The NEW Big Three?

by Ben Kopelman on February 25th, 2010 at 12:02 pm

Shedding salary isn’t as fun as winning games. Taking measurable steps backwards in the name of hypothetical steps forward is tiresome and unfulfilling.

But, if ever there was a time to feel good about being bad, it is now.

ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski has what us Knicks fans might call, a logical, sound, thoughtful and legitimate proposal for just how good this team could be next fall.

We just need the superstars to align:

“From a pure salary standpoint, there’s no reason James, Wade and Bosh should bolt. If they max out with their teams, they’ll get six-year deals with 10.5 percent annual salary increases. If they move, they’ll get only five-year deals at a lower annual increase rate of 8 percent. LeBron could leave $30 million on the table if he ditches the Cavs.

“I’d ditch them. If you’re really serious about creating a brand and a basketball legacy, do something that’s never been done before. Don’t max out; min out.

“Depending on the final salary-cap numbers, the Knicks could have about $33 million to spend on free agents in the summer. Under normal circumstances, that’s enough to offer, say, James a max deal and then fill in the roster holes with whatever is left over.

“But if James, Wade and Bosh truly want to make history, they could do the unthinkable and split the Knicks’ $33 million three ways. It would cost them salary money, but can you imagine how much they’d make on the back end if they started reeling in NBA titles? In New York?

“Whatever they’d lose on their paycheck stubs, they’d make up in endorsements.”

This article is a good read, and while it is written with at least a tinge of fantasy, the logic Wojo applies is perfectly sound.

Sorta.

I don’t think the issue for these guys is the money, as much as it is the spotlight. Not to say that big names can’t join forces in the name of winning rings (see: 2008 Celtics), but less attention and less money are two very different considerations.

All these guys would surely benefit from the national exposure of playing in New York and winning in New York. And it is fair to say that Bosh would enjoy a boost in his marketable value playing alongside either James or Wade.

But would LeBron or Wade gain more or less by sharing the spotlight in a single city? Would having two MVP candidates sharing the same floor be better or worse for their endorsement deals and jersey sales?

Now: is this going to happen as Wojo outlines it? No.

Should it? Maybe.

And it’s that oh-so-small ray of hope that makes this terribly improbable scenario so compelling…

Jeff C

This article bothered me, Could you imagine how much it bothers all the ESPN readers who aren’t from NY? Check out the comment section haha.

I think we should go after tyrus thomas. He’s exactly the type of mismatch that makes this system thrive. I keep thinking marion but with 2 blocks a game.

My slightly realistic, but mostly fantastical lebron lineup.

Lebron
Eddie house
Chandler
Thomas
Amare (would he take less to play here? I don’t know

Galo, House, Douglas, off the bench. I duno im just babbling again.
JASONHAYES

Realistic 2010 roster

Blake
J. Johnson
Mcgrady
Lee
Bosh

Bench

Rodriguez
Terrico White
Jerome Jordan
Camby
Gallinari
Walker
Gallo
Chandler
Douglas
Jeff C

i said house 2wice.
Ben Kopelman

????

youre gonna resign Lee (10) get Bosh (16), Joe Johnson (14?), get McGrady to stay on the cheap (4? 6?) and get camby back to NY (6? 8?)

not sure the math works out on that one, friend…
HaS

Who’s Gallo?
HaS

But getting Wade, Bosh and LeBron for less that 33 “Should” happen?

Sigh, Ben, Ben…
JohnnyG

I hate how writers always skew the numbers. Saying “LeBron could leave $30 million on the table if he ditches the Cavs” is not entirely accurate. This assumes he won’t be able to sign a new contract after his 5 year deal is over with his new team. Assuming he signs for ~$20 million in year 1 of his new deal (year 6 of Cavs deal), the difference in salary over the 6 years is $12 million, not $30 million. Yes, he may get injured, etc, and the 6 yr deal provides more security, but they always make it sound like the Cavs can pay him $30 million more than any other team over the SAME time period.

It has been written many times and never explained properly.
Jeff C

This article is just pure entertainment… c’mon. Who cares.

