Brian Cronin:
If he was, indeed, used to get Melo, that’d be one thing. However, he was used to get Minnesota to take Curry’s salary on to their cap for half a season! They didn’t even pay Curry! They just kept him on their cap (and since they were under the cap, they took no cap hit). Was the deal seriously going to fall apart if Denver had to take Curry on to their cap for half a season? I find that extremely difficult to believe, but since the Knicks caved on every other part of that deal (they’re swapping picks with Denver in 2016, for crying out loud!) they probably felt it was their duty to cave in on that part, too.

Now had they not destroyed his trade value, he actually could have been used to get Melo (or at least gotten the Knicks something from Minnesota. And no, Corey Brewer is not anything).

Exactly. Well as far as the trade value sentiment goes. I agree that we caved and gave up WAY too much for Melo. And I think that has everything to do with Dolan wanting to pacify some fans and show that he can bring another star in. Walsh wouldn’t cave like that on his own rite? I mean, we were bidding against ourselves in that trade!! Melo had already said no way to Denver, that should have been all the leverage we needed to make the trade. Add that to the fact that AR got no burn pre trade, and it feels like bad negotiating on our part and great opportunistic moving on Denver’s part. They duped us into takin on Billups while givin up Mozgov..whom they didn’t use by the way. That trade should have, and could have easily been Rooster, Curry and AR for Melo. And I wouldn’t have a problem if Walsh threw in a future 1st to get it done as well.

Brian Cronin: I disagree. The Knicks held a good deal of leverage from the fact that they had the cap room to re-sign Lee, so they could afford to trade him anywhere. And again, to repeat, they had the option of either Ellis straight up or the combo of Randolph, Turiaf and Azubuike. I thought that the latter combo was an excellent offer and a better one than Ellis, and I was pleased when they did the trade, but only because I thought that they actually planned to, you know, play Anthony Randolph. If they weren’t going to do that (and D’Antoni had to have a pretty good idea that he was not going to do it at the time of the trade) then what was the point of it?

Doesn’t “free agent” mean he decides where he signs? Knicks had no intention of resigning him and everyone knew it. I think they were looking to sign someone else, can’t remember who though.

Now had they not destroyed his trade value, he actually could have been used to get Melo (or at least gotten the Knicks something from Minnesota. And no, Corey Brewer is not anything).

And I sort of pish posh the whole “he’ll be due $15 million in 2015″ (or whatever year it is). Yes, that sounds bad, but so does any non-Lebron longterm deal! You think Amar’e is going to be worth $20 million in the last year of his contract?

There were so many different places that the Knicks could have sent Lee. Hell, even in the Warriors deal, they could have had Ellis instead straight up. I don’t like Ellis at all, but he’s better than Turiaf and nothing, which is what they got for Lee (and Ellis obviously still has trade value).