Amar’e Update

This could be disastrous.

Get it insured!

So does this mean he still might end up playing for TEAM USA?

niiiiiiiccccccceeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

even it is insured. say he gets hurt, he still counts against the cap. since dolan essentialy has unlimited funds, it does not matter for a basketball perspective right? unless it does not count against the cap.

I think he should stay away from team usa. Him working out with Randolph, Felton and Chandler is far more important. I think from D’antoni to Eddy Curry would all benefit from getting in the gym and working on chemistry. It would put us so far ahead of everybody else, so when the season starts we know who our starters are and who rounds out the rest of the rotation. That what would be great for Amare and the rest of the knicks.

i’m just glad he’s not playing in it…lol. Def don’t need any more tread on those tires. Yes he would be in mid-season form as was Lebron/Wade/Kobe etc after the olympics, but it’s not worth the risk…especially before he’s everrrr put on a knicks jersey once. Glad DW stood up and told him it’s probably not in his and the team’s best interest..

Insurance dont help us fans of the Knicks. It dont help our salary cap. All it does is help Jimmy’s pockets.

exactly…..gallo vacation is over come back to the States NOW!!!!!!!!!!

off topic… but do we have any first round picks in next year’s draft? Or did Isiah trade those away too?

also makes his potential albatross of a contract easier to move down the road. If he gets injured in year 3 or 4 of the contract, then the team who gets the contract in a trade won’t have to pay him anything. Teams love insured expirings, which is why Mobely’s deal was such an asset.

We have the lesser pick between Houston and our 1st round selections. Walsh, not Isiah made this deal in the t-mac trade.

Yes we do, but Houston has the right to swap it and it’s top 5 protected if I’m not mistaken.

Every player’s at risk in the end. When Gallo came back, I thought that every time he was gonna take it to the hole the guy would get injured. Will’s just coming off another injury (he seems more injury prone than Amare at this point) and I hope he gets to camp at 100%, the same scenario that applies to Azubuike.
Basically, we have a hole at the 2, and I see no way at this point on how to fill it successfully.

what did mobley contract acutally do for us…

He’s coming in August…

i’m saying it is necessarily going to be an asset, but it certainly won’t hurt us. Especially when you consider the giant salary coming off the books we would probably be able to get some solid pieces for the contract down the road if something (god forbid) happens to Mr. Stoudemire.

I’m not saying*

Well he’s already been working out w/ Randolph and Chandler in Vegas..I think that’s great, so these young kids can see how an all-star works out, and they can take that into their daily workouts…got to like how Amare is already taking all these kids under his wing, and embracing the Leadership role, that he prolly never had in Phx w/ Nash and Hill there…

yea very true…and amare is prolly the only person to come back to 100% after microfracture surgery…btw back (LJ) and microfracture surgery (penny, webber, houston, etc) are the 2hardest injuries to get back to form. But Gallo nor Amare have shown much ill affects since. Which is a good thing…

and yea Azuibuike is our only pure 2 that we have on the roster, i hope he can regain his form from last season, cause he’s shown flashes…

Not playing in that tournament helps Knicks fans, though. No need for him to be playing there.

It will be interesting to see how he reacts.

We held onto Mobley’s contract because we wanted the cap space. It could have been moved I’m sure but 2010 was the name of the game at the time

I’m not so sure if Azubuike’s considered a 100% pure SG, but we’ll see once the season starts, but we’ll definitely have problems filling that spot unless a new player gets signed or there’s another move yet to be made.
Remember, LJ had to adjust his whole game after his back problems, improving his mid range and 3 ball while taking it less to the whole and reducing his rebounding stats.
Amare had an amazing 2nd half of the season, arguably being the best PF on the league, so he clearly didn’t show problems, and let’s hope that it holds up. In Gallo’s case, we need to see how he returns, because I really think that he needs to improve his overall speed in order to be a successful 3 (his natural position in the future, imho, will a PF, but he’ll need a couple of years to get strong enough to hande the spot).
My main concern, however, is our need for a SG.

exactly. so five years from now, if amare is hurt, his insurance covered contract will be a valuable commodity. Especially since we most likely won’t be putting all of our eggs in a super free agent class at that time.

If you are an Insurance company, would you insure Amar’e surgically microfracture repaired knee? I can understand Dolan not wanting Amar’e to play for Team USA. But one should want to represent his country. I admire for him to risk it. Same goes for Gallo and playing for team Italy.

I would still like us to bring in another veteran to help out from a leadership perspective. It is a big part of the reason I wanted the Knicks to pursue Raja Bell. All good teams have a couple of veterans who teach the young kids how to win.

I think Alvino posted something about Turiaf being a good locker room leader too.

