I feel myself vomiting - Melo and Bron????

[mef730]

Meh, Lebron could sign for the league minimum and still make more than anyone.  For that matter, put these four together and they'll all make way more off endorsements than they ever could on the court.

As much as I'd like to complain about teams stacking, if the Celts somehow pulled Love, Melo and Asik to Boston, I wouldn't be too upset about it.  I know, those four aren't exactly the Miami four, but "any given Sunday" doesn't exactly apply in the NBA.

Mike

How would Melo be in both Miami and Boston at the same time?   

He wouldn't be.  My point is that it would be hypocritical of me to complain about Miami stacking its team with all these great players but cheer if Melo et al went to Boston, instead.

Mike

[ram]

Lebron has smart business advisers.  If they can put together a business plan that proves to Carmelo's people that he will make more money (endorsements) playing in Miami on championship teams, they will go for it.

Of course, Bosh and Wade need to buy in, too.  If I'm Lebron, Bosh or Melo, I'm concerned about Wade's health. 

There is also a longevity angle to this.  On a super team, each might only have to play 30 minutes/game during the regular season (plus take some games off).  They proved this year that the regular season is meaningless and a great team doesn't care about their seed/home court. 

[knuckleballer]

Meh, Lebron could sign for the league minimum and still make more than anyone.  For that matter, put these four together and they'll all make way more off endorsements than they ever could on the court.

As much as I'd like to complain about teams stacking, if the Celts somehow pulled Love, Melo and Asik to Boston, I wouldn't be too upset about it.  I know, those four aren't exactly the Miami four, but "any given Sunday" doesn't exactly apply in the NBA.

Mike

How would Melo be in both Miami and Boston at the same time?   

He wouldn't be.  My point is that it would be hypocritical of me to complain about Miami stacking its team with all these great players but cheer if Melo et al went to Boston, instead.

Mike

It's not hypocritical at all.  Melo to the Celtics would be a move by team management to try to contend and Melo would be paid his worth.  Melo to the Heat would be a move orchestrated by players taking pay cuts so that they wouldn't need to work up a sweat while cakewalking to a ring.

[Rakulp]

Scenario time:  Say that somehow, with huge cuts for all parties, the Heat are able to add Anthony in the off season (win or lose vs the Spurs).

At what point does the Union care about this situation?  Does it affect the pay for "other" top tier players?  If Lebron only takes "x" amount, why should we pay Durant "xx" type of thinking?

At what point does the commissioner get involved, if at all?  While other posters have pointed out that there are some who like "dynasties", I don't think many people really appreciate this way of building it.  For the good of the league, does the commissioner have any power to keep this from becoming a four team league of sorts as those teams with the cash try to imitate the Heat, and the smaller market teams become more of a feeder bed for new talent to those super teams?

At what point do the fans say enough is enough?  Many have stated in these threads that they would turn away from the NBA (I'd be inclined to do so myself, but they are not losing much from me).  Any sport is only one generation away from going from "must see" to "must ignore".  Watching the All Star game can be a little fun once a year...but watching a super team beat a mediocre team 120-77 night after night gets boring quickly.

At what point does any of this happen....or does it happen at all?

Rak

[D.o.s.]

Carmello Anthony playing alongside LeBron James in Miami is the single best thing that could ever happen to people who want to see the Miami Heat lose games.

'Melo is about as much of a ballhog as there is in the league.  The Celtics could use a guy like that, because we don't have anyone else who can score.  In Miami, though...  every possession that Carmello dominates the ball, every shot that he takes is one fewer shot that LeBron gets.

Subtraction by addition.

Anyone else remember the '03-'04 Lakers?  Kobe/Shaq/Glove/Malone?  There's only room for so much ego on one team.

Olympics?

I don't understand why no one uses the evidence we already have of these two guys playing together as, you know, evidence of what might happen when these two guys play together.

Anyway, the Players Union would absolutely flip out of the Heat's 3 stars left that much money on the table. This is largely a nonstory fueled by sensationalist hypotheticals.

