Keeping David Lee
We reported today that there is reason to believe that Donnie Walsh seems to be more in favor of trying to keep David Lee rather than shop the pending restricted free agent before the trade deadline.
The offers for him so far haven't been that great -- Denver and Portland both engaged -- and his production as a starter has been off the charts. We took him to task on his defense recently and I still stand by the opinion that he has more work to do in that department to fully earn his blue-collar label, but his offensive game has grown in leaps and bounds and he's just getting better and better as a rebounder and passer.
As we reported today, Walsh has told confidants he'd prefer to keep Lee and that he would have to be blown away by a trade offer to move him before the deadline. Mike D'Antoni and the coaching staff have a great appreciation for what Lee brings to the game and for what he can do in the system.
And, quite frankly, Walsh must be realizing he may not get anything close to Lee's value in a trade.
As far as fitting in his future contract -- $10M a year still may be a bit steep, but they should be able to find a more workable number over a long-term deal with, perhaps, an early opt-out -- the Knicks could still keep themselves relatively close to $40 million or so under the cap in 2010 if they can trade Eddy Curry, who right now takes up $11.2 million of the payroll in 2010-11. In fact, if the Knicks can re-sign Lee for $10 million or less and move Curry, they could save $1.2 million or more.
There is a small window where teams can start up extension talks, but it won't likely happen until after July 1.
The Knicks are committed to just four contract for about $23.4 million (rounded) in 2010-11. That includes Curry's $11.2M. You have factor the salary of a first-round pick -- where the Knicks sit right now, that could be a little over $2 million -- into the equation, of course, which raises the number to $25.4 million. Do the Knicks also re-sign Nate Robinson this summer? That's more money to add to the pile. And we can't forget about re-signing Chris Duhon in 2010, either.
How quickly it adds up.
* * * *
* - The other story of the day was Danilo Gallianri's participation in practice on Friday. He looked OK, definitely needs to get himself into game shape before we can even discuss a date for his return. We'll see later this morning how the back responded from the heavy workout.
The fact that he was running the floor hard, banging down low and driving hard to the basket against bigs such as Curry and Jared Jeffries was the encouraging part. His usually sweet jumper, however, was notably flat and off-target as the scrimmage went on, which is an obvious sign his conditioning is still not anywhere near game-level.
“Pshh, near but not so near,” Gallinari said. “This is the first day I was trying to do some four-on-four so I think I have to work a little bit.”
* - The Mavericks are still listening to offers for Jerry Stackhouse and on paper he might seem a good fit for the Knicks, who have a hole at SG. But Stackhouse is on the decline and scouts around the league say a player like him could be tough for D'Antoni to deal with, especially with the current makeup of the Knicks. D'Antoni is having enough trouble trying to get Al Harrington to pass the ball and convince him that Seven Seconds or Less isn't the amount of time he should take to dribble the ball and make a move.
The Charlotte Bobcats are still said to be shopping Raymond Felton. Larry Brown absolutely loves DJ Augustin. Felton is a solid PG, but perhaps more of a backup type right now.
* - Celine Dion performed at the Toyota Center last night and a convention for hair stylists opened here in town as well. Made for an interesting crowd at the hotel lounge, where a few of us hacks gathered to watch Cavs-Celtics and some of the Suns-Mavs game. Saw several husbands with priceless expressions as they trudged behind their wives off to the show. Probably seemed like a good idea to buy those Celine tickets for her at Christmas . . .
* - Knicks play Houston tonight off a back to back. The Rockets won in OK City...barely. The trend has been for Tracey McGrady to sit out the second game of back-to-backs and Rick Adelman said it will continue against the Knicks, as McGrady will rest his sore knee. Ron Artest (ankle) was out last night but might play. Remember, the Knicks haven't won in the State of Texas since Nov. 2004. That's a long drought.
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Comments (53)
Hey Alan,
Any idea, given the economy, whether the 2010 cap figure might drop? For example, if you looked at NBA revenues in today's dollars during the last big reccession and took the % of revenue going to the players you might be able to suggest a floor for the cap. I'm just wondering if Donnie's plans could get undone by a lowering of the cap number. Thanks for the good work.
Alan,
Good call. The Knicks will be able to sign Lee to his 10 million deal (thought that is probably more than he's worth) and extend Nate, since its looking like he's a mid-level at most guy at this point, if they trade Curry, and especially if they trade Curry AND Jeffries. Considering the yearly increase in the salary cap, if the Knicks trade Curry, you figure they will have about 16 million to spend on Nate and Lee and still be able to sign two stars.
