TMS wrote:

BlueSeats wrote:How much salary relief can we really offer? Eddy is our only expiring and it's not all that big of a contract.

we have about $20M in expiring contracts (Curry, Buike, Wilson, Mason, Williams & Walker)

Okay, my mistake. However, with Melo at around 18M it only leaves 2M as relief.

BlueSeats wrote:

TMS wrote:

BlueSeats wrote:How much salary relief can we really offer? Eddy is our only expiring and it's not all that big of a contract.

we have about $20M in expiring contracts (Curry, Buike, Wilson, Mason, Williams & Walker)

Okay, my mistake. However, with Melo at around 18M it only leaves 2M as relief.

Not sure what math you are using...

First, Melo is $17.149M this year.

Second, we really only have to give them about $13.65M in salary and still be within trade rules-- (salaries must be within 1.25x +100K to fit within the cap trade rules. Third, we could give them $3M cash to offset the salary of Curry. Next year, Melo has an $18M contract. All of that would be off their books.

EwingsGlass wrote:
Not sure what math you are using...

First, Melo is $17.149M this year.

Second, we really only have to give them about $13.65M in salary and still be within trade rules-- (salaries must be within 1.25x +100K to fit within the cap trade rules. Third, we could give them $3M cash to offset the salary of Curry. Next year, Melo has an $18M contract. All of that would be off their books.

Melo's 18M is off their books for next year anyway by letting him walk, so that's a non-issue. If we could take a large contract off their hands (over and above Melo's) it might be of value to them. Using your 1.25x rule if we give them 20M in contracts we can take back 25M, which would allow us to reacquire Al Harrington.

So based upon what you and Martin are saying, a possible deal could shake out roughly like this (and I'm not calculating anything, this is rough!):

Curry + 3M
Gallo
Chandler
AZ
Mason
Walker
AR or pick
2nd rd pick or two

For:
Melo
Harrington
Spare parts

The problem is, to keep any of that talent they've got to pay them. That's why they want draft picks, for their rookie salaries.

I see what you guys are saying, that we can save them some money, but I don't think it's all that much: the 3M + Harrington. But Harrington's savings would be surpassed by resigning Gallo and/or Chandler.

OTOH, they probably don't have much better options.

BlueSeats wrote:BTW, I've been avoiding all the Melo trade threads so I'm just trying to catch up to speed on the trade scenarios. I'm not saying I'd gut the team to get him.

i don't think anyone here is saying u gut the team to get him either Blue, not even the pro-Melo guys like myself... i think we do owe it to this franchise to at least make a reasonable offer tho, & not fool ourselves into thinking we can steal him away for some lowball package of Curry's expiring & Gallo... i think it's fair to assume we're going to be going after Melo 1 way or the other, either by trade or via free agency, so debating whether we need Melo or not is probably a waste of time because we all know Dolan is pushing hard to get Melo here.

Vmart wrote:One year with MJ talking to him might lead to an extension or resigning with Bobcats. Knicks can't afford to lose out on Melo kid yourselves all you want but the Knicks need Melo. We can be happy with the current winning its great; but you know and I know this is not a team that is going to compete for a chip when it is all said and done. The Knicks are missing another star to go with Amare just as Ewing missed that second star, why put Amare through that grind that Ewing went through. You need a go to perimeter player that can at will get his shot and the Knicks are sorely lacking that. Take a page out of the Yankee book and get the Star. You guys think it was easy giving up Soriano for A-Rod it wasn't but the Yankees knew what was right just as Melo would be the right move.

Melo might just tell them "No extention" right off the bat. That would make LB lose sleep for a few days=no deal. MJ also might think about 10 times before deciding to lose assets to get Melo for half a season.

Vmart wrote:One year with MJ talking to him might lead to an extension or resigning with Bobcats. Knicks can't afford to lose out on Melo kid yourselves all you want but the Knicks need Melo. We can be happy with the current winning its great; but you know and I know this is not a team that is going to compete for a chip when it is all said and done. The Knicks are missing another star to go with Amare just as Ewing missed that second star, why put Amare through that grind that Ewing went through. You need a go to perimeter player that can at will get his shot and the Knicks are sorely lacking that. Take a page out of the Yankee book and get the Star. You guys think it was easy giving up Soriano for A-Rod it wasn't but the Yankees knew what was right just as Melo would be the right move.

Bingo!!!! We are all excited about the curret win streak. If the goal is to just make the playoffs then we are fine as is. But if the goal is to possibly win a Chip, we need another superstar to pair with Amare. Melo gives us the game-closer that we need. Yes, we can score a tone of points now, but in the playoffs when everything slows a bit, Melo is the closer we need, down 1 with a few seconds left. Gallo, Felt and Amre aren't competing with the Lakers, Heat, Celtics, and Spurs for a Chip.

BlueSeats wrote:

TMS wrote:

BlueSeats wrote:BTW, I've been avoiding all the Melo trade threads so I'm just trying to catch up to speed on the trade scenarios. I'm not saying I'd gut the team to get him.

i don't think anyone here is saying u gut the team to get him either Blue, not even the pro-Melo guys like myself... i think we do owe it to this franchise to at least make a reasonable offer tho, & not fool ourselves into thinking we can steal him away for some lowball package of Curry's expiring & Gallo... i think it's fair to assume we're going to be going after Melo 1 way or the other, either by trade or via free agency, so debating whether we need Melo or not is probably a waste of time because we all know Dolan is pushing hard to get Melo here.

I hear ya. And I don't think we should delude ourselves we'll get him in free agency either. Denver is just not going to let it come to that. This isn't like Lebron, where Clev thought they had a good chance he'd re-sign. Denver knows he's leaving and there's no way they're just gonna just wave bye bye. So if we want him we have to put together a competitive package. But at a certain point, if another team has more of what Denver is looking for (draft picks / rookie contracts) so be it. You make a fair offer and what happens happens. You and I are aligned on that.

i agree, i don't think there's any way DEN will just let Melo walk via free agency for nothing in return... their franchise would get absolutely lambasted by their fanbase if that were to happen.

TMS wrote:

loweyecue wrote:That would leave us with a 7 man roster? Isn't a three way with the bob kittens what was being discussed?

trust me, i realize a 12 player deal is pure fantasy... just tryin to entertain the idea of a 3 way deal is all... even still, the Knicks are only really losing 2 guys that are doing much of anything in our current rotation in that deal... & they'd be adding 2 guys that would easily replace anyone they'd be losing... MDA only likes to play an 8-9 man rotation anyway... you'd still have this left over:

C - Nene
PF - Amare
SF - Melo
SG - Fields
PG - Felton
6 - Williams
7 - Turiaf
8 - Douglas
9 - Rautins

the bench is a little thin admittedly, but that starting 5 gives u plenty enough to contend for the Finals this year & matchup pretty well w/any team in the NBA.

Papabear Says

No way would I give up Chandler and Gallo.