@ Cms – +1….I think thats way more important than Team USA right now. Plus, I want him coming to camp fresh. He would be a little worn down and we need to come out of the gate strong.

at 6’5 220, how come you don’t believe his a PURE “2″??? I think if he’s healthy he’ll more than likely be our starting 2 going into the season…I seen on the knicks tweet their stating we may use gallo at the 2, which i disagree with, w/ randolph at the 3, amare at the 4 and turiaf at the 5…huge lineup YESS, but i don’t believe gallo has the lateral quickness to guard 2′s especially trying to chase ray allen around screens…

we’ll see, can’t lie def excited to see these guys in pre-season…just hope D’Antoni settles on a lineup and rotation early, and doesn’t have a million starting lineups like he and LB have had…

From the looks of it, next years pick swap should be relatively meaningless. I can’t imagine the Knicks and Rockets will be that far apart in record, if at all.

And hopefully by the year after, our pick won’t even matter because we’ll be good enough to be picking late, late 1st round.

Or we could save cap space and bring in someone like Charles Oakley as an assistant coach.

Worst case scenario :

Amare Stoudemire breaks his knee

Rockets make the playoffs

Knicks land the 6th pick in the draft

Ouch lol

Good luck getting Oakley to give up operating his chain of car wash places (seriously)

Hopefully Gallo has not been stuffing his face with pasta.

The Rockets could be very good if everyone’s healthy. Yao, Scola, Ariza, Martin, Brooks, Battier, Brad Miller, some others…if they stay healthy (which might be the biggest if having two of the most injury prone players in Martin and Yao) they could crack the top 4 in the West. We, while I like the young talent we’ve amassed, are still going to be fighting for the bottom 2 spots of the East most likely. If for some reason we fall short, the pick swap won’t be pretty.

lol. You just made me vomit a little with that scenario. That would be awful.

wow Fauci, you think Rockets could be a top 4 seed in the West?

I’m trying to think. Definitely Lakers are better than them. But I guess there’s a lot of question marks. PHX will probably decline, Utah might be a little worse, you never know how Chucketts will impact Denver. Hmm.

Hopefully(and I hate to say this since he’s one of my favorite players), Yao does not come back entirely healthy. I think Kevin Martin, while talented, is just a losing type of player. Scola’s good, but he’s not carrying a team. And that leaves Brooks, who’s good but also can’t carry a team. I guess it all depends on how Yao comes back from his injury.

To play Gallo at the 2 would represent a huge liability on D. I know the coach has this thing about having a big lineup, but it’d be ridiculous to see a 6’10” SG that lacks the speed to cover the spot.
Maybe Azubuike is the SG of this team, but I don’t if he’ll be ready for camp, and even though SL is completely different, I just don’t see Walker as a starter as some are proposing. Barring any future trades or movement, the 2 will be our biggest weakness imo.

That’s what managers are for.

I don’t see Houston as a top 4 team. They’ll make a run if they stay healthy, but they’ll catch 6-8th seed imo.
OKC will have a huge growth and will be fight it betwenn 4-6th seed.
Utah will miss Korver but they’ve made a pretty strong team. Denver is Denver, and barring Melo injuring himself or requesting a trade, they’ll be up there no doubt. Dallas is a lock between 5-7th seed. NO is a mystery for now.
I wouldn’t even be surprised if the Clips actually make a strong run and give Houston an honest run for their money. They could be the Bucks of the west this upcoming season.

Yea their success hinges on Yao, but there are a lot of question marks in the West. The Jazz should remain a middle of the pack playoff team, the Nuggets will depend on health and if Karl is really ready to come back and coach, the Thunder, while very good, are still very young and may need another year or two, the Suns will probably not be as good.

In the West I say Lakers then Mavericks, then I think the rest is a toss up between the Jazz, Spurs, Rockets, Blazers, Nuggets, Suns, and Thunder. Maybe even New Orleans if Paul stays healthy because he makes everyone better. Remember how close the West was at points last year…I can see that happening again, and, if Yao’s healthy, I think the Rockets could crack the top 4.

We will be fine. Either wilson or azubuike will be our 2 guard, both are slashers and play solid defense. Let’s just hope azubuike is ready to play and isn’t still hobbling. If all things go right and everybody comes in and gets in some pre-training camp workouts, then by the start of the season teams won’t know what hit’em. I’m getting really excited about this team and its players, I also like how the players are talking with confidence in their interviews. I’m intrigued to see what they do with anthony randolph, he and amare look like they’re gonna cause a lot of match up problems. Look out playoffs here we come!

