Hopefully the Knicks’ charter is well-stocked with some good, strong coffee. Donnie Walsh, Mike D’Antoni and the rest of New York’s recruiting team are really going to need it.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks’ meeting with Joe Johnson didn’t end until 11:45 pm Los Angeles time – nearly 3 AM Eastern.
Walsh and company were set to fly to Ohio afterwards for their audience with LeBron James in Akron this afternoon.
It’s not hard to imagine why Johnson may have needed extra convincing. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Hawks planned to offer Johnson the maximum possible contract extension – approximately $119 million over six years. The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement gives advantages to teams looking to re-sign their own players; the most the Knicks – or any other team – can offer will be significantly less, on the order of $92 million over five years. (Official “max” salary figures will not be set until the 2010-11 salary cap is finalized on July 8th.)
Johnson’s ultimate decision may hinge on the other players New York is able to sign this summer – possibly on the result of today’s meeting in Akron. Many observers think he’d be far more comfortable as the second option, playing alongside someone like LeBron James.
Original Story:
http://blogs.msg.com/gameon/2010/07/0...
