The strength of the Knicks right now is Amare's beastly scoring, Felton's defense and overall greatly improved PG play and our tremendous depth, size and skill at the wings. We are an uptempo team and we have 4 guys, 6-7, 6-8, 6-9 and 6-10 who are all highly athletic and versatile in Gallo/Chandler/Fields/Williams in the rotation right now. Other teams lack of ability to deal with those 4 next to Amare/Felton is why we have won 10 of 11. The one weakness is size upfront where we are exploited on a nightly basis, where its Lopez, Darko, Brand, or whoever.

The thought process is simple. Its not Gallo or anyone else is better than Melo. He's not. Its that we are LOADED at the wings and directly translating into a bunch of wins. We immediate help at center, and that guy needs to be a bruiser and banger.

Melo2NYK wrote:Again, we are in the driver's seat. The more and more time passes, the more and more control the Knicks can exercise in dictating the terms of the deal. The situation is reminiscent of the Vince Carter situation with the Raptors. Carter wanted to leave and the Raptors had to oblige him. All they got in return were two crappy first round picks and expiring contract. I believe the Knicks can easily pry Melo from Denver by offering Eddy Curry (whose had half his contract already paid for), Danilo Gallinari, a 1st round pick (for trading Anthony Randolph) and $3 million cash. That trade is pennies on the dollar for a player of Melo's status and still allows us to field perhaps the 3rd best team in the Eastern Conference, with waiver-wire veterans available such as TJ Ford, Jared Jefferies, Jeff Foster, etc.

STARTERS
Raymond Felton...PG
Landry Fields...SG
Carmelo Anthony...SF
Amar'e Stoudemire...PF
Timofey Mazgov...C
ROTATION
Toney Douglas...PG
Kelenna Azubuike...G/F
Wilson Chandler...F
Shawne Williams...F
Ronny Turiaf...F/C

We arent in the drivers seat. Their are likely other teams that Melo is willing to go to get his money.

AnubisADL wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:Again, we are in the driver's seat. The more and more time passes, the more and more control the Knicks can exercise in dictating the terms of the deal. The situation is reminiscent of the Vince Carter situation with the Raptors. Carter wanted to leave and the Raptors had to oblige him. All they got in return were two crappy first round picks and expiring contract. I believe the Knicks can easily pry Melo from Denver by offering Eddy Curry (whose had half his contract already paid for), Danilo Gallinari, a 1st round pick (for trading Anthony Randolph) and $3 million cash. That trade is pennies on the dollar for a player of Melo's status and still allows us to field perhaps the 3rd best team in the Eastern Conference, with waiver-wire veterans available such as TJ Ford, Jared Jefferies, Jeff Foster, etc.

STARTERS
Raymond Felton...PG
Landry Fields...SG
Carmelo Anthony...SF
Amar'e Stoudemire...PF
Timofey Mazgov...C
ROTATION
Toney Douglas...PG
Kelenna Azubuike...G/F
Wilson Chandler...F
Shawne Williams...F
Ronny Turiaf...F/C

We arent in the drivers seat. Their are likely other teams that Melo is willing to go to get his money.

Then why hasn't Denver made the trade yet?

Melo2NYK wrote:

TMS wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

tkf wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

Panos wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:I think Melo is every bit good, if not better than Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett at their peaks.

You're out of your mind. Kevin Garnett was a two way beast. Former MVP.
Dwayne Wade is a wrecking ball. Dwight Howard is the most dominant Center in the game today.
And well, I don't like Pau Gasol, but he plays both sides of the ball.

Kevin Garnett was an excellent defender but as a scorer, he left many wanting. Despite being a good offensive player, Garnett had difficulties scoring at will, especially in the 4th. At the end of the day, this game boils down into who can put the ball into the basket. This is why offensive players are paid exponentially more than defensive players. When you need a basket, especially in crunch time, Melo is one of the best at delivering in the league. Charles Barkley said it best when he referred to Melo as the "best flat-out scorer in the game." It is because of this particular skill that I put Melo in the realm of a Garnett, Wade and Howard because his skill is one only 4 players (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Dwayne Wade) in the league currently boast. And when it is all said and done, Melo has demonstrated to be a solid defender and passer when it matters; having turned the Nuggets into a legitimate title contender and after covering Kobe Bryant in the Western Conference Finals in 2008.

excellent post, but kevin durant says HI......