The only way that I like Gallo at the 2 is if the Knicks get Melo. Then Gallo can play the 3 on defense with Melo at 2 on defense, but that’s a pipe dream until it happens.

you cant.. he had microfracture surgery.

@flossy.. Oakley doesnt actiely manage any of the Oakley’s car washes.. he sold his name

1. Lakers
2. Blazers if Oden and Batum are healthy
3. Mavericks
4. Thunder
5. Nuggets
6. Jazz
7. Spurs
8. Grizzlies/Rockets?

Actually he could stand to fill out a bit more…

well actually Idk if you guys have twitter, Oakley and Turiaf have been speaking frequently and Oak said as long as he gets an OK from knick management, he would love to work w/ Turiaf and a couple other guys…but he def said he’d be willing to work w/ the knicks in any capacity….

yea i agree, def don’t want gallo at the 2 this season…the 3 is his nat’l position and if he can get a lil stronger possibly even the 4 in dirk’s mold… we’ll see, def don’t think Walker is ready to start at the 2, I actually would rather start FIELDS over walker if that was the case…lol…

I’d switch Utah with the Spurs depending on how strong they come out, totally agree on Portland, if Oden’s healthy, they’ll dominate. I’d also put a mystery slot as well in the 8th seed for NO and just below in 9th, the Clips.

Wow. So you’re saying that the rockets (if healthy) are a top four team out west and we will struggle to make the playoffs? I’d like to know you’re reasoning!

I think 2-7 are all more or less interchangeable.

When Yao is healthy, he is one of the biggest difference makers on the court in the NBA. If Martin stays healthy (and another if is how he gels with the team because they haven’t played much together) and Brooks continues to improve like he has been, I think they’re really dangerous. They have veteran leadership, solid young players, and a big difference maker in Yao.

I love our team as its currently constructed and I think it will be very intriguing. However, I think after Miami, Orlando, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta as the top 5 seeds, it leaves us, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Cleveland, and maybe Indiana and Washington fighting it out for the last 3 spots. I personally think we’ll be able to snag one, but it’s by no means a given.

Both of those claims are obviously opinion because nothing will be evident until the season is underway, but yea I think a healthy Rockets can be dangerous, and I love our new-look Knicks, but it will take a good amount of work and our young players will have to mature (which I think Amar’e and Turiaf will help with) in order for us to make the playoffs.

Yes this season is going to be very interesting.

The Western Conference is not what it used to be.

how can you admire the player for taking the risk when the player still gets paid if they get hurt.. ?

A quick thought on contract insurance: Everything and everyone is insurable at some price (annual premium) with stipulations.

The real question is it worth it? In Stoudamire’s case probably not because there is little precedent for professional athletes coming off micro fracture surgery. When there is no precedent, no actuarial data, the company covering the risk assumes the worst case and prices the contract accordingly. They will probably offer rolling one year coverage (if you survive this season, we will cover next season) with exclusions and price bumps along the way.

agree with most. i think rockets are a 6 seed though. a whole year of yao ming (if he is truly healthy now) and kevin martin. that team is solid on both ends of the court. one of the best coaches in the game imo to boot.

@Biggie: Really? Damn. Well then damn straight we should bring him in. Teach these youngn’s how to mug some people. Even if we don’t beat the Heat I would like to see Chris Bosh cry this season…

My thoughts exactly…

I think we are underestimating the Rockets a little bit here.

1- The core will be under their second year together, have better chemistry.

2- No more Chuck Hayes at center. Yao will be there, and now they have a very good back up in Brad Miller.

3- They resigned Scola.

4- They are one of the most balanced teams in my eyes. They can shoot, they can score in the paint and boy can they play D.

I don’t think the Rockets as a top 4 in the west would be such a surprise, specially since the Jazz will take a hit, the Suns as well.

My top 5 for the west next year, not in order:

- Lakers
- Nuggets
- Mavs
- OKC
- Rockets

The Blazers in the bubble, depending on Oden’s health.

they said(head coach) the end of august first of september….

goodluck,amare still gets his 99.7 mill
knicks might get lucky an get insured for a couple of millz

This is a good thing though considering the Luck of the Knicks with the stars the bring in.

From Yahoo!:
“I understand the New York Knicks’ concern, also wanting to make sure I’m totally healthy for next season,” Stoudemire said. “I’m looking forward to having a big year with the Knicks organization, so I understand both sides.”

I think people are underestimating Wilsson. i think he is more than capable handling the starting 2 guard position. He takes it strong to the rack, has a pretty god jump shot and can guard anybody.

[...] said yesterday that the Knicks were not interested in having Amar’e play based on the mileage following Alan Hahn’s tweet that this was an insurance issue. As a competitor [...]