1.    Deron Williams: Unrestricted/Brooklyn Nets

Apr 14, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) brings the ball up court during the second half against the Boston Celtics at the Prudential Center. The Celtics won 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Indeed the only way this could ever happen would be in trade iinvolving Carmelo Anthony. Although I believe in Anthony’s talent (when motivated) he just not the right “fit” for the personnel in New York. Just like Phil Jackson stated, Amar’e Stoudemire (and the rest of the Knicks) are geared to play in a certain way—a more up-tempo way.

Obtaining Williams would allow the Knicks to run a more efficient offense, one that will see Stoudemire produce All-Star numbers once again.  While in Brooklyn, the Nets’ front office could build a team around Anthony properly with their available cap space.

2.    Steve Nash: Unrestricted/Phoenix Suns

An acquisition that makes a lot of sense, especially since Nash lives in New York during the summer and has recently stated he would definitely consider coming to the Big Apple. If Nash came to the Knicks, he could probably figure out a way for both Anthony and Stoudemire to be utilized productively on offense.

On the flipside, how can the New York brass convince Nash to take less money (with only a mid level exception as a bargaining chip) to play for the Knicks when he could get a lot more money from another contender.

Along with this, Nash would be a short term fix at point guard with Nash being able to play at a high level for probably two more years. The Knicks will be scrambling for a playmaker once again.

3.    Goran Dragic: Unrestricted/ Houston Rockets

April 21, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Goran Dragic (3) lays in a shot against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

Steve Nash’s protégé back in Phoenix is oozing with potential—first witnessed in his amazing fourth quarter performance against the Spurs in 2010 playoffs.  Since then Dragic has shown that he’s more than a undersized two guard, but can actually run a team with his leadership in Kyle Lowry’s absence this season for the Rockets. Dragic has shown he can start in the league on the Knicks he would be a younger option that is more than capable running the offense in the city that never sleeps.

4.    Ramon Sessions: Unrestricted/ Los Angeles Lakers

The combo guard is versatile at either guard position. He can score off the dribble and live in the paint just like Lin while also facilitating and getting his teammates involved. I still believe Session still has room to grow and would be a nice addition to the Knicks providing scoring punch and stability at the point guard position.

5.    Raymond Felton: Unrestricted/Portland Trail Blazers

Two year’s ago Felton had great success with the Knicks and can do it again if he’s back at the Garden. This is because he will have something to prove. He would  motivated to show his season in Portland was an anomaly and he will come back to the Knicks’ in better shape and ready to get this team into the playoffs.

Feb. 19, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Steve Novak (16) and New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin (17) react during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 104-97. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

The decision was a surprising and unexpected one; many felt that the NBPA had little shot of winning the case. However, the Knicks aren’t in the clear yet, as the NBA has announced it will appeal the decision. Details are still emerging as to what the next plan of action will be, but in the meantime, the decision is still in favor of the Players Union.

If the decision doesn’t get reversed (it so will, because it’s the Knicks and it’s David Stern and that’s just what happens), then this is great news for the Knicks. By earning Early Bird Rights to Lin and Novak, the Knicks can re-sign both of them without having to dip into their mid-level or biannual exceptions. Lin and Novak have both expressed great interest in returning to the Knicks, but were hesitant to hint at a definite return since money was a concern.

Likewise, if the decision holds (we’ll operate under the assumption that it will, for now), this could directly impact J.R. Smith’s decision to opt in or out of the final year of his contract. The MLE gives the Knicks about five million dollars to sign another player, so Smith may choose to opt out in hopes that the Knicks would give him a larger portion of the MLE. Likewise, the biannual exception could be used to lure a veteran who’s unwilling to settle for the vet.’s minimum.

This year’s free agent class is full of point guards, and if the Knicks are indeed able to keep their MLE while re-signing Jeremy Lin, then they could have plenty of options. Steve Nash may still out-price the Knicks, but other options could be Raymond Felton, Kirk Hinrich, Jason Kidd, or Ramon Sessions.

The Knicks’ frontcourt could use help too, but with Josh Harrellson and Jared Jeffries likely in the fold, the Knicks might not want to commit money to a backup big, because Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler all command so much playing time. Whatever position the Knicks draft could be an indicator as to what types of players they’ll target in free agency.

However, another obstacle remains regardless of how the NBA’s appeal goes. CBA expert Larry Coon noted on Twitter that giving a contract of over three million dollars to a free agent will put the Knicks in the hard cap for the season. One of the CBA revisions during the lockout has made the tax punishments extra severe for teams who exceed the salary cap. Then again, we are also talking about James Dolan’s money, and he tends to not care very much about what he spends on the Knicks.

Perhaps if the Knicks wanted to sign a player to the full MLE and avoid paying the hard cap, they could try to move Toney Douglas or Jerome Jordan for another pick. However, if they were to move into the first round, that pick would also count against their cap for a similar amount of money, so it may not make much of a difference.

There are questions and opportunities abound on this decision and what remains in the Knicks’ future, but as Howard Beck noted: this isn’t over yet.

The title of this post could’ve also been “Which Is Worse For You: Eating seven double whoppers a day for the next 10 years or 30 seconds of gasoline chugging.” But thankfully we’re discussing backup point guards instead of first or second scoring options. Things could be worse. (more…)

The Bucks have seven days to match.

I think the 5 years might be enough to lock him up, as the Bucks only wanted to go 4. So we’ll see how it all shakes out. I’m really high on Sessions and like a PG combination of Sessions/Duhon.

Point Guard void filled?

If Lee does indeed resign he’ll sign for less then what he wanted this offseason but that’s how it goes in today’s economy and Lee needs to take it.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind Lee takes the Knicks offer, unless his agent ruins this deal and gets Lee to take more money from Portland to come off the bench.

Lee is guaranteed a starting role here, why leave it to go to a team and play a maximum of 20 minutes every night?

He's bacckkkk?

And some more good news! When I woke up today I didn’t think there’d many updates to this dreadful offseason..I was wrong!

Gery Woelfel’s twitter is reporting that the Knicks are going to offer Ramon Sessions the MLE contract.

What a huge upgrade over Andre Miller this would be. I’d love to see a Sessions/Duhon rotation at the point and if we could somehow pull of Sessions long term this team is right back in the thick of things if Chandler/Gallinari work out.

Perhaps there is hope for this team?