Last I saw of Durant, he was shooting 36% in a first round exit against the Lakers. He ain't hanging with the big boys just yet.

Durant is shooting 42% from the field this year, 27% from 3 pt. range... but somehow Melo gets labelled as an overrated volume shooter around here & Durant is the next chosen one... i don't get this logic.

Exactly. The fact of the matter is that everything Durant is credited for doing, Melo has done and more. They are essentially the same player, except Durant is following Melo's trajectory. The only difference between the two is their physique, age and the fact that Durant is Mr. Nice Guy. I've said this already and will say it again: Melo is a tool. He's the kind of guy that'll appear in videos with drug dealers, will flash gang signs and would leave his cancer-stricken coach high and dry to satisfy his own ambitions. Melo is the kind of guy that will offer someone $5,000 to slap a woman, would sucker-punch another guy and then run, and would even steal Christmas from all the good boy's and girl's around the world just for the ****'s and giggles of the experience. Melo is an a-hole, the kind of stereotypical jock we've all met in our lifetime. But the most important thing about Melo is that the guy can play ball and do so well. No doubt, the guy is top 5 in the NBA but his history and current venue prevent him from being recognized as such. Needless to say, I want him on this team.

agree w/u on all points... i've said all along i don't even much care for Melo & i still think he's a punk for that Mardy Collins sucker punch... but all that aside the guy is a great basketball player & he'd make us a better basketball team if we got him in my view... that's all that matters to me... if Durant is better than Melo, it's not by much... compare their career stats side by side & they're very similar in all categories... people were saying they'd rather hold onto David Lee this past summer instead of spending max dollars on a guy like Amare Stoudamire too... seems to me that turned out pretty well... if the Knicks are lucky enough to land Melo i think he'll make an excellent partner w/Amare in this offense... having 2 dominant players like that to have to account for, 1 inside & 1 outside, would cause matchup nightmares for teams in the postseason... add in Ray Felton who has played his ass off this year & highly exceeded my expectations, & you have that big 3 trio of players that most championship calibre teams seem to have... 1 orchestrator, 1 dominant bigman, & 1 topnotch scorer that can create his own shot when everything else breaks down (which they often do during postseason play, especially during crunchtime).

AnubisADL wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:Again, we are in the driver's seat. The more and more time passes, the more and more control the Knicks can exercise in dictating the terms of the deal. The situation is reminiscent of the Vince Carter situation with the Raptors. Carter wanted to leave and the Raptors had to oblige him. All they got in return were two crappy first round picks and expiring contract. I believe the Knicks can easily pry Melo from Denver by offering Eddy Curry (whose had half his contract already paid for), Danilo Gallinari, a 1st round pick (for trading Anthony Randolph) and $3 million cash. That trade is pennies on the dollar for a player of Melo's status and still allows us to field perhaps the 3rd best team in the Eastern Conference, with waiver-wire veterans available such as TJ Ford, Jared Jefferies, Jeff Foster, etc.

STARTERS
Raymond Felton...PG
Landry Fields...SG
Carmelo Anthony...SF
Amar'e Stoudemire...PF
Timofey Mazgov...C
ROTATION
Toney Douglas...PG
Kelenna Azubuike...G/F
Wilson Chandler...F
Shawne Williams...F
Ronny Turiaf...F/C

We arent in the drivers seat. Their are likely other teams that Melo is willing to go to get his money.

Then why hasn't Denver made the trade yet?

December 15th hasn't rolled around and neither has the trade deadline has it?

