Even if they do strike out with the big guys (LeBron, Wade and Bosh), if they can add Joe Johnson and Amare and resign T-Mac and a couple of their guys, they`d still be reall good: Duhon Johnson T-Mac Amare Lee That`s pretty nice... you also still have Galinari and House, and they should still be able to sign another nice free agent. Perhaps not championship favorites, but they should still go deep in the playoffs...
It's either cap space or exceptions. If a team use cap space, then all their exceptions(MLE,Bi-Annual,Bird) go away. NY has to renounce David Lee to sign Amare and LeBron.
All I know is if LBJ does not sign there, he will get boo'd by NYK next season when he plays against them... in a Rockets' uniform. (jk, of course about the Rockets' uniform.)
Orlando in 2000 was in a same situation as the Knicks, except they were a winning team, with a record of 0.500, .660 and .550 for the past 3 seasons. They tried to sign Duncan and Hill. Hill was a relatively healthy player his whole career. In the 1999 playoffs, Hill played through an ankle injury and aggravated the injury. Hill made a verbal commitment to Orlando. It forced Detroit to do a sign and trade for Atkins and Ben Wallace in order to get some value back. Duncan was committed to Orlando, because he wanted to play with Hill. When Popovich found out, he went all out and convinced Duncan to stay. Orlando went after McGrady. Grant Hill never recovered from his ankle injury and the Magic went .524, .537, .512 for the next seasons. Their record was virtually the same as the previous 3 seasons. They never won a 1st round playoff series. NY needs to learn from Orlando and avoid injured players or injury prone players(Amare). Phoenix wouldn't even let other teams look at Amare's medical records at the trade deadline. NY needs to go after Bosh. If they can't convince Bosh to leave, they are screwed in chasing LeBron. LeBron won't leave Cleveland for David Lee. He's already going to the Finals. LeBron and David Lee would be a 2nd round exit at best. NY's dumbest mistake would be to sign Amare and Dwayne. They could be the Rockets of the East without the scrappy roleplayers to win. An injury to both stars would guarantee the Rockets get a lottery pick in 2011 and 2012.
Remember though, we dont want the knicks to tank too badly next year because of the protection on the picks.
Remember that microfracture only builds a thin layer of cartilage. I wouldn't be surprised if Amare barely has any cartilage left in his knee.
If McGrady keeps playing like he did last night, they will only be able to afford one superstar because he's going to want to get paid like a superstar. That won't leave much money to fill out that roster. Given his inability to stay healthy, that could be a huge disaster for NY. For them, everything hinges on Lebron. I don't think Wade would go there without him. He'd be better of staying in Miami or bolting for Chicago. NY would have to settle for Bosh, Amare, Boozer, Rudy Gay, etc. All nice players but not franchise guys.
Microfracture seems to be pretty hit or miss, but Amare's case like Jason Kidd it seems to be working really well. Amare though unlike Jason Kidd relies on his explosiveness, which I think will deteriorate significantly over the next few years -- so he will need to develop his post game and jump shooting.
I have a strong suspicion that Amare's knee will give out on him within the next season or two, so if I was an NBA GM with loads of cash to throw at someone, I would not even entertain the idea of signing Amar'e to more than a 3-year contract...and only after I've exhausted other venues (read Lebron, Wade and Bosh). That being said, I think Amar'e is most likely to land in NYC, I just don't think they will be able to get anyone else worthwhile. Assuming they can land Amar'e, Joe Johnson and re-sign T-Mac to something reasonable...would this be considered a 'successful' offseason for the Knicks? I am guessing this is Plan C for them.
