If Carmelo demand a trade to Houston, NY has no options if they doesnt want loosing him for nothing. So the offer doesnt need to be so special
Exactly, if Les truly thinks he has a real chance at signing Carmelo, then swing for the fences and go for it.
It should be kept in mind that the Rockets wouldn't have to send Asik and Lin to the Knicks, necessarily. They simply need to find a team willing to absorb enough money to allow a sign and trade under the 150% rule, which is what made the Warriors such a dangerous contender for Dwight last summer. Remember the Warriors only had to give up two first round picks to dump much worse players in Biedrins, Jefferson and Rush to acquire Iguodala. It is extremely unlikely that any team, even the Knicks, would deny a player a trade in which the team doesn't have to take any money back and thus doesn't negatively effect them at all. If Carmelo wants to join Houston and Morey is willing to lock in a Dwight/Harden/Melo core for the foreseeable future (foregoing a shot at a superior player and fit in Kevin Love) then it will happen.
You bring up a great point Ming, I mentioned that because of the fact that "salaries must match" for any NBA trade to go through, and is we gave up both Lin and Asik and picks, NYK would have to include more than just Carmelo by himself, even in a sign and trade scenario.
I am with you that K. Love would be a better fit with this lineup, no need to debate a clear fact, but that last part of your post, about locking in that core of D12, Harden, and Carmelo, is the real point, because Carmelo will be a FA this offseason. There is no stone cold guarantee if we were to try to acquire Love this offseason, that he would absolutely re-up with the Rockets when he becomes a FA next season. But if we lucked up and got Carmelo, in addition to what we already have, that would be formidable for years to come.
Well, it's a real risk since we are seeing the best Carmelo will ever be right now. He'll be 30 before next season starts and soon he'll begin declining. Paying a 34 year old Melo $25 million isn't terrifying exactly, but missing a chance on the younger, better, cheaper and more cohesive player in Kevin Love would definitely factor heavily on Morey's decision if this scenario comes to pass.
We don't need to even get to a trade. If Melo wants to come here we start unloading guys and create the cap space to sign him outright. In the process of trading away guys like Asik and Lin, we're going to get draft pick assets. Philly wants Asik. I'm pretty sure Hinkie will wind up giving us that New Orleans pick for Asik if it falls in the lower lottery, like 10-14. We then send that pick and Lin/JOnes out to a team wanting the pick. They send us back a future first rounder, not lottery protected. We create the space to sign Melo and pick up future picks in the process. Don't want to brag about this Melo talk but I will remind you I called this mess about a week before SAS came out with his claims that Melo was gonna walk and the Knicks should trade him. Go back and check the dates. I told you all at least a week before SAS that the Knicks should trade him because he was most likely going to the Lakers. Later I heard an interesting rumor about the Nets. So, here you go. Melo could force his way to the Nets for Joe Johnson....if the Knicks cooperate when he tells them he wants out. He could wind up in Brooklyn. Melo could wind up walking to Miami to join the big 3. Melo could wind up walking to the Lakers. That is still in play. And Melo may try to force his way to the Clippers. He'll have to get the Chris Paul seal of approval and have Paul pounding on management to get that one done however. Because the Clips don't want to part with Blake. And.....Melo could wind up in Houston....after sitting around all summer without a team.....waiting for Houston to clear the deck for him. And at this point it is highly doubtful that he returns to the Knicks. All the bit about sitting down and listening to them and their plan....that's plain garbage. They can't do nothing for another year. He already knows that.
Oh, and all this junk about Melo won't fit with Harden and Howard is sheer garbage. Melo is a first ballot hall-of-famer. He's one of the ten best shooters to ever play in the NBA. And he's a mismatch against either big or small defenders by being able to take smalls in the post and literally vaporize them. All that crap about not fitting is nothing but a cluster of turd pile. He'd fit in great, spreading the floor. He'd probably shoot 50% from 3 here as he would get more space. He'd be ultra efficient next to Howard/Harden.
That makes sense and that does concern me, about his age, and you made another great point about Love being younger and more cohesive.
Not that there's any chance Melo's coming to Houston, but I really would be very excited if it did. Not just the fact that I think he's an AWESOME FIT(that is not a misprint) on this team, but also so that I this whole "not a winner" cliche being used all the time just because someone may not like a player.
You really think he's an awesome fit huh? Interesting. I'd be interested in seeing it work. Would you play him or Parsons at the four to keep both in the lineup or would you have one on the bench? Melo is really good in the paint when he plays there.