Great read about the knicks moves on freedarko.com

thats a great site, btw.
Ben Kopelman

now now…

i was simply forwarding on the article, and giving credit to the notion that these 3 guys might all take pay cuts to play on what would be the best team in the league 10 times over…

to be fair, i said theres no way it happens, just that its compeling and that wojo makes an interesting point

not sure the same logic applies to camby, lee, joe johnson and bosh, considering that 4 man combo might still be worse than a handful of teams in the east…
SilentJay

There’s absolutely no chance in hell those 3 agree to play together. Two? yeah, sure. All of them? Hell no, it’s ridiculous to actualy consider that. They like they’re money, and during games, they like to have the ball. Wade and Bron control the tempo of the game, period. The words aren’t “not likely”, it’s impossible.
You’ve gotta be smart in how you spend your cash. We’ll want a star, but at the same time we’re lacking big men (that can be taken from this draft filled with C’s and PF’s), and a good back court.
JASONHAYES

Ok so then this roster:

Blake (4.5 mil x 3yrs)
Johnson (16mil x 5yrs)
Mcgrady (3mil x 3yrs)
T. Thomas (8mil x 4yrs)
Camby (Veterans minimum)

Bench:
Gallo
Chandler
T. Douglas
Teriico White
Jerome Jordan
Rodrguez
Walker
ds2488

That article is pure fantasy. Hasn’t Bosh already said he wants to be the go to guy on his team? Or something along those lines? I think Wade and Lebron have too much ego anyway to end up together. They would probably prefer to play against each other as they are both super competitive.
SilentJay

Walsh needs to be smart enough to make a competitive team, whether he decides to go after one star and surround him with a good and deep roster or spend it all in two max and just fills out the rest of team with those draft picks and whoever of the newcomers stay.
At the end, I think it’ll boil down to those options, and then waiting for 2011 to try and go after Melo or Durant, who’s gonna be bigger the LBJ (imho), with no disrespect to the superstar James is, who was ready to go after a ring a couple of years ago.
Jeff C

http://freedarko.blogspot.com/2010/02/new-shade-of-awesome.html

by the way, the article is supposed to be funny and sarcastic.
NoVaCaInE

Durant is a Restricted FA in 2011. You betta believe OKC will match. He becomes Unrestricted in 2012.

The article is not worth reading IMO. Completely unrealistic…
JASONHAYES

Gallinari
SilentJay

You’ve never thought of Felton, Manu or Ray Ray for a back court? How many minutes you think T Mac can really go for, granted next season he’s 100% and works out to shield himself of any big injuries? Not sure Camby’ll be looking for the vet’s min, hope he is though.
If you do trust Mac, then why not got after Bosh and have Will at the 3? There are so many different scenarios. Money wise, it’ll all be speculation form here until the summer.
Considering the cash going off after Free Willy retires from basketball, I’d seriously consider going after Durant instead of Melo. If Walsh goes after Bosh and surrounds him with a good enough team to reach playoff semis, go after Durant to round it off I say.
Maybe I’m stretching it a bit though. Your thought’s? It’s LBJ the only choice?
HaS

LOL I know that, but you already said Gallinari and then wrote Gallo.
HaS

Manu and “Ray Ray” would rather play for team sneakers and stay with their respective teams than join the Knicks.
JASONHAYES

oh shoot you’re right! lol..my bad
HaS

And again Durant is a restricted free agent, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say OKC matches.
x-man

Yep, That’s gonna happen. These 3 stars are gonna take less money to make history. I’m sure the Players assoc will truly endorse that move.

If Walsh is waiting on this to occur, we might be waiting a loooooooooong time. Let’s hope he has a plan B,C,D up his sleeve because he’ll need it.
x-man

Who’s gonna put out an article of all the available coaches out there. We need to treat a coach search just as important as getting players. Just saying!
http://www.reeltalkblog.com Shakespeare

REALISTICALLY…… i believe Wade is the longest shot to sign here…i believe his preferred destinations are to either stay in Miami or go home to Chicago where he jus built a huge mansion out there…

the most realistic are Lebron, Joe Johnson, Bosh and Amare…….I think if Lebron wants to be the billion dollar athlete, NY will help him be the most marketable player in the league….stern would do backflips if there ever was a ny/la final…would be the biggest finals in the history of the league w/ lebron in ny n kobe in la…

as far as Amare, i think here is his most desired destination to once again play for D’Antoni n his system, unfortunately I don’t think the feeling is mutual for Mike D…..

that leaves Bosh and Joe Johnson…..i think Bosh’s most desirable destination is Miami to play w/ Wade….

