Vaccaro: LBJ Won't Play In New Jersey For $200M

[BrooklynBound]

That's stupid. No, Lebron wouldn't play in New Jersey for $200 mil over the tenure of the contract, but God forbid we had FINISHED UNAVOIDABLE plans to get into NY the next year he'd sure as hell sign and wait out the damn year for $200 mil.

I didn't make much of a point there, but neither does someone else throwing out generic numbers for something two years down the road making a prediction.

It sure is avoidable when the company that wants to build the arena has bonds rated as junk and is traded at under $4/share in a deflationary economy with a deficit-ridden NYC.

 

[VC Posterized Me]

It sure is avoidable when the company that wants to build the arena has bonds rated as junk and is traded at under $4/share in a deflationary economy with a deficit-ridden NYC.

I said unavoidable talking about what it looked like in 2010. I'm not making inferences in 2008 about what will happen in 2011 or even 2010. If I was that smart I wouldn't be posting on this board. A lot can happen in 2-3 years.

Here we are talking about how the Nets can't move because of the economy in the same breathe as we are talking about the biggest money spending orgy in NBA history to come in 2010 and a $200 million dollar contract. O yea, what good are Lebron's marketing deals going to be when all these companies stocks hit zero? If you are going to argue that NY has no money to spend, God knows what will happen.

 

[BrooklynBound]

If you are going to argue that NY has no money to spend, God knows what will happen.

NYC has no money to spend.

 

[essrog]

Mr. J:

These two statements of yours are hard to reconcile:

the Knicks have more cap space than the Nets. We have enough to sign 2 max players

and

the Knicks core: Lee/Robinson/Chandler/Gallo is quite solid

You'll have to choose between signing a 2nd max player OR signing Lee and Robinson -- no room for both options.

Also, Chandler and Gallo play the same position as LBJ (as does Jeffries), so even if you think they're comparable to the Nets core talent-wise, they're nowhere near as complimentary.

 

[Mr. J]

Mr. J:

These two statements of yours are hard to reconcile:


and


You'll have to choose between signing a 2nd max player OR signing Lee and Robinson -- no room for both options.

Also, Chandler and Gallo play the same position as LBJ (as does Jeffries), so even if you think they're comparable to the Nets core talent-wise, they're nowhere near as complimentary.

Though a lot can change in two years, as of now, the Knicks will have more cap space than the Nets in 2010: http://sportstwo.com/NBASalaries.php?#jump_NYK

If the Knicks can get rid of Curry then we will have more to work with. But that's a big if though. I think Lee is gone by the deadline anyway, so it doesn't really matter.

Gallo and Chandler might be labeled as "SFs" but both can play multiple positions. In fact, the Knicks drafted Gallo with hopes of converting him into a PF like Dirk. Chandler plays both frontcourt positions and a little guard. Knowing D’Antoni, I can see him using a lineup of:

PG: Whoever (Robinson?)
SG: LeBron James
SF: Wilson Chandler
PF: Danilo Gallinari
C: Whoever

Nate is similar to Mo Williams, who seems to be a nice compliment to LeBron. While Chandler is a versatile scorer and can take some scoring load off LeBron. Gallo is very skilled: he can handle the ball, shoot, and a good passer. At the very least, he should be able to keep the defense honest. I think those are nice compliments to LeBron. As for Jeffries, he can play any position in D’Antoni’s offense. But whether he pans out or not is the least of anyone’s concern. I doubt he has a future with the Knicks past his contract, if not sooner.

In a worse case scenario, if they don’t compliment LeBron, Gallo and Chandler can easily be traded.

 

[ly_yng]

The Nets are better than anyone thinks. They certainly have weaknesses, but they are going to surprise a lot of people and will be well positioned for a #4-6 seed next year.

Remember that the Nets are still trying to figure out how to play together. And, not counting the games where Devin Harris was injured, they are 5-2, including wins over Detroit, Toronto, and two over Atlanta.

I say the big known unknown in this whole theory is the Wade effect on Devin Harris. Unless you're LeBron or Dwight Howard, it's just not possible to keep up a ridiculous pace of 10 FTA/game without getting hurt.

So I suppose we'll see.