Carmelo as part of a Big 3
- Thread starter TomRicardo
- Start date
Yeah, I should have said "soon entering the decline phase of his career." He's definitely better now than ever, I'm just not sure how many seasons at this level are left. It would suck for the Celtics if they give up a ton of assets for him and he declines back to a top 20-30-ish player. The odds of that seem uncomfortably high.
My problem with Melo is that I think he'd be a fine player as part of a big 3.
I think he'd be a really bad fit for a big 3 that includes Kevin Love.
They like the ball in the same spots, they are both most effective at the 4, they are both indifferent at best defenders.
Obviously Love is the choice if you can only have one, he's much younger, and a top rebounder.
I'd love the 3rd to be a top big man if they get Love and extend he and Rondo. Not sure how plausible it is though.
I think he'd be a really bad fit for a big 3 that includes Kevin Love.
They like the ball in the same spots, they are both most effective at the 4, they are both indifferent at best defenders.
Obviously Love is the choice if you can only have one, he's much younger, and a top rebounder.
I'd love the 3rd to be a top big man if they get Love and extend he and Rondo. Not sure how plausible it is though.
Cellar-Door said:
Me too. I think it's within the realm of possibility, but improbable.
Aldridge and Gasol (the younger) will be free agents next year. Then you have the Pacers facing a decision on Hibbert not so far down the road (maybe even now). The likelihood of Bird dealing Hibbert to the Celtics seems exceedingly small, though.
I'm really only concerned about years 4-5 of a 5 year contract for Melo and only a little. Medical technology has really extended NBA player longevity. I look at recent players with similar histories as Carmelo in terms of durability, style of play & productivity - Kobe & pierce - and I would take their age 30-34 seasons even with modest decline in years 4-5.
I'm also not gonna be too picky about saying he can't mesh with Love. People said that about Wade & Lebron who are very similar styles of players. I'm more concerned about whether they'll up their defensive motivation, whether Rondo can return to his peak, whether he stays or goes, and whether there are enough assets leftover to trade for another major piece.
I'm also not gonna be too picky about saying he can't mesh with Love. People said that about Wade & Lebron who are very similar styles of players. I'm more concerned about whether they'll up their defensive motivation, whether Rondo can return to his peak, whether he stays or goes, and whether there are enough assets leftover to trade for another major piece.
Yes, but Lebron is a top 10 all-time player and an all-world defender, which allows talent to trump fit. Love and Melo are nowhere near that level, frequently play the same position and both have defensive problems.ALiveH said:
If Melo wants to play here and we can convince Rondo to resign for a reasonable amount I would have no objection to trading one late first round pick to dump Gerald Wallace and make room for Melo. I would rather tank for the next couple of years, but this is a reasonable compromise between trading all our assets to one shot at glory with Love, Rondo and Melo and tanking. It would give us the playoff team many people want without sacrificing the picks we would need to build a contending team around second rate stars like Melo, Rondo and potentially whoever we draft with the 6th pick.
Not that Riley could ever pull it off, but a Wade / Melo trade would actually be perfect for the Heat. Melo would have to be the 2nd fiddle but he would get to be his ball hogging self for the long stretches of rest he provides Lebron. That would provide enough scoring to give Lebron long period of rest so he can start averaging closer to 35 min a game and extend his prime. Melo is also more durable than Wade, so the Heat will get more games out of him. The only question is really around defense and if the Heat can absorb the defensive dip that will be Carmelo, but I think if motivated he could play somewhat adequate defense.
DannyDarwinism said:
I have to admit I am kind of rooting for this to happen. One, it will make them even more hateable. But two, and more importantly, it will shed further light on the absurdity that is the max contract. Not to get into the "how to fix the NBA" issue, but I feel like removing max player contracts and then keeping a hard cap would create a really interesting league with a ton of competitive balance.
DannyDarwinism said:
The thing about this though, is that the Knicks can say no. And would probably be wise to. The Heat have all of 3 players under contract next season. What benefit do the Knicks get out of taking Udonis Haslem, Chris Anderson, Norris Cole and a trade exception if, in the process, they make an Eastern Conference rival good enough that they won't be able to compete with them for 5 years? If Carmelo makes it clear that he won't play in New York, and requests a sign and trade to Miami, I suspect that Phil will simply say no and renounce his rights.
A team of douchebags for a city of douchebags, it really would be perfect. If only they could find a way to acquire Deron Williams to run point.tims4wins said:
I will be surprised if this happens given how much money Bosh, LeBron, Wade, and Anthony would have to leave on the table. And I also don't think it addresses the team's biggest issues of interior defense, rebounding, and point guard play.
jon abbey said:
Oh, right. I see. So the idea is that they'll all opt out, and then take much less to sign? I was thinking of it as a sign and trade. That makes more sense.
