I actually wouldn't mind Jeremy going to the Raptors. Novak and Jeffries would likely follow.
Report: Knicks could lose Jeremy Lin to a backloaded contract offer | SI Tracking Blog – Tracking MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and NCAA On Twitter
Update: More on backloaded offers
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Interesting suggestion. So far, Toronto hasn't even made an offer for Lin. They offered Steve Nash a 3 year @ $36 million.
ReplyDeleteI think all the speculation of the Raptors wanting Lin are overblown. Yes, there are a lot of Asians living in Toronto. But the Raptors season ticket fan base is predominantly White European. And this is true for every NBA franchise, even in cities where White people are the minority like New Orleans, Memphis, Detroit, etc. They are usually the ones buying the near courtside seats and luxury boxes.
Sure, bringing in an Asian American player will excite the Asian crowd sitting in the upper nosebleed seats ... but the ones who pay the most for seats could care less. They would probably prefer a Steve Nash or Goran Dragic who more closely resembles them.
Lin is also a millenial-generation, hip and quirky, social-media-savvy, northern-Californian surburban (is there part of the US as like Canadian as laid-back northern California?) Harvard grad. He'll do fine in Toronto with the white folks.
DeleteAdd: The preference by Canadians for Steve Nash is in the category reserved for national sports heroes and legends. For the Toronto fan base, I'd put up Lin against anybody else in the NBA.
DeleteFor better or worse, I just don't see it happening. Here's why:
ReplyDeleteWith the surprise arbitration ruling on Bird rights, the Knicks no longer have to use the MLE to sign Lin. Which means they won't be hard-capped by matching a huge backloaded contract.
So even if they sign Nash, they worst thing that happens is that they pay a ton of luxury tax. But Dolan has deep pockets and Jeremy will bring in 100X that amount with his crazy marketing appeal.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I gather from what I've read.
I'm no capologist, but I have read Larry Coon's CBA FAQ.
DeleteFrom what I gather, there are two relevant team salary levels: the salary cap and the apron.
The salary cap is about 60 mil. When under the cap, teams can make player contracts however they want within the league salary system.
The salary cap is a soft cap, meaning teams can spend above the salary cap by using exceptions. The exceptions don't count against the salary cap.
The other salary level is the "apron", which is about 70 mil. Going 4 mil above the apron in salaries triggers the hard cap, which means the exceptions are taken away and the team incurs luxury taxes. So teams not only pay money penalties, they become severely limited in signing players because they no longer can use exceptions to go above the salary cap.
Whereas payments made under exceptions don't count against the salary cap, they do count against the apron.
As I said, I'm no capologist, so I welcome correction if I'm wrong.
zxcvb, I forgot my coda. If I read Larry Coon's FAQ correctly, having Lin's early Bird rights and thus preserving the MLE for Nash or whomever helps with the salary cap, but does not help with the apron hard cap. In other words, exceptions give teams about 14 mil (apron + 4 mil) additional salary above the salary cap. With the other players the Knicks are trying to add to their cap-eating core of Anthony, Stoudamire, and Chandler, a backloaded offer to Lin can use up all or most of the Knicks cap-to-apron cushion.
DeleteAdd: http://hoopshype.com/salaries/new_york.htm
DeleteThe Knicks may be willing to match a backloaded offer to Lin anyway, because the big hard cap, luxury tax hit from a backloaded contract for Lin would be in 2014-15. Right now, the Knicks are already committed to over 60 mil for 2014-15 just with the Big 3 (note: Anthony has a player option for 2014-15), while all current contracts are off the books by 2015-16. So the Knicks may be willing to take a big hard cap, luxury tax hit in the 3rd year in order to use Lin for the next 2 years.
Correction regarding the apron. I conflated the luxury tax line with the hard cap.
DeleteThe luxury tax line is about 70 mil, the team salary amount above which money penalties are incurred.
