<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Knicks have reportedly offered former Spurs center and Chinese native, Menk Bateer, a one-year contract worth $700,000. "We have accepted a contract offered by the Knicks, and the contract is very likely to be signed", said Xia Song, who also revealed they have booked tickets to New York on September 22. Mr. Bateer was on the Chinese Olympic Team, however did not play many minutes due to a wrist injury.</div> Full Story
Man, by the title you almost made me think they signed someone halfway decent. But I knew I didnt here about this signing in any of the local NYC sources. Anyway thats the bum that use to sit at the end of the Raptors bench. And that will be his job at the Garden as well. He wont be on the court long enuff to breathe on Shaq. Let alone actually try to defend him.
If Isaiah adds Bateer I wonder who will go? They don't have enough space to keep on signing players They already have 15 players
This pick-up is so minor, that I decided to skip posting it, he has almost no shot of making the team. I don't see why we picked him up, we may as well wait until we can trade a player for draft picks so we can draft a big man.
yeh i dont see why they are signing this guy but you never want to pass up on someone that can actually be good if they are put in the right enviorment or situation that they more like, or even feel comfortable in. I mean like Muhammad? who the knicks have recently aquired. seemed to play great in new york last year when he was giving the minutes that would actually let him produce. I dont really know about Bateer i just use to see him on the raps roster when playing videogames. i never thought to put him in the game though. I say give the guy a chance to shine. who knows what he'll bring to the Knicks dining table.
he's strong as hell....he could lean into shaq and come close to shaq in pure power...but not quite enough...and shaq's a million times smarter and faster....he's a possiblility for hack a shaq though
Maybe the Knicks didn't have any room left in their bank account so they decided to throw $ 700,000 away. This brings the Knicks payroll to just over $ 104,000,000 a season. I think they now have 17 players under contract. WTF?????????
This signing should turn the franchise around and make them Finals Bound. Watch out Indiana and Detroit!
You have to look at Menk's intangibles. He is one of the all-time ugliest players in the NBA. With him and Kurt Thomas on the front line, they will be formidably ugly. They should trade Marbury for Cassell or Van Excel to complete the lineup.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Banks:</div><div class="quote_post">This signing should turn the franchise around and make them Finals Bound. Watch out Indiana and Detroit!</div> This signing is useless, they were a threat for a finals bound then and now.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Ming637:</div><div class="quote_post">This signing is useless, they were a threat for a finals bound then and now.</div> He was joking. Bateer is actually a pretty good player, just that people thought he was too foul-prone. Like someone mentioned, he is very strong, and can rebound well. He can also hit an outside shot, and has international experience. It was funny the way the Raptors commentators called him "Barter" though
This is really just a training camp signing, if he don't work out they could just cut him without really costing them anything.
I think Isaiah Thomas is forming another blockbuster trade. Before all of the people on the Knicks with the lowest contracts were Sweetney and Ariza. These are two players with great potential. Then they got Bateer and Sundov. If the Knicks needed a to make a trade they would have no players to throw in to make the salaries match. So I think the reason for the signings were to get players to throw in to match salaries. I also think that he is going to trade Kurt Thomas. That's the only reason why he resigned him so he can trade him this offseason.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mrj18:</div><div class="quote_post"> That's the only reason why he resigned him so he can trade him this offseason.</div> Yeah, that was the intention. But no one really wants him for that money-that's become clear, so I hope you're right-but I wouldn't count on it.
I like Kurt Thomas. He is a strong, albeit undersized rebounder, and can score inside and outside. The only bad thing about him is his age, but that contract is well worth his contributions, although it won't be once he gets over 35.
