The Cat: take it to the bank, CP3 is staying

Because it's pure and utter speculation. Not based on anything factual and concrete.

I was hoping it was true as well but it was based on twitter rumors and homer feelings not on anything concrete.

 

Carmelo was personally told that he was getting traded to Houston. Yes, the paperwork hadn't been filed yet, but if that happened, then it would no longer be "inside info". Everyone and his dog would have been reporting it. Jesus (and Ian Bagley, Frank Isola, etc) were reporting it as a done deal because for all intents and purposes, it was. Like I said, it's incredibly rare for a team to go back on its word to THAT extent. It's the signs of a shitty organization that doesn't give a **** about its players. That's not Ben's (or Jesus') fault.

 

You're taking one tweet out of context. He then immediately followed up THAT SAME DAY (check the time stamp of the tweet I posted) explaining what and how he knew.

 

I really do not know why people think CP3 will leave. He's happy here. Most success he's had as a player.

For anyone afraid of what he'll get paid, so what? It is what it is. Or do you want to go back to the pre-CP3 days?

If we can just improve the roster a bit (LBJ, great, but hell, even just a very good backup PG and something for what is left of Ryan Anderson), maybe CP3 and his hamstrings will make it into the NBA Finals.

EDIT: why is it when I see the name Ben DuBose I think of Bell Biv Devoe?

"That contract is poi-sooooooooooooooooooooon"......

 

Sure, it would be easier, but that team probably isn't even as good as Cleveland so it wouldn't make a lot of sense to do. If you are Lebron and thinking of heading West, the ONLY way that makes sense is if you are going to Houston to form effectively a big 4. It doesn't make sense to go to the Lakers to just play with Chris Paul.

 

I'm not attacking Ben's credibility and honestly he can speculate just like anyone else. I honestly think people need to just take rumors for what they are, rumors. I'm not gonna come here in a month and laugh at Ben because something changed and Chris is on his way to LA. He's just thinking logically just like most of us did doing the Carmelo crap.

 

That's assuming Lebron cares about winning championships. I don't know what the hell he wants to do.

 

@The Cat How much do you think CP3 gets? The max that he wants?

 

I love how the narrative always has to change as if it’s a crime to be wrong.
I don’t care if someone speculates and ends up being wrong. It’s a part of speculation.

But the whole he wasn’t wrong the knicks changed their mind is just funny.

He said Melo is going to be a Rocket that summer. Melo was not a Rocket that summer. HE WAS WRONG. That part is all factual.

At least someone like Cyberex is always clear at saying “this is what I hear” or “there’s a good chance”. He might still be full of it who knows, but he doesn’t go out and try to state facts above his scope just to either reap the glory or come up with excuses after.

 

They can sign Lebron and CP3 and sign and trade for PG...

ALTHOUGH... if I'm the Rockets, and I know that I'm not getting Lebron, and PG is DEFINITELY going to LAL and will probably sign fast... and not getting Lebron kind of causes CP3 to have some second thoughts... I'd certainly be open to taking back some Lakers assets. Not that it will happen, but if it is increasingly looking like you might not keep CP3 and/or you can keep him at a 5 year max deal, but won't be able to add Lebron, PG or the like... and you are presented with the opportunity to do something like

CP3 for Ingram, Deng, Kuzma...

of course you do that, right? Replace Kuzma with Lonzo still good. But HAVE to take back INGRAM.

Those are good young assets and Deng's contract is probably tradeable the next offseason as it would only have 1 year left then at $18 million... you probably even have cap room then.

I get the Rockets get worse... I just have ABSOLUTE ZERO faith that if you run it back there aren't injury problems again. Everyone on this site likes to imply we got unlucky with injury, when the truth is we were lucky we were so relatively injury free. CP3 is ALWAYS injured, ALWAYS in the playoffs... he lasted fairly long.

 

Yes, I'm assuming that he cares about winning championships and I think that's a safe assumption. He wants to go down as the greatest of all time and he can't do that if he throws the rest of his career away in a situation where he can't win. The 3-6 record in the finals is already going to be used against him, if he never gets back to the finals or gets back only to lose yet again it'll only harm his legacy further.

The notion that hanging out in LA during the season is more important to him than winning championships IMO is kind of laughable. That's the kind of decision that someone like Chris Bosh or Carmelo Anthony made....and Lebron got to see what happened to them for making those kinds of decisions. Melo wasted the productive part of his career in NY and now he's viewed as nothing but a joke. If Lebron goes to LA only to lose the rest of his career, he'll greatly harm his legacy. If he forced a trade to Houston, he likely gets to add at least one or two more championships to pad his numbers while getting CP3 a championship. I'm not sure how that's not viewed as the best possible scenario for him.

 

That's assuming that OKC wants to take the Lakers scraps in order to form a team in LA that OKC could never hope to beat.....why would they do that?

Same thing when it comes to the Rockets trading CP3 to the Lakers.

It just wouldn't make any sense unless Morey or Presti is a Lakers homer. Neither player would have any leverage to force that kind of a move since they couldn't go on their own. The reason Lebron would have leverage to force a trade to Houston is due to the threat of him signing with LA, CP3 or PG wouldn't have that.

 

http://amicohoops.net/nba-rumors-houston-rockets-ryan-anderson-nba-free-agency/

On the lighter side of things, Sam Amico just released an article today with the headline:
Rockets Trying To Find A Taker For Ryan Anderson.

Haha. Breaking News!

 

First off, it wasn't speculation. Carmelo and other NY players were told that.