The apron is set at the luxury tax line plus 4 mil, which triggers the hard cap that takes away a team's exceptions.
Dolan might hv deep pocket but whether he is willing to dish out more to pay for the luxury tax is another matter. Knicks should build their championship team base on the current players plus throwing in couples of veteran PG and Centre to fortify and fuide the young players aa a goos investment.
ReplyDeleteSorry let me make some amedments here " to fortify and guide the young players is a good investment."
DeleteThe Knicks want a championship so bad that Dolan would be willing to pay for the luxury tax. Actually he did it before. In 2005-06, he paid $62.3 million luxury tax ($1 tax for $1 salary above tax line, the dollar-for-dollar tax provisions remain in effect through the 2012–13 season ).
DeleteA luxuary tax $10-15 million for signing Nash is just peanuts to Dolan considering the benefits of a championship or just going deep into playoff.
The Knicks want the championship now. Their "now" means within 2 seasons because in 2014 Melo will have "player option", and if the Knicks haven't won a championship then, he'll very likely option out.
The Knicks are NOT going to win any championship even with Nash, not until Jeremy Lin blossoms into a true superstar anyway.
DeleteThe 2011 CBA made the luxury tax penalty harsher. Where Mark Cuban once bragged that the luxury tax was an acceptable cost of business, he now hesitates to go too far over the salary cap. Going over the apron also means exceptions are taken away, which limits a team's ability to sign players, which affects the ability of the team to compete.
DeleteUnlike some top teams, the Knicks need a very good PG in order to function. Very good PGs don't come cheap and the Knicks can't afford to buy expensive. Best way to get one is for the team to grow its own homemade PG. That's Lin.
From a strictly basketball standpoint, Lin would help the Raptors more than even Deron Williams or Steve Nash or Dwight Howard would.
ReplyDeleteThe Raptors haven't had an All Star caliber point guard since Isiah Thomas astutely drafted Damon Stoudamire who was an excellent player. Lin could step in and be the dynamic player that the Raptors need on both ends of the court.
The Raptors cannot attract the marquee free agents, though they're going for Steve Nash. The problem with Nash is that he won't improve the defense and is entering the decline of his career. Lin, on the other hand, will improve the team on both ends and is entering the ascendancy of his career. Plus Lin might even come cheaper.
Of course, that's not how NBA teams think. And that's why the Raptors will likely be a lottery team even if they sign Steve Nash.
I agree. I think it's quite insulting teams are apparently making Lin as their "Plan B". I hope this doesn't hurt Lin's feelings so much.
DeleteI HOPE it hurts Lin's feelings.
DeleteHe'll go out and mow people down, just like he did to the hapless Lakers after Kobe Bryant got him going.
Lin is at his best when he's mad.
I'm sure Lin, who presumably grew up watching Nash win MVPs, appreciates that Steve Nash is a Hall-of-Fame PG.
DeleteThe Raptors are courting Steve Nash as much for his unique stature in Canadian basketball and Canadian sports period (ie, his added marketing value) as for his remaining basketball value.
DeleteNash still has good basketball value, but he is uniquely valuable to the Raptors.
You are absolutely correct that Lin appreciates Nash as a Hall of Fame PG, Eric.
DeleteThat means Lin is going to ATTACK Nash in practice.
Lin will respect Nash and learn from him. Lin will also seek to outplay Nash every time they face off in practice.
As great as Nash still is, I don't know if he can battle a surging Lin in practice and then have anything left for the actual games. Lin is a much meaner and better player than Nash's former backup Goran Dragic who had no game in Phx.
Nash might start, but Lin will eventually take his minutes.
DeleteI agree with that. Nash played 31 MPG last season and his MPG likely will drop again this season. Nash arrives with a loudly ticking clock on his career. If the Knicks sign Nash for 3 years, they'll be lucky to get 2 good years out of him. If Lin improves as expected and Nash continues to slow down as expected, Lin may well be starting over Nash by the 2013-14 season.
