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Lee dealt mid-season?

by Andrew Smith on October 15th, 2008 at 2:02 pm

Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists his ten most likely candidates to be dealt by February’s deadline, David Lee plops down at #7 on yet another gimmicky ESPN countdown.

Who’s to say he can’t be # 10 or #1? What is the basis for these rankings?

Ford writes the following snippet on our new center:

Lee is the most popular player in New York these days. His hustle, athleticism and grittiness have made him a bright spot in the squalor. And with Mike D’Antoni implementing his run-and-gun offense, Lee has looked fantastic in the preseason.

But to keep Lee, who becomes a restricted free agent next summer, the Knicks would have to pay a terrible price, considering that team president Donnie Walsh is trying to clear cap space for the summer of 2010. As the Knicks currently stand, if Walsh signs Lee to a big extension, any hope of having cap space to lure LeBron James goes out the window.

Walsh has tried to move Randolph and/or Eddy Curry instead, but he isn’t having any luck. If we get to late January or February and Randolph and Curry are both on the roster, Walsh is going to have to include Lee to sweeten the package. That’s a steep price to pay for the mere chance to lure LeBron to New York. But if he caves and pays Lee, the Knicks are basically stuck with the same crappy team until 2011. I don’t think Walsh — or the Knicks’ long-suffering fan contingent — has that much patience.

I agree with Ford to an extent that it will benefit us in the long run, but that is only because of the dire salary cap situation we find ourselves in. It will be a very tough call when Walsh’s phone is ringing off the hook this winter for a player that almost every contender will look to add.

Not to harp on an old situation, but this is the exact reason why I was hoping the Knicks would have jumped on any opportunity to trade Zach Randolph in the offseason, nothing to do with on-court play, but simply to gain a semblance of finances to work with.
  • harlemsdiplomat

    Hey dude I was introduced to this website yesterday and I liked it untill I notice u don’t like 2 do much reading…..look at the top of the post and he says its in no paticular order….so why r u going hard trying to make ford look bad? Maybe u jealous u don’t write for espn huh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://theknicksblog.com Andrew Smith

    Ha, good call. I did skip over the beginning. Just as an unnecessary waiver, I really do like Chad Ford and most of his columns. So, I got hasty in my effort to make ESPN look bad, and no I’m not jealous that I don’t write for them.

  • reddog2669

    I probably wrote this earlier but am I the only Knick fan who would rather see them build a solid team without tanking the next two seasons for LeBron? Use the draft and free agency to acquire solid players who can play the D’Antoni system. I do not mind paying guys who are actually worth the money. Over the next few years, reward those players who deserve it while shedding the terrible contracts of others. How ironic would it be to see the glitz and glamor of LeBron and the Brooklyn Nets vs. the blue collar Knicks from Manhattan! Oh well, probably in the minority here.

  • Chris Alvino

    Reddog- I completely agree with you on that. I like how Walsh didn’t give Zach away. He will help this team this year and next year if he is still here. I am sick of losing. I don’t want to tank two seasons with the hope that LeBron would come because:
    1) There is no guarantee he will
    2) How many titles has he won to this point? Will he definitely bring one here?

  • reddog2669

    Don’t forget #3. What is his supporting cast when he gets here if Walsh guts the team?

    D’Antoni’s job this season is to make these players look more attractive to other teams. Isiah did acquire some talent. The talent he acuired was a terrible fit, but there is talent nonetheless and it’s D’Antoni’s job to run with it. Look at Lee and Zach. They will be TERRIBLE defensively, but their strengths (rebounding, scoring and passing… which even Zach has looked in so far) will be exemplified. He wil try to ressurect Q while developing Chandler and Danilo. Let’s see what Nate, Duhon and Crawford can do together. I don’t expect playoffs, but at least it should be fun to watch.

  • hexagram

    Lee isn’t that great: basically a hustle player with good rebounding skills and a poor shooting touch past 8 or 10 feet. A career seventh man, if you ask me. On the Knicks of the past few years, the hustle was a breath of fresh air and being the great white hope didn’t hurt either. But he’s a replacement-level ballplayer (as Bill James would say), so dealing him is no big deal.

  • Larry

    d. lee has been the only guy worth watching the last 2 years and he works his ass off to improve his game every summer. teams need gritty hustle players. ask the mets.dont underestimate his rebounding either.

  • TrentMotherTucker

    The Knicks from 1988-2002 were filled with guys like David Lee

    Boy I miss those days.