DrAlphaeus wrote:No doubt TMS, but three of our starters (Gallo/Chandler/Fields/Felton), an extra-large expiring (Curry) and maybe a pick (do we have any for the next 5 years?) for Melo & Billups is a LOT to give up, and that's what I keep hearing as the basic offer on the table. That's doing Denver a favor IMHO. I believe one of these guys could become an all-star in a couple years (a la David Lee), and you have to think of value in this equation. Sure these guys aren't Melo, but they don't get paid like Melo, which allows you some flexibility, which seems like the Donnie Walsh mantra. And in terms of the teamwork thing, it's not that Melo isn't a teamwork type of guy, but he's only one guy! (Despite what they portray in his commercials.) There's something to be said about a core of guys who are familiar with each other and their coach's system (insert '04 Pistons reference here). One of these guys go down, the others can pick up the slack.
And even though he is awesome, a SF isn't even what we really need right now! Defensive center and backup point with 3-range is what we need. If we can get that at an affordable price and get to the second-round of the playoffs for the next couple of years, that is a good thing.
i dunno i happen to think the offer being talked about in the papers seems pretty fair when you consider we'd be able to keep at least 1 of our top 3 young players (Landry/Gallo/Wilson) along with either Mozgov or AR... Felton replaced by Billups is more than fine by me, i probably trust Billups a lot more in a playoff scenario anyways... yes the deal pretty much erases any cap flexibility for the summer but that flexibility is gone anyway if we wait to sign Melo as a FA & we're losing Wilson & AR at the bare minimum even in that scenario.
then consider if we miss out on Melo as a FA, what is the other option, to sign Marc Gasol to a big contract? i don't view him as a game changing piece for our franchise, & all accounts say the Grizzlies are making it a priority to re-sign him this summer... to me the sole purpose we wasted the past 2 years dumping salaries was to have this opportunity to acquire a franchise level stud, not a couple of role players like a defensive C & backup PG... if getting to the 2nd round of the playoffs is your ultimate goal we easily can achieve that with this Melo trade right now, & who knows after that if Mozgov turns out to be worth anything or some other role players are added to low money deals the way Miami added guys like Joel Anthony & Carlos Arroyo, that pretty much fills the positions you're looking to fill anyway.
waiting to sign Melo carries risks, & if making that talked about trade as it's been outlined in recent articles means we're guaranteed of getting Melo in a Knicks uniform, i think we should do it... to me, 2 of our young guys & AR is not too heavy a price to pay to get Melo... that's just losing 1 more young guy than we're gonna lose anyway even if we wait til free agency & hope we can sign him... the benefit is we get him a few months early & get him acclimated to this system & we see this team have a chance to at least make some noise in the playoffs rather than see them taken out with the quickness in the 1st round the way Isiah's team was... after that who knows what will happen with CP3 in 2012, he might force his way to NY just like Melo did... at least then we'd still have a couple young assets along with Billups' expiring contract to offer to get him, no?
After 7 years & 40K+ posts, banned by martin for calling Nalod a 'moron'. Awesome.
2/17/2011 5:29 PM
