The More Cap Space, The Better For DLee

Oh. My. God. Please. No.

I’m split on Lee, while he has become a very good offensive player, it hard to ignore his lack of defense. If we keep Lee, Donnie has to get someone here to compensate for Lee’s lack of D.

Maybe my standards are low, but if Lee could just become an average defender I would certainly keep him at the 10-12 mil range.

No way D’antoni would play Haywood if he came here.

Ty Thomas might be the ideal candidate to play next to Lee, good rebounder an excellent shot blocker. I only worry about Ty’s consistency night in and night out.

i feel lee would def work on his defense this offseason. he always gives it his all. Put him back at pf and his defensive ineptitude wouldnt show so much. Alot of people forget but his defense has gotten better this year. Lee for 10 mil i wouldnt mind at all. This whole 2 max plan is stpid because everyone else is gonna have the mininum. there are not that many players willing to take less to sign with the knicks.

Donnie is going to say here Lebron, here is a max deal. Who do you want to play with. I would love if the money with to Lebron 16.5 million 10 for David and 6 for tmac, provided mcgrady performs for the rest of the year. ill take david and tmac over bosh anyday. if tmac is willing to stay for practically nothing in order to give bosh and lbj max deals than thats another story.

Why are we lowering our standards here? If Lee is somewhat efficient offensively but gives up as much on the defensive end tell me why do we need to sign him to so much money 10 -12 mil range? Then have to get a bodyguard so his lack of D won’t be a problem. It doesnt make sense to me. I would pass on Lee no matter what.

Donnie Walsh said “it’s much better for David”? Now I REALLY hate the deal. We should have just kept Jeffries (who, by the way, put up a respectable 11-9 in 28 minutes yesterday). Anything over $8 million is a huge mistake for a guy who can play only one side of the ball. See Peja Stojakovic, JR Smith, etc. If you give those guys a big part of your cap space, you will lose.

I strongly think that T-mac would take less than 6 mil. And he should.

I’d be more than happy with Lebron with Lee, T-mac for cheap, and a center like a Haywood.

i agree that mac will probably take less…. haywood is staying with the mavs no doubt.

TyThomas is not a center, we need a solid, defensive center if they want to for some reason keep Lee. Someone with size. We can’t have TyThomas at 5 and Lee at 4, we’d get demolished by teams with legit size.

Lee is a center Ben, Lee has flourished at the 5 spot – period. The notion that he’d be a better player at the 4 is 1. Pure speculation 2. Statistically refuted 3. Not logical since Lee’s success is almost exclusively based on the fact that he’s a match-up nightmare for traditional centers (offensively). He needs space in the lane to be effective.

You’ll always have to take the bad with the good with D-Lee. Nobody will make up for his lack of D if you want him to be effective on the offensive end.

I’d be happy with James + Lee + McGrady though (obviously).

Exactly.

Let’s remember Knicks have David Lee’s Bird Rights. That means Knicks can tack on an extra year and give him bigger raises.

So Knicks can give him a starting salary of $8 million with raises for 6 years. Comes out to a 6 year, $60 million package backloaded, and since the first year is only 8 million, that frees up lots more space initially.

I would try to do that deal. Anything above that, probably not worth it.

No doubt – Lee with 16 and 10 + good D > 20 and 11 + poor D.

He’d be an ABSOLUTE keeper if he played acceptable D. I’m not even asking for Charles Oakley or Anthony Mason D – just a watchable effort.

LOL.. i logged in just to say the same thing..

Lee is over priced and a flawed player and cant be part of a winning combination..

assuming you bring in a defensive center to block shots and play D (Camby) then sign lebron .. that doesnt leave much for Lee at 10 mil.. and where would he play? PF with lebron at 3? then what about Gallo ?

How about trading Curry/Cash/Douglas for Bierdins at Golden State. He’s signed for 9m per for 4 more years and is barely playing 20 mins a game. Would be a fast, defensive-minded big for us.

Use the difference btwn Curry and Bierdins contract (2.5m) to sign McGrady. Offer Lebron and Bosh max deals.

Starting lineup:
C- Bierdins
PF – Bosh
SF – Lebron
SG – Chandler
PG – McGrady

Bench – Gallinari, Rodriguez, House, Bender, Walker, Giddens. Would need to sign a backup C and a defensive-minded guard.

