Re: Travis Knight's salary

[HMURDOCH@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-07-06 14:19:14 EDT, darlingt@hal.muhlberg.edu (BigDave
writes:
>
>> NBC just reported that the Celtics have offered Travis Knight $22m over 7
>> years...
>> 
>	I think Travis Knight is a good pick, but not at that cost.  3 
>years, 8mil would have been tops, IMHO.
>-d

The way the contract is structured, it actually works out to a little less
than 8 million after 3 years (close to 7 million even).  It keeps increasing
year by year so that at the end he would be getting 4.32 mil in the 7th year.
 

But I understand there is an option to leave after 3 years (in time for the
Duncan bidding war - or for whomever they want that's available).  What I
haven't heard is whether the option to cancel the contract is the Celt's,
Knight's, or both ?

At any rate, if Knight turns out to be a good player, this may be a
reasonable salary.  I just don't know whether he fits into some long range
plan salary cap wise.  In fact, I just don't know if there is a *long-range*
plan period.  The comments Pitino has made about their biggest job being to
improve the Celtics "immediately" worries me a little (as did the proposed
Pippen deal !).  I hope there's more behind this "hurry up" attitude than is
apparent on the surface.  I would much rather all the moves be aimed (with
*good* aim) at producing a championship in 5 years or so, than at being a
good-but-not-great team forever.  I have followed the C's since a tall skinny
guy named Russell was playing - and I want my next banner !  (If any of you
hang out with Rick, you can pass that along.)

Hank M.

>Year 1 - 1.96	
>Year 2 - 2.36	
>Year 3 - 2.75	
>Year 4 - 3.14	
>Year 5 - 3.54	
>Year 6 - 3.93	
>Year 7 - 4.32