DanL
http://www.knicksfan.net/?p=37
You dont think this is a way of boosting Lee's trade value in the market? Donny is a lawyer hes known to be clever like that
Thanks Alan, great to hear. I knew Walsh was smart enough to want to keep Lee. He's way to valuable to dump. If the Knix can sign him and still sign 2 other superstars in 2 years, they will have a solid team. Lee's don't grow on trees. He'd be a great 6th man.
Another thing Alan: did Nate's hamstring injury throw his show off? Seems something is still bothering his lift.
And do you know if the Knix have a chiropractor on staff or if Gallo gets treatments from one? I can't believe he has not healed faster.
DTR
TYPO FIX:
Another thing Alan: did Nate's hamstring injury throw his shot off?
THANK YOU:
Thanks so much Alan for getting rid of the nasty posts. This blog is superb now!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave
I think this is a way to increase Lee's value.
Donnie is too smart to not realze that come summer the Knicks have ZERO leverage to sign Lee or get anything of value.
If he really thinks he is so valuable he would be approaching his agent today to get an extension not waiting til the seasons end when Lee is a RFA.
while in houston, i highly recommend a visit to the menil collection, my favorite museum in america. your admission will include access to the cy twombley gallery across the street and the rothko chapel down the road. all that oil money bought some serious art.
I would deal Lee with out hesitation and would not give him 10 Million a year. Donnie will fall in the Knick GM trap of signing players to long term contracts that under deliver and under perform.
Why?????
Someone tell me that David Lee is a good or even average defender. He does not shoot well still and can't block shots and can't create by himself and needs the help of another passer. He is at times turn over prone with at least 90 percent of this roster. What he brings is what an average power forward can bring from the D League. He is not a keeper unless he excepts far less than what stupid teams are willing to pay him. This is why speaking as a Knicks fan we are a joke. We pay for players and I can name a team full of them that are jokes. Tinmen. Yet we continue to make them rich. We feel the losses and they go home an smile after a distrbing loss. This team lacks any direction and is disgrace to what the Knick in NBA should be.
Fact. We have been under .500 for a century it seems like and Donnie wants a player that has not shown much or all improvement than what we have seen and resign him. A .500 player???
I'm sorry for just venting...
Donnie is just driving up Lees value by saying that hes off the market, so that he can get teams to up their offers. Lee in my opinion is HORRIBLE at playing D all he does is raises his hands up and doesnt even Attempt to block a shot. JJ barera blew by nate in one instance and lee just stands there looking at him make a layup. Lee is also a HORRIBLE outlet passer, his passes are too weak, the 2 handed floater passes. However i do like his improvement on the offensive end albeit all he does is dunk and layup. I do not think he is worth 10 mil, id rather have kleiza and a pick
Amare Stoudamire is equally horrible as a defender, but D'A loved him, and he loves Lee. I saw the Suns-Warriors out here last year and the entire Sun team played matador defense, yet how many games did D'A win for 4 or 5 years with them?
Lee can improve his D with the right teaching. His outlet passes seem fine to me.
Alan, who teaches the Knix big men defense? Seems no one. Please report on that if u can.
DTR
Stoudamire is not as bad a defender as Lee. He is no all defensive team but he protects the paint.
Lee is so bad at defense that held Norwitsky to 10 pts. He is so bad that he leads the league in double doubles, rebounds and field goal percentage. I think we should trade him for a couple of draft picks. Maybe we can get another Frye or a Balkman. That's the ticket. As Donnie said, "I definitely want to keep Dave." The only thing holding it back was making sure they got the cap resolved.
Wow, you guys are so far off. David Lee is one of the best players on the Knicks roster, if not the best. The guy who said you can find a rebounder like him from the D League must be joking. If it's so easy why doesn't every other PF average as many rebounds as him? I live in Arizona and Amare plays just as bad defense. Lee is a better team defender. That doesn't mean he is going to stop a guard one-on-one, hardly any forwards in the league can handle the quickness of a good slasher. If they can sign him for 8 or 9 million that would be a great deal. Lee is no Eddy Curry.
Fire Walsh.
Nowitski was under the weather for the Knicks game. He had the flu.. the announcers said so before the game..