Yeah he has a good thing there in Dallas.

I would love Camby, but it won’t solve anything for the future. We won’t be in the same position as Boston, where they needed to win immediately because theyre big 3 were in their 30′s. I’d take Camby for a one year deal, but if we don’t get him we can look elsewhere or wait until 2011, or trade Eddy’s expiring along with another piece to a team that needs to save money (Okafor?).

My fear, as far as Lee is cocened, is that D”Antoni seems to put more value on Gallinari than on D.Lee. I hope we don’t miss out because of this Gallo infatuation. He looks to be no more than a Toni Kucoc clone. Good shooter (when W-I-D-E open) otherwise afraid of his own shadow or anyone who looks like a good defender. Dolan/D’Antoni seem to like nice guys who can’t play. If the league is truly going European, then….see ya,NBA..I’ll watch college ball, they are tougher, and compete harder.

Why the lovefest for Lee? I mean anyone think that Lebron is going to jump at the chance to play on the Knicks with Gallo, Lee, Chandler and let’s say Sergio? If we have T Mac and he plays anywhere close to his All Star form then that would be the only reason becuase it would save us money to sign and fill other spots.

Sure would be nice to have Lopez now lol seems like the plan was screw drafting the right way lets just focus on cap space and sign all the free agents in 2010 lol that being said the damage is done and the conflict between coach & the kind of players he want and the players we need.

Listen, _av_ is quite capable of giving a watchable effort, he just doesn’t.

Paying him upwards of 10 million per year and then expecting him to have a moment of clarity and decide to work on his defensive game under this coach would be a mistake. Period.

I think Gallinari would be either a 3 or a 4 with LeBron – I don’t think there’s a problem with Gallinari. But I think they want him to become a power forward, if not he wouldn’t have gained weight – he definitely needs to spend time in the weight room though.

I think Lee could be part of a winning team – I hate his lack of D but he’s a really good player and if Lee + T-Mac is enticing enough for LeBron… then we should resign him with NO hesitation. But I’ve always been on the “trade Lee for a young stud” bandwagon for a reason.

Biedrins has a FT% of 13%

No thanks.

“I strongly think that T-mac would take less than 6 mil. And he should.”

If he proves to be healthy, there is no way he should take less than Lee. On one leg he is a better and a player who can put the team on his back. Like I said in another thread T-Mac has carried marginal teams into the playoffs, Lee will never be able to do that. He would be a good role player coming off the bench at best on a good team.

I would pay T-Mac more and add some incentives on him playing a certain amount of games/performance requirements in his contract. First, he has to show significant improvement (regain some quickness/explosiveness) over the next 28 games, but even if he doesn’t he can still be a heady player with a lot of savvy and the respect of the officials, which goes a long way.

Is Lee gonna be one of the 2 max players we made room for?

Maybe little did we know Donnie was clearing cap space to resign a few of our players to max contracts! Maybe our players are losing to protest that they’re underpaid!

In all seriousness, let’s pray we get a legit center who can alter or block shots.

yea agreed. Lee, Mac, Lebron’s my dream….. and i think it is very possible if Lebron wants to play with Lee. The only thing is if he wanted to play with Lee, why not just stay with the cavs, who have andy and although is not nearly as good offensivley is much better defensively. i think lebron wants bosh and only bosh, so hopefully tmac would be willing to take almost nothing.

“lol that being said the damage is done and the conflict between coach & the kind of players he want and the players we need.”

Huh?

Also, why exactly would it be nice to have Lopez right now? I would still take Gallo. Just my opinion.

no thanks.. if using the bird rights work a sign and trade…

we dont need that cap crushing salary mucking up our grand plans that we paid so much for.

. Dude, I like Gallo but anytime you get a chance to take a legit big man (Center) you take that! You can build a team around Lopez. Hopefully LBJ don’t think this way!

We need to seel LBJ that you build winning teams around a suck coach!

its just aht now that we’ve given up TWO number ones .. plus swapped another to get all this space why would we waste it on extending David lee??

we could have signed a max player and given lee a deal starting at 7 mil if that was the strategy..

