[NYPost] Rockets could make push for Carmelo (UPDATE: Blog post)

We have different opinions. That is actually a good thing. The situation will certainly be easier to discuss once the playoffs are over. Postmortems are much more illuminating that premortems.

 

1. DOLAN and PHIL will not trade melo for asik + lin + 1st unless parsons is in the package.

2. Melo will be the talk of the summer, knicks will try to do everything to get him to stay, and PHIL would be a joke of SUMMER to give MELO up (HIS 1st YR) for a trade around LIN (due to LINS history in NY) to help the rockets get a BIG 3.

3. If melo walks from NY it will be to play for the BULLS which is his best choice. Defensive team solid coach just missing a go to scorer. They could beat the pacers & heat with him and a healthy rose. NOAH + BUTLER + ROSE + MELO thats SOLID.

4. If NY makes playoffs, its a good chance PHIL gets him to stay anyway, he will make WAYYY more on his 5yr deal and he knows he just has to wait 1 yr to get RONDO and other guys to come, (plenty of players will go play in MSG with PHIL) they will have cap space and could get asik at center if they wanted him then.

 

#1 Carmelo is not leaving NY.
#2 The Rockets would most likely offer Asik/Lin/Jones and 2 #1's,
#3 The Bulls were never a better choice than the Rockets, no one even knows how good Rose will be IF he is ever healthy again.

 

This isn't what it will look like.

This is what it will look like:
Howard
Harden
Canan (assuming he isn't a bust)
Parsons cap hold
Beverley's cap hold
7 min. roster slot cap charges

Depending on the cap, that is 15-17 million dollars the Rockets can offer Love/Gasol/Rondo/LMA/Milsap/Dragic.

Jones and Dmo will almost certainly be gone. This is another reason why they will look to get a piece before free agency. It is much easier to build a team over the cap than it is under the cap, due to the exceptions available, etc.

 

http://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/HOU.html

 

1. I agree.

2. Sort of a rehash of point 1, but sure.

3. Maybe. The thing is, Rose hasn't been healthy in awhile. No one wants to peg their future on a guy who may or may not ever play effectively in the nba again...I know I certainly wouldn't take my chances on that. Look at Amare, I know Melo does

4. Melo probably would stay if NYK made the playoffs, due to the Phil hire, BUT it will not be because of the 5th yr. Melo still has one big contract left in him so milking that 5th yr is overplayed (like it was with Howard, which I also always said from day 1, the 5th yr numbers are not nearly as great as one imagines -- just skews it when one says he can make $x more!). TX also has no income tax so that helps (along with the COL). Not to mention, Melo himself said he's willing to take a paycut to win. I absolutely believe Melo would MUCH rather have a better shot at winning than making a few million more. He's got the money -- it's the ring and respect he wants.

 

If I'm saying Larry Coon said it was the projection, do you not think that I know that its coming from a pretty good source???... like Adam Silver himself.

The NBA undershot its estimate last year, and yes its an estimate that could even be higher. However, I personally air on the side of caution, and try to look conservatively about what fans expectations should be for acquisitions and trades.... sorry, but as I am conservative, and you are typically over zealous with your trade scenarios, and acquisitions, the outcome is probably somewhere in between.

The FACT is, its not set in stone yet, and even if it does jump up to 62+ mil a year, the FACT is Melo is still taking a pay cut.... which is the whole F-Ing point of this dumb argument.

Melo would be taking a pay cut, you think its no big deal, I think it should be considered when factoring his decision in the first place... end discussion.

Sorry I dont have time to combat the rest of your argument.

 

Important then to consider the fact that Melo has already gone on record multiple times saying he would be willing to take a paycut if that was what was required to build a winning team. I do not doubt that one bit.

 

#1 He almost certainly is leaving NY because I'm sure at some point he wants to be on a relevant team.

#2 The Rockets would probably not offer anything at all because Melo would be awful for this team. He's a ball hog chucker that plays no defense....how does that help the Rockets? Sticking with Parsons would be the better play.

#3 The Bulls might actually want him though, I doubt the Rockets really do.

 

Stop quoting me charts, I know the Rockets cap situation backwards and forwards. They aren't going to let Parsons and Beverley walk because of the nature of their deals.

The point remains, either going for Love or going trading for Melo, or using pieces to clear cap for Melo is going to require dumping assets.

 

Most of this is most likely correct- The Rockets acquiring Melo is a longshot among all longshots.

The Phil Jax era hasn't even started yet, the Bulls option isn't even being discussed here, and there isn't enough attention being put on how Melo will probably try and push for a S&T to the team he wants to go to for.... well to have his cake and eat it too (more money).