DeleteI've said before that 3rd guard is a natural role for Lin. If Nash is the starting PG, I can see Lin's numbers looking like Crawford's numbers under Woodson on the 2009-10 Hawks, when Crawford won the 6th man award.
Starting Lin and Nash is a possiblity, too, but I think the Knicks would prefer to start a traditional defensive SG with Nash, even if the SG is only a 20 MPG role player, and bring Lin off the bench.
Delete3rd guard is a horrible usage of a player who has already demonstrated the ability to dominate his teammates and outplay the majority of starters in the NBA.
DeleteThe best players start.
Depends on the 3rd guard. James Harden is better than Thabo Sefolosha. Manu Ginobili is better than Danny Green. On Woodson's last team, Jamal Crawford was better than Mike Bibby.
DeleteComparing Lin to those players is laughable. Do you ever see Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Chris Paul not starting? Why should Lin come off the bench when he's the most impactful player on the whole team?
DeleteThe discussion is if Nash starts at PG, then what would Lin's role be? K is saying Lin should start with Nash.
DeleteI don't think Woodson would start his PGs together. He may play them together in stretches, but not start them together. More likely, he would start a traditional SG next to Nash, even if that SG was a role player.
Until the Knicks sign a traditional SG, they won't have one to start beside Nash.
DeleteIman Shumpert is out likely until 2013 due to his ACL tear that's much worse than Lin's. Landry Fields AND Toney Douglas are being shipped out in the Nash trade. JR Smith remains unsigned. And they didn't even draft a free agent SG.
If the Knicks get Steve Nash, Lin is the SG starter by default. In Mike Woodson's positionless system, Lin would simply play his same role but alongside Nash.
I would LAUGH if Steve Nash doesn't come to the Knicks AND Jeremy Lin gets pried off the Knicks by a smarter opponent. Then Toney Douglas will be starting at PG for the Knicks again!
As we've discussed before, I am fully confident in Lin's ability to play SG.
DeleteMy thinking is that Woodson rests his hat on defense and won't be comfortable starting the defensively challenged Nash and combo-sized Lin together. Playing his 2 best guards many minutes together, yes, but starting the game, less so.
Presumably the Knicks, even if they're forced to buy cheap, will be able to sign an SG defensive role player with the right size and athleticism who hopefully won't brick too many shots.
On a Knicks blog, a commenter made a good argument that it makes sense for the Knicks to match any offer for Lin, including a max backloaded contract.
DeleteThe theory goes that the Knicks are focusing on a 2 year run with this core.
The issue with Lin's contract isn't money in terms of salary or the luxury tax. It's common knowledge Lin would be a marketing cash cow for the Knicks.
The issue is the apron and the hard cap. The next 2 seasons are tight but workable under the apron. Lin's backloaded contract would balloon in 2014-15 and trigger the hard cap. Then in 2015-16, everyone's off the books.
The commenter believes the Knicks are focused on the 1st 2 years and they'll figure it out for the 3rd year, when the core will still be intact despite the hard cap.
In the 4th year of his backloaded contract, Lin either would be the star of a rebuilding Knicks team or a valuable expiring contract.
I think it is hilarious some folks out there think Nash is going to make the Knicks or any other team a title contender. The dude has issues defending, and he's over the hill...and will be fast on his way down. Not trying to bash Nash, but no one defies the old man syndromes. It doesn't even matter what he has done in the past, that is irrelevant. MJ at his prime was unstoppable, MJ at 40 was an old car trying to race against the shiny new Civics and Accords. It's obvious to me, JLin is that new car on the block.
ReplyDeleteThe Heat are the favorites regardless of who the Knicks add.
DeleteWhat the Knicks are aiming for is a high enough seed next season, say 2 or 3, to position themselves to win the 1st 2 rounds of the play-offs, and face the Heat in the conference finals with a fair shot.
