Knicks · Free agents....... (page 1)

Of course, we also haver Rautins in the wings.

Any other FA's we can look at that went undrafted?

Knicksfan wrote:Greg Smith

Think I saw him linked to the Heat.

dodger78 wrote:Ben Hansbrough has signed an one-year contract for the German new-comer team of Bayern Munich (better known for its soccer team). Im a happy camper since this is my town. The team also is supposed to sign Matt Howard.

I really liked Ben Hansbrogh and can't believe he wasn't drafted. I'm just 60 minutes or so N. of you ;-)

I think he would make a great backup pg to groom.

earthmansurfer wrote:

dodger78 wrote:Ben Hansbrough has signed an one-year contract for the German new-comer team of Bayern Munich (better known for its soccer team). Im a happy camper since this is my town. The team also is supposed to sign Matt Howard.

I really liked Ben Hansbrogh and can't believe he wasn't drafted. I'm just 60 minutes or so N. of you ;-)

I think he would make a great backup pg to groom.

Seriously?! Where are you from? I'm really looking forward to the coming season the whole basketball project in Munich and its impact in the coming years is pretty interesting to follow.

Knicksfan wrote:Greg Smith

CrushAlot wrote:

Knicksfan wrote:Greg Smith

+1. I am not sure but I read on Netsdaily that last year the team(Nets) gave a couple of players partially guaranteed contracts, $50,000 and sent them to their d-league affiliate. I believe the way that they did it it didn't cause them to give up a roster spot.

yup, it did happen, and I hope the Knicks do the same.

dodger78 wrote:

earthmansurfer wrote:

dodger78 wrote:Ben Hansbrough has signed an one-year contract for the German new-comer team of Bayern Munich (better known for its soccer team). Im a happy camper since this is my town. The team also is supposed to sign Matt Howard.

I really liked Ben Hansbrogh and can't believe he wasn't drafted. I'm just 60 minutes or so N. of you ;-)

I think he would make a great backup pg to groom.

Seriously?! Where are you from? I'm really looking forward to the coming season the whole basketball project in Munich and its impact in the coming years is pretty interesting to follow.

Well, I'm born in Brooklyn (lived there till 14 and visited all I could up to my 20's) and for the last 9 years Nürnberg is my home. Kind of odd, Brooklyn was the most violent city in America when I was a kid and now I'm in the most peaceful city in Germany.

I did see a German basketball game a few years ago but totally forget what league it was. They weren't bad and had a few American players on there.

martin wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

Knicksfan wrote:Greg Smith

+1. I am not sure but I read on Netsdaily that last year the team(Nets) gave a couple of players partially guaranteed contracts, $50,000 and sent them to their d-league affiliate. I believe the way that they did it it didn't cause them to give up a roster spot.

yup, it did happen, and I hope the Knicks do the same.

It's great what they did. Also include what other teams did in the draft. There were other picks available (for just cash, albeit not lots) and for a team with no team we really should have bought more, even if they amount to just assets. I don't understand how this team operates at times. We have to be creative and $$ is a great way to start.

earthmansurfer wrote:

martin wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

Knicksfan wrote:Greg Smith

+1. I am not sure but I read on Netsdaily that last year the team(Nets) gave a couple of players partially guaranteed contracts, $50,000 and sent them to their d-league affiliate. I believe the way that they did it it didn't cause them to give up a roster spot.

yup, it did happen, and I hope the Knicks do the same.

It's great what they did. Also include what other teams did in the draft. There were other picks available (for just cash, albeit not lots) and for a team with no team we really should have bought more, even if they amount to just assets. I don't understand how this team operates at times. We have to be creative and $$ is a great way to start.

well, to be fair, how many second rounders can you buy and who would you drop from the current roster to make room?

Definite to make team:

1 Billups
2 Fields
3 Shumpert
4 TD
5 Melo
6 Amare
7 Turiaf
8 Shawne Williams
9 Josh Harrellson

Maybes:
10 Derrick Brown
11 Billy Walker
12 Anthony Carter
13 Jerome Jordan
14 MLE signing?
15 maybe d-league target like Crittenton? Jeff Foster?

I would almost move Derrick Brown, AC, Jerome Jordan into the definite category and that rounds to 12. MLE signing moves it to 13.

Do you cut Billy Walker?

Who would you freely throw away $1M on that you like well enough AND you think has a chance to stick on the team? Knicks are in a different position than the likes of Golden State who can play mediocre bball for a couple of years, Knicks just can't do that.

Would love to take a flier on Tyler and let him merinate for 2 years, but can the Knicks really waste a roster spot on him while Foster, Aaron Gray and the like could be available and would provide much needed protection for Amare?

Josh Harrellson can come into rotation immediately and throw his body around. Perhaps Jerome Jordan too.

Have to always balance long term with reality of roster #s.

Knicksfan wrote:Even if ww wish we wouldn't, we have to count Balkman as one of the guys. I hope we can deal him somewhere but who will take it?

totally forgot about him. Roster space eater for sure.

I would take a chance on a guy like Jenkins over Carter though, if the oppty was there.

earthmansurfer wrote:Good points Martin. Though I liked what the Bulls did in drafting a European player and stashing him there for two years or so (they said).