Joe Johnson i think is our second option behind Lebron …and as he said he loves Mike and will visit here….

I think Mike D loves Tyrus Thomas’ game and I believe unless he falls in love w/ LB n Charlotte he may be our starting pf next yr…

so what i hope our starting lineup is next yr is:
S-rod
Tracy Mcgrady
Lebron
Tyrus Thomas
Chris Bosh
w/ a bench of house, TD, Walker, gallo, chandler

but what i believe it’s going to look like:
S-Rod
Joe Johnson
Tracy Mcgrady
Tyrus Thomas
David Lee
w/ a bench of house, TD, Walker, gallo, chandler
young hova

I don’t know if anyone has read the comments on the commentary (it isn’t an article) but people are getting so pissed off when the guy wasn’t even being literal. IT really seems like if you don’t have a connection to NY you really hate it. Probably due to our arrogance, but is it arrogance when you are right in referring to yourself as the best?
http://www.reeltalkblog.com Shakespeare

but regardless i think i’d only sign mcgrady for 1yr and hope to pair lebron n melo the following yr…..i think that’s more realistic than lebron n melo….
http://www.reeltalkblog.com Shakespeare

i mean lebron n wade…
HaS

Anybody see Darko averaging nearly 3 blocks a game in 18 minutes?

This “coach” is a genius.
http://www.reeltalkblog.com Shakespeare

we won’t sign blake if we got s-rod……s-rod pushes the tempo blake does not…which was the problem w/ blake in portland……andre miller pushes the tempo better which made him expendable….
bmathews77

I have to admit, I’ve been growing quite frustrated with Mike D’Antoni as well. The non player/coach communication, the benchings, the lineups (Lee should be the starting power forward not the center) and some in game coaching (example: game against OKC – Knicks up 3 in the closing seconds, why not foul the opposing player rather than letting them pass the ball to Durant to tie the game and send it to overtime.)
I dunno if it’s frustration from the coach or just losing but if I had to build a list of coaches here’s who i’d have on it:

1. Tom Thibodeau (Defense wins championships)
2. Patrick Ewing (Give the guy a chance!)
3. Paul Silas (I just like how he did a few yrs ago with the Hornets)
4. Byron Scott (dont love him but he gets players to play D)
5. Avery Johnson (defensive minded coach and former coach of the year)
6. Mike Fratello
7. Mo Cheeks
NoVaCaInE

“stern would do backflips if there ever was a ny/la final…”

There was one in 1970…
NoVaCaInE

Have to wait 2 summers for Durant. He will be a Restricted FA in 2011. There is no way OKC will not match any offer.
BigDaddybluesman

I don’t think we gave Milicic a chance to play at all. He slowed the game down a bit and is better suited to a half court game. But so what, like Gallo is a speed demon…LOL. Please, this coach is a horses ass.

Our roster when the season started was good for 40 games and maybe the 8th seed if we had acquired another PG, we didn’t until now. D’assholi refused to change his system to fit the players we had, then realized he HAD to. but not to the extent he had to. He had to start Gallo because that’s his guy. Yet he didn’t even give Hill a chance, nor Darko. We will never really find out why Darko never played.

Add to that the brilliant player acquisition of Donnie by not having a PG and in all honesty it really didn’t matter because only having Duhon would have limited what we could have done.

Let’s say we signed or traded for this Sergio kid before the start of the season.

PG- Duhon/Sergio
SG- Hughes/ Nate/Douglas
SF- Chandler/Landry
PF- Lee/Gallo/JJ/Harrington
C- Milicic/Hill

Add a good coach and this team isn’t that bad. He would have to work hard to get everybody on the same page. But I can see winning a lot of games by going with the hot hand and adjusting to the other team. Using players in specific positions such as JJ for a defensive stopper and Nate as instant offense off the bench. Plus a coach that demanded players be accountable and play defense.

I think a coach like Avery Johnson getting this group 42-45 wins a possibility just by getting them to play defense and having some size in there. We had offense in Lee, Nate, Gallo, Chandler and Lee would be playing his natural position or switching to play some center when Darko was out.