Nash + Lin, plus some luck (eg, Shumpert healthy return) and smart moves to fill out the bench, should be enough for the Knicks to reach the ECF against the Heat. Enough to beat the Heat in the ECF? They can give it their best shot.
Nash - Lin? That's not enough. Hopefully, in the unlikely case they get Nash, they don't forget they need both.
Jeremy Lin....I've heard he does not want to play with Carmelo and Amare....as Phil Jackson said this is a bad situation. This team will not win with how it's set up and it will only frustrate Lin as he will not be able to fulfill his potential in this situation. His coach is not a believer in him either and has never won in the NBA. Jeremy is much better off in Brooklyn (hopefully williams goes to dallas) and/or toronto where he can play his true game (i.e. Dantoni, Chandler, Fields, Shumpert, Novak....). Jeremy is smart (Harvard) and he knows what to do...he hired new agent, says nothing to media and makes the knicks look bad cause they have yet to offer any contract to him and daring him to test market first. Knicks have backward a&& management, they haven't won since 1994 (15 years). Good luck with the coach killer ball stoppers on this team.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, Mike Woodson was an excellent coach in Atlanta where he led the Hawks to the playoffs.
DeleteThe Knicks don't know what they have in Jeremy Lin, but they will once he's GONE.
The Knicks made a qualifying offer, which is why Lin is a restricted free agent. But yes, it remains to be seen whether allowing Lin to test the market was a wise decision. They've said they'll match any offer, but that may be a bluff.
DeleteYou've heard that Lin doesn't want to play with Anthony and Stoudemire?
There's no compelling evidence that Woodson doesn't believe in Lin except for some spun quotes. When Woodson had the chance to demote Lin, he used Lin like his starting PG instead. It's true that Woodson hasn't won an NBA championship, but he had a good track record in Atlanta. At the least, under Woodson, we can count on the Knicks playing solid defense behind Lin (execrable defense is the main reason for the post-Linsanity losing streak) and winning enough games so they'll reach the play-offs with a higher seed and decent shot at winning 1-2 rounds.
For Lin's career, I agree that Lin will be better off with a team that's built around his demonstrated strengths. I also like Brooklyn a lot for Lin. But right now, as far as his development, Lin is better off with the Knicks than a rebuilding team. With the Knicks, Lin will improve on his weaknesses under Woodson and play an important role on a winning team into the play-offs.
Woodson has raised many eyebrows with some of his earlier comments after he took over the Knicks. But I think he'll be a good fit for JLin's development in the long run. I can see him getting at Lin's face and chewing Lin out for his on court mistakes. Whereas, D'Antoni seemed a bit too nice and seemed to let Lin go through his routines without too much guidance.
DeleteWoodson relied on Lin heavily to win the game against Philadelphia. I'm not sold that Woodson is not a believer in Lin. I think it is the opposite, and with Woodson's tough-love and guidance, Lin can be a much better player.
Woodson, BTW, has a losing record in his 7 year NBA coaching career....224-292 (.434%)- has never taken first place and is probably more a career assistant coach than a head coach leader. This is guy is not a Jeremy Lin believer.
DeleteWoodson was the new coach of a rebuilding project with the Hawks. The Hawks improved each season, finishing 2nd to 2 59-win Magic teams and reaching the 2nd round his last 2 years. The Knicks were 18-6 under Woodson to finish the regular season. 6-1 with Woodson and Lin.
DeleteI can't say Woodson is a championship coach, but he's at least an experienced competent coach who stresses defense.
Woodson does know the game..he played under Bobby Knight so he can handle pressure of big apple. My point is that he doesn't like Jeremy Lin. He prefers to hitch his wagon to the big name guys on the team (Melo and Amare) - nothing wrong with that but not good for Lin. If you watch games where Lin played great (while Woodson Asst Coach) like vs. Lakers, Dallas, everyone on bench going crazy and encouraging lin but Woodson just sitting there resenting it. He did not like getting disrespected by Lin when Lin called out Assistant Coach Kenny Atkinson as reason for his success and didn't say darn word about Woodson. Woodson has chip on his shoulder and Lin knocked it off.
