that would be so ideal I can't even imagine.

Then you get Dampier working hard because he knows there's another contract coming up, so he'd actually work hard for those two years, and then once they were over the Knicks could sign-and-trade him or just let him walk. Definitely don't re-up him for the 6 years though.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap.php

Bulls, Knicks reach agreement on Crawford 08/03 -
11:10 PM
One has to wonder if Jamal Crawford was ever destined to become a New York Knickerbocker.

After enduring over a month of constant rumors about potential sign and trade packages between the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks which would see Crawford playing in the orange and blue in 2004/05, the two teams finally reached an agreement on Tuesday.

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that general managers Isiah Thomas and John Paxson have agreed in principle to a six-player trade that would send Crawford and fellow Bull Jerome Williams to the Knicks for Dikembe Mutombo, Othella Harrington, Frank Williams and Cezary Trybanski.

Now that these two have finally got their acts together another spanner has been thrown into the works... Crawford's advisors have rejected the deal, at least for now. That stance is expected to end as soon as Wednesday, when the NBA league office reopens for business and Crawford's camp accepts the deal.

The new deal depends on Crawford signing a sign a seven-year, $55 million deal while previous deals had him making the same money over only six years.

A league source said Thomas rejected a proposal to sign an unwanted free agent and include him in the deal as salary-cap ballast so that Crawford's salary could go higher.

If the trade collapses, it's almost certain Crawford will play next season for the Bulls at a qualifying offer of $3.5 million and then become an unrestricted free agent.

The Bulls' pitch to re-sign Crawford for six years at $39 million is no longer an option, but with Crawford already telling friends that he is headed for New York it no longer needs to be.

i'm not sure if this has been verified or not, but just going by what this article says, i have to say KUDOS to Isiah here! i'm happy he's not relenting to give in to all these demands which don't benefit the Knicks...he's already bending over backwards giving up all his expiring deals & taking on CHI's worst contract...why shouldn't he get better value for Crawford in that case? extending his contract over 7 years instead of 6 at the same money does just that...

STICK TO YOUR GUNS ISIAH!!! if this deal doesn't go through, it won't be your fault...i place all the blame on John Paxson for being a hard ass!

[Edited by - TMS on 08/04/2004 09:16:29]

Isiah has given enough, and Craw has no better deal on the table this year.

How can you know that? Were you listening when Craw reportedly talked to Kiki yesterday? Maybe Denver gave him a better offer. (Better could even mean less money over fewer years--like 4 yrs, $38 mil--if he thinks he can get more later as an FA.)