You don’t know whether he would have signed for that but, more importantly, WHO CARES!?!? Whether he signed for $3 million or $4 million a year doesn’t matter one iota over the next 3 years. They’re over the cap and will be for 3 years, regardless of what he signed for. And, in year 4, maybe he’s worth the $4 million that he is supposed to get that year, or maybe his expiring contract can be used to help match up salary cap numbers in a trade. And, let’s say he hits a buzzer beater 3 this year to get the Knicks to the finals. Will ANYONE care what he makes??? He’ll be a folk hero forever in NY.

As we just saw when they had to give away a draft pick just to get Washington to take Turiaf to make room to sign Chandler, $4 million can be a big deal when it comes to the salary cap. So when you’re adding on a year for basically no reason, it can be a problem. No one else was going to go to four years for Novak.

Brian Cronin: I think it is a fair complaint to note that Novak could have been signed for less money and less years. I thought $9 million over three years would have gotten it done and they gave him $15 for 4.

You don’t know whether he would have signed for that but, more importantly, WHO CARES!?!? Whether he signed for $3 million or $4 million a year doesn’t matter one iota over the next 3 years. They’re over the cap and will be for 3 years, regardless of what he signed for. And, in year 4, maybe he’s worth the $4 million that he is supposed to get that year, or maybe his expiring contract can be used to help match up salary cap numbers in a trade. And, let’s say he hits a buzzer beater 3 this year to get the Knicks to the finals. Will ANYONE care what he makes??? He’ll be a folk hero forever in NY.

We will still have Shump as well.

What do you think are the odds that Shump is still a Knick by then? I think he will be traded before then. He’s their one great trade asset (not named Melo or Tyson, of course…or I guess JR now) and if they are going to improve the team, he might be the one who needs to be dealt.

johnno: I’m not sure why you are so obsessed with how much money Novak makes.It doesn’t matter whether they are paying him the vets minimum or the $4 million that he is making this year.Maybe he is overpaid.So what?!?Signing him did not take up cap space or hinder their ability to sign anyone else.They were over the cap and used Bird rights to sign him.Regardless of whether they signed him, they would not have been able to offer anyone else more than the vets minimum.So, don’t give Novak $4 million, and sign whom for the vets minimum?

co-sign on this — except that they probably could have given him a 3 year deal with the 4th nonguaranteed and he still would have signed it. Our bad cap year is 2014-15, and then after that we theoretically have Amare, Melo, and Chandler (and Kidd/Camby too) all expired. But with the contracts that Grunwald signed this offseason, we will still have Felton and Novak who by then will likely be replacement level players. We will still have Shump as well.

bob cook: I was kinda kidding about flight white but both Melo and Kidd are nearly equal to Novak in 3% and lord knows they do other things.My real point is to question if Woody’s playing the best guys or guys he somehow just likes: Brewer and Novak.When Brewer shoots and you’re watching, don’t you get a throb in a tooth.Same thing when Steve squares up to his man to play “defense”.

Brewer is playing (and just barely) because we need warm bodies in the backcourt. When Shumpert and Felton are both healthy, expect for him to play roughly never. Novak’s minutes are steadily trending down to the 15-20 mpg level which is closer to where they realistically should be, but again, we don’t have a ton of frontcourt depth right now. Chandler, Amar’e, Kurt Thomas, Melo at the 4, and a rookie. Novak at least has an elite skill.