After being mentioned so prominently in any number of trade rumors prior to the draft last month, David Lee sat down with Knicks president Donnie Walsh recently just to get a sense of what the future might hold.
Basically, anything is possible. Lee wants to remain in New York regardless of what's gone on in the past. At the same time, the popular forward knows there are plenty of variables to deal with. He got positive feedback during a lunch meeting with newly-hired coach Mike D'Antoni, and good vibes from Walsh.
Still, there were no guarantees.
"I wanted to get a feel from those guys if they like me here as a player and they wanted me here," Lee said. "Mr. Walsh and coach D'Antoni said, 'Let's not mince words, we want to have you here in New York and we love your game and how it's going to fit into the system.' But we agreed on the fact that if your main goal is to improve this franchise, then you've got to listen to all offers that come through for every player at this point."
The idea of playing for D'Antoni seems to intrigue most of the Knicks players still on the roster, so Lee is confident things will turn around in short order.
"I think any time there's change, and what people perceive as a change for the better, I think it's legitimate," Lee said of the optimism.
