[Yahoo!] Carmelo privately expressing more enthusiasm to join Rockets than Knicks

For the good of CF, I hope Chase is traded. It's the only way to restore perspective to a certain person who's deathly afraid that trading for Carmelo is going to cost us his favorite player.

 

A trade to SAC for Cousins and a 1st round pick does not gut their team. It costs only one player on their current roster. How is that gutting a team?

 

Cousins would be great from Sacramento. I would ask for more than Cousins though. Cousins could be a bust. So Cousins and Landry or something like that from the Kings. No way Cousins and a first rounder which wont be worth much with Melo taking the Kings to the playoffs. That first rounder is worth less than the Rockets Knicks first rounders.

 

Didn't the proposal include TE?

 

I wonder when Carmelo and the new management team will meet? I think he leaked a lot of the stuff that is out there. I can't see why he wouldn't want to be dealt ASAP but it looks like he needs to "demand" a trade, if he wants to be dealt soon.

 

You really think Melo wants to play with a PG who holds the ball all the time?

Even KM says he had difficult time playing with Evans........

 

Am I the only one who thinks Daryl Morey is negotiating a deal with the Nuggets right now? It feels...too quiet on our front since Woj reported that we were Melo's top choice team.....

 

Am I too quiet?

 

The Nuggets want to say they made every effort to keep him, so Carmelo can't wiggle out of responsibility later by saying he had been open to staying.

 

Great summation of the various issues with the prospect of "the Carmelo Anthony situation." While I agree with you that, the Nuggets may in the end be limited to trade with teams Carmelo preapproves and that the Rockets and Nets have legitimate assets to interest the Nuggets, I firmly reject the seeming prevailing notion that the NY Knicks have little or no assets to offer.

Though the Knicks lack first round draft picks, IMO short of the Nets offerring Favors, Harris and picks, the knicks combo of cap relief and young talent is secong to none. The Knick's offer is highlighted by two highly talented and promising young players in Anthony Randolph and Dani Gallinari, along with Wilson chandler, Azuibuke and cap relief. Perhaps my IMO is slightly biased, but i believe Randolph at only 21 & in his third season in the NBA has as much talent, potential and upside as any rookie drafted the last two years. Limited by, Don Nelson, immaturity and injuries, Randolph has struggled getting playing time and consistency, but has ironically thrived whenever he plays over 30 minutes, avg around 15 and 10. While not as highly touted as randolph, Gallinari who had a disappointing rookie year, is nearly as intriguing with his ability to shoot and score, avg over 15 per game in his sophmore year. Both players are just entering their third year of their affordable rookie contracts with great promise and potential, meaning they can be locked up by their teams the 4th year with team options and the 5th with a qualifying offer.

A package of randolph, gallinari, Azuibuke and the expiring eddy Curry for Carmelo and Jr Smith not only gives the Nuggets two highly prized prospect but a solid young player in Buke, as well as ridding the Nuggets of JrSmith.

Furthermore this offer can further be sweeten by the knicks by offering to clear additional cap space for the Nuggets by agreeing to a later swap of Ray felton, Wilson Chandler and filler for Chauncey billups 13million dollar contract. Due to Felton's signing, this trade would not be able to be completed till Sept 10 2010.

Doing both trade would leave the Knicks with a big need for bench help but would also give them a formidable starting lineup of:

Billups
JRSmith
Carmelo
Stoudamire
Turiaf

meanwhile the nuggets would save around 14(lux incl) million after cutting their salary from approx 84million to 77milion in 2010 and with the expiring contracts of Kenyon Martin a payroll of approx 42million in 2011. Along with cap space and the Nuggets will also have a solid core of young players to build around with

Anthony Randolph, Dani Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Azuibuke, & Ray Felton
to go along with
Ty Lawson, Nene, Affallo & Harrington.

IMO the Knicks not only have a legitimate offer for the Nuggets but also arguably one of the more attractive ones.

 

He reported that sources close to Melo told him that he's more enthusiastic about joining the Rockets than the Knicks. I don't think it was ever said that Houston is his top choice. We may not even be in his top 5. And Denver, reportedly, is more interested in what other teams have to offer.

 

The trade exception is a result of SAC taking back 14 million less than they give up. It has nothing to do with gutting their team.

 

Bingo. Regrettably.

 

That was DM the GM + three other GMs; and nary a titter or twitter til the announcement. Amazing.

 

C'mon, Minny or Sac as landing places? Fahgeddabouddit. He wants a MARKET, and I don't believe he sees Houston as enough market for Melo - and nada chance in the NBA's backwoods.

 

Don't count out Houston yet!

I'll believe Melo going to New York whenever the fat lady, or the fat GM in this case, sings.

 

I was quite surprise to read of the reports of Melo's alleged interest in joining the rockets, (due to his lack of any houston connection) but after reviewing a Rocket roster with Melo perhaps i shouldnt be. Like the Knicks, the Rockets can be an attractive trade partner for Denver, with an offer of Picks, Patterson, Budinger and either Brooks or Martin along with expirings like Jeffries and Battier. But unlike the Knicks, the Rockets offer is much more flexible and (assuming they trade Martin) can easily trade for Melo, Billups AND JRSmith without losing depth or balance... so perhaps more attractive in Melo's perspective. The rockets would be a formidable team with tons of depth either with... either Lowry/Martin/Melo/Scola/yao/etc or Billups/Smith/Melo/Scola/Yao with a great bench in both cases. Of course Houston may not be one of the favs and Yao may not have recovered etc, but unlike the rockets pursuit of Bosh, this time I believe they have a legitimate shot.

From Denvers point of view, I'm not sure which offer is better... one the one hand, whether its brooks or martin, both are better players, more established and closer to being all stars than either gallinari or Randolph. However Randolph and Gallo are greater prospects with arguably higher ceilings than Budinger, Patterson, Hill and even brooks. Both team can absorb alot of salary tho Houston can do so much much more easily but at the same time certainly much less willingly. Furthermore, while Brooks is a really good young player, his value to Denver is diminished by two very important factors, one, he shares the same position as Ty Lawson and second he becomes a restricted free agent after the year, thereby reducing his value as he will either get a big pay day due to growth as a player or a small one due to his struggles. On the other hand, the rockets secondary assets of NY picks (likely middle picks), budinger, paterson and hill definitely trumps anything NY can offer (asides from randolph/gallo).

 

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/68934/20100901/melo_will_only_sign_extension_with_knicks/

Take it with a grain of salt, the source is a Knicks blog.

 

Game over man, game over!

But seriously, all this speculation has just become irritating. Its clear Mr. Anthony only cares about money at this point. He wants to go to the New Jersey (Brooklyn) Nets or the New York Knicks. I don't see how he could even hope to compete with the Heat or Magic with those scrubby squads, especially considering who'd they'd be trading away to get him. Melo + Lopez/Stoudemire sounds like a good duo, and you might be a little afraid until you check out their supporting cast. It's Denver all over again. Makes no sense. He's puttin' the pu$$y on the pedestal and it may very well cost him a championship opportunity.

If he wanted to win now, he'd come to Houston. Obviously that isn't his priority. Game, set, match.

We'll go to war with our troops. And hope that Morey can pull some mid-season magic at the deadline.

 

He's countering the speculation that the Nuggs would send Melo to Sacto, Minny, or Jersey. No news there, just more hype.