WIRETAP: Balkman Has Been Offered For Artest

[CrazyEyes]

Would SAC take Marbury if we took on KT/Miller's contracts? They're big but not too bad. We won't be under the cap until 2010 at the soonest anyway and by then they will be expired. SAC saves a lot of money and tanks hard for the next 2 seasons to rebuild. (along with tons of cap space when Marbury expires)

-Trade for Artest
-Draft Rose (which means we gotta tank. Maybe Artest is mysteriously "out for the season" after we trade for him)
-Sign free agents in 2010/11 to complete the team.

What's the other alternative? Rebuilding via the draft is a 5 year process at least. (and we owe teams picks, so say 5-7 years most likely factoring in inevitable bad picks or injuries)

[moocow007]

Would SAC take Marbury if we took on KT/Miller's contracts? They're big but not too bad. We won't be under the cap until 2010 at the soonest anyway and by then they will be expired. SAC saves a lot of money and tanks hard for the next 2 seasons to rebuild. (along with tons of cap space when Marbury expires)

-Trade for Artest
-Draft Rose (which means we gotta tank. Maybe Artest is mysteriously "out for the season" after we trade for him)
-Sign free agents in 2010/11 to complete the team.

What's the other alternative? Rebuilding via the draft is a 5 year process at least. (and we owe teams picks, so say 5-7 years most likely factoring in inevitable bad picks or injuries)

I'd rather just keep Marbury and let his contract expire. The Knicks are in a tough spot but unlike the serious hating going on they are not without assets. They just need someone that knows what they are doing running things so, as many have said, the first order of action is to replace Thomas as both GM and head coach. You add a top lotto pick this year and maybe again next year (and IMHO if you can deal anyone on this roster, even Lee, for another late lotto pick you do it), a better mix or role players and a head coach that can get through and motivate the players he has and the Knicks could be right back in the mix. Championship caliber? Not unless they strike absolute gold in this upcoming draft but enough so that they are back on track.

[GuyverADL]

at people thinking Isiah is actually going to trade Lee.

Lee is a fan favorite and is actually a good player who plays with heart.

I can see Sacramento taking Marbury if they can find taker for Bibby.

Marbury, Balkman, Robinson, Morris

for

Miller, Thomas, Artest

The only way we are getting Artest without Lee is if we take on all of their bad contracts. This is all contingent on them trading Bibby before the deadline. Plus a deal like this wouldn't happen until Bibby is traded.


If Im Thomas I dont even look at the deal I suggested unless you are getting rid of Curry or Randolph in the process for picks and a prospect.

[knicks742]

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I'd rather just keep Marbury and let his contract expire. The Knicks are in a tough spot but unlike the serious hating going on they are not without assets. They just need someone that knows what they are doing running things so, as many have said, the first order of action is to replace Thomas as both GM and head coach. You add a top lotto pick this year and maybe again next year (and IMHO if you can deal anyone on this roster, even Lee, for another late lotto pick you do it), a better mix or role players and a head coach that can get through and motivate the players he has and the Knicks could be right back in the mix. Championship caliber? Not unless they strike absolute gold in this upcoming draft but enough so that they are back on track.

Reinstate yourself.....

then ban yourself again.

[KnicksScholar24]

The fact that Thomas still has the freedom to make anymore trades to hinder the future of this team is amazing. If so Dolan must be an even bigger joke than I thought.

If he's not dumping salaries and adding draft picks he should have no right as GM. Anyone can see he has no vision, and if he does it's a terrible one that will NEVER work. Therefore it's hilarious that he hasn't been fired already.

[KnicksScholar24]

The only way we are getting Artest without Lee is if we take on all of their bad contracts.

Please stop posting. Thanks.

[hustlenflow]

The fact that Thomas still has the freedom to make anymore trades to hinder the future of this team is amazing. If so Dolan must be an even bigger joke than I thought.

If he's not dumping salaries and adding draft picks he should have no right as GM. Anyone can see he has no vision, and if he does it's a terrible one that will NEVER work. Therefore it's hilarious that he hasn't been fired already.

QFT. This whole thing is just one big joke.

Keep piling on top of this heap of garbage. We know Artest will mesh real well with Randolph and Steph.

A man with no vision trading away our best young assets for mindless headcases whose real value comes in a high risk/high reward situation on a team that needs a defensive piece to put them over the top.

I didn't realize we were in that boat.

[duetta]

The big point to keep in mind here is that the Knicks big problem at this moment is still Curry-Randolph. Hence, nothing changes until that situation is resolved. Artest does nothing to fix Curry-Randolph. On the other hand, if you can deal Randolph in a 3 way that brings Artest to the Knicks, you actually have a front-court that makes some sense.

[GONYK]

The funny thing about this is this whole thread is based on an article from the Sacramento Bee that was reporting on past talks between the two teams. Nowhere did it say this was recent, or even still in progress.

But, I'll add to the mayhem. I don't think we will trade for Artest. There is just no point to it now, especially when we can make a real run at him in the summer. No point in giving up assets for a ticking bomb.