FYI

In Gallo’s first 82 games (he plays his 82nd game tonight) he’s put up

14.2 points and 5.2 rebounds

In Lopez’s first 82 games he put up
13.0 points and 8.1 rebounds

Gallo is a player and he’s only going o benefit from having T-Mac….as will Chandler.

What games are you watching? Does luv means not touching the ball?

The coach is a bonehead for sure but he allows Lee to play one side of the ball each game. He allows Gallo to stand in the corner and monitor the 24 sec clock.

My bad, those are Gallo’s #’s this year.

I would still take him though.

Like I said, i like Gallo but a dude like Lopez is rare in this league. Anytime you can get a big man that can dominate the paint, you take that person period….unless there’s a MJ, Bird, MJ, Kobe or LBJ.

Did you see how many pts the Thunder scored in the paint on us? Well, that’s a daily thing against us.

Well if LeBron is satisfied with Lee + T-Mac I couldn’t care less about Lee’s lack of D lol.

But I think Walsh understands that Bosh + LeBron is the no. 1 option, then Wade + Bosh is the 2nd option, then Wade or LeBron + Lee is the 3rd option.

I cant believe that Lebron would come to NYC and be statisfied playing next to Lee.

But ill give you the hypothetical. If Lebron specifically asks for Lee then give him a deal starting at 8 mil.. NO MORE

Mucha, for one of the few times, I completely disagree with you wholeheartedly.

1) Anybody can be “called” a center if you put them in that position. Any coach can list Nate Robinson or Early Boykins at the 5 position. But they would be IDIOTIC to do so. The fact is Lee is not a center. The center position is suppose to defend the paint. NEWSFLASH: Lee plays absolutely no defense at all. At least Gallo is a legitimate presence in the paint, but Lee lets the likes of Jose Juan Baurea take him to school. Lee is not adequate to play the center position.

2) You may be asking yourself, “why is defense required in order to be considered a center?” The reason is because you have to be able to guard opposing big men and defend the paint against cuts and drives by guards. And last time I checked, YOU NEED DEFENSE TO WIN CONSISTENTLY.

3) The fact you said Lee’s success if based on his ability to take advantage of slower tradition centers has a glaring two-fold error. One, you are basing Lee’s success on HIS OWN INDIVIDUAL STATS, not that of the team. Lee may be putting up the numbers, but the team sucks. And last time I checked, its about the team.

4) Continuing from the last point, its all about the team. Lee’s stats look nice, but how many easy buckets in the paint does he give up because he doesn’t put up a consistent effort in the paint to box-out or use the art of hand-in-the-face. I would take a tall defensive center who at least shows effort defensively with potential such as a Spencer Hawes – who is a big that can shoot the three and would be perfect in D’Antoni’s system – than Lee. I’d rather take defense over offense because god knows good defense can be a teams best offense but not vice-versa.

5) I have to reiterate that Lee maybe a match up nightmare for other bigs which is why he puts up nice numbers (in addition to D’Antoni’s offense), but he is a bigger match up nightmare for D’Antoni, when he has to watch Lee guard them.

6) Ben suggesting the Knicks sign Lee for $8-$10 is ludicrous. If you can get Bosh for about $6-$8 MM more, its damn worth it.

Still a long way till end of season but no. I like Lee really do but team can do better than to overpay a 4 who plays more like a 3. At the right price maybe but team needs a force down low it was just one gm but look at what Tmac did. Not talking about points though. Talking about making teammates better. Lee just gets his points and that’s. He doesn’t male team better.

All of our free agents have had, or are getting, an opportunity to audition at the position they were drafted except Lee . Lee plays center like Spree played small forward. You can get a lot of productivity out of an athlete who is a team player playing them out of position, but they are still playing out of position. Until Lee fails at playing PF, he is a PF playing Center. Could he hold his own against Boozer better than some of the centers he plays against? We don’t know, he hasn’t done it in two years. During those two years, his offensive game has expanded from drive and dunk to playmaking and jumpshooting. He is a different player now than he was when he was drafted, regardless of position. If we can sign him for 10 mil and get a legit defensive center, he may be an excellent championship piece. WE DON’T KNOW.

