In a rather unlikely ruling, an arbitrator ruled in favor of Jeremy Lin, Steve Novak, Chauncey Billups and J.J. Hickson, giving all four players early Bird Rights to their respective teams after a hearing between the Player’s Association and the league.

For the Knicks, this decision was monumental. It allows the Knicks to sign Jeremy Lin, Steve Novak and Landry Fields to a maximum $5 million-per-year contract, all while perserving the team’s $3 million-per-year Mid Level Exception. If the league had ruled against the Bird Rights, the Knicks would not have been able to go over their salary cap to keep all three, leaving at least one player on the outside of their off-season plans looking in, and likely eliminating their Mid Level Exception all together.

Now, however, the Knicks have the ability to not only keep their young core together, they can add a veteran for above the league minimum ($1.4 million) and sure up the team’s depth.

While public perception views how the decision enables the team new flexibility with their efforts to re-sign Jeremy Lin, this ruling all but saves Steve Novak’s job in New York. If the team was put in a position where they had to choose between these three players, Novak was going to be the odd man out.

The Knicks picked Novak up off waivers before the start of the shortened 2011-12 season at a salary of $854k. He easily outperformed that contract, averaging career-highs in minutes (18.9) and points (8.8) playing exclusively off the New York bench. A career43.6% shooter from three-point land, Novak posted an NBA-best 47.2% last season, hitting several crucial baskets along the way.

The hard truth about Novak is that he is worth more than the vet minimum, but not as much as the $5 million ceiling he has. Instead, he was a player that could get near the Mid Level, a luxury the Knicks weren’t going to have before today due to the funds that would have to tie up in a Lin contract. Novak was likely going to walk as a free agent, right until the arbitrator released his surprise ruling.

Look, Steve Novak and his championship belt will not be the Knicks sixth man next season. Novak is a top eight rotational player with one elite skill (drilling 3s). He’s a very valuable piece, and a necessary piece for any team that dreams of making deep runs in the playoffs. He does give away a bit on defense, which is why it becomes hard to play him in certain crunch time situations. However, he is a player that thrived under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden and definietly morphed into a fan favorite over time. The team will still have holes they need to fill when or if they bring back Novak, but having him as a viable option again makes their off-season plans a little bit more clear.

Now, the question becomes…what do the Knicks do with the Mid Level Exception?

That decision could determine the type of success the team has next year.

After Game #1 it seemed like Mo Williams would be a Major X-Factor. After Game #2 and Rajon Rondo's defense, we're downgrading Mo to a mere Minor X-Factor. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

After last night’s game, it’s clear there are 5 Major X-Factors in the Cleveland Cavaliers/Boston Celtics playoff series, 3 Minor X-Factors, and 1 Under-Reported Straight-Out Factor.  What do I mean by Major, Minor and Straight-Out Factors?  Well, first a Straight-Out Factor versus an X-Factor is something you know is going to happen versus something that may or may not happen.  Like it’s obvious now that Rajon Rondo is a force who’s gonna bring it every night. Earlier in his career that wasn’t the case, and he was an X-Factor. Now he’s a Straight-Out Factor, but he’s an Over-Reported Factor (or rather a Justifiably-Frequently-Reported Factor), so we ain’t gonna go into him.

In terms of Major X-Factors or Minor ones, a Major one is a change that will effect the whole series, while a Minor X-Factor effects just one game.  For instance, Doc Rivers has said that he hopes Nate Robinson can come in at some point during the playoffs, get hot, and help them win that game.  However, Nate clearly isn’t gonna be a major X-Factor who’s gonna suddenly be a force who leads them to victory in every single remaining battle.  Honestly, I don’t even have him as a minor X-Factor, but who knows?

The Five Major X-Factors:

To read the rest, click here.

(source: Yardbarker.com) Like a little girl in puppy love, New York hopes we're the one LeBron's eyeing.

Seems ESPN has launched ESPN NewYork.com today and decided to promote it by rehashing the ol’ Will LeBron James Go To New York story.  There’s a surprisingly large amount of Nothing New, mixed in with Shameless Sensationalizing, Idiotic Conclusions Based On Personal Feelings, and just Awful Math.  That said, there were maybe a couple of Intriguing Bits to me, but it might all feel redundant to y’all.  Without further ado:

Idiotic Conclusions:

The worst part was where the sportswriters speculated the percent chance of LeBron going to one team or another.  Let’s start with Mark Stein saying there’s a 10% chance that LeBron will go to Dallas.  10%???  10% means 1 in 10!  You’re going out tonight and your choosing between your ten favorite restaurants — that gives each one a really good shot at being chosen.  Thankfully, of the four other Dallas writers, they all only gave it a 1-3% chance.  I like Stein’s writing a bunch, but his thesis his based on this you-can-substitute-LeBron’s-name-with-anyone statement:

I firmly believe LeBron likes the thought of playing with Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, trusts Mark Cuban to be an owner who will always spend whatever it takes to contend and loves the city of Dallas and Cowboys football

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Bosh revealed that he’s not necessarily interested in playing anywhere that he’s not the clear-cut franchise player.

“That’s a good question,” Bosh said when asked by ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher if he’s bothered by the widespread perception that he’s determined to follow either LeBron James or Dwyane Wade by signing on with one of the teams they choose starting July 1.

“It’s funny you say that, because I was thinking about it. I was just looking at what people say and it’s like, ‘Chris is going to go here and play with him or this, this and that.’ I’m like, ‘Wait a minute.’ I feel like I should be built around. And maybe that’s just my ego talking, but I feel that I’m a very good player in this league and I’m only going to get better. So … maybe we should be getting somebody [in Toronto].”

Bosh would probably be outta Toronto in a sec if one of the three teams in home state Texas were in the running

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