Kblaze8855
06-30-2020, 10:15 PM
"From everyone I've talked to in the know since then, it's clear that the Knicks were the first choice," The Ringer's Bill Simmons said on his podcast (https://twitter.com/ringer/status/1277458343431307264). "It was basically the Knicks' to lose, and they just couldn't stay out of their own way. The stories are legendary."
The meeting, which Simmons described as a "disaster," went so poorly that James did not grant the Knicks a second chance to sit down before signing with the Miami Heat (http://bleacherreport.com/miami-heat). While the Knicks went all-in on glitz in their presentation—even hiring (https://www.espn.com/new-york/nba/news/story?id=5350982) James Gandolfini and Edie Falco to reprise their roles as Tony and Carmela Soprano—their pitch was completely lacking in long-term vision on the court.
"Dolan was Dolan. they didn't have anything prepared. It just couldn't have gone worse by all accounts. It was a disaster. I think at that point, combined with the decade the Knicks just had, I think those guys were just like 'f--k it,'" Simmons said.
The Knicks had around $34 million in cap space heading into the summer of 2010, which would have been enough to land two max free agents with a little maneuvering. Adding the third piece to the Big Three would have required a sign-and-trade, but the Knicks had promising young players like Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov who could have been enticing to rebuilding teams in Toronto (http://bleacherreport.com/toronto-raptors)and Cleveland (http://bleacherreport.com/cleveland-cavaliers).
The meeting, which Simmons described as a "disaster," went so poorly that James did not grant the Knicks a second chance to sit down before signing with the Miami Heat (http://bleacherreport.com/miami-heat). While the Knicks went all-in on glitz in their presentation—even hiring (https://www.espn.com/new-york/nba/news/story?id=5350982) James Gandolfini and Edie Falco to reprise their roles as Tony and Carmela Soprano—their pitch was completely lacking in long-term vision on the court.
"Dolan was Dolan. they didn't have anything prepared. It just couldn't have gone worse by all accounts. It was a disaster. I think at that point, combined with the decade the Knicks just had, I think those guys were just like 'f--k it,'" Simmons said.
The Knicks had around $34 million in cap space heading into the summer of 2010, which would have been enough to land two max free agents with a little maneuvering. Adding the third piece to the Big Three would have required a sign-and-trade, but the Knicks had promising young players like Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov who could have been enticing to rebuilding teams in Toronto (http://bleacherreport.com/toronto-raptors)and Cleveland (http://bleacherreport.com/cleveland-cavaliers).