However you are missing the fact that this is Clutchfans, and people love to dream.

These factors and all legitimate factors though that make the Rockets a long shot. Its a possibility, but its not nearly as as easy as it would seem reading through this thread.

 

Wait! Did I disagree with you at any point? I personally think not. If I did then I apologize.

The summer of 2015 has a huge wildcard. The renegotiated NBA TV rights. I have no clue where that is going.

 

not just because of rose, BULLS are a good team and would be right there with pacers if they had a go to scorer with or without rose. Bulls gives him a chance to still feel likes hes the man, rockets already have harden who plays the same type of game as him and howard needing touches also. IN chi he doesnt have to worry about that. one thing we cant argue is coaching, fan base, & defensive minded team.

MELO

"I'm willing to do whatever," Anthony said after practice Monday. "As long as it's gonna put me in a position to win, I'm willing to do whatever. I'm not sold or stuck on my play."

"What I've been able to do these past 10-11 years has gotten me at where I am right now," Anthony continued. "If Phil wants to come in and change that this late in my career, if it's going to help me win a championship, I'm with it."

"As far as knowing what it takes to win, Phil is the best to ever do it," Anthony said. "So for me to be able to have the opportunity and have him by my side, for him to teach me, you know, because I'm still willing to learn the game of basketball.

"And I haven't won anything [and] he's won a lot. I can learn a lot from him and his system, things that he wants to incorporate here. I'm hoping and praying this all works."

1. its either bulls or NY
2. now he has all the reasons in the world to get that extra money in NY since PHIL was brought in, was a heck of a move by DOLAN ! melo is already buying in.

 

What player wouldn't say that. I'd be willing to take a pay cut at my job under "certain conditions" as well.

Dirk said it as well, but folks here in Dallas seem to think he's going to be accepting like a 9 mil a year offer... please... give me a break. If a team like Philly comes in and offers him 18, he's not walking away from that, and he'd be crazy not to.

Point is, players will accept less if its the right decision to make for themselves first and foremost. All factors are considered, but at the end of the day, they are going to make the best decision for themselves.

Will Melo take less, I'm almost positive he will.... under what conditions?... I have no idea, but if he's going to take as much less as he would need to in order to sign with Houston as and UNRESTRICTED free agent, he's probably going to have to have some pretty amazing conditions to support that kind of pay cut.

S&T gives Melo the ability to have his cake and eat it too(except the final year), which I believe is the most likely scenario for acquiring Melo this Summer although there will be competition both in free agency, and especially in S&T offers... disagree with me if you would like.

 

yes you are correct I was one of the ones that were dreaming also a few weeks ago. But once PHIL came things changed. I was thinking rockets or Bulls before, now it will by knicks or bulls... Melo is already buying in and PHIL will replace woodsen after the season also. They are going to cater to him and hes getting more money there also.

 

you said the same thing about rondo time and time again in that thread, dont know what makes you think parsons is some paul george or something BUT HES NOT. Hes a solid smart offensive starter as a 3rd option on a playoff team, with below average D for a wing player. RONDO & MELO have been & are on another level than parsons will ever be.

 

I never said I disagree with that sentiment -- S&T is MUCH more likely of a way to get Melo than outright signing him. All I said was Melo said he'd be willing to take a paycut, in more direct response to your quote: "Melo would be taking a pay cut, you think its no big deal, I think it should be considered when factoring his decision in the first place... end discussion" to which I stated "Important then to consider the fact that Melo has already gone on record multiple times saying he would be willing to take a paycut if that was what was required to build a winning team." In other words, yes Melo taking a paycut should be considered, but if you do, you must then also consider the fact that he's at least quite willing to take one. What conditions and how much, who knows.

I would like to point out though that NOT all players say they will take a paycut. Kobe for instance never said it (in fact, he said the opposite). I don't recall Dwight ever saying it. etc.

And finally, as an aside, I actually think Dirk might take $9M at DAL over $18M from 76ers. It's not about money for everyone...esp. if you've already got it lol.

 

Well, you should also consider that in both scenarios, Rondo and Melo are somewhat repetitive functions for our team. It's not whether Rondo and Melo are greater than Parsons, it's whether the BENEFIT (after redundancies) of having Rondo or Melo > the benefits Parsons brings to our team. There, I am not as sure and might agree with Bobby...though I'm much more on the fence.

 

We could trade asik in 2015. I think we could get good value because I think he shows his worth time and time again. He's a tall center who can play great D as well as score he showed a glimpse in jazz game and all last season. He's in deandre Jordan's and Marc gasol category but even better then both of them.