I WANT a premier rookie PG starting next year. Second only to a premier rookie 2 way SF starting next year.
Anything involving Rubio would be for him to distribute for our bench and help facilitate.(Redundant statement but somehow makes sense. lol)
W/ respect to Rose and letting him go now, I've argued w/ @Malta & @I.V. but I have to concede[1]that free agents weren't coming here before...and now with this new Phil shyt, they definitely aren't coming unless we agree to ridiculous Noah contracts...
Clearly the benefit of not moving Rose is - it would be 20 mill coming off the books, but if yall want a plan to sign a veteran point guard, just remember where salaries are right now:
Atlanta is paying a mediocre Bazemore(sf) - $17 million average salary over the next few years.
Unless you see the above mid-level player contract trend changing to the Knicks benefit, obtaining Ricky Rubio with a locked in salary of $14 million per year not only won't hurt as much if he's relegated to the bench but he's serviceable enough to be very trade-able w/ each year closer to the end of his contract.
To put all my cards on the table, my realistic somewhat happy scenario would be:
Phil resigns before the draft. Melo outlives Phil and finally agrees to be traded post-draft[2]. KP becomes that no.1 option w/ Willy being his fellow starting front court partner. Knicks draft the best available two-way floor general[3] (or player maker if it's a SF) and Rubio(traded for Rose) gets flipped again pre-draft(Probably to Lakers ) and Jennings[4] signs for under $12 million for a couple of years. Lance Thomas/Kyle O'Quinn get traded to a winning team willing to part with youth in exchange for missing pieces to make them compete.
[1] And I despise conceding anything to Malta in a Knicks thread
[2] As a Melo fan, I would still also like a Melo to retire a Knick and still be year w/ our youngings. I don't care about the criticism.
[3] Of course having our future PG drafted in this draft is the perfect consolation prize for this year but if, depending on draft position, Josh Jackson, or other premier wings are available and they have potential to have any combination of being a playmaker, good passer, and/or consistent defense then that's great, too
[4]Sorry, I just like his energy and when we were clicking, he was, too.)
You can blame Melo for all the faults in his game, but he did the right thing with the Nuggets. Never publicly demanded a trade. He didn't force Dolan to trade for him. God forbid a player wants to maximize his earnings in a profession where anyday you can get injured on the job and lose millions in future earnings. Why in the world would Melo sacrifice his pay for a team he hadn't played for up to that point? Look at how the organization is treating him now (also Oak). Why would anyone be loyal to these teams to the point they sacrifice millions? Knicks have no one to blame but themselves.
Well, no. Their problem is talent. They don't have enough of it, and almost NONE of it is defensive oriented. Scheme whatever, Derrick Rose is goddawful, Melo doesn't play D, and Noah/Wily are too slow footed to consistently be good defenders. KP is great at he rim, but doesn't close out on shooters/stretch 4's/ and Lee's defense is good, but not as good as advertised.
And when you go the bench, it somehow gets worse, aside from Holiday.
There is no scheme on the planet that could make Rose a good defender.
I mean, he and Rubio actually both have pretty reasonable salaries now, with the new cap. But yeah, I don't know if I could put up with a guy who's gonna play just like Rose for the next three seasons.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Now I gotta be wishing they get Rubio instead.
) and Jennings[4] signs for under $12 million for a couple of years. Lance Thomas/Kyle O'Quinn get traded to a winning team willing to part with youth in exchange for missing pieces to make them compete.
