Not sure why you think there will even BE any exceptions, much less MLEs available. The entire point of the CBA negotiations from the ownership side of things has been to institute a hard cap, or at the very least eliminate most of the exceptions.
No-one expects NY to contend? Except for the NY media and fans...
And no: the Knicks aren't a contender. I very much doubt they'll finish top 4, and are staring at a second round exit.
(tho' with the Celtics trades... who knows on them!)
http://with-malice.com/ - The half-crazed ramblings of a Lakers fanatic in Japan