For sake of discussion, i wont go into how UNLEADER-like and SELFISH this situation is....instead ill focus on how this effects the knicks. Melo ultimately wants to give phil and the knicks one last chance to stay. he even said he'll play a big part in recruiting. for many reasons, that many folks have listed here, bringing significant star players to ny doesnt seem like a realistic option this yr. therefore melo will ask for a trade (and collect his $10 mill trade kicker bonus). the problem is WHEN ALL OF THIS WILL HAPPEN (early August-ish?).

a couple concerns:
- the knicks will try to appease melo by bringing in washed up talent past their prime like rondo or dwight. i actually trust that phil is smarter than that and will use this as a force to make melo leave
- by the time, melo makes up his mind (to leave), the free agency period will be OVER. so what do you do now with no one left?
- when melo asks for a trade, he will be 32 and (most likely i predict he WILL get a mini operation on that knee that was bothering him. 90% of his type of knee injury need a second surgery. but thats the physician in me talking). my point is HOW much will he be worth and to WHOM?
- so far all we know is the suitors reported have been contenders like: cleveland and the clippers. What young players or draft picks do they have? i guess this will be an "addition by subtraction" scenario. Melo's 25 mill contract will be subtracted - to do what with!? since all the FAs are signed

a few solutions:
- some folks here think I'm too negative (lol) so i'll offer some solutions
- DONT appease melo by bringing in washed up players. focus on getting a young a newer backcourt (jennings & bazemore?)
- of course try to buy some draft picks and get this team younger
- get what you can when melo decides to leave but dont expect much
- lastly and most importantly - ITS OK to rebuild. my thesis the past few months is to rebuild around KP. even if that means missing out on big names and not winning many games (we have draft picks the next few yrs). develop KP and a youth movement. but most of all, DONT overspend on long term contracts for players who arent good. save the money for summer of 2018 - when the cap lowers. thats summer some teams will have money, some wont - in a scenerio like that, THAT is when the knicks can TRULY compete for FAs if they save their money. at that time, KP will be in his prime, hopefully, youve established some young role players around him, the stop gap players (like jennings, bazemore) are coming off their contracts and youve made some good draft picks.

MELO trades are tough because of matching his contract and the likely winning team he'd want to be traded to. IMO the only way it works is a complicated 3 team trade. Otherwise a trade of MELO could actually be counterproductive. We don't want to have to take on too much garbage just to trade MELO.

CrushAlot wrote:I wonder if Melo would feel better just with the hiring of a better coach before the draft. Walton or Thibs would at least give the appearance that the Knicks are moving forward and I think both guys would make ny more attractive for free agents. I would start there if I was in charge. Thibs and Melo have a mutual fondness for each other and both guys are among the best at their craft. I think Melo is gone if Rambis is the guy.

I think on some level Phil knows Rambis is a hard sell. It will be tough but I think Phil will eventually go for Thibs. He's the best available coach and would energize the team and fanbase. It's the only logical move.

CrushAlot wrote:

nixluva wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:I wonder if Melo would feel better just with the hiring of a better coach before the draft. Walton or Thibs would at least give the appearance that the Knicks are moving forward and I think both guys would make ny more attractive for free agents. I would start there if I was in charge. Thibs and Melo have a mutual fondness for each other and both guys are among the best at their craft. I think Melo is gone if Rambis is the guy.

I think on some level Phil knows Rambis is a hard sell. It will be tough but I think Phil will eventually go for Thibs. He's the best available coach and would energize the team and fanbase. It's the only logical move.