We always talk about double standards for players, but we can forgive Nate not playing D if he can come off the bench and get 16 pts. in the fourth quarter. There are very few complete ballplayers in the NBA. Mutombo and Rodman were gonna get you 6 pts on a good night, but they were also gonna get you 10-15 rebounds, and their defense could single handedly change the other teams scoring philosophy and lower their production by as much as 20 pts. They were exceptional one dimensional pieces. I beleive Lee will work to improve his D like he has everything else, but if he doesn’t, and he can get 20 and 10 as a power forward in a point intensive system with a solid help defending Center, why not keep him. He may never be a max player, but how many power forwards are putting up his number right now. We haven’t be playing SSoL, so that is not the reason, and everyone has known that Duhon was gonna pass him the ball 90% of the time so most of those baskets had to be earned as well.

There is not mandate to keep Lee, but we shouldn’t let the bird rights in the hand get away unless we know we know we have two in the bush.

LeBron would cold cock Lee in the mug after one game of his EZ-Pass defense.

It is not about Lee. It is about Lebron. If Lebron wants to sign with NY he will decide who will be his teammates. He will decide how to make that happen by adjusting his contract accordingly. Once he decides who he wants to play with then Walsh will do his best to make it happen. This is a once in a lifetime situation. Lebron gets to pick his sidekick to get to a championship. If Lebron does not sign with NY then Walsh has 100 different ways to go. Until then it is all about Lebron. Why not??

I love Wil, but I’m starting to think he can only perform spin moves. He was like an out of control top against OKC that just started spinning out of control.

I say Curry and Chandler to the Kings for Hawes, Garcia, and the 2012 1st Round Pick and 2014 1st Rd Pick.

I need to reiterate: Spencer Hawes would be so good in D’Antoni’s system!

I hear ya but Chandler has talent. He just needs to learn how to execute better in key or dire situations. T-Mac can help someone like Will in this area in terms of leadership.

However, we still coach bonehead running things so it’s not like our players have a strategic mind on the sidelines.

lol Then LBJ would lose ALL of his endorsements just like Tiger for doing a white person wrong!

LBJ should cold cock the coach for putting up with any lack of accountability of the floor.

Everything about BlueandOrange’s comment is right-on.

Agreed. In LeBron We Trust. He must realize that David Lee will not win him a title, especially when the 4th quarter monster that is Chris Bosh is out there.

The problem is that is we don’t get LeBron we may end up with Rudy Gay at $13m and David Lee at $12m per. That would be very bad.

this team is BEYOND paying players based off expectations … david lee will be a 15mill player IF he becomes a better defensive player .. of course ..
wilson chandler will become an all star IF he develops some sort of basketball IQ … and IF i could hit a 90mps fastball i might be able to play minor league baseball …. IF IF IF …

“LBJ should cold cock the coach for putting up with any lack of accountability of the floor.”

I guarantee _’antoni would hear even more F-Bombs like the ones he heard from Nate. He would probably start to think it was his name.

Gallo has turned into a pretty good man-defender. He had some great wins against Durant on the defensive end (Chandler, however, seems to think that Durant is a lefty, and kept going up with his right hand — so frustrating.)

Just look at the adusted plus/minus stats. Gallo is waaaayyyyy ahead of Lee, who just contributes on one side of the ball.

“TyThomas is not a center, we need a solid, defensive center if they want to for some reason keep Lee. Someone with size. We can’t have TyThomas at 5 and Lee at 4, we’d get demolished by teams with legit size.”

I disagree with this statement. I believe that in today’s NBA, Ty Thomas can play the center position. However, my first option would be to sign CBosh. If not, I would rather go after Luis Scola instead of DLee. Scola is much better defensively and is just as good offensively. Plus, I think he can be had at 6-7 million per year. In other words, I rather get Scola and Ty Thomas than just DLee.

i read on hoopshype that the knicks are going to buy out eddy curry … adding another 2 mill or so in cap room … am i the only one who thinks that is a HUGE mistake … if they do that they MUST land two of the studs

You certainly don’t build around players like Gallinari.

I’m confused, how does buying Eddy Curry out means anything changes in terms of free agents?

Don’t tell me you expect Curry to finally, over this summer, become a viable player again? Get real, bro.

As for David Lee loving New York so much; how about this. He was filthy rich before he even started playing basketball, so how about he takes a new contract under the MLE to prove his love.