DeleteDolan didn't trade away a promising young roster to the Nuggets just to spot up Anthony on the wing. Not using Anthony the right way and Anthony's passive-aggressive response pushed D'Antoni to quit. If Woodson or any coach wants to work for the Knicks, he has to get the most out of Anthony.
DeleteI doubt there was a rift between Stoudemire and Lin or Stoudemire and D'Antoni. His game matched D'Antoni's system with Lin's game, although his poor defense made Lin look bad and he had mysterious difficulty at times catching Lin's passes. However, Stoudemire's game clashes with Anthony and Chandler, and an Anthony-based system isn't good for Stoudemire.
Any personal dislike Woodson has for Lin hasn't stopped him from relying on Lin yet. Assuming Woodson stays conservative on offense, I agree that Lin playing as a conventional PG in Woodson's system and playing off Anthony isn't a good career plan for Lin, but it should be very good for his short-term development. Lin is gifted but still learning how to be an NBA PG. Besides managing the offense, he should also improve by developing his off-the-ball game and learning how to play off of other stars. Lin will still have the ball in his hands as the PG and show off his Linsanity strengths. But playing 1-2 years as a PG outside of his comfort zone should be enough for Lin, as naturally gifted as he is, to build up his spectrum of PG skills. It will also be very good for Lin to play PG for a play-off team.
I think being optimitic thinkers is okay and good trait to live by. Actions always speak louder than words and the bottom line is that the Knicks could have offered the midlevel amount so Lin could just sign it and then go prepare for the olympics (as team select player) which was his wish in the first place. He wanted to have contract shored up before olympic tryouts that begin this week. Not going to happen cause Knicks don't want to pay lin - they hope no one has any offers for him and then lowball him cause no where else to go. They get leverage on Lin by going after Nash, Felton or any retread guard they can find cause Woodson obviously doesn't like Lin - nor does Melo (needs the ball and Lin dominates the ball) and Amare (would rather have Nash and Felton). Bottom line is Lin is being thrown around and disrespected and he wants to play elsewhere otherwise negotiations would be done in newspapers. One risk here if Lin pisses off Knicks is they could sign him and trade him thereafter and really screw him like if they did that to Phoenix (Kendall Marshall) to get Nash. I do know Lin does not want to play for Knicks - you can see the body language with the 2 stars Melo and Amare - they resent LIn's rockstar image and LIn's dominating the ball and the offense - that's why Woodson came in and shut Lin down.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. It's sad really now that there are reports saying that Lin has withdrawn from that Select team, all that due to the Knicks wanting to lowball him.
DeleteI disagree that Woodson "came in and shut Lin down". His left knee did that. I've had several disagreement on this site with fans who distrust Mike Woodson's handling of Lin. I've defended Woodson. I admit, though, when Woodson took over for D'Antoni, the speculation about Woodson benching Lin worried me, too.
DeleteBut Woodson impressed me with how he handled Lin. He didn't keep overexposing Lin like D'Antoni had done once teams had adjusted to Lin. At the same time, Woodson didn't shut down Lin as his fans, including me, had feared. Woodson employed a good balance with Lin and won me over. I believe, if Lin hadn't had his season cut short, he would have finished the season in a solid fashion.
From my blog, here's the vote of approval I gave to Woodson as a Lin fan on March 18, the day after the March 17 game at the Pacers:
_Despite the speculation Lin's game would disappear with D'Antoni, Lin has looked more comfortable in Woodson's more-structured system. It looks like his strengths have been preserved by Woodson while his weaknesses have been mitigated. Lin's strong all-around performance in Indianapolis is the way, during Linsanity, Knicks fans had hoped Lin would adjust his game when Anthony returned. Lin played confidently and, though the ball returned to Anthony at the end of the game, Lin had his coach's green light to make plays down the stretch. Lin's defense looked better in large part because the help was back. Woodson's use of more set plays eased the pressure on Lin. Lin won't have as many touches under Woodson, but he can be more productive with his touches.