I posted this in the 3/3 BS report thread but I though it might be more suitable for the on-going Carmelo Anthony potential to Houston chatter. I think this is something that will continue to get brought up as we get close to the playoffs and the talk continues about Houston needing that 3rd star piece. I think what this all comes down to is- A. Would Morey be willing to load up draft picks along with the contracts of Asik & Lin in a S&T deal? B. Would Dolan the Knicks be willing to trade off major luxury tax ramifications for a few late 1st round draft picks, a Lin/Asik rental, 2 balloon payments, and potentially weakening their draft position in 2015 by bringing in better players that win more games for them???? Although a long shot, I think its worth diving deep into at this point just to get a clear indication as to whether or not its worth the while of Dolan and the Knicks to play ball this Summer with Morey one more time if Melo decides to leave & the Rockets are at the top of the list.
When Harden, Melo and Howard are in the same team, the team is going to implode sooner or later. 3 diva's, 1 ball, go figure.
The problem with having Carmelo on this team is his role on this roster does not warrant the big contract he will want. Yes he is an upgrade over Tjones, but he isn't a 18m + salary upgrade. If you pay Carmelo the salary he's looking for, you won't have money to pay for quality players around the roster. The fit of Melo, Harden, and Howard is not optimal at all. People will cite the Miami Heat fit, but Bosh and Wade both are great off the ball players on offense and good defenders. They don't need the ball to be effective. Melo albeit is shooting very well from 3 point land, but he needs the ball to be nearly as effective. Would you rather give the ball to Harden or Carmelo? One can score for himself, the other makes everyone else better. Carmelo is a bad finisher at the rim (55%), his defensive rebounding is barely above Jones, he's not a particularly good defender. And no I'm not saying having a third star is a bad thing, it's more about fit. A player like Kevin Love who is a very very good finisher around the rim, and a tremendous defensive rebounder is a very good fit. People need to keep fit in mind before trying to go overboard over talent. Look at the Lakers team last season. Kobe, Nash, Pau, Dwight all need the ball to make a significant impact on the game. Dwights the only one out of those that's a good defender, so the others need the ball to be effective on offense.
The Laker super team fell apart because of age and health just like when they added Payton and Malone. Our big three are younger and in their primes, it makes a world of difference.
I would be all in for Melo, and I think Morey would too. Anthony is draped with a false reputation of being a selfish player that doesn't make his teammates better. Hello? His teammates stink! The NYK project failed the moment Amare's body conceded to a myriad of injuries. We never got to see how good Carmelo could be when playing alongside another superstar. Him coming here makes sense for both parties, and I've noticed signs that should leave us feeling at least slightly optimistic: 1) Carmelo has stated numerous times he's willing to take a paycut to win. 2) Morey has refused to take on salary in trades for either Asik or Lin. 3) Morey insists the Rockets need a third star to win a championship, also stating that no one on the roster can fill the slot. 4) Anthony and Howard have been discussing Free Agency privately with one another. 5) There is no other viable destination for Carmelo as far as winning is concerned, except for Houston. (Chicago fans, don't even start) I'm no BimaThug, but it's clear the $16m combined salaries of Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik would have to come off the books this off-season. I think the contracts would be easy to move. If push comes to shove and we have to move these guys for pennies on the dollar (or even a firesale) there would be teams busting down Morey's door to land Omer's expiring for a measly pick. We got 2 picks and a prospect for TRob. If no team with cap room is willing to take Jeremy Lin's expiring for free (Philly is a likely destination, they are far under the cap) then we can attach a 2nd rounder or something to sweeten the pot, similar to what Golden State had to do when parting with Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson. The difference? Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik are very good NBA players, the former are not. We aren't a threat to win the championship as currently constructed. The mere fact that people ITT are saying "no" to Melo puzzle me. He's been an ANIMAL this season. Elite scorer, very good rebounder, and shooting the lights out despite being the only offensive threat on his team. "Rondo is a ball-hog", "Melo is a loser" "Dwight has character issues" "$24m for Kyle Lowry? TOO MUCH!" "Is Harden worth a max contract? I'm not too sure." "Who is this Chandler Parsons guy? Why didn't we take the Center Jeremy Tyler?" Yeah... the armchair GM's here on CFans sure do know what they're talking about! Screw the narrative, people. Morey will make us champions one day. Carmelo will surely help.
screw sign and trade, Melo needs Houston more than Houston needs him consider signing him, but don't give away any picks
I don't get the fit thing. My main concern would be defense...we'd better have some seriously good wing/PF defenders coming off the bench if that happened. Harden, Howard and Melo all have the tools to be excellent off the ball players. I don't think they "need the ball in their hand" to be effective. It's not like you're making Harden become a full time spot up shooter or anything. So it'd be up to them and whether they are willing to give up ****ty iso ball for the most part. Not gonna happen anyway so it doesn't matter.
