As Carmelo Anthony leans toward leaving New York, Chicago and Houston emerge as frontrunners

 

 

Sorry if posted:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Source: Knicks free agent Carmelo Anthony expected to make decision the 2nd week of July after visiting select teams. <a href="http://t.co/X20EFoP9l9">http://t.co/X20EFoP9l9</a></p>&mdash; Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/statuses/482577863439155201">June 27, 2014</a></blockquote>
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June 30: Decline Parsons's option and extend a qualifying offer to him in the amount of $2,875,130, making him a restricted free agent.

July 1-9: Negotiate with [Lebron/Melo/Bosh] on max/near-max contract; negotiate with Parsons on new contract (if they haven't already agreed on one yet).

July 10 (or whenever everything has been lined up): (1) Withdraw Parsons's qualifying offer, making him an UNrestricted free agent but also lowering his cap hold to $1,760,350; (2) sign [Lebron/Melo/Bosh] to max/near-max contract; (3) sign Parsons to new contract.

(Presumably, everything would be lined up here well before July 23, which is the deadline for teams to be able to withdraw qualifying offers.)

It's as easy as that!

 

Sounds great. Hopefully Parsons doesn't Boozer us. I don't think he would if we are bring in one of those guys. Anyone else who knows, but then we wouldn't need that extra cap space either.

 

Very devious, I like it.

 

With regard to matchups, we got a great matchup in the first round in Portland and promptly flamed out against them. And everyone on here, in the press, and especially in the Rockets organization looked like morons after praising Portland's supposedly great play in the series once the Blazers went on to the next round and got destroyed by San Antonio who barely worked up a sweat. The Rockets lost because of fundamental problems that plagued them all season long and were never addressed. And no, adding Melo doesn't fix any of them(i.e. defense, more movement on offense, late game execution, sh-tty coaching).

As for it being only one season, you yourself conceded that they failed to live up to expectations. You don't think that might weigh on the minds of free agents like Melo who want to win now? If he sees a tandem of Dwight and Harden unable to defeat a layup like the Blazers, then why would he believe that his addition would not only put us over the top against Portland, but the Clippers, Thunder, and Spurs as well?

And one other thing. It's not just one season. It's 17 seasons and counting. The Rockets have had tons of talented stars come through here and nothing to show for it. Barkley after 1997 never amounted to anything. Pippen was a single season disaster. The Rockets made the playoffs only once in Steve Francis' five seasons here. They won only one playoff series during T-Mac's entire time here and that was the season he was out with an injury. Yao Ming? Again, only that same single playoff series victory. And now James Harden and Dwight Howard have been nothing but first round fodder.

Are the Rockets positioned better than Dallas going forward? I suppose, but you'd be wise not to put money on that with McFail at the helm. But that doesn't mean we're in a better situation than Chicago who are also in the running for Melo. I still maintain he's a much better fit there and would likely achieve far more playoff success.

 

The Rockets lost on a last second three to a +4.5 Portland team. Chicago got handled in five games to a +0.5 Washington team.

If you have to look 17 years in the past to determine that Chicago will achieve more playoff success, you're reaching.

 

Pretty uneventful Friday...

 

Not really. I can just look at 2011 when they reached the ECF and 2013 when they got to the 2nd round(without Derrick Rose I might add). Tell me what the Rockets managed to do in the last 4 years that compares.

 

The Knicks got to the 2nd round. He should stay in New York.

 

Well James Harden and Dwight have both been to the finals in the past 5. I think you overestimate the name on the front of the jersey and underestimate the names on the back when it comes to recruiting FA. Our owner has also been much more open to spending money.

 

The Spurs did the same thing to the Heat that they did to the Blazers. Does that mean Miami is a bad team, or that Miami would've been a "great matchup" for us? No, it didn't prove any of that, just as it didn't prove Portland was a fraud. It just shows San Antonio is really good.

The reason the Rockets lost to the Blazers was because they didn't outscore them in 4 of 6 games. That's it. You could have the exact same defense, exact same movement on offense, same coaching, and if Harden goes 9-of-28 instead of 8-of-28, or 8-of-19 instead of 6-of-19, the Rockets win the series. It was a couple buckets here or there that was the difference, and if you don't see that replacing Terrence Jones with Carmelo Anthony gives you a better probability of getting points, you're naive.

I don't think anyone with any sort of perspective on the NBA is going to freak out over one series. This stuff happens. If it happens over and over again, then obviously the team isn't a contender. But right now, it looks like the West had 5 very good teams, and the Rockets lost a tight series to another one of them.

The Rockets have two superstars who are healthy and in their primes. The Bulls have one superstar who hasn't been elite in 2.5 years. Yes, we're a better situation and it's not even close.

And if you think what happened on teams led by Barkley/Pippen, Francis/Mobley, Yao/McGrady, etc. has even 0.00000000001% to do with the Rockets' outlook for 2014-15 and beyond, or their perception in the minds of NBA players today, then you are delusional. There's no other way to put it. It's about the roster in place today. I get that you want to whine, b**** and moan and play the "woe is me" scarred fan card, but NBA players don't have that level of bitterness. Quite frankly, they don't even care, period. They just want to know what players they're going to war with over the very short-term. Houston has better ones than Dallas, Chicago and everyone else on Carmelo's list. The end.

 

Played in the West.

 

Anyone post the Dwyer piece on Phil wanting Melo to take less?

 

It's going to be uneventful until July 1 now. Thank God for the World Cup to occupy us until then

 

Carmelo should also consider the Celtics -- they were in the ECF two years ago!!! NBA Finals twice in the last seven! Must mean they're loaded.

 

Cry me a river. If being a Rockets fan is so, so tough for you, piss off.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Phil Jackson again needles Carmelo Anthony about taking less money to stay a Knick - <a href="http://t.co/W38SL0aUmd">http://t.co/W38SL0aUmd</a></p>&mdash; Kelly Dwyer (@KDonhoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDonhoops/statuses/482628344026910720">June 27, 2014</a></blockquote>
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The Cat, I thought you had sworn off the NBA after the failed Gasol trade and then the Dwight trade to the Lakers? Are you going to be okay if none of these big FAs choose Houston?

 

pj is stating the obvious...duh...of course melo is willing to take less, the question is how much less and whether the knicks can get some good players to surround him with....i doubt it.