*Felton traded to the Knicks. Knicks not matching Lin?

[seren]

Great idea to have guys that can't shoot the three and can't play off the ball. Should open up the court for Melo. NOT.

[Besart19]

Sam Amick ‏@sam_amick
Conflicting info out there, but source insists Raymond Felton's deal with New York will pay him approximately $18 million over four years.

WTF. Is that possible with Gad & JJ's salaries

+ Bibby

[ITALIA17]

Least this team wont take any crap from any other team while there on the court

Right. Because the addition of literally the fattest guard in the league and the oldest active player in the league changes our team's entire persona.

Yeah because skinny as$ lin and rough and tuff Fields are real enforcers.

[MaseInYourFace]

My feeling is knicks will match Lin and pull out of prigioni deal. Having Felton as a bench combo awesome, as your starter meh.

[kosmovitelli]

D'Antoni must be going nuts. Less than a year after he leaves: Kidd, Prigoni, Felton, Lin.

I Can't Stand It I Know You Planned It
But I'm Gonna Set It Straight, This PGgate

Oh My, It's A Mirage
I'm Tellin' Y'all It's a Sabotage

So what do you predict Kosmo? Knicks get Felton AND Lin or just Felton?

I think they will match.

Two possible explanations :
1) Grunwald realized Kidd was 38, Pablo unproven and 35, Shump injured so he thought he should add Felton to add depth in case of injuries (Baron Davis, Jeremy Lin and Iman Shumpert all had injuries and missed games during the season and the playoffs). Felton could also be a trade asset or at worst a filler in the future.

2) Dolan told him not to match Lin's offer sheet so he immediatly grabbed Felton while he was still available.

As Felton received no other offer and the deal (3 years and $10 million) seems reasonable, I doubt there was a rush and Grunwald absolutely had to acquire Felton during the week-end. I think we will match and if we don't then I doubt the luxury tax will explain the change of heart (Woodson said Knicks would match and Lin was our starting PG on wednesday and when he was asked the same question on friday, after the Rockets new offer sheet, he said he didn't know yet and it was up to Grunwald to make a decision) but more Dolan being upset Lin signed the new offer sheet. If Knicks were willing to match the initial offer sheet then the Rockets only added $6 million in the third season. Can't see why the new offer would be so deadly for the Knicks compared to the initial offer.

Jimmy Dolan went crazy when Spree injured his hand on his boat and didn't inform the team until he came back from vacation, Dolan also blew a fuse when Larry Brown broke MSG's media policy. He also asked Woodson to fire his agent (also Larry Brown's agent). It's possible he's mad at Lin and his agent (Roger Montgomery). You never know with Dolan...

[Knicks80_20]

So what precedent is there for a team not matching a guy who goes 19/9 in his second season?

considering he only averaged that for 10 games Id have to say none because it has never happened before.

That's his season stats, not the LInsanity stats, which are 25/10. He played for half an entire season. The skills that gave him those numbers aren't going away.

[knickfan212]

Felton is a great passer as shown in this video....

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esjMpny3r44[/youtube]

Its funny people posted that video when we first signed Felton, then he went on and put up all-star numbers.

[richardhutnik]

We should all be tracking MSG's stock price movements tomorrow. That by itself may tell us what we need to know.

So, here is the game: Dolan makes trade for Felton so that the price of MSG stock drops. Then he buys stock, agrees to match Lin's sheet with Rockets, and the price goes up. Dolan makes money.

And then hauled off to prison shortly thereafter.

Dolan allows the stock price to take a hit, on a move that helps the Knicks and allows standard practice of 3 days waiting for it to be known if Lin is coming back or not. Dolan knows it will cause price of stock to drop, and knows the price of the stock would rebound. He puts a buy order in right after the the announcement of Lin being resigned is done.

There are ways to do this without getting in trouble. And the short is that Dolan isn't worried about the drama.

[howe070523]

Least this team wont take any crap from any other team while there on the court

Right. Because the addition of literally the fattest guard in the league and the oldest active player in the league changes our team's entire persona.

Yeah because skinny as$ lin and rough and tuff Fields are real enforcers.

6'3 and 226 pounds is considered skinny ?

[putiger78]

Felton would be a good backup in a video game, but not in real life. I don't see him accepting a role off the bench, unless he starts with Lin in the backcourt?

Nobody was offering him a starting job. He lost his starting role on a bad Blazers team last year. How does Raymond Felton have a choice right now?

Well he lost his starting job and clearly wasn't happy about it. I'm just not sure he was willing to go to a team with all of these PGs and most likely not getting major minutes. Perhaps it's possible.

In theory, the super depth guard rotation sounds great. But I'm not sure there's enough minutes for a future hall-of-famer, Linsanity, AND a guy who clearly still thinks he should be starting and will sulk when he doesn't, in addition to another PG.

Plenty of minutes... with JR also getting some minutes at the 3 when Melo plays the 4 (which he will do plenty), there are about 75-80 guard minutes a night to divy up between the 3 guys. With Kidd likely only to play 20 minutes a night... thats 60 minutes for Lin and Felton.