Being the best player on the knocks roster isnt saying much.. When you ahve a mediocre to poor team you try to trade your best player to get more chips so you can gert better.. You dont sign that player to a big contract which handicaps you frommaking other moves.
League Leaders in Double Doubles - 1.)Dwight Howard 2.)Chris Paul
...... 3.) David Lee ...yea go ahead trade him for spare parts...He's just as good as a D-Leaguer right?..brilliant...I don't want to hear "the system is inflating his stats" junk either, he's always been a double double waiting to happen, he's just finally starting to get the consistent minutes he deserved
If Walsh gives David Lee key player money 9-12MM a year any goal of getting not just under the cap but winning rings could be in jeopardy.
David Lee is a productive player but his worth in the open market has just as much to do with his current contract as it does with his production. Expectations are low with his current deal, the moment he actually gets a contract at market or above with a ascending pay scale for minum 5 years..the moment he inks the deal he will be a liability both on and off the court. He will have to be given carte blanche to prove he deserved the money ..so his minutes might at times be in conflict with team chemistry..and Walsh will be pushing for him to play to cover his own butt even if he flounders. Post defensive deficiencies will be the norm in the foreseable future too if he gets a long term deal at key player money. A sign and trade is better for the Knicks but they might not want to go that route with 2010 being the goal. By the way,attractive places like Miami, Orlando and Boston could be more under the cap than Knicks, Phoenix could have more money than anyone and be without Nash or Shaq so the new superstar could have that whole area and market to themselves as the franchise guy...the Knicks have moves to make but if they make the wrong one by over paying for a player they could find themselves outside looking in around 2010.
I want the Knicks to keep Lee, but $10 million is too much. I can live with $7-8 million per year.
Players should take a discount to play for D'Antoni in New York! If you don't take what we give you then peace!
"When you ahve a mediocre to poor team you try to trade your best player to get more chips so you can gert better.. You dont sign that player to a big contract which handicaps you from making other moves."
So the answer is to trade your best players to get better.....damn.
If that's not the most assanine shyt I ever heard, I don't know what it....
Have we sunk to that level? Desperation causes you to make foolish moves..
I'm glad some of you guys aren't running professional franchises.
I shake my head in amazement at some of the scenarios you propose....talk about fantasy basketball Granted, Zeke made blunders aplenty, but some of you cats are special....short school bus kinda special.
Tellya what...instead of trying to auction off our team, why don't we start my playin' a little "D".
Is it just me, or was Chandler on Dirk most of the mavs game? I like Lee but not as a 10 mill player. Too much money for a player with no shot/no shotblocking ability/ and matador d.
$8 million per year MAX.
Embattled Al Harrington was a disaster. He shot 5 of 18 and had his drive blocked by Brandon Bass with 29 seconds left and the Knicks down 3.
Nate Robinson's shooting slump is now alarming - he was 4 of 16 from the field. The two combined to go 1 of 15 on 3-pointers, nullifying the good work done by *David Lee*, who held Dirk Nowitzki to 10 points.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01092009/sports/knicks/kidd_talks_of_joining_knicks__shows_hes__149330.htm
Plus he had two blocks against Boston and played good defense. Dave has been improving on his defense for awhile now.
Can the knicks keep Lee and
get rid of nate and still
remain in 2010 superstar fest?
Lee is not 10 mil a year player
7 or 8 at the most
if Walsh gives Lee 10 mil
he will be just like isiah...a fool
what if the knicks get good draft position
this year and can sign Blake Griffin of OKL
that cat is ballin' this year
then maybe they can sign and trade Lee on draft night
we need to stock pile draft picks
like portland
I watched the game and Lee didnt D Dirk, where do some of you guys get this from... I mean if you like Lee, fine but dont just make stuff up... Because Lee cant and wont play D, Chandler is forced to cover every talented big...
David Lee D'd Dirk for the entire 4th quarter. Most possessions 1-1 no help. Dirk went Zero for Six. Don't talk when you don't know.
@BREE....good post
@KID...you are correct, CHANDLER covered NOWITZKI (and did a fine job), LEE covered DAMPIER (and held his own most of the time, though was also overpowered for some put-backs).
@BIGGIE....you're right in principle, but if the deal isn't there, what are you supposed to do? we've already agreed to disagree about the theoretical blazer scenario. you got to get at least a lottery pick and a salary dump out of this.