He’s a good player, but if he’s getting somewhere between $10-13million, he’s gotta go.

I agree it’s all about LeBron. The question is, do the other max players feel the same way. How good will he be at convincing the other Batmen to play Robin for him. The only creature designed to exist with two heads is the flatworm, and they aren’t too productive. Will Bosh or Wade be able to exist as the “sidekick” like Pippin did and Gasol does. Boozer already believes he’s an Alpha dog, and a bunch of other players do too. McGrady wouldn’t have done it in his prime. There are a lot more dynamics to signing to max players than “cap space”. Which is why there has to be a plan B to build long term.

One other thing to consider is that we might want to get Lebron some cooler teammates. He really seems to value his friendships, and who do we have for him?

- Wilson Chandler is way too shy and perhaps cognitively challenged. I cringe when I see him do post-game interviews.
- Gallo is European. He’s cool, but come on.
- Eddy Curry is a step away from the cuckoo’s nest.
- Toney Douglas – I guess, but it’s a weird combination when someone a) talks about themselves in the third person a lot, but b) doesn’t have any tattoos. Something’s off there.

As for the Knicks FAs:
- David Lee is too Mike Piazza — he’s a rich kid who can’t really relate
- T-Mac seems like a nice guy, but he’s a little older than Lebron and might have tension as a former alpha dog
- Sergio Rodriguez – see Gallo

It’s not looking good. We need to get some cooler FAs for Lebron to hang out with!

kenneth .. next season every team in the NBA is going to want eddy curry bcuz he will have an 11 mill expiring contract …

that wont happen! Lee and Gay wont be the building blocks for the Knicks . DW is a little smarter than that. Im pretty sure that it has to start with LBJ, Bosh, or Wade in that order.One of those are the three that wll be built around. At the very least Lee will be a compliment to LBJ if he wants him. Lee is Having a better year than Jamison and is more of an affecvtive player. No matter how you slice it NY can give LBJ a better sidekick than the Cavs can in Jamison. Im just wonder if LBJ doent come would it be a god idea to team Bosh up with Lee.

Sure he is flawed, but I do think with a center who can block shots, he CAN be part of a winning combination. This is assuming we land Lebron, of course.

At the trading deadline next year, Curry’s expiring contract will be very valuable (see Zydrunas Ilgauskas, etc.).

I meant good idea

I think he was referring to Curry being a good asset due to his expiring contract next year which is for $11.2 mill, meaning a team looking to dump salary next year (like Washington this year, or the Warriors trying to give away Maggette) would take him in a deal, and depending who we sign in free agency we might include Chandler in the deal to get someone of real value. I was just spitballing and I don’t know if it works but if we got Lebron plus player X, maybe we swing Curry and Chandler for Maggette (who really is a good scorer) and Randolph, who’s potential I like and is played so inconsistently in GS

Yeah but Has, I’m going by what HE said, which is that he doesn’t need the money. I don’t think he will ever ask/get more than Lee, mainly because of his willingness to take a cut, but also that he’s 30 and obviously injury-prone.

“Lee is Having a better year than Jamison and is more of an affecvtive player.”

Well _avi_ may be a more “affecvtive” player, but Jamison s definitely a more effective player and he has been a part of a winning situation before as well as being counted on as a go to guy down the stretch of games.

LBJ, Mac, Rudy Gay, Lee, with Gallo and Chandler…that is ideal.

If LBJ can put up with Mike Brown on a day-to-day basis I think he will be able to put up with Dantoni. Thats not really a defense of Dantoni but an indictment of Mike Brown, one of the worst coaches in the league in my opinion.

I don’t think tiger was JUST doing a white person wrong, it seems like he was doing a few white people right!!!

6) 8-10 is not ludicrous (he’s an all-star), but Bosh for 6 mil more is worth it.

well said Trent. Gallo has shockingly turned into at least above average man defender, has by far the best +- on the team I think, and did an absolutely fantastic job on Durant, while Chandler really struggled against him. And while his offense has struggled for a while, I think he conclusively showed earlier in the season that he can be much more than just a spot up 3 shooter.