I don't know if Phil goes there but it is the easiest and most obvious move to make to start to fix things in my opinion.

callmened wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:I wonder if Melo would feel better just with the hiring of a better coach before the draft. Walton or Thibs would at least give the appearance that the Knicks are moving forward and I think both guys would make ny more attractive for free agents. I would start there if I was in charge. Thibs and Melo have a mutual fondness for each other and both guys are among the best at their craft. I think Melo is gone if Rambis is the guy.

i really dont care what melo thinks. im tired of catering to him

callmened wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:I wonder if Melo would feel better just with the hiring of a better coach before the draft. Walton or Thibs would at least give the appearance that the Knicks are moving forward and I think both guys would make ny more attractive for free agents. I would start there if I was in charge. Thibs and Melo have a mutual fondness for each other and both guys are among the best at their craft. I think Melo is gone if Rambis is the guy.

i really dont care what melo thinks. im tired of catering to him

I think the idea of signing Thibs is about more than MELO. It's about the entire team but the side benefit is Thibs is a coach MELO would respect and so it solves multiple issues. Phil showed he was about the franchise more than MELO when he drafted KP! The MELO draft pick would've been Winslow or Mudiay IMO.

CrushAlot wrote:

callmened wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:I wonder if Melo would feel better just with the hiring of a better coach before the draft. Walton or Thibs would at least give the appearance that the Knicks are moving forward and I think both guys would make ny more attractive for free agents. I would start there if I was in charge. Thibs and Melo have a mutual fondness for each other and both guys are among the best at their craft. I think Melo is gone if Rambis is the guy.

i really dont care what melo thinks. im tired of catering to him

What do you think free agents think of the Knicks with Rambis as the coach? Also, taking it a step further, what do you think free agents think with Melo gone and Rambis as the coach?

i think the whole world knows Rambis is a bad coach. lol. the knicks are or at least SHOULD be in a rebuilding mode around KP. my priority isnt really free agents this summer or next. the free agents we sign should only be stop gap vets til 2018. so i think the real question should: what will free agents think (in 2018) when they see an all star with kp, young talent and most of all LOADS of cap space that other teams DONT have to spend money on

callmened wrote:

yellowboy90 wrote:Is more of a Phil conundrum. If you think he wants a slow rebuild then you are kidding yourself.. Phil is the one who holds the team hostage in the triangle and all his other choices.

great point! and im getting tired of this PHILosophy. if he doesnt grab thibbs then phil needs to go. Phil was brought in here to get free agents...i DONT think that will be happening. at the very least get us a good coach. ive grown skeptical

Phil was actually brought in to reset the entire organization and not just bring in big names. He made this clear when he didn't bend over backwards for Monroe or Aldridge! If he fully intended to grab big names he would've overpaid for a couple of guys.

He's instead made the D League team more stable with a good coach hire. He has Euro Stashes and will likely add more. He kept his cap options open for this summer. Despite the fan disappointment he did make progress from where we were. There are fewer holes and more upside on this team.

callmened wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:I wonder if Melo would feel better just with the hiring of a better coach before the draft. Walton or Thibs would at least give the appearance that the Knicks are moving forward and I think both guys would make ny more attractive for free agents. I would start there if I was in charge. Thibs and Melo have a mutual fondness for each other and both guys are among the best at their craft. I think Melo is gone if Rambis is the guy.

i really dont care what melo thinks. im tired of catering to him

mreinman wrote:

nixluva wrote:

callmened wrote:

yellowboy90 wrote:Is more of a Phil conundrum. If you think he wants a slow rebuild then you are kidding yourself.. Phil is the one who holds the team hostage in the triangle and all his other choices.

great point! and im getting tired of this PHILosophy. if he doesnt grab thibbs then phil needs to go. Phil was brought in here to get free agents...i DONT think that will be happening. at the very least get us a good coach. ive grown skeptical

Phil was actually brought in to reset the entire organization and not just bring in big names. He made this clear when he didn't bend over backwards for Monroe or Aldridge! If he fully intended to grab big names he would've overpaid for a couple of guys.

He's instead made the D League team more stable with a good coach hire. He has Euro Stashes and will likely add more. He kept his cap options open for this summer. Despite the fan disappointment he did make progress from where we were. There are fewer holes and more upside on this team.

we should bring in a real GM and perhaps move phil to just manage the d-league since he is doing such a great job there.

This is going to be his 3rd offseason and only the 2nd where he has good cap space. Are you suggesting that he should have this all settled already? We're all disappointed with the team as it stands but can we let the man finish building and developing his team? Still seems a bit too early to panic.