But we will never know because any possibilities were destroyed by D’Assholi. A great coach comes in and says I will take the players I have and devise a system to put each player in the best position to succeed. If and when I get players that fit what I really want to do I will make the best of what I have, that’s what a great coach does.
bob go knicks

and 73
trenttucker

It’s really frustrating that Darko didn’t play here. Meanwhile, Dallas got Brendan Haywood as a throw-in in the Caron Butler deal which SUCKS, because no one ever wants to leave Dallas. He would have been perfect here. Regardless, here’s my 2010-11 dream team:

Felton $6m
Chandler
LeBron $16
Gallo
Haywood $6m

Some athletic wing (Marquis Daniels?) $2m
S-Rod $2m
Curry
Douglas
Walker (minimum)
Marcus Landry (min)
Bender (min)
JeffFinance123

The chances of the three players teaming up together are ZERO.

close thread.
bob go knicks

Signing those 3 guys….Is that really the way to win?..Is that really a team? Is that really our KNICKS? I dont think so.Its just a bunch of all stars that we bought,No work,no pride ,no roots. In the minds of long time CELTIC fans,do you think that they are just as proud of the Last Championship Ring that they bought,as much as they are of the former world champ teams that had Russell,Hondo,etc.? It just cant possibly be the same.This buying of the trophy,although better than losing reall isnt the way to go.I hope Lebron stays in ohio. JUST MY OPINION.Real championships are won with good drafts,shrewd trades,and growing together as a team.I know all of you under 30 guys feel different,but if we signed LBJ,WADE and BOSH,would it be a huge suprise if we won it all?NO….whats the fun in that?
fauci933

Ya everyone knows relax. It’s an article that was posted discussing a fantasy scenario, nothing more.
ds2488

What system fits the players we have? Id be the last person to defend Dantoni this year, he has done a really bad job, but it was absolutely delusional to think this team would be good enough to win 40 games. Our roster is a mishmashed group of players with some talent who were only brought here because of their expiring contracts. While I think if Dantoni had done a great job we might be looking at a 30-34 win year, this roster is simply not talented enough to go anywhere. Consider it this way: Before the trades were made we were paying 14 million to Larry Hughes, a guy who just got cut. Plus 10.5 million to Eddy Curry, who wouldn’t make any rotation in the league right now. Plus another 10 million to Al Chucketts, who we have all seen is just terrible, plus 9 million to Cuttino Mobley who isn’t even on the roster. And 6 million more to the worst pg in the league in Chris Suckhon. Thats almost 50 million, most of the salary cap, to a group of minimal contributers at best. That leaves David lee, a 1 dimensional undeserving allstar, and Gallo and Chandler to really carry us. Do you honestly believe that that team could win 40 games? I know I certainly don’t.
bob go knicks

ill take thibodeau right now
http://www.reeltalkblog.com Shakespeare

ummmm did u guys finish reading what i wrote???? lol…

stern would do backflips if there ever was a ny/la final, would be the biggest finals in the history of the league w/ lebron in ny n kobe in la…

W/ LEBRON IN NY AND KOBE IN LA, the two biggest stars in the nba, on opposite coasts going at it in the finals…..
JASONHAYES

Marcus is no longer here, and I would prefer to not see Bender anywhere on this roster.
http://www.reeltalkblog.com Shakespeare

+1
DaGawD_KnowLedge

if the knicks sign bosh
i’ll become a raptors fan..

thats how much i like bosh
DaGawD_KnowLedge

bosh was born to play for a team thats named after how he looks..
bmathews77

lol lol…so true!
Mucha

Slavery days are over, it’s a pipe dream.

