There are three ways teams can improve themselves, signing free agents, trades and through the lottery if the team is bad enough.
The 2010 off-season will be one of the most exciting in several years as many high profile free agents will be available. Although this off-season of 2010 is the “Summer of LeBron” it is also the summer Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Redd, Amare Stoudemire, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson each of whom can become an unrestricted free agent in 2010.
The Cleveland cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat and the New York Knicks have already made moves to free up salary cap money to land a free agent, preferably Lebron James and if re-signs with Cleveland they will take any number of the available free agents.
The biggest move the New York Knicks have made thus far is packaging Jordan Hill and Jared Jefferies and sent them to Sacramento Kings.
This move freed up nine million is salary cap salary in hopes of luring Lebron James to the big apple. Tracy McGrady’s nearly $23 million salary comes off the books July 1, as does Al Harrington’s 10 million contracts and Chris Duhon’s 6 million deals.
Overall the New York Knicks are 30 million below the salary cap and that is a lot of coin to sign free agents. Overall the New York Knicks are 30 million below the salary cap and that is a lot of coin to sign free agents. Nate Robinson was traded along with Marcus Landry to the Boston Celtics for Eddie House, J.R. Gibbons and Bill Walker.
The New York Knicks are putting the pieces together that will make them a contender if they sign a big time free agent. Knick’s president Donnie Walsh has put together several scenarios as contingency plans if Lebron James signs elsewhere and have little chance of landing Dwayne Wade, who seems pretty happy in South Beach, but they might try to get Atlanta’s Joe Johnson’s, figuring Atlanta could not match a Knick’s offer, and Toronto’s Chris Bosh.
Packaging David Lee and/or Al Harrington in a sign-and-trade deal if it might get two players of that caliber. Davis Lee’s play as of late may just keep his name out of trade rumors and keep him in a Knick’s uniform.
His 37-20-10 performance on April 2nd solidified his value to the Knickebockers. If they could sign a true center and move Lee to his natural position of big forward coupled with his tenacity, will make him a bigger fan favorite than he already is. Amare Stoudamire, will be a very interesting player to watch.
He flourished under D’Antoni’s system in Phoenix and a reunion would make the Knicks exciting. Stoudamire is a player that fits nicely into D’Antoni’s style of up and down basketball. There has been some rumors that Carlos Boozer is interested in the Knicks and with Carmelo Anthony available in 2011 the options seem to be limitless.
The Knick’s ultimate goal is to sign Lebron James and with $30 million in cap funds they can afford it. They have positioned themselves with trades and releases to lure Lebron to the Empire State. Regardless of whom they sign the Knicks will be a better team in 2010/2011 season.
The fans are excited about next season and this season has not ended. Can you imagine King James playing in the Mecca of basketball arenas, Madison Square Garden? Wall Street, 5th Avenue and Greenwich Village will be a buzz during the season and it will become the hardest ticket in town.
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