Report: Carmelo to NY is finally official

[indeedproceed]

I dunno man, we may be using the term superstar a little loosely. Was Bernard King a superstar? Adrian Dantley? This is the level of player Melo is.

Was Pierce a superstar in 02-06? Because Carmelo is a marginally better version of Pierce from those seasons right now.

EDIT: I'm not saying Pierce was or wasn't a 'superstar'..I'm just saying...that's what NY is getting.

I just would never gut my franchise for that. The most underrated thing Danny Ainge has ever done is refuse to let Rondo or Perk be a part of the Ray and KG deals. He knew that if he couldn't put a team around them than the new players, even a top 5 PF of all time,  would mean diddly.The Knicks just gutted their roster of their 2nd, 3rd and 4th most talented players, I don't see how adding a superstar to that helps all that much.

Well, I'd contest that they gutted their team...or I guess more accurately, that what they gave up compares to in any way to what they're getting back.

They're a .500 team. Felton (whether because of the trade rumors or whatever) was not playing like he was in the beginning of the season. They were not going to keep Wilson Chandler if they resigned Melo in the off-season...so don't even think about Chandler in the situation long-term.

Really what they did was decide to trade Raymond Felton, Gallinari, a mid-round 1st, and a project center for one of the best scorers in the game, rather than keep Gallinari and hope that the Nuggets don't get Anthony to sign an extension with them or any other team before the end of the season.

They got the bird in hand..and really it came down to maybe losing Carmelo but keeping Gallinari, who Carmelo was replacing in the starting lineup, or just getting Carmelo, but this time for realsies.

Plus, much like Miami, this whole thing doesn't really shake out until next season, or the season after. Ironically, the biggest missing piece for both Miami and NY now is Kendrick Perkins.

[KobeShesNotConsenting!]

This means one good thing. Regardless of if we're able to make anything happen after the big 3 are done, at least there is now a chance of another powerhouse getting in the way of the heat. I think Staudemire's a prick but i can root for Melo

[barefacedmonk]

The Denver Nuggets, according to sources close to the situation, are already pitching a contract extension to Nene.

It had been widely assumed around the league that Denver’s center would shoot to the front of the trade line as soon as a Carmelo Anthony deal finally got done … and assuming there was enough time before the deadline for the Nuggets to work on follow-up deals.

But teams that have been calling for Nene -- and I’m told that more than half the league has rung Denver in recent weeks to register interest in the Brazilian big man -- are gradually being informed that a key element of the Nuggets’ post-Melo plan is trying to convince Nene to stay.

Link

[indeedproceed]

The Denver Nuggets, according to sources close to the situation, are already pitching a contract extension to Nene.

It had been widely assumed around the league that Denver’s center would shoot to the front of the trade line as soon as a Carmelo Anthony deal finally got done … and assuming there was enough time before the deadline for the Nuggets to work on follow-up deals.

But teams that have been calling for Nene -- and I’m told that more than half the league has rung Denver in recent weeks to register interest in the Brazilian big man -- are gradually being informed that a key element of the Nuggets’ post-Melo plan is trying to convince Nene to stay.

Link

Paying a 15 and 7 big man 11 to 13 million a year when he can defend the 4 or 5 position and he's 28 years old is a pretty solid move in most circles. I think Denver's right in this case.

[Who]

The Denver Nuggets, according to sources close to the situation, are already pitching a contract extension to Nene.

It had been widely assumed around the league that Denver’s center would shoot to the front of the trade line as soon as a Carmelo Anthony deal finally got done … and assuming there was enough time before the deadline for the Nuggets to work on follow-up deals.

But teams that have been calling for Nene -- and I’m told that more than half the league has rung Denver in recent weeks to register interest in the Brazilian big man -- are gradually being informed that a key element of the Nuggets’ post-Melo plan is trying to convince Nene to stay.

Link

Bad move. Denver is too far away from putting a team together to be spending that type of money on a player of Nene's caliber and age.

They should be trying to trade Nene for whatever they can get and rebuild properly. These halfway measures are going to screw up their rebuilding process.

[barefacedmonk]

The Denver Nuggets, according to sources close to the situation, are already pitching a contract extension to Nene.

It had been widely assumed around the league that Denver’s center would shoot to the front of the trade line as soon as a Carmelo Anthony deal finally got done … and assuming there was enough time before the deadline for the Nuggets to work on follow-up deals.

