Grant Finale

Don't expect the Knicks to have any more red-carpet recruiting visits this summer. After Grant GHill, expect the rest of the offseason will mainly involve trade talks and leftovers. Improving the roster was clearly the effort in talking to Hill and Jason Kidd, but cap limitations and the 2010 Plan will restrict the Knicks from doing anything dramatic. Remember, Fixers, it's still slow and steady here. And though we were told the Knicks did not make a formal offer to Grant Hill, but simply discussed parameters, Hill's camp seemed to make sure those "parameters" were publicized in Phoenix, so the Suns could see what they were up against. According to the Arizona Republic, the Knicks put two proposals on the table for Hill to consider: a one-year windfall for $5M (just under the $5.8M mid-level exception) or a three-year committment for a total of $10M (about $3.3M per). The Republic says the Suns were also planning to use some of its mid-level to re-sign Hill and that the 36-year-old veteran was likely choosing between the two. Or perhaps, like with Kidd, Hill would prefer to stay in Phoenix but had the Knicks' interest in his back pocket to make sure the Suns ante'd up. Considering the doomsday prophecies with the anticipated salary cap situation in 2010-11, perhaps it's best the Knicks not have to make a three-year committment to Hill, who would eat up $3.3M on the 2010 payroll. Then again, any signings that Walsh makes this summer will have to motivate him to move Eddy Curry and/or Jared Jeffries to clear their much larger numbers off the 2010 ledger. * * * * - Word out of Toronto is that the Raptors are offering Shawn Marion around the league in search of a sign-and-trade. The Mavericks appear to be interested and, of course, you'd have to wonder if Mike D'Antoni would want to be reunited with The Matrix in New York. So far, haven't heard anything concrete, but I did hear that Marion turned down a four-year, $36M offer from the Raps. Hey, $9M per is very reasonable for Marion, who has proven to be a "system guy" since he left D'Antoni's game in Phoenix. The Knicks would have to dump Curry's contract to even consider adding Marion at that number. The same goes for Rip Hamilton, who could be headed out of Detroit now that Ben Gordon is signed. But Hamilton just signed a hefty contract extension ($12M per) and to bring in a player like him would take getting rid of contracts to, yes, buffer the cap hit. * - Another name that appears to keep popping up in my twitter @s and email inbox is Allen Iverson. After a few inquiries I was told there was little interest in bringing AI to New York. * - Don't see much happening this summer regarding Tracy McGrady and the Knicks. As one NBA executive said to me recently about the Knicks: "There just isn't much interest in their players." That includes Nate Robinson, who, despite wide popularity among fans and players and a dynamic, change-of-pace ability, has receieved minimal interest as a restricted free agent. Obviously all teams expect the Knicks to match any offers, which doesn't help either Robinson (or David Lee). The Knicks could bring him back for the very inexpensive one-year qualifying offer of $2.9M. Most around the league believe the QO is right about in the market value range for the 5-9 combo guard. I believe the preference would be to move Robinson -- just not a good fit and they really want to make room for rookie Toney Douglas -- and if he takes the QO, the Knicks would have to wait 90 days if they still wanted to trade him and Robinson would have to approve of the trade. * - Lee may be unwittingly pricing himself out of possible offers, as as Ho-Beck reported today, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, is apparently setting a high asking price ($12M per, sez Beck). The Worldwide Leader recently offered up some past market comparables to Lee (players who entered free agency after a double-double average the previous season). The ESPN list included RFAs such as Emeka Okafor (6x72M with CHA); Carlos Boozer (6x68M with UTA); Elton Brand (6x82.2M with LAC) and UFAs such as Erick Dampier 7x73M with DAL; Tim Duncan (4x45.9M with SAS); Dikembe Mutombo (4x$65M with PHI); Chris Webber (7x122.7M with SAC) and Jermaine O'Neal (7x$126.6M with IND). Now, let's review. These deals involve two elements in hindsight: players who already were all-star, elite-level players (Duncan, Webber, Mutombo and Brand) or contracts that proved to be awful deals (Okafor, O'Neal and Dampier). And everyone who owns a house knows that market value is never what it was three-to-five years ago. Consider this summer a correction. What is hurting Lee -- and Robinson -- is that while their statistics were terrific last season, the one stat that teams are starting to focus on more and more is the Win-Loss factor. And over the course of their four seasons in New York, both Lee and Robinson have only experienced losing. Now, it's not fair to say they are solely to blame -- they entered a team already in major trouble -- but both emerged into key roles last season and neither proved they could make the difference between winning and losing on their own. By this theory, that would make them excellent role players, but not top shelf entities that command near the max. But you can't blame Bartelstein for trying here, because if Lee wants to get paid he'll need an offer sheet to make it happen. The best case scenario for the Knicks is that no one steps forward with an offer sheet. Without one, as we've been saying here throughout the past season, the Knicks are basically negotiating against themselves. Perhaps if there was no 2010 awaiting, the Knicks would lock-up Lee for a long-term deal. But with cap space so critical next summer, the obvious best business decision for the Knicks is to force Lee into taking his QO ($2.7M) and holding his Bird Rights in unrestricted free agency next summer, where they can then sign him to a much larger deal. Sign-and-trades? As we've been telling you here for months, the Knicks would need to be blown away. Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake ain't getting it done (and, according to sources I have talked to has never been offered).