As Mike Lupica said today on his show about this - every story has its source. Where there is smoke, there is fire.

So this didn't come from Melo? Who did it come from? Was it a legit NBA Source (agent, front office person at Knicks?)

I think it is only a matter of whether there is a good enough deal out there for both Phil & Melo.

fishmike wrote:Oh well... its was fun while it lasted

Where there's smoke there's FIRE!

TeamBall wrote:

StarksEwing1 wrote:Well what do you expect him to say. No player will publicly say they would like to be traded

1 min mark

franco12 wrote:means nothing. He could strap a lie detector test and answer the same way. And be lying.

As Mike Lupica said today on his show about this - every story has its source. Where there is smoke, there is fire.

So this didn't come from Melo? Who did it come from? Was it a legit NBA Source (agent, front office person at Knicks?)

I think it is only a matter of whether there is a good enough deal out there for both Phil & Melo.

Dagger wrote:Those who still think he secretly actually wants to leave didn't actually bothering reading the quote in the article. He explicitly states that leaving now would be the sign of a weak will and flawed character. Would Melo say something like that that if he has his bags packed behind the scenes? No.

That's exactly what you say if you want to leave. Or stay. His spin doctors will tell him to say that regardless of his intentions. It is meaningless just like dozens of utterances by him in the past.

TripleThreat wrote:

Dagger wrote:Those who still think he secretly actually wants to leave didn't actually bothering reading the quote in the article. He explicitly states that leaving now would be the sign of a weak will and flawed character. Would Melo say something like that that if he has his bags packed behind the scenes? No.

Well what can it be?

Either Melo wants to be traded and said so to some aspects of the news media.

Melo wants to be traded and said so to someone in his inner circle, enough to justify a media article

Or Melo doesn't want to be traded but can't handle the press enough to deal with them when they angle a question to try to reframe a story or build an artificial headline.

None of those narratives are positive for Melo. The only thing I see that is purely consistent is that he's absolutely horrible in the media. He has zero clue how to manage the media and deal with the press and think carefully about how the context of what he says can be manipulated.

And if this is the product of Zen Master using his press saavy against Melo, then doom on Melo, because no one in the NBA can work the press like Phil Jackson.

Splat wrote:

Dagger wrote:Those who still think he secretly actually wants to leave didn't actually bothering reading the quote in the article. He explicitly states that leaving now would be the sign of a weak will and flawed character. Would Melo say something like that that if he has his bags packed behind the scenes? No.

That's exactly what you say if you want to leave. Or stay. His spin doctors will tell him to say that regardless of his intentions. It is meaningless just like dozens of utterances by him in the past.

No, it's not. The damning language he used makes that clear

Frank Isola @FisolaNYDN
· Dec 12
I'm starting to think that Berman of the Post is the cultural icon, taste maker. I know of at least 3 people, ok two, who believe his story

mreinman wrote:melo denied it?

whew ... that was damn close