http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/8168735/ian-oconnor-new-york-...
Chose Jason Kidd (DWI btw) and Raymond Felton over international phenomenon Jeremy Lin. I don't know how you turn your back on and get nothing for the 23 year old kid who shot MSG stock through the roof and saved the season essentially while Melo and Stoudemire were out. Good move Dolan, you don't want to pay $25 mill over 3 years...say goodbye to hundreds of millions in endorsements, marketing buzz, etc.
He played what... 20 good games in his whole career. I know Dolan sucks but I would be pissed if the Cavs wasted that kind of money
The third year on that contract is a poison pill. If the Knicks keep their core players (Stoudemire, Anthony, Chandler), Lin's third year salary would push them over the cap into the luxury tax. That would cost them close to $30 million that year.
That said, the commercial appeal and marketing opportunities that the Knicks would have with Lin would easily offset that amount.
For the first time in forever the Knicks aren't overpaying a player based on a small sample size. It's the right move for the money (This is the first time you can say this about the Knicks in forever), but there is a 500% chance it comes back to bite them.
I agree with the posters too much money for a small sample size. It will be interesting to see if Lin will be a star or an NBA Scott Mitchell
I am a Knicks fan and TRUST ME this franchise is frustrating to root for....at the same time this is the first financially intelligent situation they made in a while....$30 million in year three for Jeremy Lin? Are you freaking kidding me?
Felton wants to be in NY and for $3 million a year is a nice pick up to run the offense with Kidd playing 15-20 minutes or so a game.
The Knicks' problem is that Amare just doesn't fit. With Chandler up front and a desire for Melo to play more of a post up game a la LeBron down the stretch this year, there is no place for Amare.
im not a knicks fan, spending that much money on lin (if you are truly focused on winning, and not endorsements)is silly. the combo of felton and kidd is better than lin and more cost effective.
mark may wins douchebag of the year... again
The only way to save the Knicks is to bring back Stephon Marbury.
I think this was a no-brainer move.. International marketing is important, but not as important as wins. This move made obvious basketball common sense. They would have to pay $30 million in the third year of Lin's deal due to luxury tax. You're trying to tell me Lin is worth $30 million because he had 2 good weeks of basketball and people like him in China?
EDIT: i see Alex has beat me to the punch on most of my points, but i will keep my post for emphasis. Also, I agree that Amar'e is a bad fit. Somebody like Pau Gasol would flourish with the Knicks
Lin benefited from Dantoni's style of offense. He won't be as successful without him. Smart move by the Knicks.
Fan of bacon since 1981
Marketing isn't as important for a team like the Knicks anyways being in NYC. If they win, the city will sell the team (just ask the Yankees). Matsui helped the Yankees marketing, but it isn't like they suffered too much when he moved on.
They just turned their back on their #1 marketable asset....better than Melo, better than the player formerly known as STAT. He "saved" their season when it looked like they were out of the playoffs. It won't be $30 mill when they move Amare's contract the summer before that season (therefore, there won't be a luxury tax). The loss of revenue and international $$ is a lot more than the $25 million contract by the Rockets. They were set to match at 3 years/$19 mill...so $6 million is too much?
Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd combined are going to wind up costing them 1/3 of what Lin would've cost them. For a team already in a financial mess adding one more bad contract to that is a bad idea. Nobody really knows how Lin's going to turn out as a player anyhow. I'll root for him to do well and he certainly showed he can play...but let's give other teams a full year to play him, scout him, figure out his tendencies etc. Not worth the huuuuuuge amount of money they'd have to pay in luxury tax by the third year to take a risk on a largely unproven player. These are the types of deals they were criticized for actually making in the past.
Isn't the party that has the most to lose in the endorsement department Jeremy Lin himself? Don't get me wrong; he's probably smart to take the guaranteed money. But let's be real: Lin could have had the exact same 25 games in Portland or San Antonio or Milwaukee, and it's not a story anywhere outside those cities. Those of us who remember September 1998, when the New York media prematurely put Shane Spencer in the Baseball Hall of Fame, will be familiar with this phenomenon.
The most "loud mouth, disrespect" poster on 11W.
You should read up on the new CBA rules and the new progressive luxury tax model and basically repeat offender taxation that Lin would push them into with that contract. They would drop something like over 30 million on just his 3rd year ALONE. That means you're paying more than any PG in the league is worth type money to have him on your team simply because of a huge fad that took place for 1/3 of a shortened season.
@Chuck
I can completely gaurantee you that Lin would've much rather stayed in NYC. Everyone in the world was saying there's no way the Knicks were going to let him go so he went ahead and signed the big deal fully assuming, like we all did, that the Knicks were going to match.
@Bolt - The Knicks could have gotten ahead of this and just offered him 3 or 4 years for $20 to $24 million and not have had it backloaded. Instead, they bluffed and figured no one would offer him something too ridiculous. They're turning their back on him and getting nothing in return. His worth way more than this $788K he got last year.
Better than Melo??? Why, because he played well for 1/3 of a season...while leading all PG's in turnovers. Lin def provided a much needed jolt and was a media darling, but you can't fault an organization for being unwilling to give so much money to an largely unproven player.
Would you rather have Lin for 3 years 25 mil or Omer Asik for the same amount? NBA free agency is crazy, everyone overpaying.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/jeremy-lin-knicks-james-... (wow, sorry...very long link)
Was not about the money...Dolan is just a butt-hurt loser. Say they match and it doesn't work out like they want...you know how many expiring contracts they'll have entering '14-'15? Melo, Amare, Chandler to name 3. Know who wants expiring contracts? Teams trying to clear cap space. It would be easy to move one or more of those contracts (including Lin's) which would clear the Knicks of the luxury tax limit.
Your PG's are Fat Felton and a 39 year old Jason Kidd and (maybe) some 35 year old with less NBA experience than Lin. They're letting THE basketball sensation of the year walk and getting NOTHING in return. They told Lin to test the free agent market. They didn't offer when they could have. Now, Dolan is "betrayed" because Lin played free agency the way it's supposed to? Why is he shocked the Rockets upped their deal after they publicly said they would match the original offer? So dumb.