And yet word around the grapevine is that his eye's are solely set on the Knicks. December 15th or not, the Nuggets did not seem to have any problem orchestrating a 4 team trade in the offseason that would have sent Melo elsewhere. You'd think eligible teams would have offered a flurry of proposals ahead of that December 15th deadline by now. Yet they haven't....

TMS wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

TMS wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

tkf wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

Panos wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:I think Melo is every bit good, if not better than Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett at their peaks.

You're out of your mind. Kevin Garnett was a two way beast. Former MVP.
Dwayne Wade is a wrecking ball. Dwight Howard is the most dominant Center in the game today.
And well, I don't like Pau Gasol, but he plays both sides of the ball.

Kevin Garnett was an excellent defender but as a scorer, he left many wanting. Despite being a good offensive player, Garnett had difficulties scoring at will, especially in the 4th. At the end of the day, this game boils down into who can put the ball into the basket. This is why offensive players are paid exponentially more than defensive players. When you need a basket, especially in crunch time, Melo is one of the best at delivering in the league. Charles Barkley said it best when he referred to Melo as the "best flat-out scorer in the game." It is because of this particular skill that I put Melo in the realm of a Garnett, Wade and Howard because his skill is one only 4 players (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Dwayne Wade) in the league currently boast. And when it is all said and done, Melo has demonstrated to be a solid defender and passer when it matters; having turned the Nuggets into a legitimate title contender and after covering Kobe Bryant in the Western Conference Finals in 2008.

excellent post, but kevin durant says HI......

Last I saw of Durant, he was shooting 36% in a first round exit against the Lakers. He ain't hanging with the big boys just yet.

Durant is shooting 42% from the field this year, 27% from 3 pt. range... but somehow Melo gets labelled as an overrated volume shooter around here & Durant is the next chosen one... i don't get this logic.

Exactly. The fact of the matter is that everything Durant is credited for doing, Melo has done and more. They are essentially the same player, except Durant is following Melo's trajectory. The only difference between the two is their physique, age and the fact that Durant is Mr. Nice Guy. I've said this already and will say it again: Melo is a tool. He's the kind of guy that'll appear in videos with drug dealers, will flash gang signs and would leave his cancer-stricken coach high and dry to satisfy his own ambitions. Melo is the kind of guy that will offer someone $5,000 to slap a woman, would sucker-punch another guy and then run, and would even steal Christmas from all the good boy's and girl's around the world just for the ****'s and giggles of the experience. Melo is an a-hole, the kind of stereotypical jock we've all me our lifetime. But the most important thing about Melo is that the guy can play ball and do so well. No doubt, the guy is top 5 in the NBA but his history and current venue prevent him from being recognized as such. Needless to say, I want him on this team.

agree w/u on all points... i've said all along i don't even much care for Melo & i still think he's a punk for that Mardy Collins sucker punch... but all that aside the guy is a great basketball player & he'd make us a better basketball team if we got him in my view... that's all that matters to me... if Durant is better than Melo, it's not by much... compare their career stats side by side & they're very similar in all categories... people were saying they'd rather hold onto David Lee this past summer instead of spending max dollars on a guy like Amare Stoudamire too... seems to me that turned out pretty well... if the Knicks are lucky enough to land Melo i think he'll make an excellent partner w/Amare in this offense... having 2 dominant players like that to have to account for, 1 inside & 1 outside, would cause matchup nightmares for teams in the postseason... add in Ray Felton who has played his ass off this year & highly exceeded my expectations, & you have that big 3 trio of players that most championship calibre teams seem to have... 1 orchestrator, 1 dominant bigman, & 1 topnotch scorer that can create his own shot when everything else breaks down (which they often do during postseason play, especially during crunchtime).

Agreed, Felton might not be on par with the league's primer PG's but his excellent defensive abilities help to neutralize their impact. He looked damn good against Chris Paul and Derrick Rose (Rondo did kill us), yet it is evident that both are better players. But maybe the most value about having Felton is that his $7 million per year contract, offers the flexibility to acquire role players that are more refined for our system (OJ Mayo in 2012 anyone?).