Do you build around players like Lopez? I think the Nets and their 5 win team would be a pretty good example that you don’t build around guys like Lopez. I like him, but its tough for centers to dominate in this league now. I’ve watched so many games where Lopez was doing really well and all it takes is a mix of fronting and doubleteaming to take him out of the game. Plus his paint defense is drastically overrated, because teams have become smart enough to isolate him in the pick and roll where he is too slow to switch onto other players.

“8-10 is not ludicrous (he’s an all-star)”

David Stern made him an All-Star, not the fans and not the coaches. I think that speaks volumes. He’s played on bad teams, his numbers keep getting better but his teams get worse. He’s a loser. Walsh failed by not “selling high” on _avi_ when he had the chance.

lol about the Chandler comments. He’s hilarious. His interviews are similar to Johnny Damon interviews for the yankees. They just repeat everything the broadcaster asks them and add a negative or positive response. I don’t think Gallo’s europeanness will hurt him though; Lebron loves Zydrunas.

dwane great point … thats why wade and lbj would never work …
lbj,lee,tmac is still better than lbj, jamison, mo williams
and then go down the rest of both teams rosters ..
the lbj,lee,tmac scenario might leave enough dough to keep/sign some combo of a shot blocking center and house and/or sergio .. plus we have gallo and chandler under contract

This just does not make me feel good about our future. lee is a 4 plain and simple, yet that seems to be the spot where Gallo will be asked to play. If DW and Dantoni think that a team can win with Lee as the 5 they are absolutely delusional and will get a really rude awakening come next year. So that leaves Lee as a backup big asking for more than 8 million a year…NO THANKS. He has no place on this team unless Gallo stays a 3 and he moves to the 4, but that would also mean much decreased stats for Lee because he won’t get to go against slower centers every night. Lee just does not fit anymore.

I have 1 word for this comment: AMEN

No problem man, but

1. Lee’s playing center – for better or for worse – and he’s had more success at the 5 than the 4. Lee might not be “adequate” to play center defensively, but I don’t think he’d be much better against Josh Smith, Michael Beasley or Dirk Nowitzki because they are too quick for him.

2. I agree and I started the crusade against Lee’s lack of D last season.

3. Lee’s individual success offensively is based on the fact that he plays center, and this success turned him into an All-Star. I mean – I hate his lack of effort on the defensive end – but the COACHES voted him into the All-Star game. His SUCCESS is based on the fact that he’s a center and his SHORTCOMINGS are as well – TO A CERTAIN EXTENT – because undersized centers like Ben Wallance have played great defense in the past. Effort (or the lack thereof) is the problem in my opinion.

4. That’s what I’ve been saying for more than a year now.

You would play Tyrus at the 4 ah-la Jefferies, Lee at the 5 if we traded Bummington for him we could have seen how they look together.

hmm another good point DS … if its Lee and get a shot blocking center behind him … then where does gallo play? the 3? what about LBJ or carmello being the long term targets? then no tmac?
and i know people will say tmac at the PG , lebron at the 2, gallo at the 3 lee at th4 and a shot blocker at the 5 .. but this isnt nba2k10 … while t mac has a good handle and the offense can be facilitated thru him for long stretches they still need a natural PG to play major minutes

Jamison has always been overrated. You forgot to mention the fact that he has played with two other All-Stars and he has never gotten the attention that David Lee gets everynight. Playing with Caron Butler, Gilbert Arenas, Dirk Nowitzki, Devin Harris and Jason Terry helps. And he’s not a good defender either, even though he’s a 4 – which means that his D is not as critical as Lee’s (don’t get me wrong, Lee’s a JOKE defensively).

Lee > Jamison

very good points by everyone … i really cant see lee back here … sign and trade incoming

Gallo had 1 good defensive game. slow down

Gallinari plays smarter and more aggressive man defense than Chandler. Chandler is more athletic and he’s definitely a better team defender but he’s not significantly better – if better – than Gallinari defensively.

Durant torched Chandler but didn’t shine against Gallinari.

Mike Brown emphasizes defense, _’antoni emphasizes “hitting shots”, LeBron has been to the Finals before and he knows what it takes to get there. Defense.

” I mean – I hate his lack of effort on the defensive end – but the COACHES voted him into the All-Star game.”

I thought David Stern “voted” him into the All-Star game?

