CrushAlot wrote:tkf wrote:CrushAlot wrote:NYStateOfMind wrote:Papabear, your statement is simply ridiculous. Without Anthony, they still can construct a really good to championship caliber team in 2015 with all the cap space they will have. 2 to 3 years at worse with the new team leadership.It takes the heart of a champion to stay here and win it all. Ewing had it, Starks/Riley ruined his ring in 94. But he never gave up or wanted to be traded. Melo doesn't have the heart, so good riddance.
Dave Checketts ran things during the Ewing glory years. Melo is on his fourth gm in 4 years. The moves made since he got to ny for the most part have been ridiculously bad. If there was stability and a championship caliber coach like a riles in place last years team wins 8-10 more games. Imagine if the defensive presence/vet leader was Oak instead of Flu.
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imagine all the things you want.. but also imagine had carmelo waited and signed as a free agent, the knicks would have had a lot more assets to work with.. carmelo forcing his way here was a big part of the problem, good riddance hopefully...
Ujiri was not going to lose Melo for nothing so if he didn't go to the Knicks Melo would have been moved somewhere else. Melo wanted a deal under the old cba because the owners were locking out the players and threatening drastic changes to free agency after the big three colluded in Miami. Melo loses 25 mil if he just waits and goes to te knicks. It wasn't going to happen that way. Everyone involved in your scenario gets burned bad except for the Knicks.
Again you can talk about Ewing and his great heart. But the Knicks had Checketts and for five years they had a championship level hof coach. Melo is on his fourth gm in four years.
I understand Melo's logic for the S&T to the Knicks before the new CBA but it was selfish on his part and stupid on the Knicks too. He got overpaid, built in a player option to either get even more money or exit after only a few seasons, and the Knicks bet the franchise on him.
When you trade most of your starting lineup and several first rounders for a guy - you better make sure it's a long term deal or that the options rest with the team and not the player. Melo has never had to buy in to anything because his options are always open.
His statement at the beginning of the year that he would opt out said everything about him. He set the tone for the season by saying "I want to see what else is out there for me" instead of keeping quiet and being a team player.
Sure he is talented but he has a lot of drawbacks. If we can swing a trade to get back a talented player (maybe something similar to the Nets/Phoenix swap of Kidd and Marbury) then I will be happy. We absolutely should not overpay him to stay here because it will handicap our future.
Lebron, Wade and Bosh all took less. It's a new era in the NBA and I think the max deal will be a franchise killer as long as we have a salary cap. I also think guaranteed contracts need to go but that's another debate.