Pundits writing off Lin as an inflated product of D'Antoni's system overlook that Lin is a converted PG who was a do-everything play-making scoring guard before the NBA. At this point of his development, Lin is still more SG/PG combo guard, with a combo guard's ball handling and (half-court) passing limitations, than NBA point guard. With the good teams having made defensive adjustments to Lin, the pared down PG role comes just in time for Lin. Lin no longer has to handle the ball as much, create everything, break down every defense, nor make every decision. Reducing his PG responsibilities in Woodson's more-structured system means less freedom for Lin, but it should also be a better fit for him at this early learning stage of his career. Lin's weaknesses as a PG will be less exposed and he can fall back on his strengths with more off-the-ball and match-up work when defenses shift their focus to Anthony._
Ouch. I thought and hoped Lin might play for the select team anyway, and the media had indicated that - including Woodson saying he was looking forward to watching Lin in Las Vegas.
DeleteLike other teams that are courting the top free-agent PGs and holding Lin as option B, it does appear as though the Knicks intend to resolve their negotiations with Nash before dealing with Lin.
If I were Lin, I would be so angry at the obvious disrespect shown by the Knicks towards him. If they dare to let go of Lin to make room for Nash, they would be biggest idiot in the world of basketball. But being idiot just seems to be typical Knicks.
DeleteMy guess is that the Knicks want Lin, whether or not they sign Nash. But how much they're willing to pay Lin will depend on whether they sign Nash.
DeleteThis is simply bullshit. This is not wanting Lin. This is a I want you but I don't want you enough manner. Under a certain condition is very different to wanting you at all costs. Putting priority of a 38 year old over Lin is simply insulting. Stop defending the Knicks management. They have shown time and time again they are simply clueless. I hope Lin get out of there as soon as possible!
DeleteNow I fully understand why Lin used to say "NBA is a business", "nothing is set in stone".
DeleteLin saved Knicks this past season, and now they just simply want to pretend it never happened. What a shame!!!
Yeah. I can fully understand that the Nets and Mavs put Lin as their "Plan B" as the attractiveness of Deron Williams as a superstar (at least at this moment) is too great to pass up especially for these 2 franchises. I can also understand the point of view from the Raptors' pursuit of Nash for his status as a Canadian hero. But for NY also to put Lin as a second thought is simply simply unacceptable!!! They are just a clueless franchise and deserve to be mediocre forever.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteCara, Nash is a Hall-of-Fame PG and the standard for the PG many Lin fans believe he can become. If the Knicks were putting Lin on hold over a lesser PG, I agree it would be insulting.
DeleteBut Steve Nash? Even at 38 and slowing down, tough to hold that one against the Knicks.
The Knicks are a win-now team with a greater need for an elite floor-general PG than other contenders. With with respect to a few other Hall-of-Fame PGs, Steve Nash has been the best floor-general PG of his generation.
It's cold and may have forced him off the Select Team, but with Lin, the Knicks do have the ultimate power to match any offer. They can delay with Lin. They don't have that power with Nash.
Eric, you are so annoying. You just defend the Knicks for anything they do but history clearly shows that they do dumb things again and again. And no, a 38 year old Steve Nash is not better than Jeremy Lin now. If the Knicks do acquire Nash and start him over due to his reputation as a HOF, they are just not different from the clueless Warriors who played lesser players over Lin because of the contract and draft status. And no, Lin has nothing to learn from Lin. The best way to learn by playing, not sitting. Lol. The mentor thing is simply laughable and is the dumbest excuse I have ever heard. It's not like Chris Paul, Tony Parker etc couldn't become top PGs without anyone mentoring them. If Lin's any good, he will figure it out by himself like every great player does. And NY's a win now team so they need Nash is also laughable at best. To think that Nash can help them beat the Heat and become a contender is as delusional as to think that Carmelo Anthony is ever as good as Lebron James. You simply think that Lin is not any good. And this thinking of this so called win now mode and thus acquiring name stars are exactly the reason the Knicks got burnt again and again and were mediocre for more than a decade. Lol. I am done with you, typical clueless and delusional Knicks fan.
