04/19/24
July 17, 2012
Knicks Won't Match Offer for Jeremy Lin: The New York Knicks confirmed Tuesday evening they would not match the Houston Rockets' three-year, $25 million offer to Jeremy Lin. Earlier, two team sources told Stephen A. Smith that they wouldn't, and the Knicks store was suddenly missing all Jeremy Lin items. The sporting goods chain Modell's has 40,000 Lin items in stock. Mitch Modell said, "If Jeremy Lin leaves the Knicks, the discounted prices we will have will be Li-". No, I just can't do it.
posted by rcade to basketball at 01:16 PM - 8 comments
There are ways to avoid the luxury tax.
posted by tron7 at 02:57 PM on July 17, 2012
The Knicks would be stupid not to match.
Really? Lin's got less than a quarter of a season of pretty good basketball (minus the turnovers) in a system that is not New York's current one. Anthony's isolation game doesn't work with Lin's ball movement one, and they have two other veteran point guards on the roster now...not to mention what's going to happen in their locker room when Lin gets paid like that and some of the other vets are accepting small deals. I think they'd be crazy to sign the deal, even if they can spread the pain of year three across a number of years.
posted by dfleming at 05:47 PM on July 17, 2012
Yeah, it's too bad it happened, but I can't blame them for letting him go. Except they're the Knicks.
posted by yerfatma at 06:39 PM on July 17, 2012
Really?
The Knicks aren't going to be successful on the court with the current roster. With Lin getting 10 minutes a game they at least sell a shitload of jerseys.
Really, you think there isn't already locker room friction with Carmelo and Amare both needing to be number 1? The Knicks were much better as a team when Lin was forced to play due to injuries and the "superstars" were in suits.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:04 AM on July 18, 2012
At what point in the contract would you expect it to be untradeable? When the contract balloons it's an expiring deal anyway. Unless you think he's going to fall off a cliff, and I don't, you sign him just so that you don't lose the asset.
Anthony's isolation game doesn't work with Lin's ball movement one
I've been pleading with Carmelo his whole career to ease up on the iso so I'm not going to agree with you there. Carmelo in iso too often leads to contested jumpers. He's great at contested jumpers, maybe the best, but they are still a horribly inefficient way to generate points. It's a shame too because he's quick enough and strong enough to get to the rim almost at will but he just loves those tough jumpers. Anyway, I've always thought if he ever figured out he should be getting to the rim more he could live up to his sizeable potential and I think he would have a better chance of getting out of his comfort zone if Lin was a factor in the offense.
not to mention what's going to happen in their locker room when Lin gets paid like that and some of the other vets are accepting small deals.
Sheesh. If your locker room is that petty I don't think Lin is the problem.
posted by tron7 at 12:21 AM on July 18, 2012
Sheesh. If your locker room is that petty I don't think Lin is the problem.
I don't either, but with the huge, seemingly immovable contracts they have in place, Ithey've gotta work with them. The potential for a number of top-level stars to gel a little and make a playoff run or two is worth more to the franchise at this point than jersey sales. Adding to the discontent is not productive at this point.
Felton and Amare had some chemistry once. Anthony seemingly doesn't need chemistry to play the game, but if you can develop a secondary offence outside of contested jumpers, and have Chandler defending the basket, you have a playoff team.
posted by dfleming at 10:10 AM on July 18, 2012
Adding to the discontent is not productive at this point.
They just signed JR Smith, who is a chemistry disaster waiting to happen, and you're worried about Jeremy Lin's contract not going over well? I don't understand that at all.
Felton is interesting in that the one good year of his career came with the Knicks. *checks basketball reference* I changed my mind, his one good year wasn't even that good. So the Knicks are banking on Felton not playing like he has every year of his career. They are also banking on Jeremy Lin, a 23 year old, getting worse.
Even if you think Jeremy Lin doesn't work well with your team you match the deal and flip him for a piece you do want.
posted by tron7 at 11:57 AM on July 18, 2012
The Knicks would be stupid not to match. Was the large third year of the deal meant as a poison pill or were there CBA restraints (Arenas rule) that made the third year so large? I've seen it explained both ways.