martin wrote:

Nalod wrote:from hoops hype an hour ago. Brussard Tweets:

Chris Broussard: Neither NJ or Den been told Melo will re-sign w/NJ. Until then, Melo-to-NJ all speculation. One exec told me Melo won't sign w/NJ. Twitter

New Jersey Nets, Trade, Carmelo Anthony | share
Chris Broussard: Melo would re-sign w/NYK for sure. Twitter

New York Knicks, Trade, Carmelo Anthony | share

Melo plays hardball and has buy in with some sacrifice to join knicks earns my respect. Lebron took less to join Miami. Melo runs risk of Denver not helping him and having to play with injury risk with no extension and lockout looming. If he wants to be here and willing to put at risk to get it, that earns my respect.

Melo also has 1 year player option for next year at $18M

Ok, that makes sense as to why he wants to be traded. Forgot all about that.

He wants to extend without his new team depleating its roster. Denver has some leverage knowing he is not really gonna walk away from an 18 mil contract witout somthing.

I love this chess game!!!

nixluva wrote:

nixluva wrote:Here's some food for thought on the value of adding Melo:

Having Melo on the team is akin to throwing away possessions. He stole the ball and rebounded more than he fouled and turned it over, netting 2 possessions. But last season, for every 10 shots he made, he missed nearly 12. Teams get about 25% of the offensive rebounds. Thus Melo threw away about 9 possessions a game with his shooting, for a total of 7 possessions lost each game.

For comparison, Lebron James netted 4 more steals and rebounds than turnovers and fouls. He missed 10 shots for every 10 he made. Considering offensive rebounding, that’s only 7.5 possessions a game that are lost via shooting, with a total of 3.5 possessions lost per game.

Lebron loses 3.5 possessions fewer every game than Carmelo. For a team getting 1 point per possesssion (not that great of an offense), that’s 3.5 points on the scoreboard. That’s often the difference between a win and a loss. In fact, last year the Rockets averaged only .3 points less than their opponents. Throwing away 7 possessions does not help close that gap.

…

Here are the total possessions lost for a few other SFs:

Paul Pierce: 4.3 possessions lost

Gerald Wallace: actually gains his team 1.8 possessions

Andrew Iguodala: 2 possessions lost

…

The difference in efficiency matters. Carmelo is a great athlete, yes, but just because his game seems good and powerful doesn’t mean it is.

http://www.red94.net/94-toons-case-carmelo/3710/

Here's some more food for thought on Melo:
http://www.magicbasketball.net/2010/08/19/additional-commentary-on-carmelo-anthony/

adj. +/-	net +/-	stat. +/-	PER	WARP	Win Shares/48
Carmelo Anthony	+0.45	+3.5	+4.10	22.2	9.5	.145
Kobe Bryant	+9.15	+12.3	+5.24	21.9	11.1	.160
Chris Bosh	+6.97	+6.0	+3.84	25.0	14.0	.182
Tim Duncan	+6.45	+4.7	+6.07	24.7	15.5	.215
Kevin Durant	+17.75	+17.2	+7.40	26.2	17.6	.238
Pau Gasol	-0.59	+3.6	+4.39	22.9	12.9	.220
Manu Ginobili	+4.50	+6.4	+8.35	22.5	11.8	.216
Dwight Howard	+24.97	+10.2	+7.21	24.0	19.2	.223
LeBron James	+18.52	+15.8	+14.13	31.1	25.3	.299
Steve Nash	+14.20	+4.4	+1.46	21.6	13.4	.178
Dirk Nowitzki	+7.24	+10.6	+4.20	22.9	11.7	.194
Rajon Rondo	-2.73	+2.5	+4.37	19.1	14.8	.156
Josh Smith	+4.88	+7.7	+5.91	21.0	15.3	.155
Dwyane Wade	+16.09	+14.1	+10.77	28.0	20.0	.224
Gerald Wallace	+0.45	+1.6	+4.29	18.3	11.8	.177
Deron Williams	+13.06	+7.8	+4.10	20.6	13.2	.177
The list of players are inspired by Kevin Pelton’s award ballot at Basketball Prospectus.

f there’s something that can be addressed, it’s the perception and reality of Anthony’s skill level. Is Anthony a top five player? No. Is Anthony an efficient player on offense? No. Anthony’s True Shooting Percentage and effective field goal percentage were at or below the league average last season. Granted, Anthony’s Offensive Rating was 110, which was above the league average. Also, if there’s a bright side to Anthony’s obscenely high usage rate (33.4 percent in 2010), it’s that he does an excellent job of taking care of the basketball. That being said, Anthony doesn’t compare favorably to his peers offensively. Yes, Anthony can score and if there’s one thing the Magic desperately need, it’s a dominant perimeter scorer, but he does so with nary an ounce of efficiency.

Another issue is fit.