Melo2NYK wrote:And yet word around the grapevine is that his eye's are solely set on the Knicks. December 15th or not, the Nuggets did not seem to have any problem orchestrating a 4 team trade in the offseason that would have sent Melo elsewhere. You'd think eligible teams would have offered a flurry of proposals ahead of that December 15th deadline by now. Yet they haven't....

- According to the Grapevine Bosh and Lebron were supposed to be Knicks

- Eligible teams can make all the proposals they like. Denver has to accept the offer. No rush into sending the team into free fall. What does it matter to Denver if they trade Carmel today or in February? Denver gets to have fans showing up for games.

Melo2NYK wrote:

thejerk wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

Panos wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:I think Melo is every bit good, if not better than Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett at their peaks.

You're out of your mind. Kevin Garnett was a two way beast. Former MVP.
Dwayne Wade is a wrecking ball. Dwight Howard is the most dominant Center in the game today.
And well, I don't like Pau Gasol, but he plays both sides of the ball.

Kevin Garnett was an excellent defender but as a scorer, he left many wanting. Despite being a good offensive player, Garnett had difficulties scoring at will, especially in the 4th. At the end of the day, this game boils down into who can put the ball into the basket. This is why offensive players are paid exponentially more than defensive players. When you need a basket, especially in crunch time, Melo is one of the best at delivering in the league. Charles Barkley said it best when he referred to Melo as the "best flat-out scorer in the game." It is because of this particular skill that I put Melo in the realm of a Garnett, Wade and Howard because his skill is one only 4 players (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Dwayne Wade) in the league currently boast. And when it is all said and done, Melo has demonstrated to be a solid defender and passer when it matters; having turned the Nuggets into a legitimate title contender and after covering Kobe Bryant in the Western Conference Finals in 2008.

Definitely on board to go out and get Melo, let me ask you this question, what is the most you would give up for him...would you do Landry, Gallo, and Chandler for him? any combo of the two with AR and some picks? I really want him a Knick but if we give up too many pieces, we are going to ruin this team.

Again, we are in the driver's seat. The more and more time passes, the more and more control the Knicks can exercise in dictating the terms of the deal. The situation is reminiscent of the Vince Carter situation with the Raptors. Carter wanted to leave and the Raptors had to oblige him. All they got in return were two crappy first round picks and expiring contract. I believe the Knicks can easily pry Melo from Denver by offering Eddy Curry (whose had half his contract already paid for), Danilo Gallinari, a 1st round pick (for trading Anthony Randolph) and $3 million cash. That trade is pennies on the dollar for a player of Melo's status and still allows us to field perhaps the 3rd best team in the Eastern Conference, with waiver-wire veterans available such as TJ Ford, Jared Jefferies, Jeff Foster, etc.

STARTERS
Raymond Felton...PG
Landry Fields...SG
Carmelo Anthony...SF
Amar'e Stoudemire...PF
Timofey Mazgov...C
ROTATION
Toney Douglas...PG
Kelenna Azubuike...G/F
Wilson Chandler...F
Shawne Williams...F
Ronny Turiaf...F/C

Can we keep all these guys under contract if we make the move for Melo? We could always deal TD for a backup point, and get a quality bigman with the MLE, maybe Jerome James type player...big snacks FTW...

martin wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:And yet word around the grapevine is that his eye's are solely set on the Knicks. December 15th or not, the Nuggets did not seem to have any problem orchestrating a 4 team trade in the offseason that would have sent Melo elsewhere. You'd think eligible teams would have offered a flurry of proposals ahead of that December 15th deadline by now. Yet they haven't....

- According to the Grapevine Bosh and Lebron were supposed to be Knicks

- Eligible teams can make all the proposals they like. Denver has to accept the offer. No rush into sending the team into free fall. What does it matter to Denver if they trade Carmel today or in February? Denver gets to have fans showing up for games.

what grapevine were you listening too? Never heard that.