He actually has to tell NY by June 23, so it would be the funniest thing ever if he thinks he has until July 1 and gets stuck there for another season (I know there is essentially no chance of this happening, but the Elvis Dumervil fuckup gives me slight hope).
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/11067593/carmelo-anthony-inform-new-york-knicks-free-agency-decision-june-23-according-sources
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/11067593/carmelo-anthony-inform-new-york-knicks-free-agency-decision-june-23-according-sources
who even has the cap room right now? somebody is going to have to line up the signing with anthony then clear cap room to facilitate. And under the new CBA teams have to take back salary that is going out, except for those rare teams that have trade exceptions.
The Cs might be positioned to benefit no matter what happens - go Trader Danny!
It would actually be a pretty efficient use of resources if, e.g., the celtics package wallace, green + a 1st in a salary dump (not sure if those numbers work) to sign anthony (assuming he'd already agreed which would be easier if we already had Love). Much better use of assets than a trade to NYK with multiple 1sts. And can use those saved up assets to acquire another major piece.
Or, the C's have one of those valuable trade exceptions, so they could facilitate a carmelo signing by another team and take in another 1st or good young player in a salary dump.
The Cs might be positioned to benefit no matter what happens - go Trader Danny!
It would actually be a pretty efficient use of resources if, e.g., the celtics package wallace, green + a 1st in a salary dump (not sure if those numbers work) to sign anthony (assuming he'd already agreed which would be easier if we already had Love). Much better use of assets than a trade to NYK with multiple 1sts. And can use those saved up assets to acquire another major piece.
Or, the C's have one of those valuable trade exceptions, so they could facilitate a carmelo signing by another team and take in another 1st or good young player in a salary dump.
I'm not sure any of the james/Wade/Bosh/Melo qualify as dooshbags in the context of NBA players. I suppose maybe Wade comes off that way at times, but I'm not seeing it with the other guys, especially not James or Bosh.fairlee76 said:
jon abbey said:
I think it will be hilarious if they all opt out, James and Bosh ditch Wade, and Wade loses like 15-20 million in the transaction. I don't think anyone is giving Wade near what he's getting with the Heat over the next two seasons (42 million). I'm kind of rooting for this now, actually. Sure, I don't think any of us want James/Melo/Bosh together, but if they want it to happen, it's going to happen regardless.
Wade is really the key to what happens with the Heat next year, imo. My guess is that James won't want him around as a sidekick anymore, at least not taking up that much money against the cap. If Wade chooses not to opt out, LeBron may ditch him. If Wade does opt out, the Heat may ditch Wade.
Popcorn ready, etc.
Lebron has worked pretty hard to reform his image on and off the court. I couldn't see him moving to another team unless it's Cleveland, and he'd be crazy to put his career in Dan Gilbert's hands again. If they can't get wade to opt out than I think Miami waits until 2015 (big FA class) and rebuilds that summer.
The Social Chair said:
If Wade doesn't opt out, he has two years left, so any rebuilding would presumably have to wait until after 2016. I don't think LeBron and Bosh are going to have that kind of patience, honestly. If I was LeBron, especially, I wouldn't want to play on a team with Wade making that money against the cap during the prime of my career.
Yea, they may lose the Finals, and may even lose 1-4, but this MIA team is still excellent. A couple other/better role players not named Battier or Lewis next year and they would still again be favored to win it all next year (especially if any combination of Duncan/Pop/Ginobli retire).
Ed Hillel said:
I thought it was 1 year. That does change things. Wade's also been a little bit passive aggresive towards Lebron that last couple of year as his star has fallen. After they won last year he wore the 3forwade t-shirt, and it should have said *2onLebronsCoattails on the back.
Talk that Melo is interested in Houston or Chicago: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24588025/report-carmelo-anthony-already-leaning-toward-bulls-and-rockets
does anyone know if we can facilitate one of these cap-dump trades using our trade exception (assuming we're not in GFIN mode with Love)?
the rocket have unattractive draft picks but parsons, terrence jones, omri casspi and troy daniels are all young guys that could become expendable w/ Carmelo
the bulls, if i understand correctly, have option to swap 2015 1sts w/ Cavs (top-10 protected). Jimmy Butler and/or Tony Snell also potentially expendable.
the rocket have unattractive draft picks but parsons, terrence jones, omri casspi and troy daniels are all young guys that could become expendable w/ Carmelo
the bulls, if i understand correctly, have option to swap 2015 1sts w/ Cavs (top-10 protected). Jimmy Butler and/or Tony Snell also potentially expendable.