                   TS%   eFG%   AST%     TOV%	USG%	ORtg
Carmelo Anthony	.548	.478	18.1	10.6	33.4	110
LeBron James	.604	.545	41.8	12.3	33.5	121

Anthony’s career usage rate is 31.1 percent, which is high. To put that number in perspective, LeBron James’ career usage rate is 31.9 percent. James is one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. Anthony is not. If Anthony were to join Orlando, he would have no choice but to cut down on his possessions. Dwight Howard has to be the focal point of the offense if the Magic want to win a championship. If Anthony is willing to accept a lesser role compared to his standards, then perhaps the arrangement could work in theory. But these are all valid concerns.

As for Anthony’s rebounding prowess and defensive acumen, those aren’t major issues. At least, they shouldn’t be. Anthony’s defense isn’t great — it never will be — but he’s improved on that end of the floor in recent years (the numbers suggest he regressed defensively last season, though) and would benefit from playing alongside Howard. Still, even though Anthony has gotten better on defense, there are still questions about his desire, commitment, and appreciation with an aspect of basketball that doesn’t have anything to do with scoring. That’s something that head coach Stan Van Gundy would have to address, or else Anthony’s scoring prowess might be nullified by his lack of impact defensively. Even then, in the grand scheme of things, Orlando’s issues aren’t on defense.

We took a big gamble to land Lebron and it didn't pan out. But since we're in the gambling mode, we should stand pat right now and chance that Melo really is a "legacy" guy and really wants to play in the Garden exclusively. If we miss out on him, it's not the end of the world (as the stat slingers above have clearly demonstrated). There will be other starphuck opportunities when CP3 demands to be traded.

The smart money says "hold the cards" and make a big bet on grabbing Melo without gutting the core. Then we can move pieces for CP3 the following summer and have our own version of the three amigos.

Carmelo Anthony's wish list starts with the New York Knicks, but that's not the only trade destination he's targeting.

Sources briefed on the state of Anthony's ongoing push to be dealt by the Denver Nuggets told ESPN.com on Tuesday that the Chicago Bulls are a firm 1A on his list. This is partly attributed to the fact that the Bulls are much closer to assembling the sort of package Denver would want in return for its franchise player than the Knicks.

Over the last 72 hours, sources said, Anthony's representatives -- headed by agent Leon Rose -- have been ramping up the pressure on the Nuggets to complete a deal with the Knicks or the Bulls before training camps open leaguewide next week.

Sources say that Denver officials, however, are not inclined to rush into anything. ESPN.com reported Sunday night that the Nuggets, in recent days, have been telling interested teams for the first time that they are willing to field offers for Anthony after resisting such inquiries for weeks.

But even as the Nuggets have opted to see what sort of haul can be had for their high-scoring forward, there remains strong sentiment within the organization to slow the process down in hopes of mounting one last campaign to win back Anthony's support.

The Nuggets, sources said, are clinging to the hope that Anthony might reconsider his trade-me stance once he starts hearing some Denver-friendly voices upon reporting to camp after weeks of isolation from the organization.

Anthony will be greeted by the likes of head coach George Karl and trusted teammate Chauncey Billups trying to convince the 26-year-old that his current team is not far away from a return to contention in the Western Conference and that the foundation of the group that reached the West finals in 2009 should not be scrapped.

Yet sources say that the message from Anthony's camp to the Nuggets has stayed consistent: New York and Chicago are the preferred landing spots, with New Jersey and Houston also still in the conversation.

The Nets remain a viable option because of their planned move to Brooklyn and because the Nets have what several rival executives believe to be the deepest cache of assets to satisfy Denver's trade demands in its worst-case scenario.

Though the Rockets are the fourth known team in the Anthony sweepstakes, multiple sources close to the situation insisted Friday that Houston is not making guard Kevin Martin part of the discussions. The Nuggets, sources maintain, would expect a combination of expiring contracts, future first-round draft picks and at least one marketable young talent if they ultimately concede that Anthony must be traded between now and the February trading deadline.

The Nuggets have offered Anthony, who can become a free agent next July, a three-year extension worth $65 million.

ESPN.com reported Monday that the Nets are widely regarded in NBA front-office circles as the frontrunner for Anthony. New Jersey is reportedly willing to package No. 3 overall pick Derrick Favors with the expiring contracts of Troy Murphy and Kris Humphries and at least one future first-rounder.

It's believed that the Nets, though, would insist on Anthony agreeing to a contract extension as part of the trade -- as Kevin Garnett did when Minnesota sent him to Boston in the summer of 2007 -- before they agree to surrender assets such as Favors and draft picks.

The Bulls could theoretically trump any New Jersey offer if they were willing to include center Joakim Noah as part of a deal for Anthony. Sources with knowledge of Chicago's thinking, however, have maintained for days that the Bulls are strongly against the inclusion of Noah, revealing instead that Chicago has offered a package featuring Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and one future first-rounder.

Playing alongside former Team USA teammate Amare Stoudemire in New York is thought to hold the greatest appeal to Anthony, something Stoudemire openly discussed earlier in the summer. The Knicks, though, simply lack the draft picks to sweeten a package that sources say would be centered around Eddy Curry's expiring contract and either Danilo Gallinari or Anthony Randolph -- but not both of those young players.