If Isiah does trade for him, then it means he still thinks we are in win mode, and I'll have no choice but to despise him and cry myself to sleep each night.

[StutterStep]

Marbury, Balkman, Robinson, Morris

for

Miller, Thomas, Artest

That's a horrible trade.

We give up 3 young players.

Take back longer contracts, and have to re-up Artest or else he walks.

[GuyverADL]

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Please stop posting. Thanks.

Artest would be the best player on the team if he came here without a doubt. You think Geoff is going to give him away .

Sacramento owns their draft pick like we do. If they make the playoffs fine if they dont they get a lottery pick its a win win situation.

The only reason I say grab Artest now is because by the time he gets back we will be in a huge hole that even he cant get us out of. We finish the season strong with a top 5 lottery pick regardless. You get Artest while he is injured. Plus he has been making it known he is opting out this summer.

Us taking on Miller and Thomas doesn't even hurt us.

Thomas needs to get something done with Miami or New Jersey.

Ideally we do

Randolph, Rose, Collins, and Morris

for

Davis, Blount, Cook, and a lottery protected draft pick

Its time to dump the young scrubs before they pull a Frye.

Balkman and Robinson are expendable in my eyes.

[sackings916]

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We do have the upperhand in that we have an upcoming lotto pick plus a core of young players that are very tradable. Artest just had surgery and the only way the Kings get value for him is to S&T in the off-season to a team looking to pay him 10million plus.

Name that team...

How'd you get to this conclusion? Where did 10 million plus come from? I really doubt Artest demands that much. Kings have his bird rights so we have that advantage in resigning Artest to a long term deal which is a good option for the Kings if he cannot be traded for something that will benefit our future.

[moocow007]

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Reinstate yourself.....

then ban yourself again.

[moocow007]

The big point to keep in mind here is that the Knicks big problem at this moment is still Curry-Randolph. Hence, nothing changes until that situation is resolved. Artest does nothing to fix Curry-Randolph. On the other hand, if you can deal Randolph in a 3 way that brings Artest to the Knicks, you actually have a front-court that makes some sense.

Yeah I agree.

[StutterStep]

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How'd you get to this conclusion? Where did 10 million plus come from? I really doubt Artest demands that much. Kings have his bird rights so we have that advantage in resigning Artest to a long term deal which is a good option for the Kings if he cannot be traded for something that will benefit our future.

If Artest opts out, the market value for him starts at about 10million per year. You either pay him that, let him go to a team with cap space, S&T him or watch him play for the MLE elsewhere.

You have no leverage when it comes to this Artest situation. I am not saying the Knicks will get him, but Artest is going to ask for and get that type of contract.

[Ballings7]

let him go to a team with cap space

Yeah... not happening:

Teams that Could Get Under the Cap, but Probably Won't

Charlotte
Charlotte has a base payroll of about $43.0M next year. (I don't know Matt Carroll's exact salary but it's somewhere in the $3.5M range.) If you add in about $2.4M for a number 8 draft pick, the cap figure jumps to $45.4M. This payroll figure does not include the salary of Okafor. Okafor is a free agent with a cap hold of $13M (the max salary). Okafor will almost surely get resigned, probably for something in the $9-12M range. If he doesn't get resigned, or if somebody else offers more money and Charlotte declines to match, then Charlotte could end up with about $13M in cap space.

Chicago
Chicago has a projected payroll next year of about $41.5M. (I can't find the exact breakdown of Nocioni's new contract, but I know it's 5 years, $35M, so I'm assuming $6.5M next year.) That salary figure does not count Deng and Gordon who are free agents. However, their cap holds are huge: $9.9M for Deng and $13M for Gordon. So the Bulls are well over the cap until they make a decision on both players. Conceivably, the Bulls could sign Deng for something in the $8M range (like C.Butler and J.Howard) and then renounce Gordon and have about $8M in cap space. Chances are, they'll resign both players and they'll have no cap space. Note: Khryapa is also a free agent but I'm assuming he'll be renounced if necessary.

Golden State
Golden State has a projected payroll of $47.2M. Baron Davis has a player option, but since his salary is $17M and nobody else figures to offer him anything near as much, I don't see Davis exercising that option. Andris Biedrins is a free agent and Golden State will surely resign him. His cap hold is $7.9M and his likely salary will probably be in that range as well. That pushes Golden State up to a salary of $55M or so. They also have to fill out their roster with minimum salary vets and draft picks, which should add another $3M at least. Basically, if Golden State unwisely renounces Biedrins, they'll have about $8M in cap space and a 6-man roster with no MLE or LLE available. I don't see that happening. Monta Ellis is also a free agent but his cap hold is just $750K.

L.A.Clippers
The Clippers will have a payroll of $53.2M if they renounce Livingston. They'll have to add a draft pick and 3 minimum salary vets to get to an 11-man roster so that means a payroll of about $56M, which means no effective cap room. However, Brand and Maggette have player options. They are due $16.4M and $8.4M respectively. I seriously doubt Brand will exercise his option given that he makes a ton and is coming off an injury. Maggette might be more inclined to do so, but I doubt it. If Maggette does exercise his option, the Clippers could have about $10M in cap space.