I would take a chance on a guy like Jenkins over Carter though, if the oppty was there.

well that is an area that I do think the Knicks are negligent: drafting a player in the second round knowing full well that he would stay in Europe for a few seasons.

But I think this is all related to having long, established management at the top - euro scouts or staff in NY that solely had relationships with Euro teams is something that needed to be set up a long while ago to see any fruit. Establishing DLeague is a step in right direction for sure and hopefully an overseas base will follow.

earthmansurfer wrote:

dodger78 wrote:

earthmansurfer wrote:

dodger78 wrote:Ben Hansbrough has signed an one-year contract for the German new-comer team of Bayern Munich (better known for its soccer team). Im a happy camper since this is my town. The team also is supposed to sign Matt Howard.

I really liked Ben Hansbrogh and can't believe he wasn't drafted. I'm just 60 minutes or so N. of you ;-)

I think he would make a great backup pg to groom.

Seriously?! Where are you from? I'm really looking forward to the coming season the whole basketball project in Munich and its impact in the coming years is pretty interesting to follow.

Well, I'm born in Brooklyn (lived there till 14 and visited all I could up to my 20's) and for the last 9 years Nürnberg is my home. Kind of odd, Brooklyn was the most violent city in America when I was a kid and now I'm in the most peaceful city in Germany.

I did see a German basketball game a few years ago but totally forget what league it was. They weren't bad and had a few American players on there.

Now thats a nice little change! You should drop by for a game here one day once the season starts. The nice thing with Bayern Munich is, that it is a guarantee that they will field an interesting team next year!
If you want to see some good German basketball with crazy and peaceful fans you should def. try a game in Bamberg (which isnt too far away from Nürnberg either).

Nice to have some fellow Knicks fans in the country!!! Sometimes I feel like Im the only one representing here!!! ;-)

Martin - I thought we had great Euro scouts? I mean, that is in large part how we got Gallo. Really weird that we don't have one European player stashed there, just J. Jordon! Again, I just have to say that for a team with big pockets, they are cutting off their nose to spite their face regarding their ignorance of using every option available to improve. Not that I like how the Yankees overuse their money, but they are a great scouting overseas example.

Knicksfan wrote:Even if ww wish we wouldn't, we have to count Balkman as one of the guys. I hope we can deal him somewhere but who will take it?

You have to count Rautins, too, because he's under contract also. They can have fifteen guys on the roster, so right now it looks like this...

1. Guys under contract through next season and beyond...

1. Anthony
2. Stoudamire
3. Billups
4. Fields
5. Turiaf
6. Douglas
7. Walker
8. Rautins
9. Balkman
10. Shumpert (He's a first round draft pick so he'll stick)

Anthony and Amar'e aren't going anywhere and Billups will be off the team after next season. Fields and Turiaf are assets, so they won't be cut, and everyone else except for Walker counts for money past next offseason. These guys will all be here next season because the end-game is to clear space for Paul/Williams/Howard at 18 mill a year. If I assemble a depth chart from there it looks like this...

PG: Billups/Douglas/Rautins
SG: Fields/Shumpert/Walker/Rautins
SF: Anthony/Walker/Balkman
PF: Amar'e
C: Turiaf

This assumes taht Balkman and Rautins don't get playing time, and 2/3 of the roster is already filled out.

2. Everybody else

Harrelson
Jeffries
Anthony Carter
Jerome Jordan
Brown
Shawne Williams
Shelden Williams
Roger Mason
A possible 1-year center (Foster/Nazi Mohammed/Battie/Ratliff) for the MLE.

So if the end-game here is to create a depth chart and create as much cap space as possible...

I imagine that the most likely Scenario is that is that the mid-level one-year guy comes in as the starting center, and it's likely that Harrelson makes the team and is at least good enough to contribute as the 5th big. In a slightly better case, Harrelson's good enough to be the back-up center and Turiaf can spell Amar'e. I don't think Jerome Jordan makes the team without a summer league to look at him, but I'll be optimistic and put him on there.

The 1st ten, +
11. MLE Center Guy
12. Harrelson
13. Jerome Jordan

New Depth Chart

PG: Billups/Douglas/Rautins
SG: Fields/Shumpert/Walker/Rautins
SF: Anthony/Walker/Balkman
PF: Amar'e/Turiaf
C: MLE Guy/Harrelson/Jordan

That means I have a rotation, and I have three spots open if Jordan makes the team and two if I don't for second-round draft picks. I could sign Anthony Carter for one spot, which makes sense, and I know people want Shawne Williams again, but he's going to want more than a year and I don't think I'd give it to him.

I guess what I'm getting at is that there are a couple of spots open, so let's not act like there aren't any. Now, NY could have just not liked the prospects, and that's probably the accurate story.

Rautins, Walker, Brown, Shawne Williams contracts are all team options (i think) or something like that.

I think Harrelson and Jordan stick to team just because of circumstance.

Same with Shawne Williams. I think they WANT Brown to stick but am unclear if he wants to stay.

My guess is that the team also would like Anthony Carter to be around in case Billups has injury during year, but it is questionable if he wants NY.

NY does not have a knock down guard off the bench besides Walker, so he is questionable to come back.