DeleteBTW, Eric. Your constant mention of Nash as a HOF PG is dumb at best. Nash is a not a HOF PG, he was a HOF PG, the key word being "was" here. If you couldn't see the decline in Nash's game, you're not watching the game simply. It's like saying Michael Jordan is the best player in the world. It's so dumb.
Delete@Cara Brilliant post! You said it all.
DeleteCara, the Knicks are trying to have both Nash and Lin. I agree if they add Nash and then lose Lin, that would be foolish. I don't believe the Knicks can contend with Nash as their only quality PG.
DeleteIf the Knicks signed Nash and Lin, Lin wouldn't be a DNP every night. Nash played only 31 MPG last season. The Knicks will try to preserve Nash for the post-season. I guess his MPG won't go up. More likely, it will go down. He'll probably miss games, too. The Knicks are also thin at SG. With Nash, 30 MPG is a realistic projection for Lin.
With Nash, Lin would play at least elite 3rd guard minutes and be teammates with the guard he's most compared to. If Lin didn't show talents similar to Nash, I'd agree that playing with Nash wouldn't make a difference. But because Lin is like a raw Nash, he can learn things from Nash that other guards couldn't.
Nash is slowing down. The Knicks will be lucky to get 2 good years from him. If Lin improves as expected, especially with a strong post-season, it's reasonable to think he could be the starting PG by 2013-14.
Chances are the Knicks won't get Nash. If they don't get Nash, the chances are higher they'll match even a max offer for Lin and deal with 2014-15 later.
You still don't get it. Lin is already better than the 38 year old Steve Nash. The fact that the Knicks are putting priority on Nash over Lin is insulting. The fact that the Knicks will start Nash over Lin if they have the 2 is even more insulting. And you mere mention that Lin's contract size has to depend on where Nash goes is even more and more insulting! Why are you posting in a Lin site if you are just a Lin hater?
DeleteI guess I'm not as easily insulted as you as a Lin fan.
DeleteIt looks like Dwight Howard, really, really wants to go to Brooklyn Nets. So that means if Darin Williams re-signs with Nets, re-sign Gerald Wallace, and trade for Joe Johnson, and keep either Brook Lopez or Kris Humphries... that means they have a stacked 5-deep starting lineup.
ReplyDeleteThis does not look good for NY Knicks, their dominance of the NYC basketball market could end. And that would make Lin and Carmelo look really bad if they can't beat their cross-town rivals.
Knicks will have to get A LOT BETTER just to stay at the same level with other Eastern rivals, let alone unseat the Heat.
Either the current roster needs to get better and gel, or the Knicks front office needs to make some serious roster moves.
Who can they add to support J-Lin ?
Dwight Howard will never get traded to Nets. Nets should do everything they can to sign lin...even play him at 2 guard with Deron Williams. Lin can guard 2's in the league...was watching tape of Knick v. Heat game and he played Dwade tough! Lin had bad game offensively that night but he can handle his own on defense - even guarded Lebron a little and was not overwhelmed.
DeleteWhat do the Nets have to trade for Howard? I haven't heard that Howard has a no-trade clause in his contract. I don't see what would stop the Magic from pursuing the best available deal for the Magic, if the best deal isn't with the Nets. Other teams, like the Lakers, want Howard and have better assets to offer.