But teams that have been calling for Nene -- and I’m told that more than half the league has rung Denver in recent weeks to register interest in the Brazilian big man -- are gradually being informed that a key element of the Nuggets’ post-Melo plan is trying to convince Nene to stay.

Link

Paying a 15 and 7 big man 11 to 13 million a year when he can defend the 4 or 5 position and he's 28 years old is a pretty solid move in most circles. I think Denver's right in this case.

I agree...but there was a report a couple of weeks back that Nene wanted to move on as well. He doesn't want to play for team that's trying to rebuild...and wasn't particulaly happy with all the attention Melo was garnering.

[barefacedmonk]

The Denver Nuggets, according to sources close to the situation, are already pitching a contract extension to Nene.

It had been widely assumed around the league that Denver’s center would shoot to the front of the trade line as soon as a Carmelo Anthony deal finally got done … and assuming there was enough time before the deadline for the Nuggets to work on follow-up deals.

But teams that have been calling for Nene -- and I’m told that more than half the league has rung Denver in recent weeks to register interest in the Brazilian big man -- are gradually being informed that a key element of the Nuggets’ post-Melo plan is trying to convince Nene to stay.

Link

Bad move. Denver is too far away from putting a team together to be spending that type of money on a player of Nene's caliber and age.

They should be trying to trade Nene for whatever they can get and rebuild properly. These halfway measures are going to screw up their rebuilding process.

Nene is a good center...why not rebuild and still try to win some games? Nene can put up better offensive numbers now that Melo is out of the picture. If Ujiri is a good GM, he should have Denver back to the contender status in 3 years or so...and Nene will be a solid piece in that line-up.

[Who]

The Denver Nuggets, according to sources close to the situation, are already pitching a contract extension to Nene.

It had been widely assumed around the league that Denver’s center would shoot to the front of the trade line as soon as a Carmelo Anthony deal finally got done … and assuming there was enough time before the deadline for the Nuggets to work on follow-up deals.

But teams that have been calling for Nene -- and I’m told that more than half the league has rung Denver in recent weeks to register interest in the Brazilian big man -- are gradually being informed that a key element of the Nuggets’ post-Melo plan is trying to convince Nene to stay.

Link

Bad move. Denver is too far away from putting a team together to be spending that type of money on a player of Nene's caliber and age.

They should be trying to trade Nene for whatever they can get and rebuild properly. These halfway measures are going to screw up their rebuilding process.

Nene is a good center...why not rebuild and still try to win some games? Nene can put up better offensive numbers now that Melo is out of the picture. If Ujiri is a good GM, he should have Denver back to the contender status in 3 years or so...and Nene will be a solid piece in that line-up.

So they can win 35-45 games and get lottery picks in the 10-14 range? And then become a treadmill team that finishes in the 8th to 10th seed in the Western Conference year after year?

Instead of picking up top 3-5 picks on an annual basis and actually filling their roster with top class talent and slowly building a foundation that can one day become a top contender again.

It's a bad move. It's the same mistake Indiana made years ago and now years later ... they are only starting to come out the other side of it.

[indeedproceed]

The Denver Nuggets, according to sources close to the situation, are already pitching a contract extension to Nene.

It had been widely assumed around the league that Denver’s center would shoot to the front of the trade line as soon as a Carmelo Anthony deal finally got done … and assuming there was enough time before the deadline for the Nuggets to work on follow-up deals.

But teams that have been calling for Nene -- and I’m told that more than half the league has rung Denver in recent weeks to register interest in the Brazilian big man -- are gradually being informed that a key element of the Nuggets’ post-Melo plan is trying to convince Nene to stay.

Link

Paying a 15 and 7 big man 11 to 13 million a year when he can defend the 4 or 5 position and he's 28 years old is a pretty solid move in most circles. I think Denver's right in this case.

I agree...but there was a report a couple of weeks back that Nene wanted to move on as well. He doesn't want to play for team that's trying to rebuild...and wasn't particulaly happy with all the attention Melo was garnering.

Well, there are two concerns the world had about Nene in the past..1) that he had cancer, and wouldn't play ball again, and 2) that he would take his first contract extension and cool off..come into camp out of shape, etc..both were proved wrong.

Denver is the only pro ball home Nene has ever known in America. If they show him the love (and the money), I doubt he cares about leaving anymore.