But the 2010-2011 salary cap better reach the $55 million mark, the Knicks will not have enough capspace for 2 max free agents with a $53 million salary cap. In this situation ($53 million), Donnie Walsh could get Dwyane Wade + Amare Stoudemire (at 15 mill) or LeBron James + Joe Johnson (at 15 mill).
http://www.reeltalkblog.com Shakespeare

Darko didn’t play because D’antoni requires even his centers to hit 10-18footers like Amare and now david lee, remember mike d had darko chuckin up damn near 3ptrs in the pre-season…lol….

mike D needs to learn how to sub for matchups, obviously darko ain’t hitting no jumpers, but yes we could have used darko to play defense on guys like shaq,bynum, gasol, howard, BOGUT….etc….soo noo he didn’t have to start him, but i think he could have played him 10-12 spot mintues against the bigs of the league……BUT THAN AGAIN, THIS IS STUBBORN ASS D’ANTONI….
JASONHAYES

This would be a smart move for Mr. Mcgrady:
http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/64992/20100225/how_mcgrady_could_fit_into_knicks_plans/
http://www.reeltalkblog.com Shakespeare

+1 LOLOLOL…….bender n al must goooooo no more of donnie’s pacers…….UNLESS IT’S RON ARTEST………
trenttucker

I know I’m the only Knick fan who appreciates Bender. And I know Landry’s not here, but he’ll be an FA and I would re-sign him.
Mucha

With a $53 million salary cap

1. Toney Douglas : $1.071 mill
2. Dwyane Wade : $16.569 mill ($15.780 x 105%)
3. Wilson Chandler : $2.130 mill
4. Danilo Gallinari : $3.304 mill
5 Amare Stoudemire : $15 mill

Bench – 2 2nd round draft picks and 5 minimum FA signings : 7x 473.604
McDonald’s – Eddy Curry $11.276

Payroll : $52.665 million
HaS

Newsflash for _’antoni you can run off of turnovers and defense too, especially blocks.
BigDaddybluesman

Eddie House as a starting SG…..there’s a reason this is his ninth team. He is good for 10-15 minutes max as instant offense off the bench. 30+ minutes of House and you would be ready to beg Walsh to get Nate back..LMAO.

We already had what House does in Nate. That trade was terrible, the fact that we did not get their #1 pick was inexcusable.
BigDaddybluesman

And that is supposed to be a winning team? There is no second unit and no talent beyond the starting lineup.

That lineup features an often injured Wade, 2 small guards. The dumbest SF in the NBA in Chandler. Gallo who cannot run and keep up with the other guys and a small center who’s overrated.

So this will be a very small lineup with NO players and no talent on the bench, just a bunch of D leaguers and washed up veterans playing for the minimum.

That’s this amazing championship team we are expecting…..like I said the number do not add up.

Plus Wade IS NOT coming here.
fauci933

First of all, relax, this is just an article by someone else describing a fantasy scenario that will obviously never happen. I’m guessing you’re an old school thinker as many are on this forum. But these days, teams based around superstars win championships. Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, Pierce/Garnett/Allen, Wade, etc. I would love to watch our homegrown talent develop into a sweet contender, but it just doesn’t happen like that anymore. I would love to find a gem in the draft that evolves into a player like Kobe, LeBron, etc., but the chances of finding more than just a star sidekick or good role player, are extremely slim. So if, god willing, the Knicks get the best player in basketball, along with really good supporting talent as opposed to the other two megastars, you wouldn’t be happy? It’s unfortunate that you’d begrudgingly watch the Knicks coast into the playoffs and into contender status on the back of LeBron to compete with the likes of LA and Boston; but for us living in the present, us “young, new-school” Knicks fans, we’ll sell our souls to see LeBron take the court in MSG draped in beautiful blue and orange.
Mucha

Well unless the Knicks make a splash on draft night – and aquire a talented point guard / shooting guard – and have enough assets to attract LeBron James, this might be the best scenario the Knicks could hope for.

I’d love to see the Knicks aquire a Willie Warren or Xavier Henry on draft night. Warren/Henry + James + Gallinari + Stoudemire would be nice.
fauci933

I think Wade has just as much chance (albeit very slim) to come here as any of the others do. I don’t buy the Miami love from him, when he plays in front of empty seats night in and night out. It’s embarassing for such a great player, and if Miami can only get the likes of Carlos Boozer to play with him, I don’t think that’s enough to land Wade 100% Just an opinion though.
knicksfan36

you of all people knows who will or will not come to ny?

no one here is a profit, therefore no one should be making outrageous statements like they know more than the others on this board.

it’s a good article for what it is worth. will it happen? it is not likely. he does bring a good point though, if they did do that they’d stand to make a lot more from endorsements than they would have if they signed for the max elsewhere. also they’d be building a championship team.

if u have sergio, wade, galinari, lebron, and bosh…

we still have toney douglas and wilson chandler… then aside from that what if house and tmac decide to stay for the bare minimum just to be a part of this team? for one season, then wait till curry leaves and they can be faired more adequatley….
http://www.reeltalkblog.com Shakespeare

SERIOUSLY HAS….LOL, I really don’t think d’antoni understands that….lolol…..
BigDaddybluesman

Yes I do if the coach had demanded and taught defense. Yes there were issues about the roster, but every team has them and every team is a lot of mismatched players because of the restrictions on trades. So what else is new. You make the best with what you have.

