Players talk. I think a good reason why Harden and Howard didn't really go out there and try too hard to convince anyone or recruit anyone is because they knew what Melo and Bron and Bosh's true intentions were.
It doesn't work like that dude. New Yorkers are tough on people. "You play for my Knicks" "likeable guy" think of those catch phrases. You think Lebron's boutiques in Cleveland area malls stayed open when he left for Miami?
I doubt it otherwise they would have mentioned it to morey and he would not have given up a first rounder to get rid of lin.
And by business decisions he means he would have lost one extra year on his contract worth about 25-30 million right? I don't blame him, he would be leaving a team that would eventually be built to compete and he gets to be the franchise player. Going to the Lakers or Bulls he would have to change his game to fit with Kobe or Rose/Noah. I had a hard time believing Bosh, Melo or even James would entertain the idea of coming to Houston. Everyone had their own reasons but money is the main motivation for these players. Both Bosh and James both won their 2 rings and in the end they should sign max deal contracts for the longest time possible. James thought his contract well through, to wait until the new cap figure was released then sign for another max deal for more money. Hypothetically he could sign for 20 million+ for at LEAST 7 more years. Then if his body holds up he could resign at a bargain contract similar to Dirk or Duncan.
True, but holding onto Lin was more of a crap shoot. Sure we might've gotten decent value for Lin with teams that were looking for cap relief but Lin's production was inconsistent at best. It was clear that Lin and Harden weren't flourishing as well as we were hoping they would.
Well some owners want to be hands on with the businesses they own. Businesses like restaurants and clubs might require him to frequent the location more often. It's just the way it goes. But honestly speaking, he should have just said, I am p***y whipped. Lala will not let me go to any other city and what LaLa says, goes.
Doesn't really bother me that he cares about what the rest of his family thinks. What if she wanted to move to LA to improve her chances in her career and told him to demand a trade there. That wouldn't be fair either. OTOH, from a practical perspective, it's already quite obvious that her career as an actor/actress is not going to materialize so I think what essentially happened here is that she values her unrealistic goals just as much as Melo's realistic chance of winning rings before he retires. I'm sure she wanted him to speak with LA, and obviously he was not on board with that. I'm sure he wanted to move to Chicago or maybe even Houston, and she wasn't on board with that. At the end of the day, New York was just the best compromise for them. Plus, there's all his sponsors/leeches telling him to stay because they know he's a cash cow. I'm sure he wants to win. But that's not what makes a winner. Everyone wants to win at what they love to do. It's just a matter of how highly you prioritize that desire to win, how much more important it is to you than everything else. With Melo, I think his desire to win it all is no greater than the least motivated NBA player - except he's far more talented. I look at Lebron and I respect the fact that he takes huge risks in terms of money, stability, marketability but takes no risks at all with the opportunity to win. He wants to win and he will go where he can win and he BELIEVES that he will win every ring. I'm sure playing in Cleveland is slightly less lucrative for him than playing in Miami, I'm sure the lifestyle is nowhere near as good, and I'm sure there's a risk with him joining a rookie coach and a young cast of players labelled selfish/losers thus far. He's left teammates who he values highly because he takes a business-like view about their abilities - he could see that his supporting cast previously in Cleveland and then in Miami were not getting better, so he bounced. Melo is just not that guy. If Melo was a winner, he takes one look at the Rockets and decides that he is capable of being a leader and making Howard/Harden buy into a winning culture, and that by being certain he can win rings with that kind of talent he generates the difference in revenue for himself and his brand. What's happening now is he claims he cares about winning while talking about protecting his brand. In reality, claiming he cares about rings is part of his brand. It's just a marketing ploy. Anthony know he will never win a ring as the leader of the Knicks. By the time they can get him serious help, he will be too old to be better than other stars on the team, and even then who knows if Fisher is going to be a good coach. I wish he were a winner, because if he were I know he'd be a Rocket today. But he's not, and so I'm not really mad he didn't join us.
Wasn't that confirmed to be part of his thought process? "I get my max deal now and if we're not a contender soon I can just force a trade?"
he could have just done a S&T. He can't force a trade with 4 years left on his deal and has 0 leverage....
You can't get a max deal via SnT anymore. It's 5yr/$110M from New York vs 4/$80M from anyone else. Plus, he can always force his way out by pouting and playing like crap. Vince Carter forced his way out of Toronto that way.