Very true, but one area the Cavs have really struggled with is ball movement and having an offensive flow in the playoffs. Plus, Brown routinely handicaps the offense by making it quite easy to double Lebron. I think Dantoni can do a better job putting Lebron in situations in which he can suceed. Again, I have said repeatedly that I think Dantoni coaches more defense than he is generally given credit for, and while the SUns were never good defensively they were average to above average while he was there, a number that has completely gotten worse with “defensive” coach Terry Porter and Mike Dantoni disciple Alvin Gentry.

Been working on a few projects so have not been able to pop in and out as much. I saw someone not get the point I was making about 1) Not having Lopez is killing us. That is because as much as people want to try and trash the guy to make donnie look better for picking Gallo he is a legit center! Look at any of the contending teams they have legit centers! Lakers,Cavs,Magic even the Celtics So it is crazy to say you build a team around a 6’10 SG!

2) That damage being done by donnie the issue at hand now is that MD is the other one trick pony on our team. I put the blame on donnie for poor drafting but part of that was him trying to make MD happy with the players he thinks would fit his style. That has blown up in his face and MD is being exposed as an average coach. Brown is doing a much better job with the cavs to be honest because he demands defense and has forged a top defensive team around LBJ which is key. The Celtics beat the Lakers with defense not scoring the Spurs won on Dee the Pistons as well.

Time to wake up to all the real issues with the team starting from the top down. As I have said forever if your going to stink it up as a GM since you got here then u better land LBJ!! No excuses no 2011 because 2011 was going to be good for us cap wise as is so its time to clean up your act! Consider a new coach if you fail on Lebron. After that go to work over time on working something out with the Hornets for CP3 EC’s contract will be a prime trade asset. I know there are haters who cant stand the fact that in the end EC will have huge value to us and that would mean in the long run the most hated GM on this blog would be part of the reason we could pull that trade off as well as giving us Chandler who like it or not is the best young player on the team. Time to wake up guys and for the 100th time why do people keep saying wade’s name as an option for us?? He will never be a Knick!! We can bet on that anything you like Tommy can be the bank!!! lol

Lee isn’t a difference maker he shouldn’t be getting paid difference maker money. Period.

“I’ve watched so many games where Lopez was doing really well and all it takes is a mix of fronting and doubleteaming to take him out of the game.”

Exactly the point, if you make the team have to double team then it puts the other players in a position to take advantage of that, hence you build around a payer like that b putting players around him to capitalize on it. Inside, out. Look at Orlando, and Howard has no post game at all to speak of.

Give Lopez another year or two and the right complimentary players.

“Lee > Jamison”

LMAO

C’mon man. Really?

“I think Dantoni can do a better job putting Lebron in situations in which he can suceed.”

LeBron will succeed anywhere. The true challenge is for a coach to put A TEAM in the best position to win. Brown has been to the Finals.

_’antoni still hasn’t figured out how to run a play for Gallinari, so as far as putting players “in situations in which [they] can suceed.” I need to see him do it. Once. Without an All-Star/MVP point guard (Nash) making the decisions for him out on the floor.

Really.

You’re right, my bad.

I just really can’t see it honestly with Lopez. Are you talking about him as a number 1 option? I think him and Gallo are both #3 options honestly. Lopez maybe doesnt have complementary talent, but he does have talent around him. Devin Harris while not having a good year is still leagues better than Suckhon. Courtney Lee was suppossed to be a really good player. CDR and Terrence Williams are solid slashers. I don’t think Yi is much good, but shouldn’t he be the perfect complement to Lopez? I realize its pretty easy to pick on Gallo the way he has been playing lately and Lopez always puts up the stats…but all I have to say about stats is David Lee. The only stat that matters at the end of the day is wins.

Amen from the X-man!

Dude, you need to watch the games. You can surely build a team around Lopez. Lopez defends the paint and he can score underneath pretty good too.

Harris has been hurt for a big part of the season and he’s in a funk sort of. I think Thorn has told the coach to take it easy and wait for that draft pick and moves to be made this summer.

If you put a LBJ with Lopez, that’s biiiiiig trouble for us.

+ 1

Jamison has been a difference maker before, Lee has never been that.

If Jamison can be that again with the Cavs we’ll have to see, but even if he doesn’t uh… Lee still hasn’t.