D’Assholi made the worst of what he had.

A great coach finds ways to pull out wins and motivate players to give that extra effort and play a little defense. You must let each player know what their job is and use them that way. D’assholi has proven to be terrible at both. None of the players knew what their job was and how they fit into the rotation. It’s called communication.

This is your job, this is when you are going to play, under these circumstances. This is about how many minutes you’ll get per game and this is what I expect you to do on the court. I know what you are good at and I expect you to do it. I know what your weakness’ are and I will do my best to cover them up and protect you as to not expose them so that the other team can take advantage of it. That’s what a great coach does in any sport.
SilentJay

If they match, then go after Melo if he opts out, and don’t be so quick to judge what “Ray Ray” (I kinda like it) and his argentinian friend will be doing for the upcoming summer. I’m just thinking that whetever will be left after this season ends won’t be enough to surround two max guys.
But, for example, Rudy Gay’s not a choice imo. Chandler can keep improving and he plays a bit of D.
BigDaddybluesman

I like Bender, he’s a professional and takes the game seriously. He can give you a few minutes a game, plus he’s 7 feet tall.

I’m sure he’ll be in better shape next year. You need to fill out a roster. Having a mature grown up that’s 7 feet tall and can play the game a bit is what you need. Not some castoff clown with an attitude.
fauci933

*prophet
bob go knicks

May GOD have mercy on your SOUL!!!
bob go knicks

EFF LEBRON!
x-man

Come on little Shaft. You can’t keep track of things? I thought u was good at the big score!
x-man

Wow! Van Gundy didn’t make your list?
x-man

I’m with ya in that I’ll only take Bosh if LBJ came with him. Bosh is overrated!
http://www.reeltalkblog.com Shakespeare

nah i’m goooood on mr. glass….lol…everytime he’s on the court i think his knee is going to snap in half….i’m good on bender, it was a nice story this yr…..dude is 28 but looks like he’s 45 out there…..noooo way he can run in this system once we get the players to implement it…..
SilentJay

If you want Bron, who do you want as a supporting cast or do you go for 2 max guys, new school? Lol, that was funny “us new school Knicks fans”
No shots.
SilentJay

While I respect the amount of “manhood” the guy has investing so much to get the cap, if he doesn’t have at least 5 plausible scenarios fir the FAgency then he isn’t the GM many think he is.
SilentJay

I don’t really think he’s available. Like I’ve mentioned, Phil Jackson might be, and New York never treated him bad, and he likes to play with stars, apparently so does Walsh…. Just food for thought.
I do think he’s a bit old and energy lacking at this point in his career, but it would definitely bring another dimension for this franchise.
NoVaCaInE

Good one lol
starksoakmase

Good job by Wojo answering the question of how much money these guys would be giving up by signing with the knicks rather than their current teams. obviously all three are not signing here.

I mean, have you ever heard of anyone giving up 30 mil? I remember there was a rumor that LBJ’s nike contract had a clause that he gets a hugh salary bump if he signs in a big market. that was the only shot of him signing with the knicks and leaving a lot of money on the table.
SilentJay

Milicic is the best example of this coach’s people’s skills. “If you’re not a star, you don’t get any straight answers here”. Milicic probably didn’t have any sort of contact with this coach. He has put on very decent numbers on D for Minny. That is because, as many other coaches in the NBA, Rambis actually puts some focus on D, something this coach doesn’t. So it can’t be a surprise that a 7 footer is getting some blocks and boards. Besides, he’s got a coach who’s willing to talk to him. That’s gotta be new after being a Mike D’antoni Knick. He was given very little time to play here, let alone adjust to this system. At the same time, he wasn’t given the benefit of the doubt, or patience. Nice.
SilentJay

