I’ve been a season ticketholder for seven years so I’m fully aware of how expensive the tickets are (not just highest in the league, but in all of sports). That said, there has been no correlation over the years between the team’s payroll and the ticket prices. The Knicks just charge as much as they feel they can get away with, no matter how much they are paying the players. For example, the payroll has ballooned over the past few years but the ticket prices have barely moved upward if at all. Also, if merchandise has gotten more expensive, or the games have become more expensive to watch on MSG, then I haven’t noticed.

I will agree that I’m on board with cutting Jalen and Taylor rather than trading them at the deadline this year. The Knicks simply have too many players right now. The only high-priced player that I think it would be worth getting with an expiring contract is Garnett (as Berman said in today’s Post), but I don’t see that happening anyway.

But yeah, even ignoring the fact that this isn’t MLB and w/a salary cap the Knicks can’t, like the Yankees, outspend the rest of the league and BUY a title (and look how well THAT has turned out the last six years), I do care about the money.

That being said, being able to change course when it’s clear a plan isn’t working is the hallmark of good management. Take the current administration in the White House, for example. Zing! I’d rather cut Jalen than risk seeing him dealt for CWebb/KMart or some similar-type overpaid, injury prone, ex-”star”.

No question that the Knicks overpaid for Balkman but, for once, this overpayment didn’t really hurt them. They would have been way over the cap this year anyway. Also, when the Knicks usually overpay for players (like Francis) it means that those players have untradeable contracts. Not so with Balkman. Therefore, in this case at least, it’s just money and nobody is hurt but Cablevision’s stockholders.

Q: What must one do when he finds that he is digging himself deeper and deeper into a hole?

A: Stop digging.

The Taylor and Rose buyouts indicate that some combination of Thomas and Dolan have finally figured out that it’s way past time to stop digging.

While that is to be commended it is hardly cause for celebration. Still, you gotta crawl before you can walk.

Matt – I suspect you are correct about the Butler call being Dolan’s. Isiah never disparaged Butler upon departure, and we all know Isiah’s not that mature. That suggests he may not have been completely on board with the decision.

Seth – that was cold-blooded about David Lee dribbling with two hands like a little girl. It made me laugh out loud.

So was Balkman worth $30MM. I guess if Rose signs someplace this figure will go down.

I hope this move means Isiah understands the real problems with trading expiring contracts – you only get high priced mediocre guys. While the Knicks talent base increased, it messes up playing time and doesn’t increase the talent to where the Knicks could actually be good.

Surely, Zeke couldn’t have responded “well, the league is really only moving away from two, and we have both…”

So I figure that Dolan made a couple of decisions. I don’t think I have to say what kind they were.

Yes, this move (along with the Taylor move) is a definitive sign that Isiah was not just paying lip service when he said that the Knicks were out of the “trading a big expiring contract to a team looking to clear out roster space” business.

Which is really, really stupid.

If that’s true, then they essentially chose to overpay Jared Jeffries, a small forward who can’t score, a type of player they already drafted, instead of bringing back a legitimate NBA center?

Please tell me Mr. Thomas didn’t resign Butler because of some other stupid reason.

ANY other stupid reason.