A few things: 1. Granger was in the playoffs his first season, and his team ended up ranking 9th in each of the subsequent years (was 1 game behind the 8th place one season), except last year, when they ranked 10th. They were not very good, but it's not true to say Granger has never been close to the playoffs. Anthony has been better, but he's also had more talented teammates rather than a post-brawl Pacers team Bird was trying to clean up. 2. Granger v. Anthony v. Kevin Martin is a pointless debate anyway. It's not like the Rockets get to choose between Granger and Anthony. Most likely neither of them are available to the Rockets in a trade at least for the moment. And the Rockets will go hard after either one if he becomes available. 3. Kevin Martin, a player in his late 20s and getting paid seven figures, is an unlikely chip to be traded for either one of these guys. Presumably, the Nuggets/Pacers would want younger players on cheaper contracts, draft picks, etc. in return so that they can rebuild/retool for the future.
Agreed. I'm not normally one to say it's time to put all your chips in, but with a guy in the top echelon like Melo, it's worth the risk. If I had to, I would trade Martin, Brooks, Hill or Patterson, the pick swap rights and the NY 2012 first rounder for Melo and Ty Lawson, and I wouldn't look back. Lawson and Lowry could hold down the fort at point guard. If all goes well, you get build your team around Melo. If it flops and he jumps to NY, their first rounder isn't that useful, and you get to start clean in 2011 with only Lawson, Lowry, Lee, Budinger, Taylor, Hill/Patterson as young pieces all at under $3m a pop, plus Scola and Miller on the books. The problem if you don't include Martin is this team is in a precarious situation if the team falls apart. You then have a team of solid players that is stuck in the 7-8 seed. Though, the idea of Melo, Martin, and Yao is very intriguing -- Martin is as perfect a 3rd scorer as it gets -- like Ray Allen in the Boston triumvirate, except Melo and Yao are better offensive players than Pierce and Garnett.
Gets on my nerves. ESPN thinks the whole league wants to play in NYC. Carmelo has played his whole career in Denver, Superstars want three things. 1.) Money. 2.) To be the man on a team (Ignore Lebron) 3.)To win. Money isn't a problem for Houston or NY. Neither is being the man. As for who is in the better situation to win, cmon now. ESPN needs to realize that until NYC has a winning team, not many superstars will want to go there. Period. I'm talking about Elite Superstars, not Amare. If Carmelo wants to go to New York he can fly there during the offseason and do whatever he likes. I don't think the 'living conditions' matter too much for NBA players. Afterall they retire in their 30s normally and have plenty of time to enjoy life in whatever city they want to. I do see Carmelo wanting to play for New York though, afterall he is sort of from there. Still, Read a interview that Durant's favorite team growing up was the Rockets, I don't see him rushing to come play here.
While I do think Carmelo is going to play for the Knicks in 2011-12. I think he's worth dealing for now and wouldn't cost a whole lot to get since Denver is all but being forced to deal him and is losing some bargaining chips. Plus, the return he would get in a S&T would give the Rockets back some of the pieces they would be giving up (value wise)
If Denver wants more than just NY's 2011-2012 lotto picks they better get Carmelo to sign on the dotted line. Giving up guys like Brooks, Budinger, Hill, Patterson, Lee or Lowry doesn't make sense unless Anthony signs for another three years. No one year rentals. And just a side note, why would guys like Chris, Carmelo and Amar'e want to play in NY? You've got state income plus a **** load of other taxes that make everything in the state exceptionally more expensive than Texas and everything in NYC 10x more expensive and 10x crappier than in Houston. Guys like Carlos Beltran will always surprise me, but I know CP3 and Carmelo are smarter than that.
I agree with your main premise however in this case I think NY is the likely destination for Carmelo, if it can be worked out. The guy is from there, I believe, and his wife wants to live there due to her career so it makes all the sense in the world for him to want to play in that particular city along with the potential to be the "MAN" in NY is quite a tempeting proposition for a guy like Melo. NY won't bother him since he already experinced some of it at Syracuse and the success it can bring.
why just their FAs? you can dump all players w/o taking back anything as long as teams that have the cap space are willing to take your players. i just list one approach. there are tons of ways to do business. i am too lazy to figure out all of them.
http://www.netsdaily.com/2010/8/17/1627224/denver-doesnt-want-to-get-lebrond Denver Doesn't Want to Get "LeBron'd" I wonder if the term "LeBron'd" will stick. Personally I like it.
sounds very familier arguments not long time ago. you can list whatever benefits of playing in texas are but at the end bosh didn't come here. it's the reality.
1.) Money. 2.) Friendship with other superstars 3.)To win. do you really think nowadays superstars are care about the man of a team?
The NY attraction is obvious to me, EXPOSURE. Yea money, winning and such are important also. But the spotlight, especially for ones ego, is a attractive prospect if their is a chance to win.
I'm guessing Morey's thinking on Melo being overrated is that advanced statistics don't like his game that much... PER, for example; it doesn't think he is much better than a player like Kevin Martin or Joe Johnson. He's constantly compared to guys like LeBron, Bosh, Wade, Paul, etc, but advanced stats don't even think he's in the same class as those guys. If there are three tiers at the top end--superstar, star, and borderline star--Melo is a lot closer to a "borderline star" than he is to a superstar. Yet he's paid like a superstar and everyone treats him like he's a superstar.
look at how fans here are arguing. it reminds me of bosh's free agency. it's clearly amare, melo, and cp3 have made the decision. the question now is whether you want a one-year rental in melo case or not and whether you want to pay the price for the one-year rental or not. stop dreaming he might change his mind at the end of this coming season. no, he won't no matter how reasonable your arguments are.
<a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/50 cent gif turtle/mcmilli4/50centridebyturtle.gif?o=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w302/mcmilli4/50centridebyturtle.gif" border="0"></a> Melo is 100X better than Joe Johnson and Martin. If you have a chance at him, you take it. No questions asked. Yet he's paid like a superstar and everyone treats him like he's a superstar
I agree with you. However, the pickins' are getting thin for available players that represent an upgrade. If Melo falls out of Houstons picture, which probably he wasnt in their picture to begin with, that leaves Iggy. Their may be other upgrades out there, but they seem more marginal ones. Yes, Melos game isnt on the same level as Wade or Lebron, but he does know how to score points. More importantly though, is who he will be surrounded by. To me, this is key to whether he is worth his downside in pursuing. Will whos left be a good compliment for him?
Who on that roster would you want. You're not gonna get amare and they don't have anything else I would even want. Much less enough to make up a max deal. Btw wouldn't e basically be in the same spot as Denver is in now and have no leverage since ny has cap space.
NY=Perfect match for him. He played in Syracuse, and Amare' has been calling him aswell as CP3 to team up. I think he's already decided to go over there. This is Chris Bosh to Houston all over again.
Actually, not a capologist or anything, I THINK we will also be under the cap and thus be able to make an uneven trade, so we could pull off something like Melo for Chandler and Gallinari? Not that I'd make that move but it could be something like that and still have the flexibility to make other moves to rebuild.
