I always thought J Kidd would be a coach one day… but, didn’t think that would be today.
The Nets decided to move forward and hire Jason Kidd as their head coach… Jason Kidd, who is only a few weeks removed from actually playing in a basketball game.
I have a lot of love for Kidd, but I think this may be a bit too soon for him. The Nets better make sure he has a good staff around him because he’ll soon realize he may be in over his head.
I’m sure he’ll get the ego management part of the job right off the bat - but the X’s and O’s/Playing Time part may take a bit.
Good luck to him.. but not too much. Don’t want the Nets to actually be a better team now.
Source: J.R. Smith to Opt Out -
Not surprising. As a result of his playoff shenanigans and love for New York, the Knicks will likely be able to sign JR to the 5 million for 4 seasons offer they are allowed. But, nothing is guaranteed obviously. He may just as well take a big offer from another team.
“My time in professional basketball has been an incredible journey, but one that must come to an end after 19 years.” —
Jason Kidd on announcing his retirement (via ESPN.com) - Incredible career. Jason Kidd has been one of my favorite players ever since he got drafted into the league.
I remember he and Gary Payton going at it and NBC playing it up because of the mentor/mentee relationship.
Him and Grant Hill winning co-rookie of the year (fitting they retired in the same off-season).
I did obviously go through a hate period when he played for the Nets.
I was happy for him when he won in Dallas.
I was proud to have him in a Knick uniform.
All in all, I’m glad I got to watch the full-career of a Hall of Famer.
Congratulation Jason.
Side note: The Knicks are now at $71 million for the roster instead of $74 million with the retirement. Gives us a bit more wiggle room under the tax apron.
Nate Robinson Would Welcome a Return to Knicks -
I can be convinced into liking this haha.
Anonymous asked: think marco bellineli would be a good fit for the knicks?
I think Marco is a great shooter and can come through big time in the clutch. It may be just me, I don’t think he and JR fit on the same team… feels like they serve the same purpose.
He did well this year, so he may get a bit more than the $1.3 million he made… we can really only offer him the mini-Mid Level which is about $3 million. Even so, I’d rather use the money to try to fill other needs like a big man or a back up point guard.
If we don’t resign JR, then maybe go after him?
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Carmelo wants Knicks to add another scorer -
So Melo wants the Knicks to add a second scorer.
It was supposed to be Amare - but you know how that story ended up. Riddled with injuries - STAT is no longer physically capable of handling a prominent scoring load.
JR stepped in.. and stepped in nicely this season. But, as you saw in the playoffs - he’s just too inconsistent.
With limited flexibility on what we can do in the off-season as far as trades or signings.. not really sure what Melo expects the Knicks to do.
He does need that second star… badly. Shumpert (I believe) is about two/three seasons away from emerging as a bonafide star. But, this roster really can’t wait for that. That is certainly not to say we get rid of Shumpert. I want that kid to retire here.
The only valuable asset outside of Shumpert is… unfortunately… Tyson Chandler. Can we swap for a 18-20 point scorer and fulfill other needs through the draft and/or low hanging fruit signings? But, I’m sure any team that engages the Knicks on traded talks will want Shump in the package.
Should be an interesting off-season.
damnit, can Grunwald just figure out how to get CP3 here! ha
Options are few.
One of the biggest issues with the Knicks up until last season and this season has been stability in the roster.
We never really had a two or three guys to build around since the early 2000s.
Isiah attempted this by building around Stephon, J Crawford and Eddy Curry. We all know how that went.
Grunwald’s plan is to build around Amare, Melo and Chandler. We have a young piece in Shumpert - but everything else is just filler. JR was great because he emerged as a second banana and he only made 3 million last season. But, he’s a free agent this year and most likely will be getting raise.
So here’s our team next season - players that are under contract:
Depth Chart:
PG: Felton, Kidd
SG: Shumpert
SF: Melo, Novak
PF: Amare
C: Tyson, Camby
Total Salaries: $73,831,215
To-Do List this Off-Season:
The Knicks are fairly limited to what they can do since they are over the cap and near that tax apron of $74 million.
Unless Grunwald pulls off something crazy - (sign and trades get a bit complicated when over the tax apron)… we’re pretty much stuck with these eight guys and some filler players.
What do you guys think our biggest need is? Any potential free agents you wouldn’t mind seeing a Knick uniform?
“Melo finished among the top-five in All-NBA voting. He simply didnt make the team bec the league only allows two forwards.” — Chris Herring of WSJ via Twitter: Congrats to Melo on making the Second Team All-NBA. Turns out he finished in the top 5, but LeBron and Durant were picked over him. Can’t be too mad at that.