@K4L...lol
Lee is a defensive liability
yeah Lee did play D on Dirk in the 4th quarter
but that was one game(Dirk also had the flu that game)
lets see how does against houston tonight
also where was Lee defense in the OKL game?
i like Lee but i can
admit his flaws
he is a double double guy
but his defense is awful
yes he is making a better effort
but i think defense is not in his nature
great rebounder
awful defender
Lets go to the video tape! Lee is covering Dirk. See here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8osDjYPzilA
NY Post Berman:
he two combined to go 1 of 15 on 3-pointers, nullifying the good work done by David Lee, who held Dirk Nowitzki to 10 points.
NY Daily News Isola:
DALLAS - The defensive plan for Dirk Nowitzki was carried out by David Lee.
Even if Lee was D'ing up Dirk the whole game (which he wasn't) it is still just one game. Defense is about consistency.
You can't overpay for a guy that has never led you to a winning season. What is wrong with you guys? You can't give Lee away, that would be foolish, but all of a sudden Lee is our "franchise guy"? When Zach was here he wasn't even starting.
Lee is an excellent rebounder and finisher around the basket. Great hustle guy very good fundamentals with boxing out. Decent free throw shooter. Is that worth $10 mil? He is also seems to be a very good teamate and loves playing in NY.
He doesn't set hard screens, his jump shot is still shaky, and his defense is horrid. He doesn't block shots and seems incapable of playing the pick and roll right. He makes bad decisions on in-bound passes. He also appears to lack what this team needs most, leadership skills.
All that being said, you can see the work he puts in to improve his game every year (unlike most of his former teamates) and I would love to see him stay in a Knick uniform when we finally get a leader and a player that can create shots for him so I never have to see his ugly post game again. But if a deal comes along that offers you potentially three lottery picks, how can you turn that down?
Final verdict for me: keep Lee for under 8.5 mil. I can't see what team is going to offer him more than that this summer.
Fine ppl u love R Lee cause he gets Double Doubles every nite woooooooooooooow. Are they making us win games huh come on answer me NO its not. BLEEP a DD if we lose what does it matter if he can get rebounds if we still lose. He would rather get a DD than win. I remember in a game earlier in the season Nate was going for a rebound and Savage Rebound Hungry Lee wanted it and ended up knocking it out of bounds and Nate let him hear it. Nate is the same we dont need him shooting 500 threes a game he needs to be traded he can't run the offense among many other problems.
R Lee should take the highest salary that he can that would be stupid if he took less money to play on a bad team he should get as much as he can Nate too.
In closing 7 seconds or less = A Crap load of Rebounds
@K4L
i agree
i like D.lee
but the knick fans
on this blog are making
him sound like the second coming
could this guy be an integral part of
a championship team
yes
is he the cornerstone of a
rebuilding franchise
No
i see Lee like
an Anderson Varejao type in Cleveland
BTY Varejoa make 5 Mil a year
is D.Lee better than Anderson Varejao?
if he is it is only marginal
More loony knocks on David Lee! In saying that he is our best player, I have yet to read where anyone has called him an HOF or top tier star. We have mostly been saying that he is a valuable component who should not be dumped for chump change. As for double doubles not winning games, neither does any individual sat. Some of you still refuse to see that teams win games. Even greats like Michael Jordan need help! Get Lee a good defensive coach and keep him, if possible. Break the bank? No!! Think outside the box in how we can keep him. Absolutely!
If Marbury is getting $ 21 mil., then Lee, with his production
and defensive liability is worth more than $ 10 mil per.
Lee is useless in the clutch, he has no length or skills to score against good bigs at the end of games nor can he defend anybody good. Walsh has to get rid of him or sign him to 5 mil per max.
I like Lee as much as the next fan. It is what it is though.Good numbers on bad team.You can't have it both ways saying some players are losers because they put up good numbers on bad teams but Lee is the exception.
D. Lee current rankings:
By Position
#2 in double-doubles [24]
#4 in FG% [.569]
#4 in REB [11.4ppg]
#5 in scoring [14.7ppg]
#11 in PER [18.04]
———-
Overall
#3 in double-doubles
#4 in FG%
#5 in REB
#53 in scoring*
#54 in PER
*coincidentally he and Chandler have same avg.
