I've never been a huge Melo fan. I've always thought he wasn't much of a winner and could never get his team over the hump. Then again, anyone outside of Boston probably would have said the same about Paul Pierce prior to KG and Ray coming here. And while we hearken back to some big playoffs appearances in the early 2000s for PP--let's face reality--if the Eastern Conference wasn't so terrible back then (as it is again now), there's no way those Toine/PP teams get out of the first round (and quite possibly don't make the playoffs at all).
So if the Knicks do decide to blow it up, I'd be interested in Carmelo. I mean what's the biggest knock on him? He's not LeBron or Durant? That's true. And he may not work out. But what's the alternative? Hope we win the lottery AND Wiggins/Parker/whoever is the next LeBron? Hope we lure the next LeBron (or LeBron himself) here as a free agent? Hope Durant magically becomes available?
The NBA is so superstar dominated that it's hard to crack the upper echelon. Unlike other sports, building depth and balance hardly ever gets it done. So if we could get Carmelo, keep Rondo, and not give up every asset we have, I'd strongly consider rolling the dice on Carmelo.