Rondo+ Carmelo+ (insert player here?) on Celtics= Legit contender.

[Jailan34]

But even if that's our team I don't believe it makes us better than either MIA or IND. Lebron/PG>melo and hibbert/west>any of those bigs + sully

[jade88]

Rondo/Bradley/Green/Melo/Monroe is the most logical lineup.

Anybody who has watched Carmelo in the last year knows he's much better at the 4. Jeff Green and Carmelo is a lights out scoring threat because Green is twice the player when he's next to an alpha male scorer. Allows him to sink to the corners and get easier penetration to the rim. Trust me Green/Melo would be alot like Pierce and Ray but stylistically different of course.

[Celtics4ever]

You're being extremely biased and forgetful or you didn't watch Pierce before 2008. Pierce was bounced out of the playoffs constantly, the only time we came close was when we almost beat the Nets in a TERRIBLE Eastern Conference in the early 2000s. Pierce had NO ONE, and neither does Melo. Their games are identical.

Melo has had solid pieces in NYC.  No change in his game.  Still egocentric and selfish.  PP changed majorly when KG got here and RA.   Melo got Amare and still it was the Melo show.  I think Melo is more of a jump shooter than PP.  PP is a terrific post player when he choses to be.  Melo not so much.

PP was never as selfish as player as Melo, it's not even close. PP averaged more APG at the earlier point of his career than Melo.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/piercpa01.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/anthoca01.html

They are not even close to the same player nor do they have identical games.

[SHAQATTACK]

No Melo ....he is a disease .....let him go.....be a Laker and cause problems


Face it ....Anthony is a "drama queen" just like Howard , Kobe ......don't need them

[playdream]

Melo and DH are in the same category
star-talented but will never make you a champion
they just lack of mental toughness

[Finkelskyhook]

A team with the snitchster is like a team with los Nash...When your team is essentially 4-on-5 defensively in the playoffs and the missing defensive player is your best player...Or highest paid...You have no chance in the playoffs.

[More Banners]

Rondo + Asik on this team without giving up any starters would put us quite solidly into the playoff picture, and we would match up well against the top of the conference.

Bradley + Lee can hold their own, and Green/Wallace allow us to match up as well as anybody with Lebron/Melo.

We're closer to the ECF than to a top pick.

[SparzWizard]

Rondo + Asik on this team without giving up any starters would put us quite solidly into the playoff picture, and we would match up well against the top of the conference.

Bradley + Lee can hold their own, and Green/Wallace allow us to match up as well as anybody with Lebron/Melo.

We're closer to the ECF than to a top pick.

We would be like the Memphis Grizzlies/Houston Rockets of the East imo. Contenders. But will we win a championship with that kind of roster? Unlikely...championships in the past few years were won by superstars, and we're lacking that atm.

[BballTim]

Rondo + Asik on this team without giving up any starters would put us quite solidly into the playoff picture, and we would match up well against the top of the conference.

Bradley + Lee can hold their own, and Green/Wallace allow us to match up as well as anybody with Lebron/Melo.

We're closer to the ECF than to a top pick.

We would be like the Memphis Grizzlies/Houston Rockets of the East imo. Contenders. But will we win a championship with that kind of roster? Unlikely...championships in the past few years were won by superstars, and we're lacking that atm.

  We'd still have quite a few first rounders coming up, we could still add to the team.

[Meadowlark_Scal]

Carmelo is just too much of an "all about me" type player..he is an allen Iverson....both good....but cannot transition to TEAM ball.....the knicks have everything they need at every spot.....good guards...center...role players.....scorers.....now stoudamire back......they still stink.....why...only one ball..and no one on that team wants to do their role....led by melo....!

[KG Living Legend]

I think him playing with an elite point guard to regulate his touches would get him to take better shots and elevate him to a championship level player.

I do think a squad built around Rondo, a good defensive big and Melo could compete for a title

 This really is a great point. IF Melo could submit to the idea of truly Allowing Stevens and to the greater point Rondo to dictate when he gets his scoring chances he could be absolutely dynamite.

 As for the comments prior of Paul And Carmelo being the exact same player I have to respectfully disagree. Carmelo is quicker, bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic. Much tougher to handle inside on the block, much better second jump to offensive rebound. That said with all those tools Pierce to this point is the better more well rounded player do mainly to his Basketball I.Q. Killer instinct and overall smarts Paul really gets it and does the little winning things. Always has even when we stunk he played like a winner IMO.

[jade88]

Brad Stevens is smart enough to move Melo to the 4 and utilize him in a different way. Melo was phenomenal on Team USA, he can do the same thing here. I don't believe he's incapable of switching it up for the sake of winning. Him and Rondo are smart enough to make it work by switching their games up. Spolestra did a great job of making Miami's Big 3 work just like Doc made our Big 3 work. It all depends on coaching in my opinion, faith in your teammates helps to. No way Melo believe in this NY roster right now. Give him Rondo and a secondary scorer like Jeff and i think he switches it up. 

[chambers]

Rondo + Asik on this team without giving up any starters would put us quite solidly into the playoff picture, and we would match up well against the top of the conference.

Bradley + Lee can hold their own, and Green/Wallace allow us to match up as well as anybody with Lebron/Melo.

We're closer to the ECF than to a top pick.

I disagree 100%. Closer to the ECF than the bottom of the NBA ?
We have one all star coming off a serious injury. We have a very solid power forward with serious injury history and a small forward who is never going to be an all star.


One injury to Sully or Green and we are toast.
We need either Durant or Lebron, or two more All Star caliber pieces on our team to even think about being a contender.
Danny could trade away Bass, Crawford, Hump and Lee and we'd struggle to win most games.
If not for Crawford's incredible breaking out we'd be sitting on 5 wins.

We don't know what Ainge will do, but trading away those guys for 'future assets' like 2nd round picks and young upside guys is going to be much easier than trading them for championship core pieces.

If he was planning on finishing bottom 6- there's still plenty of time to ensure that happens with just a few trades.

So no, 20ish games in, we are faaaaaar away from being an ECF team. We are not very far from being a stinker. We still are a stinker essentially- the rest of the East is too though.

[Moranis]

How exactly is Boston acquiring Melo, plus all these other players being mentioned in this thread?

[jade88]

How exactly is Boston acquiring Melo, plus all these other players being mentioned in this thread?

We'll be able to offer a max deal this summer. Obviously New York can offer more, but we got a [dang] solid amount of money coming off the books. We can definitely give him a big chunk of change.


We can acquire a good center via trade without exception and picks. I also believe we can move bad contracts with our picks to clear even more space, but that's no guarantee.