NYT: LeBron Not The Only Option For Knicks

[HarthorneWingo]

post of the year right here

Please stop -- name change and all, you still bring no substance!

How do you know when someone, like Pharmacist, changes his name?

[NyKnicks1714]

post of the year right here

Please stop -- name change and all, you still bring no substance!

How do you know when someone, like Pharmacist, changes his name?

Pretty easy to tell usually, Pharmcat=Kandi Man btw.

[Big C]

If the Knicks don't get Lebron or Wade then there really aren't many players that are young and you can say will be around for a long time. Unless the plan is if we can't get Lebron go and get a Rent-A-Star for a year or two. If the goal to build a team that will win a title then we need three star players not one or bring in two all-stars. To be honest I think the Knicks will probably sign Amare and Joe Johnson. Nash is getting older so I would not give him a big contract.

I am also really against giving players that are an injury away from being put on the shelf and the Knicks being stuck with an injured player and a big contract.

[GuyverADL]

I will tell you why that plan is not a good one.. Lets just play along and say, lebron opts out in 2010, which I think he will. For the knicks not to be a player in that sweepstake because I GM was aiming for 2011 and wanted to keep zach and crawford on this team, I would have to shoot him/you, or whoever is GM...

Sorry stutter, but when you are in the largest market in the NBA an you can't be a player in one of the biggest FA markets ever, and lebron, wade, bosh, amare make it so.. then You deserve to wallow in mediocrity or misery.... If at the very least, have some flexibility just in case another team with a top flight player wants to take another direction..

Even if LBJ opts out, it's for money and Cleveland will probably do a S/T if they decide they cannot keep him no matter what. The team with either EXPIRINGS or VALUABLE YOUNG TALENT AND DRAFT PICKS will be the winner. The reason being: LBJ would want that 7th year and the highest yearly increases.

Sounds like Chicago Bulls.

[j4remi]

James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Dirk Nowitzki. Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Josh Howard, and Steve Nash. Tyson Chandler, Stephen Jackson, Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and Marcus Camby.

I could come up with a lot of combinations out of that group which would make me very happy with the team. After the max guys, you figure you could get a three man combination of good players as well. Plus even if we crapped out the flexibility would give us the chance to make trades.

[kosmovitelli]

Assuming I was hiring my own coach:

I would have focused on 2011 because that's when our contracts expired naturally.

Everything in my power to trade: QRich, Jefries, Curry and Malik. Never acquired Roberson.

Tell Starbury to stay in line or GTFO.

Put JC as 6th if I couldn't get a true SG (a la JRich).. if not:

starters: Steph/JC/Chandler/Zach/(Center from a trade, even a filler like Skinner)
bench: Mardy/Nate/Balk/Lee/DeAndre or Hibbert

Just build from them. If we lose we still have this year's pick while losing Salary.

I will tell you why that plan is not a good one.. Lets just play along and say, lebron opts out in 2010, which I think he will. For the knicks not to be a player in that sweepstake because I GM was aiming for 2011 and wanted to keep zach and crawford on this team, I would have to shoot him/you, or whoever is GM...

Sorry stutter, but when you are in the largest market in the NBA an you can't be a player in one of the biggest FA markets ever, and lebron, wade, bosh, amare make it so.. then You deserve to wallow in mediocrity or misery.... If at the very least, have some flexibility just in case another team with a top flight player wants to take another direction..

Obviously you have to be a player in 2010 when you're NY and you've been losing for 7 straight seasons !

Also the plan isn't a good one because there's actually no real plan. To wait until 2011 and continue to build on Isiah's roster would have been a huge mistake. Steph/JC/Chandler/Zach/a center is almost exactly what didn't work the previous seasons. That roster was going nowhere. We were going nowhere with Marbury as the starting PG. If you plan to let our contracts naturaly expire in 2011 and fall under the cap that summer then it means you will keep almost the same roster until 2011. If it's the plan then there was no reason to hire Walsh in the first place. If the plan is to go on with Isiah's roster then you might as well keep Isiah as GM !

It's true we could have been under the cap in 2011 by doing nothing but when you can gain one year and have the chance to become a player in 2010 only by trading Zach Randolph, it's a no brainer. I say only Zach Randolph because although Harrington's contract expire in 2010, he was fair value for JC and it's probably a deal Walsh would have made regardless of Crawford's longer contract. Walsh always liked Al and so does d'Antoni. Our starting 5 is Duhon, Q, Chandler, Al and Lee. Q excepted, all these players may be kept after 2010 if we can afford to keep them or if we can't sign max free agents. We're already building for the future and our PG position needed to be adressed.