———-
Emeka Okafor 13.9ppg 11.1rebs [$9,537,500]
Nene Hilario 14.8ppg 7.8rebs [$9,680,000]
Dwight Howard 19.9ppg 13.7rebs [$13,758,000]
Al Jefferson 22.6ppg 10.5rebs [$11,000,000]
————
This is the market David Lee’s agent is going to be looking at when he comes to the negotiating table. Dwight Howard and Al Jefferson are at the high end of the spectrum. Both are known for having tremendous ability as well as outstanding productivity. Nene and Okafor perform at a notch below David Lee with regards to ability and productivity.
Looking at the stats it seems reasonable that Lee will be looking for close to $10M per. IMO, i say that if Donnie can’t move Curry, then he’ll have no choice but to deal Lee at the deadline. Lee will command the $10M as his stats are at the top of every significant category for his position with the exception of scoring.
It’s too bad because although I don’t think D. Lee is that sweet, I think he’s a solid complementary #3 player. However, due to the current cap constraints I think Donnie’s hands are tied and his best move is to get maximum value for him.
@sec11rowH, thanks for the acknowledgement...can't say I always agree with you, but Im honored that you think I had a point...btw your post a few weeks ago on Sabermetrics that you and Biggie went back and forth on was some of the best analysis I have seen on these blogs in a long time..but I digress:-)
@NYC to Infinity...excellent observation on D-Lee compared to Varejoa...but also the dilema...Verejao is an energy guy who is not really a double double guy.....Lee is a double double guy who is not really an energy guy...both teams will have to decide if they warrant double figure millions this summer.
I think David Lee is a very good player but is he a player that means the difference between wins and losses....no he is not, neither was Zach Randolph whom Lee is the poor mans version of...albeit Lee is a better citizen off court..Zach was way better offensively...my point is we just traded Zach to hopefully get a better type of player down the line why would we want to over pay and thus stick ourselves with the same type player we though it better to get rid of?
David Lee is a great star bench role player in waiting for the Knicks to get a starter worth him backing up. The irony is if you pay Lee franchise cornerstone money you might never get that starter for him to compliment.
typo: #4 in REB should read [11.4rpg]
sorry about that…
@ JLS: you just compared D. Lee's stats to guys who are all defensive beasts. All of the guys you cited get paid close to 10 mil, but they also play both sides of the ball. I really hate it when people just cite stats, I guess alot of times thats how GMs dish out contracts though.
All of those guys were also top ten picks (except Jefferson at 15) and were supposed to be the cornerstones of their franchise.
Look I wouldn't go crazy if Walsh gave D. Lee 10 mil per, he is a solid player and it wouldn't be that Houston contract, but I can't see him moving James or Jeffries so it would really hurt us in getting a 2nd top tier free agent.
To me it is the difference between keep D. Lee (solid piece) or signing Bosh, Nowitzki, Wade or Stoudamire (franchise guys).
And we are going to cite stats, lets cite the ones that matter, our wins with D. Lee.
Rod Strickland looked like Magic Johnson (statistically of course) one season in Washington. Clipper fans thought Loy Vaught was the Larry Bird of LA for years. I can go on and on with players putting up stats on bad teams.
good Comparison with Varejao.
I think if AV was getting Lee's minutes he could definitely get double digit rebounds.. Especially on a D'Antoni team with the increased pace and the lack of rebounding alternatives.
JLS had it down .. Lee will command big bucks this offseason and there is NOTHING Donnie can do about that. There is NO option of a "Draft night trade" as Lee is a Restricted Free Agent and is able to sign an offer sheet with anyone..
THe option fo DW is to sign him NOW or trade him NOW.. IF DW waits til Summer he is in competition with every other team that has cap space and needs rebounding.
lee aint all that..he is an ok player who puts up good numbers. not great numbers...good numbers. he is a solid player. definitely not worth max money. for his position he is good and he greatly benefits with the help of a great passing PG. look at how he excelled in that rookie/soph game and got mvp. he is built for that type of running style but not a slowed down, 1-1 type back to basket game. that's antoni's style but avid tho he is good for the system HAS TO LEARN TO PLAY DEFENSE to hold down the paint..esp w/ no help defensive-wise from the C position. WE CAN'T AS A TEAM HAVE A PF AND A C WHO BOTH PLAY NO DEFENSE!!!!!!!!!!they both have alligator arms...hence lee must go... or curry. ..or both!!! im sick of this... i'll take a 46-yr old oakley at this point. i don't understand how many of u true knick fans love seeing this crap in 8 out of 10 games and get gassed up when he does have a 20-15 game...wow !!! big deal.. WE ARE NOT WINNING WITH THESE CLOWNS. are u idiots watching the games???? lee must go...make a friggin' move donnie. WTF !!