[Knicks80_20]

Least this team wont take any crap from any other team while there on the court

Right. Because the addition of literally the fattest guard in the league and the oldest active player in the league changes our team's entire persona.

Yeah because skinny as$ lin and rough and tuff Fields are real enforcers.

Skinny ass Lin? I guess Derrick Rose and Russel Westbrook are little b***** on defense too.

[guardplay320]

Just to throw in a conspiracy theory, maybe this goes back to the Camby trade and original rumored Rockets offer for Lin. Myabe the Knicks really did have an understanding with the Rockets and that's why the Rockets were going to sign Lin to the more favorable offer and that's why the Knicks threw the extra assets at the Rockets in the Camby trade. Fast forward, the Rockets get the assets in the Camby trade and then squelch on their end of the deal and work out a bigger offer with Lin. Dola wants his payback and wants to make the Rockets squirm. Here we are now... Just a crazy thought.

[Pharmcat]

Great idea to have guys that can't shoot the three and can't play off the ball. Should open up the court for Melo. NOT.

only guy out there I can see that fills that role is bellinelli at the 2

the only way to get guys is S and T and it takes 2 to tango

mayo is too expensive, dahntay went to DAL

[JimmyDolan]

The Knicks were bitter because they told Lin the club would match the original offer and Lin apparently shared the information with the Rockets, who decided to raise it. The free agency started off with acrimony on July 1` when the Knicks decided to let Lin set his market value instead of making him an offer.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/k ... z20f7R9CBC

**** ingrate.

In other words, unless Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan wants to pay 2 1-2 times what players are worth -- something not even Isiah Thomas would do -- then Lin's time in New York almost certainly is over.

And if that's what they do -- if they let Lin walk -- then they will have done the right thing.

With a top-heavy payroll in a soon-to-be tax-heavy world, the Knicks have a very small window of time to compete for a championship. They are in win-now mode, and they can't worry about anything other than putting the most competitive team possible on the floor. Despite his instant success last season, Lin remains a work in progress. With their top three players making $54 million next season on a team that couldn't get out of the first round the past two seasons, the Knicks don't have time for that.

And not even the Knicks, apparently, will have the money to pay a player who may or may not be a permanent starter -- much less an All-Star -- $15 million three years from now, when Anthony will be 30 years old and making $24.4 million.

The fact that Lin thrived primarily due to his seamless fit with the offense run by former coach Mike D'Antoni makes it even more sensible that the Knicks let him go. And if the combination of a CBA designed to rein in the top-spending teams and a rare period of sustained sound management from the Knicks is what we're witnessing, then I applaud both.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ken-b ... the-knicks

What will Duane Reade to do with their Lin merchandise?

[howe070523]

[quote="ITALIA17"]Least this team wont take any crap from any other team while there on the court

Right. Because the addition of literally the fattest guard in the league and the oldest active player in the league changes our team's entire persona.

Yeah because skinny as$ lin and rough and tuff Fields are real enforcers.

Skinny ass Lin? I guess Derrick Rose and Russel Westbrook are little b***** on defense too.[/quote]
they sure are lol

[ITALIA17]

"Cancel my flight to New York."

- Jason Kidd

[DaLeeDa]

My feeling is knicks will match Lin and pull out of prigioni deal. Having Felton as a bench combo awesome, as your starter meh.

Not Pablo Prigioni! He will be starting PG when everyone discovers how cheap and good he really is.

[Clyde_Style]

Felton would be a good backup in a video game, but not in real life. I don't see him accepting a role off the bench, unless he starts with Lin in the backcourt?

Nobody was offering him a starting job. He lost his starting role on a bad Blazers team last year. How does Raymond Felton have a choice right now?

Well he lost his starting job and clearly wasn't happy about it. I'm just not sure he was willing to go to a team with all of these PGs and most likely not getting major minutes. Perhaps it's possible.

In theory, the super depth guard rotation sounds great. But I'm not sure there's enough minutes for a future hall-of-famer, Linsanity, AND a guy who clearly still thinks he should be starting and will sulk when he doesn't, in addition to another PG.

I seriously doubt Felton is coming back with a prima donna attitude. He said he wants to be here. He knows a HOF PG is here. He knows one of the best PGs outside the NBA is here. And maybe Lin is here (regardless of Tweets about Felton saying he isn't). Felton's reputation tanked after NY. He knows he's getting a great deal to get guaranteed money here and unless he is a total bonehead he is going to do what the coach wants and rebuild his reputation as a team player and competent PG. And he knows the Knicks are stocking up for a run and he is depth, not necessarily the man. He wanted to be in NYC. He got it. I don't expect drama. We have too many vets here who won't take that crap.

[No-Man]

Felton came here to start next to JKidd, if he knows that he'll be coming off the bench, he would sign elsewhere to be a starter, even if he has to go to Sacramento.

Felton is a top15-20 PG in the league... how could he come here in a cheap deal to come off the bench?

[SonOfMars]

People keep posting that Felton video...the ball clearly slipped

Happens all the time..palms get sweaty