Despite Marbury's situation, the deadwood on the roster (Marbury, James, Rose, Curry injured/unfit), the trades and the injuries, we're still having a season better than I expected. We're 11-16. No reason to excited but no reason to be ashamed either. I remind people two years ago (in 2006-2007) when some thought we were only losing because of LB the previous season and we were on the verge of making the playoffs with Isiah as coach the Knicks were 10-17 after 27 games. Despite all our problems and our tiny 7 player rotation we're already better than that...

With Malik Rose and Stephon Marbury gone next summer, we will release two roster spots. We have our own draft pick in june. I think being 0.500 next season is not a far-fetched goal. Little by little, Donnie and Mike are molding the roster into a winning team with lots of flexibility. We're seeing the last days of a capped out losing team with no future. One year ago we had Isiah as GM and coach, there was no plan for the future, we were going nowhere. Now we have a competent GM, a proven head coach who has a clue, a better team and we're eyeing cap space and flexibility as soon as 2010. I'm delighted with the progress we made in only 8 months.

[TKF]

Assuming I was hiring my own coach:

I would have focused on 2011 because that's when our contracts expired naturally.

Everything in my power to trade: QRich, Jefries, Curry and Malik. Never acquired Roberson.

Tell Starbury to stay in line or GTFO.

Put JC as 6th if I couldn't get a true SG (a la JRich).. if not:

starters: Steph/JC/Chandler/Zach/(Center from a trade, even a filler like Skinner)
bench: Mardy/Nate/Balk/Lee/DeAndre or Hibbert

Just build from them. If we lose we still have this year's pick while losing Salary.

I will tell you why that plan is not a good one.. Lets just play along and say, lebron opts out in 2010, which I think he will. For the knicks not to be a player in that sweepstake because I GM was aiming for 2011 and wanted to keep zach and crawford on this team, I would have to shoot him/you, or whoever is GM...

Sorry stutter, but when you are in the largest market in the NBA an you can't be a player in one of the biggest FA markets ever, and lebron, wade, bosh, amare make it so.. then You deserve to wallow in mediocrity or misery.... If at the very least, have some flexibility just in case another team with a top flight player wants to take another direction..

Obviously you have to be a player in 2010 when you're NY and you've been losing for 7 straight seasons !

Also the plan isn't a good one because there's actually no real plan. To wait until 2011 and continue to build on Isiah's roster would have been a huge mistake. Steph/JC/Chandler/Zach/a center is almost exactly what didn't work the previous seasons. That roster was going nowhere. We were going nowhere with Marbury as the starting PG. If you plan to let our contracts naturaly expire in 2011 and fall under the cap that summer then it means you will keep almost the same roster until 2011. If it's the plan then there was no reason to hire Walsh in the first place. If the plan is to go on with Isiah's roster then you might as well keep Isiah as GM !

It's true we could have been under the cap in 2011 by doing nothing but when you can gain one year and have the chance to become a player in 2010 only by trading Zach Randolph, it's a no brainer. I say only Zach Randolph because although Harrington's contract expire in 2010, he was fair value for JC and it's probably a deal Walsh would have made regardless of Crawford's longer contract. Walsh always liked Al and so does d'Antoni. Our starting 5 is Duhon, Q, Chandler, Al and Lee. Q excepted, all these players may be kept after 2010 if we can afford to keep them or if we can't sign max free agents. We're already building for the future and our PG position needed to be adressed.

Despite Marbury's situation, the deadwood on the roster (Marbury, James, Rose, Curry injured/unfit), the trades and the injuries, we're still having a season better than I expected. We're 11-16. No reason to excited but no reason to be ashamed either. I remind people two years ago (in 2006-2007) when some thought we were only losing because of LB the previous season and we were on the verge of making the playoffs with Isiah as coach the Knicks were 10-17 after 27 games. Despite all our problems and our tiny 7 player rotation we're already better than that...

With Malik Rose and Stephon Marbury gone next summer, we will release two roster spots. We have our own draft pick in june. I think being 0.500 next season is not a far-fetched goal. Little by little, Donnie and Mike are molding the roster into a winning team with lots of flexibility. We're seeing the last days of a capped out losing team with no future. One year ago we had Isiah as GM and coach, there was no plan for the future, we were going nowhere. Now we have a competent GM, a proven head coach who has a clue, a better team and we're eyeing cap space and flexibility as soon as 2010. I'm delighted with the progress we made in only 8 months.

Well put kos. It is just time to put the past behind us, and that includes removing many of Isiah's mistakes. we are building a team, we have some guys who are keepers, we have cap flexibility, we still have to see what we have in gallo, a pick this year. I agree, things are much better in only 8 months...