Who might be right...if Denver looks like a sack of awful in a year or two, Nene looks like a Antawn Jamison clone...probably traded then anyways too, but 1 or 2 years older..but its not a terrible gamble if Denver trusts its young'ins.

Lawson, Afflalo, Chandler, Forbes..they're solid pieces. They're one or two players away from something significant..not contending..but significant..and probably not in Lux tax territory.

[Who]

A middle of the pack borderline playoff team ... is the worst place to be in the NBA. It's the single hardest path to building a contender and that is the road Denver is choosing to take.

This is an unbelievably bad decision. One that will cripple their organization for the next few years.

[indeedproceed]

A middle of the pack borderline playoff team ... is the worst place to be in the NBA. It's the single hardest path to building a contender and that is the road Denver is choosing to take.

What odds do you give Houston then, of rebuilding? Or Milwaukee? Seems like the situations are similar. No saying HOU or MIL can be contenders, just asking for a sit rep in your eyes.

This is an unbelievably bad decision. One that will cripple their organization for the next few years.

I don't agree with that as a certainty, but it could shake out that way.

From management standpoint, I don't think its a lose at all. Melo, Bron, Wade..they're all once every 15 years players..as in..in a given decade a franchise is lucky to get a player of their caliber once every 15 years. Denver got unbelievably lucky with Melo, and who knows when they'll get lucky again. But, if mangement can parlay this into a 1st or even 2nd round team even without Melo, they've made their money twice over. Always good enough to root for..but not paying the lux tax.

EDIT: And thank god I don't have work tomorrow.

[Who]

Denver Nuggets

PG - Felton, Lawson
SG - Afflalo, JR Smith
SF - Gallinari, W.Chandler
PF - K.Martin, C.Andersen
C - Nene, T.Mozgov

That is a 45 win team.

They'll probably lose Kenyon in the offseason and possibly trade Felton away for addition assets (picks, prospects) ... but given their cap flexibility, they'll likely pickup some decent replacements for them anyways. So they should be a .500 or slightly above team next season too.

They are not going to be a top free agent destination with that roster. Too far from a title. So they'll miss out on all their top targets. Their draft picks are going to be too late to get All-Star quality talent (unless they are extremely lucky which is highly improbable). They have solid trade assets but little in the way that will net them a superstar talent.

They are about to lock themselves into that 40-45 win range.

[Who]

A middle of the pack borderline playoff team ... is the worst place to be in the NBA. It's the single hardest path to building a contender and that is the road Denver is choosing to take.

What odds do you give Houston then, of rebuilding? Or Milwaukee? Seems like the situations are similar. No saying HOU or MIL can be contenders, just asking for a sit rep in your eyes. 

Yeah, Milwaukee is an awful situation. They made huge mistakes in the summer and those miscalculations have canceled any hope they had of becoming a contender in the next few years. And they had a real shot at it too (before this summer).

Houston is a little tougher to project ... partly because of the Yao Ming situation ... and also because they have more quality depth + young players (T.Williams, Budinger, Brooks, P.Patterson) which gives them some good flexibility trade wise (albeit not enough for a top tier player) + good cap flexibility (relative to Milwaukee) and will be able to attract some quality FAs.

The Rockets probably still have enough options open to them over the next 18 months to put their franchise back on track but we'll have to wait and see their next few moves before pinning down something more definitive. 

[jdpapa3]

A middle of the pack borderline playoff team ... is the worst place to be in the NBA. It's the single hardest path to building a contender and that is the road Denver is choosing to take.

This is an unbelievably bad decision. One that will cripple their organization for the next few years.

It'll be interesting to see what they do from this point on. They are going to be moving Gallinari and that seems likely with Felton as well. I don't understand their angle currently: are they trying to maintain their average league positioning with a lower salary or are they trying to cut salary and rebuild?

Also, to address your point: I'm not sure if all teams have the same business plan. Other franchises can't all tank for a few years and maintain a franchise financially because some of them lose fans. I could never be a gm that has the sole goal of maintaining the balance sheet instead of winning, but I think there are some out there. Those smaller market teams that are out of the contenders group, but are still knocking on the door of the playoffs almost create delusional fans that think a 15th draft pick will push them into the next level or that certain playoff matchups could propel them further.

[Drucci]

It's finally over, glad we won't hear about the Melodrama anymore.

I'm curious to see how he fits in NY but honestly I'm even more eager to see how Billups fits in D'Antoni's offense.