tj23 wrote:Harden is a top 10 dude. Makes players better like crazy.

He's become a bit of a chuck and plays zero defense. I thought he was top 10 last season but I ever jumped the gun or got caught up in the hype. He certainly has the potential to be top 10 though.

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martin wrote:

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gunsnewing wrote:

EnySpree wrote:So i guess I'll throw Melo in this convo.....

Rondo said recently that "the sky's the limit" if they get Melo....

so why can't we get the same deal for Melo? Maybe not the future pick but definitely their 2 first rounds this year.

I'm wondering the same. My guess is because we are the Knicks and teams always look to hose us because of our dubious reputation

Love has another year on his deal. I think that is the biggest difference. I saw an article suggesting Melo opt in to allow the Knicks to trade him and get more. It also would allow Melo t get a bigger deal from his new team.

He should nobody is talking about it but Boston could seriously get both Love and Melo if he opts in.

I would be happy to get any mix of their youth and draft picks. Gerald or green would be nice fill in guys to flip at another date.

add in a tyson deal where we get some more assets and we get what we been begging for for 15 years

I wonder if Phil has approached Melo about opting in with the intention of trading him.

My guess is that he will if he can't convince Melo to stay. I don't believe Melo wants to leave NY as the villain, and giving the Knicks a chance to possibly get some picks, upgrade the roster, would soften the blow for those fans who would be upset about his leaving. I don't believe he will if it means taking a big pay cut in the process. I'm no capologist so I'm not sure how it could be structured to make both sides happy.

Although Melo can not get the extra year that he'd get from re-signing with us, he could still get higher annual raises if sign and traded him than if he were to sign with the Bulls outright. So, Melo has every bit the incentive to work with us during negotiations; not to mention that the story could be spun in a manner to protect his image and make it seem like Phil wanted to move in another direction.

As far as the cap is concerned, the Bulls will only create about $11 million in cap space from amnestying Boozer. The Bulls payroll and cap is set at $63 million, while Boozer makes $17 million/yr. That would lower the payroll to $46 million BUT a cap hold would be instituted for each of the vacant roster spots they'd have on their roster, $3 million and their 2 draft picks would be another $3 million cap hold. That in effect takes their payroll back up to $52 million, leaving only $11 million in cap space.

The only way they could open up serious cap space is by moving Taj Gibson's $8 million/yr contract, along with Mike Dunleavy's $3 million/yr. But what kind of team does that leave them with? They'd have to renounce all their free agents and would be unable to acquire any new players for more than the minimum. Would Melo want to join that?

If the Bulls traded for Melo, however, those very same assets they'd have to give away (I.e. the draft picks), could be what we'd get. Not only would their cheap owner be able to avoid eating Boozer's $17 million BUT they'd be able to retain the Bird Rights of their free agents, be able to keep Taj Gibson (if we are adequately compensated for his utility), preserve the use of the full, $6 million/yr midlevel exception, as well as their $2 million/yr lower level exception and maintain a $2.1 million and $1.1 million trade exception from the Loul Deng and Marquis Teague trades, respectively. In other words, they'd not only be able to maintain their core players that have been integral to their success BUT would still be able to build a team, after acquiring Melo. That is a tremendous incentive for the Bulls, so I fully expect a deal to go down if Melo goes there.

And since we're allowing them to keep Gibson and their ability to add pieces, we'd need to be further compensated beyond the picks. I'm thinking that the rights to Nikola Mirotic and Jimmy Butler would be adequate for the exchange.

That's a nice summary, thanks. I am of the opinion that if Melo is moved, it's to the Bulls.

Sure was, very thorough, thanks Narddog. Agree that the Bulls are a likely destination. ESPN reported yesterday that Melo has been doing a great deal of research on the Bulls, the coaching staff, and players, not to mention living in Chicago.

If Melo can get over not eating real pizza anymore he should be happy there if he decides to leave.

Did I sufficiently demonstrate that I have nothing better to do with myself? LOL. The Bulls do make a ton of sense for Melo. If everyone's healthy, I could see them upsetting the Heat if they make no discernible improvements to their supporting cast. Even so, eating that pan-**** that Chicagoans call pizza is a huge price to pay, lol. I remember it being more like eating soup than pizza. The place was pretty much on the campus of the University of Chicago (close to where the hospital is) but I don't remember the name. It was suppose to be the "it" spot in the city for pizza though.