[mef730]

TP for good logic.

One other concern re: Melo to the Heat: The price for Asik goes up.  I don't necessarily believe that we could get Asik just with our TPE, but if Melo's off the table for Houston, that TPE isn't worth as much to them.

Mike

[manl_lui]

Which starting 5 is better??
Rondo-AB-Melo-Love-Asik
OR
Chalmers-Wade-LBJ-Melo-Bosh

It's not even close.

LBJ himself is already > Rondo + AB + Asik

then you give him Wade, Melo and Bosh...yeaaaaaaaa, it's not going to be pretty

[knuckleballer]

If Melo does go to the Heat, I'd rethink trading for Love.  Why bother trying to compete now when the deck is stacked.  Might as well look to a five year rebuild when the Heat's players are past their prime.

[Moranis]

These guys have no sense of competition or interest in facing a challenge.  They want to be handed fame and glory the easy way.  They may earn a lot of titles, but they aren't champions. 
It's often said that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.  These guys are looking for a shortcut.  For that reason, the Heat and Lebron James in particular should never be remembered as one of the all time greats.

So because guys like Magic and Bird were lucky to be drafted by great franchise we should look at them differently than players that were drafted onto terrible franchises like (James in Cleveland).  Because HOFers would go play with Jordan in Chicago (like Rodman) we should treat him differently than James who couldn't even get one of his closest friends in Bosh to even consider going to Cleveland. 

Shaq left Orlando to go to L.A. because he didn't think he could win in Orlando long term (despite the fact that he had an All-NBA teammate in Penny).  No one says crap about him. 

This irrational hate of Lebron James is just plain silly. 

[bknova]

It would pretty much ruin the league.  This class, the brat pack, the lebrons, wades, melos, howards, chris paula is the whiniest yappiest most spoiled group of players to enter this league.  I mean really, none you guys are good enough to lead a team on your own!  What a bunch of wimps.

The biggest beneficiaries of Melo  joining the Heat, the NHL!

[GreenWarrior]

At what point do the fans say enough is enough? 
Rak

right now for me!

I watched less basketball this yr. than I have in the last 25 yrs  mainly because of what I stated in my previous post. officiating and the outcome of the season seems all but predetermined.

the officiating has become a big issue for me. unfortunately for me i'm going to come off as an "old fogey" here when I say "back in my day" it wasn't like this, but....it wasn't, it really wasn't. I've always been ok to a certain extent with the "superstar rules" as long as it wasn't abused by the "superstars" or blatantly obvious.

but it's simply gotten out of hand. I love Durant, he's probably my current favorite individual player right now. that kid palms the ball like you wouldn't believe. I watched 3 random thunder games throughout the yr. and really noticed it for the 1st time this yr., one game he was forced to bring the ball up on 3 consecutive possessions and I called palming 30 to 60 times on the 3 possessions.

that yr. when LeBron's  "crab dribble" finally got noticed? what does the NBA do? the very next season? they change the traveling rules - you can now take 3 steps.

so when I say it was better in my day it's because it was. the accommodating the "stars" get these days is flat out of control. it also makes me feel like these "stars" just simply are not as good as the stars of the past because of the constant accommodating and changing of the rules. but then they try to force "Lebron is the greatest ever" down our throat that it contributes to me wanting to see less of this sport than it makes me want to watch it.   

I know many will say "what Miami is doing isn't something new & teams have been doing this for yrs." but not really. teams worked a little harder at doing it. this is more about individual players' ego's being able to say they won a ring and nothing to do with teamwork. which this sport has gotten so far away from that they should just make it a one on one league.

[D.o.s.]

Meh, Lebron could sign for the league minimum and still make more than anyone.  For that matter, put these four together and they'll all make way more off endorsements than they ever could on the court.

As much as I'd like to complain about teams stacking, if the Celts somehow pulled Love, Melo and Asik to Boston, I wouldn't be too upset about it.  I know, those four aren't exactly the Miami four, but "any given Sunday" doesn't exactly apply in the NBA.

