The Knicks have slowly climbed their way out of salary cap hell -- but all that got them is a season in NBA purgatory.
Instead of making moves toward actual improvement, the Knicks are blatantly looking past this season to next summer when they hope to strike it rich with the famed free agent class of 2010. But while Donnie Walsh's long-term strategy may eventually pay dividends, it offers little hope in the interim that the Knicks might rise above last year's fifth-place finish in the Atlantic.
If there are any Knicks' fans out there who are worried that Lee and Robinson may be looking to eschew team play in order to put up big personal numbers, thereby increasing their free agent value for next summer, fear not! Donnie Walsh had your back when he handed out these contracts, because they contain a million dollar bonus for each player if the Knicks manage to make it to the playoffs.
The start of the NBA season is right around the corner, and that means the much-anticipated release of NBA 2K10. The video game hits stores nationwide on Oct. 6.
FanHouse attended the 2K10 launch party in New York City on Thursday, and spoke to Nate Robinson about re-signing with the Knicks, Andre Iguodala about the greatest moment in NBA2K history, and Brook Lopez about his new boss. Check out the video below.
Nate Robinson will remain a Knick, reports Alan Hahn of Newsday, and this is hardly a surprise. Robinson's agent Aaron Goodwin told FanHouse last week that the guard would certainly be in Knickerbocker blue next season. Hahn reports Nate will sign a one-year deal at some amount above the $3 million qualifying offer which has been on the table since July 1. Fellow restricted free agent David Lee is expected to follow with a similar deal.
One item that might get some attention in the coming days is that Robinson can veto any trade involving him this season. No-trade clauses in the NBA are extremely rare -- only Kobe Bryant has a full-blown no-trade negotiated into his contract. But Nate isn't unique, and this clause hasn't been specially negotiated into his contract. All restricted free agents who sign a one-year contract with their incumbent teams (qualifying offer or otherwise) receive the same veto power.
Despite having two NBA seasons under his belt, Spencer Hawes is a current University of Washington student, taking summer classes to finish the degree he began under the league's age minimum rule. Nate Robinson attended UW earlier this decade before becoming the NBA's favorite dunker. Saturday, as the Huskies knocked off No. 3 Southern Cal, Hawes and Robinson were there. Acting like high school kids. Which is really awesome. (Thanks to Ben Golliver for the vid.)
"Yes, I'm 100 percent sure of that,'' his agent, Aaron Goodwin, said Tuesday in an interview with FanHouse. "Where else is he going to go?''
Well, the 5-foot-9 guard is a restricted free agent. And, while it's highly unlikely a team would put an offer down on him at this late stage and in this economy, isn't that still a possibility?
"No,'' Goodwin said. "Nate has made it clear from the start that he only wants to play for New York. After July 1, we didn't talk to any other teams.''
A lot of players have their own signature shoe but only a select few have an entire brand. Al Harrington recently joined that exclusive club when he recently unveiled his new Protege line. I caught up with Harrington in the visitor's locker room after a recent win in Detroit to talk about the new brand.
NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day.
* "[Roy Hibbert]'s sitting next to Travis [Diener], which I find very interesting. You have to watch Travis because he can be very tricky on flights. Roy has an expensive bag he uses as a carry-on and on our last flight from Boston, Travis thought it would be a good idea to hide a meatball in it. Now, this was not a meatball in tin foil or anything but a meatball with pasta sauce and parmesan cheese on it. Roy was not amused, to say the least." -- Troy Murphy's blog, via Indy Cornrows.
NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day. Want to submit an item? Hit us up on Twitter (@NBAFanHouse, #essentials).
* "During a recent trip to Toronto earlier this month, Matt Bonner talked with the media about how the combination of his grandfather - a 'Newfie' as he affectionately referred to him - and his wife being from Canada has led him to feel a strong connection to this country. Bonner also recently discovered that he has some cousins who are Canadian. Because of these factors Bonner has decided to file the necessary paperwork to gain his Canadian citizenship. Not only that, but he's also expressed a strong desire to play the Canadian national team." -- Hoops Addict.
NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day.
* "Two days after the 5-7½ Robinson spectacularly won the Slam-Dunk competition during All-Star weekend, the NBA announced plans to release a green Krypto-Nate T-shirt for sale at the NBA Store and NBA.com. One day later, the NBA scrapped its plan because of intellectual property issues with DC Comics, the originator of the Superman comic books.-- Marc Berman, NY Post
FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.
The 
The start of the NBA season is right around the corner, and that means the much-anticipated release of NBA 2K10. The video game hits stores nationwide on Oct. 6.
This much is said to be certain: 
