the hawks might be an interesting destination but it's a tough match there...

FistOfOakley wrote:it's a pipedream.... but with the lakers you never know... i doubt melo waives his ntc for the lakers tho...

the hawks might be an interesting destination but it's a tough match there...

Thats why i want to draft towns to pair up with OK4 that can shoot free throws. They call him melo.

blkexec wrote:

FistOfOakley wrote:it's a pipedream.... but with the lakers you never know... i doubt melo waives his ntc for the lakers tho...

the hawks might be an interesting destination but it's a tough match there...

Thats why i want to draft towns to pair up with OK4 that can shoot free throws. They call him melo.

Zach Randolph has faired well in this league and he has been a worse version of Okafor throughout his career. So why are you so concerned about the stuff Okafor can't do instead of what he can?

I think the Knicks go into next season hoping to be competitive.

I think there is a good chance we miss the play offs. Face it, we're coming off this season and depending on some free agents who likely are overpaid and not wanted by their own teams and a very young draft pick to change our fortunes.

We miss the play offs. And then Phil & Melo make a decision - can we attract top talent then? If we strike out, does Melo sort of demand a trade?

I honestly think our big FA play isn't this year, its the next season.

When every team has money.

FistOfOakley wrote:what okafor can't do is important because it's very hard to build a team who is a great presence on the offensive side but can't defend the paint on the other...

randolph is a pf and he really has only found team success with the jailblazers and the grizz.... he had sheed in portland and gasol on the grizz... drafting okafor will require getting something like that paired next to him in order to build a decent defense and hence a winner...

vucevic, pekovic, kanter to a lesser extent, cousins i'll throw in there tho some may disagree... these are all centers who fail on the defensive end but are really good offensive players in their own right and their teams suffer...

Is it so much of a stretch to have a Hassan Whiteside type talent next to Okafor? That would, in effect, negate his inability to effectively help. And by all accounts, Okafor is a good enough man defender to hold a traditional PF in check. So is it really that difficult to be successful with Okafor?

NardDogNation wrote:I have to imagine that the Lakers will be in win-now mode with Kobe entering the last year of his contract (possibly career) and no 2016 pick. With an abundance of cap space and the Jeanie Buss-Phil Jackson connection, is it possible that we could pry away their pick (after the selection is made, thereby making it viable)? Melo seems to be a believer in Rondo who seems destined to leave Dallas, possibly to LAL and is good friends with Kobe, so I think he'd be inclined to waive his no-trade clause if both are on the team. So if everything checks out, why not? With the bump in cap space, they'll be able to readily accommodate those salaries.

That would be interesting. If LA trades for Melo a little under $10M in cap space to either sign Rondo or fill out the rest of their roster. And who knows what the Lakers are willing to do at this point, nothing they've done in the last several years really makes any sense. And Melo might be willing to waive his no-trade clause to go there though if he wanted to be there he could've just signed there last Summer. The biggest issue is that LA's draft pick has to fall in the top 5, otherwise it goes to Philly.

TripleThreat wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:So if everything checks out, why not? With the bump in cap space, they'll be able to readily accommodate those salaries.

Melo waiving his No Trade Clause to go to the Lakers would seem like the most plausible situation in a real life trade.

I think the Knicks would ideally get the best package return from the Celtics, but there are too many factors against that ( Don't think Melo will waive to go there, Celtics and Knicks are both in the East and the same division, etc)

I guess the issue would be what else could the Lakers give and still make it a win/win type trade. I think Julius Randle would have to be part of the package to create enough upside for the Knicks.

Nutty as it sounds, Melo's marriage status would be a factor here. If he got hammered in a divorce, I think he's more apt to waive his No Trade Clause.

IMHO, there are some potential good trades/plausible trades in this scenario. Take advantage of a team that should be rebuilding from the ground up but wont ( sadly like the current Knicks)

I didn't even know his marriage is that rocky. Seems like he got married just yesterday. If that is the case, he may have gone for the biggest possible contract in expectation of giving up a big chunk of money to her plus ongoing child support. And desiring a change of scenery after a breakup would not be surprising. At least he wouldn't have to be part of a moronic reality show.

VCoug wrote:

Splat wrote:

TripleThreat wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:So if everything checks out, why not? With the bump in cap space, they'll be able to readily accommodate those salaries.

Melo waiving his No Trade Clause to go to the Lakers would seem like the most plausible situation in a real life trade.

I think the Knicks would ideally get the best package return from the Celtics, but there are too many factors against that ( Don't think Melo will waive to go there, Celtics and Knicks are both in the East and the same division, etc)

I guess the issue would be what else could the Lakers give and still make it a win/win type trade. I think Julius Randle would have to be part of the package to create enough upside for the Knicks.

Nutty as it sounds, Melo's marriage status would be a factor here. If he got hammered in a divorce, I think he's more apt to waive his No Trade Clause.

IMHO, there are some potential good trades/plausible trades in this scenario. Take advantage of a team that should be rebuilding from the ground up but wont ( sadly like the current Knicks)

I didn't even know his marriage is that rocky. Seems like he got married just yesterday. If that is the case, he may have gone for the biggest possible contract in expectation of giving up a big chunk of money to her plus ongoing child support. And desiring a change of scenery after a breakup would not be surprising. At least he wouldn't have to be part of a moronic reality show.

I don't think it is. Just did a quick google search and the only thing I can find are a couple of reports from late 2012/early 2013 but nothing recent.

Not something I'd normally know about either way, but not surprised if it was column fodder and then faded away.