Mike

How would Melo be in both Miami and Boston at the same time?   

He wouldn't be.  My point is that it would be hypocritical of me to complain about Miami stacking its team with all these great players but cheer if Melo et al went to Boston, instead.

Mike

It's not hypocritical at all.  Melo to the Celtics would be a move by team management to try to contend and Melo would be paid his worth.  Melo to the Heat would be a move orchestrated by players taking pay cuts so that they wouldn't need to work up a sweat while cakewalking to a ring.

Talk about splitting hairs.

[knuckleballer]

These guys have no sense of competition or interest in facing a challenge.  They want to be handed fame and glory the easy way.  They may earn a lot of titles, but they aren't champions. 
It's often said that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.  These guys are looking for a shortcut.  For that reason, the Heat and Lebron James in particular should never be remembered as one of the all time greats.

So because guys like Magic and Bird were lucky to be drafted by great franchise we should look at them differently than players that were drafted onto terrible franchises like (James in Cleveland).  Because HOFers would go play with Jordan in Chicago (like Rodman) we should treat him differently than James who couldn't even get one of his closest friends in Bosh to even consider going to Cleveland. 

Shaq left Orlando to go to L.A. because he didn't think he could win in Orlando long term (despite the fact that he had an All-NBA teammate in Penny).  No one says crap about him. 

This irrational hate of Lebron James is just plain silly.

Bird and Magic had to beat each other to win a championship.  They didnt join forces.  Shaq had to beat Olajuwon and Duncan, they didnt join forces.  Wilt and Russell were fierce rivals, they didnt want to play with each other.  Rodman was an elite role player, not a franchise type of player.
Lebron's natural rivals are Wade and Melo.  Despite being the better player, he doesn't want the challenge of beating them.  My disrespect of James is not irrational.

"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry [Bird], called up Magic [Johnson] and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team,'" Jordan said after playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. The interview aired on the NBC telecast of the event. "But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."

[Banner18now!]

Meh, Lebron could sign for the league minimum and still make more than anyone.  For that matter, put these four together and they'll all make way more off endorsements than they ever could on the court.

As much as I'd like to complain about teams stacking, if the Celts somehow pulled Love, Melo and Asik to Boston, I wouldn't be too upset about it.  I know, those four aren't exactly the Miami four, but "any given Sunday" doesn't exactly apply in the NBA.

Mike

How would Melo be in both Miami and Boston at the same time?   

He wouldn't be.  My point is that it would be hypocritical of me to complain about Miami stacking its team with all these great players but cheer if Melo et al went to Boston, instead.

Mike

It's not hypocritical at all.  Melo to the Celtics would be a move by team management to try to contend and Melo would be paid his worth.  Melo to the Heat would be a move orchestrated by players taking pay cuts so that they wouldn't need to work up a sweat while cakewalking to a ring.

Talk about splitting hairs.



how the hell is that splitting hairs?

Three guys take a pay cut to make room so they can have 4 superstars which at this point there would be zero competition in the East vs. a team that would pay what your supposed to pay a superstar on a team that is trying to compete. That's what free agency was supposed to be for not so superstars can collude and all join the same team.

[Banner18now!]

Meh, Lebron could sign for the league minimum and still make more than anyone.  For that matter, put these four together and they'll all make way more off endorsements than they ever could on the court.

As much as I'd like to complain about teams stacking, if the Celts somehow pulled Love, Melo and Asik to Boston, I wouldn't be too upset about it.  I know, those four aren't exactly the Miami four, but "any given Sunday" doesn't exactly apply in the NBA.

Mike

How would Melo be in both Miami and Boston at the same time?   

He wouldn't be.  My point is that it would be hypocritical of me to complain about Miami stacking its team with all these great players but cheer if Melo et al went to Boston, instead.

Mike

It's not hypocritical at all.  Melo to the Celtics would be a move by team management to try to contend and Melo would be paid his worth.  Melo to the Heat would be a move orchestrated by players taking pay cuts so that they wouldn't need to work up a sweat while cakewalking to a ring.

TP