<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">GREENBURGH, NY, August 4, 2004 -- Unrestricted free agent center Erick Dampier was enormously impressed with all he saw and heard on his ninety-minute visit to the MSG Training Center in Greenburgh. ?Plain and simple, New York is my first choice,? said Dampier, who has been with Golden State for the past seven seasons. ?This is the only personal visit I?ve taken and this would be the team I?d prefer to play for.? Even the money could be worked out. ?I?d take the midlevel (exception) to play here. For one year,? he smiled. ?Money is not everything,? added Dampier. ?I?ve been in this league now, for what, seven or eight years, and the most games I?ve won was 35 or 36. I?m not going to be able to play forever. I don?t want to be with a team in the rebuilding stage. I want to be with a team that at least has a chance to make the playoffs. I want to have a shot at winning a championship before I retire.? The way the seven-footer sees it, the Knicks are the team that could give him that shot. ?They have great players at every position,? he said. ?They?re young enough. They have the key pieces. They have a great two guard in Allan Houston. And Stephon (Marbury) is a tremendous creative point guard, the type of guy I always wanted to play with.? </div> This is a big :thumbsup: Story
It's hard to imagine Dampier willing to take a pay cut just to play for a borderline playoffs team, but I've seen crazier stuff happen before. Expect the Knicks to pounce on him now that he has said he's willing to take the MLE. Don't think there isn't a conspiracy behind this though; he is taking a one-year contract because he wants to cash in big on next year's market where quality big men are scarce. If he plays well, there's a possibility that he will get the max contract next season, be it with New York or another team, namely Atlanta when they get Antoine Walker's contract off the books next offseason.
Im pretty sure he will sign and take the MLE because with Damp the knicks can go pretty far into the playoffs now that they got JC too. This season will be full of surprises
