KnicksNext wrote:So many people think the Knicks are the team with the leverage here. That's completely false. The Knicks are not the team holding a 25 year star. Ainge will wait it out until he gets the trade he wants. They have Mitchell locked in for four years and won't give in and give him up for less that whatever Ainge's asking price is.
It's the Knicks who are desperate (the front office, not the fans). Can you imagine if this deal doesn't get done, and Mitchell goes to say, the Heat, Rose and Co. will get crucified by all media, local and national. And the majority of fans will be pissed as well. Utah knows this and will wait until Rose can't take the pressure anymore and caves. I don't want this to happen, but it's funny to see so many Knicks fans think the Knicks somehow have any leverage.
Mitchell has stayed quiet as well. It's not like he's out there demanding this or that. I'm sure they communicate every little detail with him, and have told him if he's patient he'll get what he wants. Rose will cave eventually because he has to. At this point he has no choice but the close this deal.
There's more than one leverage in any negotiation so your assertion that Ainge has it but fail to recognize the other party having leverage is flawed analysis.
Ainge can't get what no team in the league is offering, right now the Knicks have what Ainge wants and no other team has that. This is called leverage, it's not an either/or, all one none for the other type of scenario, there's multiple forms of it and different parties at the negotiating table have certain aspects of it so it just depends on who can leverage their own to get a better deal.
Sure Ainge has the 'star' but he doesn't have the luxury of time, Mitchell isn't locked in for 4 years, it's 3 and then Mitchell can leave and Ainge loses him for nothing. Well, he can just trade him before then you may say. If Mitchell tells the media and other teams he's only signing with the Knicks, which is possible, then teams won't give up the offer Ainge craves...he lost value by waiting.
What if Mitchell blows out a knee half way through the season? There goes most of the contract time Ainge thought he had to peddle right after DM helped the team win too many games to be in the running for Wemby. Not to mention a undersized SG who's game is predicated on athleticism now has health question marks. I don't wish injury on anyone but it's a risk Ainge is taking.
Mitchell has been quiet? There already was a report he was concerned about the direction of the franchise and what do you think Ainge told him? If Ainge said we're dealing you then goes back on that promise he's a snake and Mitchell might not be as silent anymore. If Mitchell gets noisy calling out Ainge publicly he now has a messier situation while trying to work a deal.
Do you think the Jazz told Mitchell when he was negotiating the extension that they were going trade for assets, cut his best friend and tank for the duration of his contract right as he's entering his prime years? I doubt it, so if they said one thing and are doing another they lied to him and he might get noisy about that. How would that look to other players if they treat their 'star' this way? Not a good look at all.
Right now his value is at an all time high and the market is ripe for him to get a nice haul because there's a team that wants him that he wants and that team has the assets Ainge desires. But it's not an open ended time frame, it's this summer, as soon as the season begins some of that ripe market starts to rot away and it can get worse from here, it's unlikely to get better for offers.
So Ainge has pressure on him to make a deal before the season meaning the Knicks have another leverage to ply knowing he doesn't want to let this drag out with the potential for decreasing value much higher than they would probably admit publicly but know privately....and the Knicks know it, too. If he gets too greedy he might wind up costing the franchise assets because he's getting too cute.
We can ask who has more pressure to get the deal done and that's matter of opinion. The media will tell us it's the Knicks because they are the ones putting pressure on them but you think Rose give a crap what the media says or thinks? Bah! The fans will be upset if the media tells them nonstop for months the Knicks are getting Mitchell and it doesn't happen but the Garden will be packed opening night anyway.
So you may want to reassess your simplistic view that Ainge has all the leverage because he has the star and the Knicks have none because they don't. It's not that simple.