Haha, that pretty much describes every regular poster here, myself included. But its fun talking about the Knicks with fans from all over the world.

I don't believe LeBron stays if they don't get some kind of help he feels will get them another ring.

I don't know how they call it pizza in chicago, its round and they call it pizza, that's about it. That's one of the things I really miss about living in NYC, wasn't hard to find great pizza.

It seems that there is a huge contingent of the board that no longer lives in NY. I'm in the same boat, unfortunately (unfortunately because its GA). It's been almost 8 years since I've been able to call NY my home. How about you?

Yeah, I see LeBron as a mercenary but I think that MIA is too attractive a destination and Riley too good a GM for him not to get the team he wants.

As far as Chi-towns "pizza", Jon Stewart had a nice little rant about it. I forgot the context of it but it was hilarious because everything he said, was more or less my impression when I had it for the first time. Those people have my sympathies, lol.

I left NYC (reluctantly) for FLA exactly 20 years ago just before the finals run. Finally moving to the west coast (for real this time) in a few months. Lost my job during a recession and couldn't find another one fast enough. Was very close to moving back a few times, but couldn't for different reasons. I'm at point now where I have accepted that the New York I left doesn't exist anymore. Its more like the Disneyland version of NYC now. Its not the center of everything that it used to be. I think it was Annie Leibovitz who said that many tourists used to hate New York, what's changed now is that its been transformed into a city like the ones they come from.

I have no idea if LeBron is staying in Miami, he should try and stick it out.

Chicago pizza looks more like frankenfood than anything else.

Yeah, my story is pretty similar post-recession. I couldn't find a job after graduating, in the northeast so I had to move back home for a time, which was in GA. It took about 3 years but I finally managed to get two steady, ****ty jobs to make rent on albeit with roommates. Fortunately, I'm heading back to school soon....unfortunately it's still in GA. I wanted to head back to the northeast or give the West Coast a shot but the finances aren't there for that to happen. The hope is that once this is all over with, I'll be able to change scenes but family issues might stymie that wish.

As for NY, it just might be me, but the recession seems to have hit it hard. The infrastructure seems to be as ****ty as ever (bare in mind I wasn't around for the recession in the 70's and most of the 80's). In spite of all that, I still miss it and the connections I still have there. It's definitely become more touristy but it still has character, which I miss. Everything in GA is the same, cookie-cutter chains and no real cultural substance. Then on top of that, everyone is so arrogantly conservative (outside ATL) and as you know, that culture isn't my cup of tea. Just for perspective, my local public library recently had two events dedicated to lionizing Republican crooks like Oliver North and Joseph McCarthy; dudes that are widely and rightfully recognized as bad people. I suppose that I shouldn't be so surprised because my representative is Phil Gingrich, the same Tea Party douchebag that is a birther and despite being a medical doctor thinks that "evolution is a lie straight from the pits of hell".

...but yeah, I think LeBron sticks it out, lol.

Guess it depends which neighborhood you go to. The city is turning into wall to wall banks and national chains, the Mom and Pop stores are disappearing. Its also becoming affordable only for the very wealthy. I saw a map of the average income by neighborhood over the years and it looks like one big yuppie invasion. Don't want to make it sound like it was paradise before, it wasn't by any means, but it felt more democratic, more inclusive, more trend setting. Try finding a bookstore in Manhattan these days. I know technology has something to do with it but it shouldn't be this bad. Most of my friends moved away because it was becoming too expensive or too corporate. Finance was always a big player in NYC, but not to this extent. Doesn't feel like there is room for everyone anymore. I wouldn't rule out looking at other cities, other countries, you're going to be a doctor so you'll be able to write your own ticket.

One thing I love about the south is BBQ, Georgia has great BBQ. I love that show BBQ Pitmaster. The host Myron Mixon is from GA. He has his own BBQ school in GA which I wish I had the time to attend to polish my skills. You should check it out if you have the time, looks like fun.