Your latter distinctions are bizarre. Nothing can be a fact until the ink is dry. I assumed that was common sense that people would understand that. Deals unravel at the last minute in big business all the time.

For clarity on the "tank it to the bank" line, which was just a reply on CF under a screen name and not intended as a massive scoop (because it's not), my only point was to express my confidence -- yes, based partly on information I've gathered from plugged-in people -- that the deal gets done. Personally, I'd bet a lot of money on it.

I don't care about reaping glory. I posted a message on a message board. Relax.

 

For the most part I agree... EXCEPT, the Lakers can get PG and Lebron right now. And for family reasons, personal reasons, whatever, Lebron might just prefer the Lakers. It's not that hard to envision. He doesn't "have" to beat GSW next year for it to be a success. Return Lakers to glory (definite playoffs, maybe WCF). AND... the Lakers young assets are pretty good. They don't know how to win right now, and need a few more years of seasoning, but they're pretty solid. That doesn't work for Lebron's "win-now" needs, but it does mean they have value. They won't net the Lakers Anthony Davis, but could net them a John Wall (i'd trade Wall for those assets if I'm the Wizards, Wall is an "interesting" personality), potentially a Demar Derozan, or Jimmy Butler... just throwing names out there. (so for example, Wall, Kuzma, PG, Lebron, fill in the blanks...)

Bear in mind, in the scenario where Kawhi returns to SAS healthy and "happy" - which imo is the most likely scenario to happen -the western conference is now pretty loaded.

So you have GSW, LAL, SAS and the Rockets... who again, I think you're fooling yourself if you think CP3 not being injured is the standard, it is rather the cross your fingers and hope it doesn't happen scenario.

So you have a harder path to the playoffs, you haven't really improved your team much, you've probably maxed or near maxed Capela, you have to decide what to do with your SF position (which turned out the be HORRIBLE in the playoffs, LMAM was injured and horrible, Ariza shot 29% from three) without much cap room.

Then on top of that, once you do decide to give CP3 a boatload of money and years, he's "probably" un-trade-able for the foreseeable future.

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So, to me, OPTION #1 is clearly and OBVIOUSLY Lebron. And absent Lebron perhaps Paul George. Personally I think even saying Paul George's name is silly. He's going to LA.

OPTION #1b is, if LEBRON would rather say no than yes, then you quickly tell him we can help you get CP3. And you tell CP3 that. And you try and get a package that has Ingram and Deng, plus either Kuzma or Lonzo (assuming you can't get both). Then you re-sign Capela.

** caveat, if DM has some other way to add a MEANINGFUL IMPACT player to the squad beyond Lebron or PG, then of course I'd prefer that. I just don't like the "run-it-back" because we were just "an injury away" scenario.

What about point guard you say?? Didn't Harden play PG last year very effectively? Of course they floundered out in the playoffs, and I wouldn't expect this team to be better than this years, but at least from a positional standpoint, you COULD run out there with Harden, Gordon, Ingram, Tucker, Capela and outscore most people.

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Regarding CP3, I mean sure I definitely think he stays. But that said, I think there are basically ZERO fans that could or would or should give CP3 shi* if he decided to up and leave and join the Lakers. It'd be ring chasing sure, but he literally just did that last off-season to join our team. We couldn't in our right mind be like "f! you CP3" lol.

True, all CP3 has to do is say no to joining a Lebron/PG LAL team and that dream ends for Lebron with CP3 in particular but as I said he'll still have other options to be championship worthy then.

And then.. you are at least a bit at risk of CP3 up and leaving and OKC taking a package of young Lakers. And why wouldn't they want that package?? Ingram and Lonzo don't have future MVP written all over them, but how else is OKC going to get talent?

 

Not entirely. It would be complicated but considering the Cavs’ black hole at center, they would jump for joy to get Clint Capela if they are losing LeBron anyway. When you consider that, other than the Rockets, Capela’s suitors are all rebuilding teams like Cleveland, he very well may be amenable to being sign and traded to Cleveland for the max.

 

So, if the Lakers were to get LeBron and George, your response would be to blow up a 65 win team that would’ve beaten one of the best teams in NBA history if Chris Paul hadn’t strained a hamstring in the waning seconds of game 5? You are out of your mind.

Remember, in games Harden, Paul and Capela all played, counting the postseason, the Rockets went 53-7, including 5-3 vs Golden State. Blowing that core up if they strike out on LeBron is idiotic. A better course of action would be to move Anderson for a better basketball fit vs Golden State on similarly terrible contract (Batum or Allen Crabbe are two examples) and roll with the team moving forward.

 

We’re all relaxed...I think. And again, my original point was we’ve been down this road, let’s be careful. But when you decided to take one Potatohead tweet and claim he didn’t guarantee Melo was going to be a Rocket then yeah, I questioned you also.

Since it didn’t happen speculation is a good word to use. I don’t care how many people claimed it was a done deal. It just means that that many people were wrong. I don’t get how this is so complicated. He said something is going to happen. It didn’t. End of story. I understand he had every reason to believe he was right but he was wrong.

If I had a client who wanted to bid 200k over listing price on a house I can choose to tell him that he will definitely get the house or I can say you will most likely get it barring another crazy bidder coming in with a better offer.
If I give him the guarantee that the house is his he will probably like the confidence I’m presenting way more than if I say he will “most likely” get the house. If we make that offer but get outbid I can explain to him that no one could have expected another bidder to come in even higher, but that client still has the right to doubt any claims I make moving forward.