Quote:
Originally Posted by MaTH716
I think the problem is that he would have ended up with the crosstown (or soon to be) Nets. That would have been a disasterous step back for an organization trying to move forward after a beyond horrible past decade. It's a move that will most likely help this team move forward, generate more excitment around the team and appease a fan base that has started to come back.
As far as if they gave up too much, they probably did. But I think it was necessary because if push came to shove, I really believe that he would have accepted the trade to the Nets so he could get the new extention before the possible new CBA. I think I heard the number being somewhere close to 60 million if he didn't sign it this season. I can't imagine him leaving that much money on the table when he had the opportunity to play for a team in the same area.
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There was no shot of him signing with the Nets. This isnt baseball where a team like the Yankees can just blow everyone out of the water. The deal he would have signed as a FA is going to be the same regardless of where he went. HE wanted to be traded because he makes more money resigning as a member of a team than as a unrestricted FA. DENVER wanted to trade him because they did not want to wind up like Cleveland. But seriously do you think the Nets would have made a deal for him if they had no guarantee that he would resign with them? The Russian simply played his hand as well as possible by bluffing the crosstown rivals into giving up too much.
I am a Knick fan. I will root for him. But the fact is that he was coming to NY regardless and he could have come to a team that is a lot better than the team he will play on.