Washington
Jamison is a free agent and Arenas is opting out. That leaves Washington with a payroll of $42.1M. Add in a cap hold for their draft pick and a minimum salary vet and it's about $44M, giving the Wizards about $14M in cap room. However, it is highly likely that both Jamison and Arenas will resign, rendering the Wizards over the cap. (Note, the cap holds for Arenas and Jamison are easily enough to keep them over the cap. The Wizards would have to renounce both Jamison and Arenas to have cap room. That's not happening.)
One interesting wrinkle is that there is the potential that Etan Thomas retires because of his heart condition. If he does, his $6.8M salary comes off the books. If Etan departs, Jamison is renounced, and Arenas resigns for a somewhat low figure of about $12M, the Wizards could have about $8M in cap space.


Teams that Could Get Under the Cap, and Probably Will

Seattle
Seattle has a cap figure of $53.7M which jumps to about $57.2M if you add in the cost of a #4 overall draft pick. They have no significant free agents that they would be looking to resign. They do have a boatload of draft picks and a handful of players on relatively short contracts whom they might be able to unload at the trade deadline. Wilcox is certainly movable, and dumping his $6.75M salary would put them under the cap. Guys like Ridnour and Watson ($6.5M and $6.2M respectively) are reasonably effective players whom they might not be able to dump outright, but they could probably bribe someone to take off their hands if they sacrifice one or two of Phoenix' first round picks.


Teams that Will Be Under the Cap

Atlanta
Atlanta has a projected payroll of $39.9M. They traded their pick to Phoenix so they won't have a high pick to tack onto their cap figure. Their cap figure does not include Josh Smith, Josh Chidress or Anthony Johnson, all of whom are free agents. Josh Smith will almost certainly be resigned. Interestingly, his cap hold is only $6.7M, which is likely to be less than his future salary. If Atlanta operates quickly, they may be able to grab a free agent before resigning Josh Smith and having to utilize his new salary for his cap number. Chidlress's cap hold is much higher: $10.9. His cap hold puts them over the cap. If the Hawks renounce Childress, their cap figure will be $46.6M, giving them $11.5M in cap space. If they sign him to a modest deal of about $4M, they'll have $7.5M in cap space. If they renounce both Smith and Childress, they'll have $18M in cap space.

Philadelphia
Philadelphia's projected payroll is just $34.6M, but that doesn't include Iguodala and their draft pick. Iggy's cap hold is roughly $8.4M, which is probably what he'll cost as a free agent. Their draft pick will cost about $2M. Their payroll next year should therefore be about $47M, giving them $11M in cap room. However, they will probably make a move to dump Andre Miller by the trade deadline. If they can unload him for expiring contracts, they'll add another $10M in cap room. Louis Williams is also a free agent, but his cap hold is just $750K. They should have plenty of breathing room to make a free agent acquisition, and then turn around and sign Williams using Early Bird rights.

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic. ... 16&start=0

Considering the teams situations, players, offensive options there. Things have to change significantly with certain teams. In order for it to be more than Seattle, Philly and Atlanta. All of which are non-options for Ron to sign with for obvious reasons.

You have no leverage when it comes to this Artest situation.

The Kings can offer him the most money in a few ways.

1. re-signing him to a deal more than what he's been making

2. S/T with a new deal to somewhere else

3. Opting in to his contract for the final year (9 million).

1 and 2 being at least average possibilities. Really though, it's up in the air what will happen.

Everybody else can just offer the MLE. If he is going to settle for it, I think it'd be with a set playoff team. Then, with those teams, they have to want him, and have a spot for him.

Probably not with a Knicks team that would be at best, a playoff contender next season. With issues still being there that need to be addressed. Chandler and Balkman would be pushed to the bench for multiple years. Ron also doesn't fit in offensively with who else is already on the team.

The NY connection is there, but that's it, really.

Overall there's just a small amount of places that fit at all, for Ron to go to.

[StutterStep]

Ballings7: Nice post. But at the end of the day, explain to me the leverage the Kings have when it comes to Artest, which is what I have stated all along -- NOT that he is coming to the Knicks.

If his salary next year is 9million if he does not opt out, then chances are he is looking for 10million per year for at least 5 years, right?

Unless the Kings start talking that or BETTER, then they have no leverage.

[FutureKnicksGM]

Dont trade for Artest now. Getting Artest will just worsen our draft pick, if he is healthy. If not healthy we trade away young players just so Artest can sit in a suit. Wait until the offseason to try and sign Ron (MLE ).

[Knick 4ever]

I really don't care who we trade for, the Knicks will continue to be a very bad team until Crawford and Curry are gone.

[AirPaden]

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If you read closer...he writes He will be shot...he didnt say he was doing the shooting. But I agree, if Lee is traded, thats the last straw for Isiah.

He said "Isiah will be shot" He further stated." And I am not kidding"

Once again I know that he is not serious, but what he wrote can be taken the worng way. Furthermore, he was implying that he will be shot. Which begs the question who will do the shooting? Hmmmn, a murder mystery. jokingly.