I really like Avery Johnson as a coach. The guy brings intensity into a squad, something we desperately need.
SilentJay

Personally, the numbers aren’t there to conform a complete roster after signing two max guys. The smart money (or one way to look at it), is to get LBJ or whatever, and surround him with good players. I’d try to make some sort of move come draft day to get late first rounder, and maybe trade those two picks for another 1st rounder (if any GM falls for that).
The ther thing goes for those who think that not all money has to be spent. First, Fatty’s contract will give us 11 mil to work with in 2011; second, hopefully we’ll have a late 1st round pick that’ll add depth; third, you have to justify giving up 2 picks + a lottery player that had upside. It was done to get more cap, then use it.
My money says that DW won’t go after 2 stars, just one and try to entice him to whatever players he intends to sign.
RR

LBJ would not be giving up $30 mil bacause like Johnny G said in a post above they do not consider the 6th year. When using that $30 mil loss they are adding the 6th year the cavs can pay salary where the new team can only sign him to a maximum of 5yrs. LBJ can resign a new contract in the 6th year with current or new team that will pay him $18 mil plus. So LBJ only ptentially loses about $12 mil unless he gets hurt and can’t play in the 6th year. So the $12 mil can be more than made in endorsement deals in a bigger city. The risk however is that if he gets hurt he does lose the $30 mil where as with the Cavs deal the money is guaranteed.
gdaibes

Since we’re throwing around potential rosters…

53.2
PG – Raymond Felton (6.0) Sergio Rodruigez (2.0) Tony Douglas (1.1)
SG – Tracy McGrady (2.0) Bill Walker (1.0) J.R. Giddens (1.0)
SF – Lebron James (16.5) Wilson Chandler (2.1)
PF – Danillo Gallinari (3.3) Ben Wallace (1.0)
C – Brendan Haywood (6.0) Eddy Curry (11.2)

Surrounding LeBron with a solid line-up, i think, is better than trying to sign 2 max and surrounding them with scrubs. This, I think is a playoff team.

And it is also a BIG team. No more giving up height at each position. Sergio and Will coming off the bench bringing that high energy? Ben Wallace lurking on the bench, watching Danillo and Haywood’s back, in case we need a big defender in the post.

Then in 2011 they will have 10 mil to play with.
RR

A few other things to consider are:

1) The Knicks can trade Curry (expiring contract) with maybe Chandler or Gallo to a team that wants to cut salary.

2) Mike D only plays 8-9 player in his rotation anyway.

So we can actually trade for 1 or 2 players that will play and not just sit on bench like Curry. These 3 star point guards will be available for trade according to NBA insiders this summer:

1) Gilbert Arenas ( Washington just traded Jamison for big Z’s expiring plus a 1st rd pick. Was is starting over so we could do this deal because Chandler or Gallo will probably be better than the 28th or 30th pick they get from Cle.

2) Monta Ellis was already being shopped at the deadline. As I stated before Warriors willing to dump salary because they have cheaper player S Curry with similar skills. Warriors ownership notorious for trading or letting go of star players ( C Web, G Arenas, B Davis, and list goes on & on)

3) Baron Davis is already bitching about team trading away players for salary dump reasons (Camby). If Clippers do not sign players this off season he will demand a trade.

Of the 3 I would want Ellis but people may like 1 of the other 2 guys. I think the other 2 are talented but way to many problems.

So if Knicks trade Curry & Chandler my roster:
G-Ellis, G- TD, F- Gallo, F- LBJ, C- Bosh

bench: A Morrow (GSW trade for salary match),
2 2nd rd picks ( D Blair & C Buddinger 2nd rd picks this year contributing to their team) so draft well DW
resign Walker, Bender min plus sign a few more min sal guys.

IMO they can compete for chip with 2 max players!
fauci933

Sorry I wasn’t deeming myself “new-school”, I was just implying that that’s what older NBA fans seem to think of us younger fans, that we’re part of some new philosophy that doesn’t value the draft and hard work. Hence, the quotations.

I’d take LeBron and surround him with maybe Felton, Haywood, TyThomas, Sergio, etc. Some comination of solid role players along with a hopefully healthier Gallo and Chandler. Then potentially use Curry’s EC and Chandler to land a good, worthy sidekick for LeBron.

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