The Knicks have two weeks to sign David Lee to a contract extension, but his agent is unsure a deal can be completed by the Oct. 31 deadline.
The agent, Mark Bartelstein, said he had not had any meaningful discussion with the Knicks’ president, Donnie Walsh, since the start of training camp. Without an extension, Lee will become a restricted free agent next summer.
“I don’t know if I would use the word pessimistic,” Bartelstein said. “We haven’t had any discussions, so we haven’t really thought about it too much. David and I just decided he’s going to put his focus toward helping the Knicks win and recapturing the city of New York.”
Walsh said he wanted to keep Lee and Nate Robinson, who is also eligible for an extension, but he wanted more time to evaluate them. He said he planned to speak with Bartelstein and Robinson’s agents, Eric and Aaron Goodwin, next week.
Walsh described himself as “not optimistic or pessimistic” about the prospect of completing a deal.
“A lot of it is, what advantage do we get for doing it right now?” Walsh said. “I’ve seen three exhibition games. Before that, we won 23 games. So, it just depends.”
Lee said he was focusing on the season. “I feel like I’m playing great ball right now, I feel like our team’s got a chance to be good this year, and I think I’m going to be a big part of, hopefully, a year where the Knicks are going to the playoffs,” Lee said. “That’s really all I can worry about.”
The Knicks also have until Oct. 31 to pick up Wilson Chandler’s contract option for 2009-10. It is considered a certainty that they will.
