Salvage value for Artest

[fimslim3]

Incorrect. 12.5% was under the old CBA. The new CBA puts raises at 10.5% for current teams and 8% for all other teams.

Yes, you are correct. Did you also conveniently leave out other parts of my post?

This has been said by every Knick fan about how every superstar would take a pay cut to come to NY. "They can make up the money elsewhere". Tell me again, how many times has that happened?

Again, I mentioned this before, Sprewell has gotten deal from And1. Larry Johnson picked up a deal with Spalding when he came to New York. MSG pays players for television ads as well as other deals.

Artest has also been asked by every reporter under the sun about wanting to play in NY. What exactly is he supposed to say? Should he say "No, the Knicks suck, I never want to play there" ?

He can say he doesn't want to play there, Lebron James said it, Kobe Bryant said it, Darko said it, 2008 draftee Nicolas Batum said it, Kurt Thomas said it, Paul Pierce said it, Tim Thomas said it, and Kevin Garnett said it. They all said they don't want to play for the Knicks. He could easily say, "I would play there." But he has genuinely said that he wanted to play there.

As for Webber: he expressed interest for a good amount of time while on the Kings and other times after the Kings signed him AND after they even traded him.

Again, I didn't say Webber never expressed playing in New York, I said, "Did Webber express continued interest to play in New York as often as Artest???

So can you answer that question, or will you spin it in some other direction?

[pillwenney]

If Ron is so clearly going to the Knicks, then stop offering trades and just wait for him to sign there.

[ICMTM]

He's not selling records if that's what you mean by making money outside of basketball. He's not a marketing icon. His shoe you can't even get at a Foot Locker. He's seems like an intelligent guy sometimes but not charismatic enough to sell a product. Actually Ron could probably sell some hungry man dinners....

Basketball wise he has NO leverage to force a trade to NY for the simple reason NY doesn't have anything attractive to trade. Why trade Artest for an expiring deal when he himself (if he opts out) would expire? IMO Balkman isn't as talented as anyone we already have. Basically this becomes David Lee for Ron Artest (just say no to that).

The only way Artest goes to NY is if you are trading away a top 3-5 lottery pick. The MLE, Lee, Balkman, or insert you New York dream here isn't happening.

[rpa]

Again, I mentioned this before, Sprewell has gotten deal from And1. Larry Johnson picked up a deal with Spalding when he came to New York. MSG pays players for television ads as well as other deals.

Again, how many took a paycut to COME to the Knicks?

He can say he doesn't want to play there, Lebron James said it, Kobe Bryant said it, Darko said it, 2008 draftee Nicolas Batum said it, Kurt Thomas said it, Paul Pierce said it, Tim Thomas said it, and Kevin Garnett said it. They all said they don't want to play for the Knicks. He could easily say, "I would play there." But he has genuinely said that he wanted to play there.

Bit different when it's the hometown team (as it is for Artest).

Again, I didn't say Webber never expressed playing in New York, I said, "Did Webber express continued interest to play in New York as often as Artest???

So can you answer that question, or will you spin it in some other direction?

Webber expressed interest in NY as often as reporters asked him about his interest in NY. Which basically means the same as Artest.

[Smills91]

Fimslim you've also never read the quote where Ron said he wanted to retire a King. Those were the actual words out of his mouth. The quotes you're basing your argument off of, is that he could fix the knicks, he'd wouldn't mind being dealt to NY which are all based off of questions that NY reporters have asked him and they've manipulated his comments. Sacramento reporters have asked Ron, how do you like Sacramento, and he says he loves it and wants to retire here. The motives behind the journalists are completely different as the NY media LOVES to mistrue, manipulate anything that fits their narrative as news.

[Smills91]

From Sam Amicks Blog: http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/

Ron-Ron (who's out 3-4 weeks) in NYC

First things first, Ron Artest wound up having five bone chips surgically removed from his right elbow today and will be out three to four weeks. That certainly can't help his trade value for the immediate future.
Now on another note...
As I noted on the recent New Jersey stop, Ron Artest is a wanted man in his hometown. Not only from the Knicks, but from the local media that always gets him to say something.
It didn't take long on this trip (which Scott Howard-Cooper is making while I take a breather). There's already a New York Post story on how Ron says he can fix the Knicks, and a New York Daily News piece that hits on Artest trade possibilities and has Knicks coach Isiah Thomas saying he doesn't expect his club to make any moves before the February trade deadline. I even became part of the Big Apple rumor mill recently, doing an interview with old friend Max Dickstein (a Sacramento native and sports editor at AM New York). Click here for a peek

The Artest-to-the-Knicks chatter is just like the city with which most of the talk originates - it never sleeps. From everything I heard about the old talks between the Kings and Knicks, they always involved guys who the Kings weren't eager to get (Jared Jeffries) and never involved the guys they wouldn't mind having (David Lee or Nate Robinson). Renaldo Balkman has been offered in various deals as an alternative to Lee, but it's made no difference. Now not that it matters since the GMs will always be the ones making the deals, but I absolutely believe Ron would love playing in his hometown. He is a fan of Isiah Thomas from their Indiana days and remains strong in his support, and doesn't seem wary in the slighest bit about possibly joining the mess that has been made in the Untended Garden. If it doesn't happen via trade, though, I just don't see it happening. If Ron opts out this summer, the Knicks can only offer him the midlevel (approximately $6 million) and that would be a pay cut of about 20 percent at a time when he'd be looking to get a raise of at least that much. Until the future is known, don't expect this storyline to go away. - Sam Amick

As you can see this is a pretty accurate and level headed estimate of the on-going 'situation' of Ron going to NY. I especially enjoy the bolded portion. Mind you he's pretty informed and doesn't just write stuff to conjure up drama like the NY market does. He's a much more responsible reporter than anything you'd find in the NY Post, Times, Sun or Newsweek.

[King Baller]

I think fimslim3 is really Isiah Thomas

KB

[ICMTM]

Can we lock this now?

[KingInExile]

Can we lock this now?

I vote yes...this got pretty pointless long ago.