boisesuns
Standing Tall And Traded
How do they have a midlevel exception? How are they going to fix this team?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2533265
A month ago, Isiah Thomas said he was "very comfortable" with the state of the New York Knicks' roster. Evidently "comfort" is only a temporary state of being.
On Friday, the Knicks offered Washington Wizards restricted free agent Jared Jeffries their mid-level exception, a five-year deal worth around $30 million. The Wizards will have seven days to match the offer once the team officially receives the paperwork.
"We have not received an offer, and if or when we do, we will have a week to explore all our options to determine our course of action," Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld told the New York Post.
Jeffries, listed as a guard/forward, played shooting guard, small forward, power forward and even center for the Wizards last year. The fourth-year player out of Indiana averaged 6.4 points per game and 4.9 rebounds while playing 25.4 minutes.
The Knicks already have four other small forwards -- David Lee, Quentin Richardson, Jalen Rose and first-round draft pick Renaldo Balkman -- but at 6-foot-11, Jeffries provides a different look for the team.
"We recognize they have a right to match," Jeffries' agent Andy Miller told the New York Times. "But hopefully, they take into consideration some of the human factors of it. In Jared's mind, he'd be better suited to playing in New York and for the Knicks."
Last season, New York stumbled to a 23-59 record -- second-worst in the NBA and equaling the most losses in club history. On June 22, the team fired coach Larry Brown just one season into a five-year deal worth a reported $50 million.
Thomas, who also serves as the Knicks' GM, replaced Brown. In his only other NBA coaching stint, Thomas went 131-115 in three seasons with the Indiana Pacers.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2533265
A month ago, Isiah Thomas said he was "very comfortable" with the state of the New York Knicks' roster. Evidently "comfort" is only a temporary state of being.
On Friday, the Knicks offered Washington Wizards restricted free agent Jared Jeffries their mid-level exception, a five-year deal worth around $30 million. The Wizards will have seven days to match the offer once the team officially receives the paperwork.
"We have not received an offer, and if or when we do, we will have a week to explore all our options to determine our course of action," Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld told the New York Post.
Jeffries, listed as a guard/forward, played shooting guard, small forward, power forward and even center for the Wizards last year. The fourth-year player out of Indiana averaged 6.4 points per game and 4.9 rebounds while playing 25.4 minutes.
The Knicks already have four other small forwards -- David Lee, Quentin Richardson, Jalen Rose and first-round draft pick Renaldo Balkman -- but at 6-foot-11, Jeffries provides a different look for the team.
"We recognize they have a right to match," Jeffries' agent Andy Miller told the New York Times. "But hopefully, they take into consideration some of the human factors of it. In Jared's mind, he'd be better suited to playing in New York and for the Knicks."
Last season, New York stumbled to a 23-59 record -- second-worst in the NBA and equaling the most losses in club history. On June 22, the team fired coach Larry Brown just one season into a five-year deal worth a reported $50 million.
Thomas, who also serves as the Knicks' GM, replaced Brown. In his only other NBA coaching stint, Thomas went 131-115 in three seasons with the Indiana Pacers.