DeleteEven if the Nets add Howard, it would come at the Magic's expense, so not a net loss for the Knicks in terms of the conference. But a new rival for the Atlantic division lead is a problem in terms of play-off seeding. To take the next step, winning the Atlantic matters.
Outside of the Heat, I don't see any team that's clearly superior to the Knicks in the east. The Celtics look like they're keeping their core, but their new contracts won't make them younger. The Magic are rebuilding. The Hawks are stagnant. The 76ers and Pacers (will they keep Hibbert?) are up-and-comers, but I don't see them as better than the Knicks yet. The Bulls are without Rose again, so they're a question mark. If all goes right with the Nets, then maybe. But right now, assuming they sign Lin, the Knicks have a good shot at a 2-3 seed.
That said, beyond their core, the Knicks have many needs, too: back-up PG, SGs, back-up F and C.
Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, Joe Johnson all on one team.
DeleteYou'd need 3 basketballs, 3 PR agencies, and 3 media spinners.
news from Associated Press just now: Jeremy Lin will not play with the select team that will scrimmage against the U.S. Olympic team because of his free agency.
ReplyDeleteDon't understand why.
Could anyone shed some light?
Fear of getting injuried? The Knicks just want to lowball him that he can not get this contract locked up quickly. I hate the Knicks!
DeleteThe timing of the decision is interesting. Up to now, the indications in the media had been that Lin would participate, like Lin working out with Anthony and Chandler in LA and Woodson saying he was looking forward to watching Lin scrimmage in Las Vegas. No hints that Lin wouldn't play despite that he was a free agent.
DeleteSpeculation on the timing of the decision:
First, I'll get the suspicion of Lin out of the way. Perhaps Lin is hiding something, like his knee isn't at full strength or he's lost quickness. Or he's simply rusty and out of shape with the long lay-off, and concerned that teams that might offer him a contract will be scouting his play with the select team.
Moving on ...
The July 11 signing date hasn't changed, so perhaps Lin had anticipated an early agreement with the Knicks. (I thought the Knicks would come out of the gate with a 5 mil per for 3 or 4 years offer.)
How soon did Lin know the Knicks planned to match an offer rather than immediately make an offer? Did his agent change anticipate that he would need to seek offers from teams in a drawn-out process?
Assuming Lin knew early on that the Knicks planned to match, perhaps he anticipated another team would step up with an offer quickly. Rather, teams are using him as option B while courting the top free-agent PGs, Nash and Williams.
Sadly, it appears the Knicks are using Lin as option B, too, and opting to deal with Nash before Lin. Or, the amount the Knicks are willing to pay Lin is based on whether they sign Nash. Ie, if Nash signs, they'll be willing to pay Lin as a back-up, while if they fail to sign Nash, they'll be willing to pay Lin the starter money that would have gone to Nash.
It's very simple, Lin's agent doesn't want to risk the possibility of him getting injured before he can sign a long term contract with an NBA team. If he gets injured again. His value will be very low, or even none at all.
DeleteThe risk going the other way is raising the suspicion that he's hiding that his knee is still an issue, but it's reasonable for him to sit out as a free agent. David Lee did the same thing in 2010.
DeleteCorrection: Lee withdrew from the select team due to his free agency in 2008.
Deletehi! im not really familiar w/ nba free agency but i hope lin wld go to the mavs, i think coach carlisle is a really good coach who can help develop him & cuban is a cool owner who really understands basketball and aside from that since most of their players are oldies probably lin can be part of their next generation of players
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kinda sad jlin withdrew from the select team due to free agency
It's a possibility. The thinking is that the Mavs will make a play for Williams then Nash, but if they fail to get either PG, they'll go after Lin. The Mavs are the first NBA team to believe in Lin and they're rebuilding their backcourt. I'd be sorry to see Lin leave NYC, but not sorry to see him join a good organization like the Mavs.
DeleteWonder if NO have a shot... I dont mind watching Lin throwing LOBS to Anthony Davis.
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