The Knicks, Bulls and Nets all stand to benefit from Denver's determination to send Anthony out of the Western Conference if it decides there is no alternative apart from trading him, but sources close to the process note that a third team would almost certainly have to be recruited to help facilitate a deal.

Reports have persisted for weeks that Anthony, wielding the hammer of his potential free agency in the wake of the defections of LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Miami, wants out. ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher reported Aug. 16 that it was "a matter of when, not if, Anthony and the Nuggets will go their separate ways."

But Anthony has not made any such declarations publicly, announcing Tuesday night via his Twitter feed: "Everyone has [their] own opinion. It's funny. It cracks me up."

Yet Anthony did add in a follow-up tweet: "When I know something ... you guys will know something."

Chad Ford and Marc Stein are senior NBA writers for ESPN.com.

AnubisADL wrote:Chicago and NY are probably willing to include more assets in their trade proposals. Remember trades are negotiated. I dont expect Chicago's or NY's first offer to be their best offer. Of course Chicago says they wont include Noah but I dont see Chicago paying Derrick Rose and and Carmelo the MAX while paying Boozer and Noah serious cash. I also dont believe Randolph and Gallo would be a deal breaker for NY.

I assume those two teams are waiting to get into serious negotiations with Denver to make real offers.

I would switch Chandler for AR in that equation. I'm not sure where I read it but I believe Walsh gave AR his word that he wasn't going anywhere and they want him to be a part of his long term plans. With some GMs you take that with a grain of salt but if he did
say that, I believe him. If D'Antoni said that, I believe him only because I don't think Walsh would let that comment slide.

AnubisADL wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:Chicago and NY are probably willing to include more assets in their trade proposals. Remember trades are negotiated. I dont expect Chicago's or NY's first offer to be their best offer. Of course Chicago says they wont include Noah but I dont see Chicago paying Derrick Rose and and Carmelo the MAX while paying Boozer and Noah serious cash. I also dont believe Randolph and Gallo would be a deal breaker for NY.

I assume those two teams are waiting to get into serious negotiations with Denver to make real offers.

I would switch Chandler for AR in that equation. I'm not sure where I read it but I believe Walsh gave AR his word that he wasn't going anywhere and they want him to be a part of his long term plans. With some GMs you take that with a grain of salt but if he did
say that, I believe him. If D'Antoni said that, I believe him only because I don't think Walsh would let that comment slide.

He wasnt told he wont be traded.

“From everything they told me, right off the bat, from talking to the coaches and talking to [Knicks president] Donnie Walsh, they told me I will be here for many years,” Randolph told SN. “I haven’t been paying any attention to it. But I have been in there every day with the coaches, and they made it clear they want me here. Obviously, anyone can get traded, but this is home right now.”

Source: http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2010-09-15/anthony-randolph-settles-in-with-knicks

As I said I dont see them giving him away for a pick but if Denver is serious about trading Carmelo to the Knicks then Randolph will be gone. Amare + Carmelo = $$$$$ for the MSG and Dolan. Say hello to even higher ticket prices.

True, but the "anyone can be traded" comment came from AR not Walsh. Its not a binding contract but I believe Waslh is going to keep his word.

AnubisADL wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:Chicago and NY are probably willing to include more assets in their trade proposals. Remember trades are negotiated. I dont expect Chicago's or NY's first offer to be their best offer. Of course Chicago says they wont include Noah but I dont see Chicago paying Derrick Rose and and Carmelo the MAX while paying Boozer and Noah serious cash. I also dont believe Randolph and Gallo would be a deal breaker for NY.

I assume those two teams are waiting to get into serious negotiations with Denver to make real offers.

I would switch Chandler for AR in that equation. I'm not sure where I read it but I believe Walsh gave AR his word that he wasn't going anywhere and they want him to be a part of his long term plans. With some GMs you take that with a grain of salt but if he did
say that, I believe him. If D'Antoni said that, I believe him only because I don't think Walsh would let that comment slide.

He wasnt told he wont be traded.

“From everything they told me, right off the bat, from talking to the coaches and talking to [Knicks president] Donnie Walsh, they told me I will be here for many years,” Randolph told SN. “I haven’t been paying any attention to it. But I have been in there every day with the coaches, and they made it clear they want me here. Obviously, anyone can get traded, but this is home right now.”

Source: http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2010-09-15/anthony-randolph-settles-in-with-knicks

As I said I dont see them giving him away for a pick but if Denver is serious about trading Carmelo to the Knicks then Randolph will be gone. Amare + Carmelo = $$$$$ for the MSG and Dolan. Say hello to even higher ticket prices.

True, but the "anyone can be traded" comment came from AR not Walsh. Its not a binding contract but I believe Waslh is going to keep his word.

I dont expect Walsh to tell him he will be traded if a good deal comes along. Like I said this is all 2nd hand info from Randolph. Walsh was never directly quoted.

Even if we assume Walsh said he wont trade Randolph we have seen Walsh do a 180. *Cough* Jennings *Cough*

Walsh never gave any indication he was going after Jennings. I'm still thinking they were turned off by him because he probably reminded them of Marbury with his mouth.