metrocard
Legend
Maybe Olympiakos should be changing its name to the Greece Knicks.
The Greek club is not only pursuing Knicks guard Nate Robinson, but according to a source, it has also contacted his teammate, forward David Lee. It is unclear if Lee has received an offer or if he has interest in playing overseas. Lee's agent, Mark Bartelstein, would not confirm whether he had spoken to Olympiakos but Bartelstein said last night that he is confident that his client will play in the NBA next season.
"I've had a lot of dealings with Olympiakos over the years," said Bartelstein, whose client, Jannero Pargo, played for the Greek team last year. "I'll never say never, but that's not where we're looking right now."
Bartelstein is still hopeful he can work out a deal for Lee, either with the Knicks or with another team through a sign-and-trade. Lee is looking for a deal that will pay him at least $10million annually. Bartelstein believes that is a fair asking price for a player who led the league in double-doubles.
Luol Deng of the Bulls and Andrew Bogut of the Bucks both have contracts that pay them $12 million annually. Toronto's Andrea Bargnani recently signed a contract that averages $10 million per season. For Lee to even consider leaving for Europe, he would have to get a contract that would pay him $10 million to $12 million annually.
Robinson, however, would seriously consider such a move since the reported two-year, $10 million offer he has received from Olympiakos is believed to be more lucrative than what he would get from an NBA team.
Robinson has the option to sign the Knicks' one-year, $2.9 million qualifying offer. Lee's one-year qualifying offer is for $2.7 million. If the Knicks were to lose one or both of their restricted free agents to a European club, it wouldn't be a total loss since the Knicks would still own their rights if they decided to return to the NBA.
Knicks president Donnie Walsh has made it clear that he wants to re-sign both players. If Robinson or Lee receives a contract offer from an NBA team, the Knicks would have seven days to match. But with few teams willing to spend money and even fewer under the salary cap, Robinson and Lee have yet to cash in on the free agent market.
Plus, with the Knicks committed to the 2010 free-agent market, it would benefit the club to get its two restricted free agents to sign one-year contracts.
When asked about Robinson yesterday, Walsh said the Knicks "have no way of knowing" if he has received an offer from Olympiakos and added that "there's nothing we can do about it" if he did.
"The rules are different over there," Walsh said.
There's also no way of knowing if Robinson and Lee are using Olympiakos to put pressure on the Knicks to get deals done. Olympiakos did entice Atlanta's restricted free agent, Josh Childress, to sign with the club last year.
Walsh, however, is still holding all the chips because the Knicks own the rights to both players. Plus, since Lee and Robinson entered the NBA in 2005, the Knicks haven't won more than 33 games in a season. That's another reason why Walsh has been reluctant to make an offer to Lee that approaches $10 million annually.
Wow.....
We can ignore David Lee is a 16 ppg, 11 rpg, 60% FG 80% FT smart bball who doesnt turnover and is a solid passer....hes a very good player.
No one would of thought Lee would be this good in the NBA, his work ethic will continue to improve his game.
We should invest in Lee.
let Nate go.