I find it funny to read here the way guys talk about rebounds as if it was not a part of defense. So what exactly do you guys mean by defense? Well, every rebound that Lee gets is a rebound that the opponent did not get and convert into more points.Isn't that contributing to the team's success.
Anyway, I have a question for Alan or anybody else with the knowledge. Can we not sign Lee to a multi year deal with only a small portion, say 4 million, due for the 2010-11 season and only that counting against the cap that year? You can have a 4 year 40 million deal broken down to 10, 4, 13 and 13 thereby saving enough room under the cap for that year.
I understand that other teams can offer him the same deal with more money upfront if he became an RFA. But before he becomes an RFA won't there be a small window when the Knicks can get it done?
@Knicks4Life:
the guys I used to compare with D. Lee also happen to be either above or 3 steps below D. Lee in very category i cited. i guess that could be used in an argument (albeit a weak one) regarding D. Lee's defensive prowess. and you're right, agents and GMs are going to use these statistics in validating D. Lee's worth whether you or i agree with their assesment of his basketball ability.
when i put up my last post i said that D. Lee's AGENT will be looking at those stats in determining his client's market value. i did not say that's what I'M looking at regarding how good D. Lee is. IMHO, D. Lee is a SOLID #3 or #4 player on this team.
Donnie Walsh has a serious decision to make and I think he would prefer moving Curry and keeping D. Lee at a reasonable price. More than likely, I think he's going to trade D. Lee while his value is high.
AV is also whole lot closer to
a title than D.Lee
and that is because of a certain
star on his team(King James)
that is what a star can do
turn a role player into a double digit contract
if the cavs go to the NBA Finals
i think Lebron will resign with the Cavs
i think we will have to target Dwade and Chris Bosh
the Cavs are light years ahead
of the knicks
in every area
if Lebron left the Cavs now
he would be a fool
@Skot.. a contract cant increase by any more than 10 or 15% in any one year..
there is a small window but it make NO sense for him to negotiate in that window when he has RFA sitting in front of him..
While rebounds CAN be considered part of defense what people are referring to is man on man and help defense BEFORE the ball is shot.. this is where Lee is deficient.
Oh my bad, So Lee played D on Dirk in the 4th and all of a sudden, he held Dirk to 10 points ha... Ok so who was on Dirk for the majority of the game, you gotta be kidding me...The defensive scheme from the outset was to have Chandler on Dirk... I guess I'm not seeing Lee for the defensive juggernaut he so obviously is...
On a real note, this is gonna be an extremely long season
You said he didn't play at all. Wake up. Lee held him scoreless in the 4th. The only time he scored was when Chandler was guarding him.
Bree - Sorry you don't feel comfortable using your regular sign-off.
To sign DLee for 10 Mil is unfortunate. Beside statistics he proved nothing.
5 Mil is realistic salary, otherwise let him go. Nate is no more
worth than 3. I hope DW continues his methodical approach
and first finds stars you can build around and then fills the bandwagon with role players.
It is never done successfully other ways.
Look at detroit. Joe is patient and builds on desperation of others.
BTW, today’s Daily Dime on ESPN is chock full of NYK trade talk….
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-090110-11
You want Lee for 10 mil?!??! Absolutely retarded.
The system is inflating his stats. His Offensive rebounds are up because this team chucks a crap load of shots. He scores more because they press, and probably shoot more times per game than last year. In a more conservative offense he puts up the same numbers as Udonis Haslem. 10/8
He just suck at defense..He won't get better at it.
I like Lee, and would like to keep him for Haslem money 6.8 mil this year. But i would trade him ASAP if he wants no less than 10.
I don't think you can pay David Lee $10 million/year. He's a good role player, maybe even a starter on a good team. But he’s not a cornerstone player, and he can’t keep you from getting one.
I would try to trade him. If Portland likes him so much, how about Lee for Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum? Or better yet, maybe package him with Curry. Or is that too much to hope for?
As for our "wins with Lee"...Yeah. Blame the last three seasons on Lee, who was the least paid and least high profile and started 55 games over that span (an average of 18 per year)? That first year, he didn’t even crack 17 minutes a game. Some of you guys are just flat out ridiculous with your anti Lee bias!