dk7th wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:

The ideal partner for Griffin is a shot-blocking big man with 3-point range. Bad news: There are, like, half a dozen of those dudes on earth. Serge Ibaka is the current prototype(....)

Another such monster rises in Gotham:Kristaps Porzingis. Someone in the Knicks front office should be calling Rivers, sweet-talking him about how a Griffin-Carmelo Anthony swap would help both teams. Paul and Anthony once toasted the prospect of playing together, and Anthony could channel the Team USA version of himself as a supercharged stretch power forward in L.A.

New York probably doesn't want to hear this, and that's fine. Star-for-star deals almost never happen; inertia is too powerful. The Knicks are (kind of) winning again, the Garden rocks, Melo is happy and passing, and he's an appealing franchise face safely under contract for at least two seasons after this one. Swapping Melo for Griffin would leave the Knicks bereft of wing players.

The swap also would give New York a legit star who's closer to Porzingis in age -- a triangle post-up type who should appeal to prospective free agents as much as Melo does. The 2015-16 Knicks are a fun story, but they're not going anywhere real, and they don't have their draft pick. The future should still be the first priority.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14669764/blake-griffin-tenure-los-angeles-become-questions-hour

in principle and on paper it is a great trade-- for the knicks. it's pretty clear that griffin is a superb passer but does not get to use that skill in la, while he would certainly here in the triangle... not to mention that his midrange shooting is vastly improved. plus he certainly has the panache for new york.

melo is playing great this season as an all-around player, so what would the allure be for melo, who has already allegedly stated that he does not want to leave new york because of his kids, has business interests here that he wants to be near, etc etc. it would be weird for him to revert back to wait for the ball/catch and shoot melo, at least in my opinion.

Fair point. But would he prefer to be jack-of-all-trades Melo on a .500 team still several (unlikely) steps away from being a true contender while he's still relevant? Or would he prefer to be scorer-Melo on the 3rd-5th best team in the league, which he could possibly make better alongside his best friend Chris Paul? I'd have to think the latter. Besides, winning is good for branding, which is what most of his business interests seemed to be tied into. The Clippers offer the better and more immediate path to furthering those interests. His other business stakes seem to be in start-up Tech companies, which I'd imagine are located in Silicon Valley....a skip-and-a-jump from LA.

dk7th wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:Clippers are the winners in this trade, IMO.

Griffin has benefited from having Paul in terms of his scoring, and has probably had elevated assist numbers because he's connected with Jordan a lot.

Still a below average outside shooter, who does not seem to be the physical force he once was.

Not a great 1/1 defender against taller players, either.

If guys who have watched him more than I have can tell me how he fits into our offense I'm willing to listen.

better court vision and passer. melo is doing great at passing the ball and playmaking, but griffin is a more gifted passer and playmaker. without a ball-dominant point guard-- a given in the triangle-- griffin's passing would become an incredible asset. just recall what he did without chris paul in the lineup. his midrange shooting has improved greatly too. and he's only 26.

+1. People tend to devalue him because of how much his dunking ability overshadows the rest lf his game. He's a fairly dynamic ball player that aside.

NardDogNation wrote:

dk7th wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:Clippers are the winners in this trade, IMO.

Griffin has benefited from having Paul in terms of his scoring, and has probably had elevated assist numbers because he's connected with Jordan a lot.

Still a below average outside shooter, who does not seem to be the physical force he once was.

Not a great 1/1 defender against taller players, either.

If guys who have watched him more than I have can tell me how he fits into our offense I'm willing to listen.

better court vision and passer. melo is doing great at passing the ball and playmaking, but griffin is a more gifted passer and playmaker. without a ball-dominant point guard-- a given in the triangle-- griffin's passing would become an incredible asset. just recall what he did without chris paul in the lineup. his midrange shooting has improved greatly too. and he's only 26.

+1. People tend to devalue him because of how much his dunking ability overshadows the rest lf his game. He's a fairly dynamic ball player that aside.

griffin is an excellent player. no one is doubting that. just dont let ESPN cloud your mind with these fantasies. theyre jedi mind *cking you so that you can add to their hit total

Everyone makes mistakes but I have no interest in introducing someone corrosive to the chemistry.

DrAlphaeus wrote:But I'll ask again: what the hell happened with Griffin and this fight?

Everyone makes mistakes but I have no interest in introducing someone corrosive to the chemistry.

CrushAlot wrote:

DrAlphaeus wrote:But I'll ask again: what the hell happened with Griffin and this fight?

Everyone makes mistakes but I have no interest in introducing someone corrosive to the chemistry.

Yeah and wasn't there speculation about Blake and PEDS with some of his injuries? I can't remember if I read it or if friends were just speculating.

Well getting aggro and punching your much smaller co-worker sure fits that speculation.

Collison//Afflalo/Gay/Zinger/Rolo

With Williams, Stein waiting in the wings. Stein and Zinger make a dynamic front court for years. Hell, I'd turn Gay for some more growth players and let DWill play there.

The existence or non existence of GS in the league shouldn't prevent Melo from moving to a better team. I don't know that anyone beats GS the way they are playing, but the Knicks didn't come close.

I dunno. I'm feeling bad for Melo and he becomes more untradeable when the cap goes up due to the trade kicker when the spread between his contract and a max contract increases. It's basically now or never for him. I don't want to lose him, but this team isn't really looking ready to compete this year. Another rebuild next year (with our pick) while gathering more pieces isn't a terrible idea.

Paris907 wrote:I think the no trade clause could be bypassed as Melo and LaLa could agree to LA as they've a legitimate center and Chris Paul and some depth. It's LA and it's Melos chance to be a title contender before his knees give out.

LAC doesn't have the cap space to cover the trade kicker. They would have to absorb the 2m or so outside of trade matching rules. They are too far over the cap to make it work. You need a team that is near or below the salary cap. Most of the teams that signed FAs this year would work with a little salary work. Teams over the cap but more than 2-3mm are basically impossible.