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

I can't believe that the biggest problem we may face in the next few days is actually having to decide between Melo or Love. What a great problem to have.

 

God, the Rockets with Melo, Howard, Harden, Parsons, and a healthy Yao Ming? We'd be better than the 72-10 Bulls!

 

Well, I am wildly trying to interpret it, so take it as such.

At some point, you have to build a finished product. Morey likes flexibility, but sometimes you need to go "ALL IN".

 

C'mon. Les has made at least a billion dollars in the Far East since Yao came here....and he's not getting any younger.

 

True.

 

And he's only 33.....maybe we should start rumors about a healthy Yao in order to sway FA's

 

That's not at all the case, and with this attitude you're just setting yourself up to be majorly disappointed when we end up with Ilyasova.

 

This is difficult because the new TV deal will mean the cap will grow much quicker than salary escalation of our players. In 3 years, Harden, Howard, and (hopefully) Love's contracts will look like bargains compared to what the new max guys will make.

 

Rose has played 50 games in 3 seasons. He's not confident enough in his recovery to confirm whether he can play for Team USA this summer. Chicago will have to lose Dunleavy, Hinrich, Boozer, Augustine, and possibly one of Butler or Gibson to bring Melo on board. That's up to four starters from last year's team. They will have no bench with Melo on board and Thibs will run him into the ground as he has done with all his teams.

Houston can offer him more money and retain all the starters from last year's team. The Knicks are more likely to agree to our SnT offer as we aren't asking them to take on $16M in salary like Boozer, meaning we get to retain our MLE. The Bulls will likely have to amnesty Boozer, while we actually got a likely lottery pick for Asik. Our all-NBA stars are healthy and our state taxes are lower.

As for playing in the easier conference, Miami has been to the Finals for four straight years. Their big three are likely taking paycuts to add more depth. Miami will be more talented and deeper than Chicago could ever hope to be. In the West, three different teams have made the Finals in the last four years and two of them have won championships. Ask me which one he has a better chance of getting to the Finals in and I'd say the West.

There are absolutely no basketball reasons for Melo to choose Chicago over Houston. None. It just makes no sense. If he likes the city or if his wife wants to go there, then fine. But arguments about how Chicago is a better fit, better team, or the easier conference to get to the Finals in are just lies.

 

I will probably be the only person on this board who'll be happy if we get Ilyasova. No joke. Love the guy's game in terms of complementing Harden and Howard.

 

That may be true, but the idea being discussed was a four superstar roster of Love, Harden, Melo and Dwight. Do you think they could stay below the tax apron with that core while still filling out the roster?

I just don't see it.

 

Nope, I'd be happy with him. I mean I'd prefer Melo or Love, but if we have an offseason where we add Ilyasova and other parts I'm fine with that. He needs to be part of a greater solution though and not THE solution.

 

I think you've hit on some keys. If we do have Love in the bag and we are still going after Melo then that possibility may necessitate a sign-and-trade of Parsons to NYK. But I think that is a long, long shot. If I had to guess I think we've got Love and we're really trying to get Lowry.


Lowry
Harden
Parsons
Dwight
Love


that's nasty.

but even if we don't get Lowry still

Bev
harden
Parsons
Dwight
Love

is nasty as well.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Taj Gibson has entered Melo meeting. As previously reported, not only do Bulls want to keep Taj, Carmelo wants to keep Taj if he comes.</p>&mdash; K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) <a href="https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/statuses/484054664149995520">July 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Good post. I was in the camp thinking Chicago was the better choice for Melo. But you may have convinced me otherwise...

 

I'm being cautiously optimistic about the whole free agency frenzy, but tmac's speculation got me daydreamin about the possibility.

Would I be disappointed in Ilyasova knowing we had a slim-to-decent shot at Melo/Love? Yes, but not majorly. As justtxyank, I would be happy with him if he is part of a bigger solution in upgrading our whole team and not just one position.



Man, I gotta get off this board and do some work today (hitting F5 on a keyboard every 30 seconds does not count) :grin:

 

Ha ha...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Being included in a meeting for a player whom you may need to leave to accommodate is the NBA's version of Indecent Proposal.</p>&mdash; RealGM (@RealGM) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealGM/statuses/484058047371702273">July 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Heat telling free agents they will have $12+ million to spend, indicating Wade &amp; Bosh ready to take huge pay cuts, sources told ESPN</p>&mdash; Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN/statuses/484058625342578689">July 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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12 mil probably won't be enough for Lowry or Melo so we can scratch them off the list. Who do they even go for?

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>John McDonough just walked in and out of UC: &quot;We are not in the Carmelo sweepstakes.&quot;</p>&mdash; Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFriedell/statuses/484059446016888832">July 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The other person in the van that picked up Melo? That would be Thibs. He was talking to him on the whole ride into the United Center.</p>&mdash; Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFriedell/statuses/484059649780355072">July 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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