yellowboy90 wrote:gunsnewing wrote:Lebron did more with A LOT less. Now I know Lebron is otherworldly but you get the idea. Melo is do to make $129m. $30m per. Do you pay him if u are Phil?
I am not phil but if Phil paid him will you still think of him as a smart visionary team builder? Will you blame Melo? I know the answer to that. Strike the max off the table if Phil pays him more than what you think he is worth what will you think? Would it matter if other teams where willing to pay him the same?
I think the problem is the salary cap makes it very hard to build a championship team if you are paying max money to 1-2 guys and we all know you probably need 2 all stars plus a legit supporting cast.
Melo is heading into the downside of his career. By the end of this next contract he may be like Amare - we already know he has shoulder problems and he tends to play heavy minutes and gets banged up.
We need his talent but at what cost? All of us have seen the Knicks do this before, they overpay and then can't build a proper team so they end up making panic moves and wallow in mediocrity. I just don't want to see that happen again.
Amare and Bargs really screwed us by opting in. I know it's their right because it's in their contracts and the money is crazy but I hope the Knicks have learned something from all of this: if you give a superstar an opt out they will take it, and if you give a player an opt in it is risky should they become injury prone or play like a bum. I would rather see the teams have the rights to exercise options than the power be in the players hands, but I guess it becomes a negotiating issue.