Will Lee and Nate follow their fellow NY Brethren?
With restricted free agents David Lee and Nate Robinson ready to bust out in Mike D’Antoni’s
system and take the league by storm, it reminds me of another pair of NY athletes on the cusp of stardom who had their own contracts to sort out.
Back in 2006, both Jose Reyes and David Wright were ruling the National League, on their way to helping the Mets to their first division crown in almost two decades. GM Omar Minaya wasted little time in keeping the two, locking them up to 4- and 6-year deals, respectively, in early August.
Turns out it wasn’t that hard, as the two wanted to be here. So much so, that they inked the extensions on the same day. It was your classic home town discount.
Now the Knicks, as has been heavily documented, have similar decisions to make. Lee, a close
friend of Wright, has also professed his love for this city. TKB reported that Walsh has taken Lee off the trade table and wants to sign him, and the reports surfaced in the papers last week. On the other hand, Nate, who may have been the most impressive player in camp in Saratoga, has stayed surprisingly quiet. But he’s ready to assume the Leandro Barbosa role in D’Antoni’s system. Barbosa’s success earned him almost $7 million a year.
With the Knicks salary cap woes, can the team afford to sign both Lee, who’s market value is sure to be in the 5-year-35 million dollar range (if Udonis Haslem is getting between $6 and $7 million per) and Nate?
Would the two take hometown discounts? Maybe one-year extensions with the idea of sitting down after 2010? I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.
Figuring how to keep both in Knick uniforms will be one of the main story lines to watch this season.