- Chris Bosh's GF supposedly lived in NY and all this other crap.

- The Nike Deal with Lebron. Lebron being a billionaire in NY.

I can go on and on.

AnubisADL wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:And yet word around the grapevine is that his eye's are solely set on the Knicks. December 15th or not, the Nuggets did not seem to have any problem orchestrating a 4 team trade in the offseason that would have sent Melo elsewhere. You'd think eligible teams would have offered a flurry of proposals ahead of that December 15th deadline by now. Yet they haven't....

- According to the Grapevine Bosh and Lebron were supposed to be Knicks

- Eligible teams can make all the proposals they like. Denver has to accept the offer. No rush into sending the team into free fall. What does it matter to Denver if they trade Carmel today or in February? Denver gets to have fans showing up for games.

Touche. Well played.

martin wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

martin wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:

GodSaveTheKnicks wrote:

Melo2NYK wrote:I think Melo is every bit good, if not better than Pau Gasol, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett at their peaks. I believe he is on par with Duncan at this best but falls short of both Kobe Bryant and Shaq's legacy. I think you forget that many of the players you claimed to be better than Melo were heads of first round fodder in the playoffs before a change of team/circumstance lead them to a championship.

P.S., I have never heard of this provision that would require the Nuggets to pay back the money the Knicks already paid on Curry's contract. Considering that the maximum amount of compensation that can be included in a deal is $3 million, I am not entirely sure how they'd be able to compensate the Knicks for the $5.1 million spent on Curry's deal. Do you have a link to the CBA specifically highlighting this?

Dude Melo is nasty and can get buckets with the best of em but you are on crack. KG at his peak was a beast on BOTH ends of the court. no one EVER EVER EVER wrote a scouting report that says "could be a great defender if he committed to it"

Put Melo up against any scorer we've seen. But KG? On par with Duncan at his best?

Melo isn't horrible on defense but you could never put him anywhere close to the level of D that KG and Duncan play individually and inspire in their teammates. I firmly believe if the best/highest paid player on your team commits to playing D every trip down the court, it has a huge effect.

I already addressed this in an earlier post. Duncan>Melo. KG=Melo. KG could shoot lightening bolts out of his ass but at the end of the day, being able to carry your team offensively in times of desperation is what makes you elite. KG regularly faded/disappeared in the 4th while Melo has consistently rose to the occassion. In fact, there are only 4 other guys in the league that can take over the 4th quarter like Melo can (Kobe, LeBron, Wade and Pierce). That is what puts Melo's legacy on par with KG and that is what makes him a top 5 talent, despite not being the backbone of a team defensively. With that being said, the guy can play pretty damn good defensive when it matters most. He made Kobe's life hell in that 2008 Conference Finals; more than I've seen any player do in a long-time. I'm sure he can duplicate the performance when the situation calls for it in the playoffs.

with statements like that you lose all credibility, especially because you make nada mention about the defensive side of the ball.

I touched on it when I said "KG could shoot lightening bolts out of his ass but at the end of the day, being able to carry your team offensively in times of desperation is what makes you elite (defines you as a franchise player)." Defense is great but in the playoffs, everyone has developed a strategy to curtail your offense. More importantly, you get 7 games to improve that strategy and fine-tune your defense. This is why franchise players are so valued because those are the guy's who carry you in the playoffs when teams are shutting everything else down. KG could be stopped in the 4th. Melo is a different story. At the same time, I can't ignore the other side of the ball, which is why I consider them to be equal's whereas Duncan is the superior player to the two.

relatively speaking Melo is a siv compared to TD and KG.

Defense is a must in Playoffs and Melo hasn't sniffed that.

And yet neither Steve Nash nor Dirk Nowitzki were defensive juggernaut's and they got the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks deep into the playoffs on multiple occassions as leaders of their team. As a matter of fact, the two of them have 3 MVP's in total and neither approach Melo's defensive capabilities.