Poll: What Would Melo Do If Denver Called His Bluff

[Trader_Joe]

And held on to him past the trade deadline?

It seems like the endgame here is more or less the same as the Chris Bosh endgame, where Melo decides where he wants to play and the Nuggets get a little something in exchange for Denver agreeing to a sign and trade for Melo.

Unless they really really think they can win the title, I don't think they'll let it get that far.

Either they trade him to NY or take an un-extneded offer from a team like Dallas, Houston, Utah, Chicago, etc. looking to make a playoff run.

[nykinoz]

Denver would be unwise to call his bluff.

I know that Miami gave Cleveland and Toronto 1st round picks and TPE's in S&T for Bron and Bosh, but i wouldn't be suprised if Donnie Walsh told Denver to go screw themselves and just sign him out-right, just because they refused to open themselves up for trade discussions with us.

[J Smitty]

Denver would be unwise to call his bluff.

I know that Miami gave Cleveland and Toronto 1st round picks and TPE's in S&T for Bron and Bosh, but i wouldn't be suprised if Donnie Walsh told Denver to go screw themselves and just sign him out-right, just because they refused to open themselves up for trade discussions with us.

It's an interesting situation though....because if it gets a couple days away from the deadline, and the Nuggets go to him and say "you have two options....accept an extension with New Jersey, or be traded to a team like Dallas or Houston as a rental"....I think he would choose the money and just go to NJ.


For the Nuggets, they're not going to be missing out on much unless he agrees to the extension with another team, because New York's offer is garbage anyway, and teams that are willing to rent him wont give up much. So while calling is bluff is risky, they also aren't going to be missing out on as much as Melo will by doing so. So that's what makes me think that's how it'll go down, and Melo will cave and agree to the extension with NJ.

As far as your point goes...do you really think, if Melo actually does become a free agent, that he wants to lose even more money than he already would be, just because the Knicks want to wave their dick around, by doing what you say? And for the Knicks, is it really worth losing an extra guaranteed year of Melo's prime by not doing a s&t for the longer deal?

[AmareNY]

People keep using the threat of a new bargaining agreement, will keep Melo in Denver. Nobody knows how that going to end up. Sure Melo going to make a ton of money no matter what. If the cap gets shrinked? it happens to everyone. Then again it might stay the same or even go up some.

[Trader_Joe]

Denver would be unwise to call his bluff.

I know that Miami gave Cleveland and Toronto 1st round picks and TPE's in S&T for Bron and Bosh, but i wouldn't be suprised if Donnie Walsh told Denver to go screw themselves and just sign him out-right, just because they refused to open themselves up for trade discussions with us.

It's an interesting situation though....because if it gets a couple days away from the deadline, and the Nuggets go to him and say "you have two options....accept an extension with New Jersey, or be traded to a team like Dallas or Houston as a rental"....I think he would choose the money and just go to NJ.


For the Nuggets, they're not going to be missing out on much unless he agrees to the extension with another team, because New York's offer is garbage anyway, and teams that are willing to rent him wont give up much. So while calling is bluff is risky, they also aren't going to be missing out on as much as Melo will by doing so. So that's what makes me think that's how it'll go down, and Melo will cave and agree to the extension with NJ.

As far as your point goes...do you really think, if Melo actually does become a free agent, that he wants to lose even more money than he already would be, just because the Knicks want to wave their dick around, by doing what you say? And for the Knicks, is it really worth losing an extra guaranteed year of Melo's prime by not doing a s&t for the longer deal?

Why would Melo want to go to NJ?

I think he'd rather go un-extended elsewhere and let them facilitate a sign and trade next summer to NY so they can get some assets for their services, along with hopefully a deep playoff run thanks to him.

NJ:
-Will be for all practical purposes eliminated from the playoffs well before the deadline. They practically are now, and getting more and more out of the playoff race each game.
-would be devoid of talent and now assets and perhaps saddled with bad contracts
-they would be stuck in the shadow of NY as well as Orlando, Boston, Orlando and Chicago in the East
-Sources have said he will not extend with NJ other said he was lukewarm, I'm sure his frigid by now
-I have a feeling if Denver could have traded with NJ they would have, now they won't have a choice since Melo would not extend
-NJ won't trade for an unextended Melo


I also think he's almost willing to test the new CBA, or extend with Denver than go to NJ.

Finally, I'm sure Melo would quickly and easily make up the financial aspect by going to NY thanks in large part to endorsements and his wife's career. In a way, it could be possible he's sacrificing money by not signing with NY, or extending with Denver, but obviously I cannot support that, but it's not unreasonable.

[rockymac52]

Am I the only one that isn't convinced that Melo is ultimately going to New York or New Jersey?

One year ago we were all wondering where LeBron was going. The difference between LeBron and Melo was that LeBron kept staying in Cleveland open as a possibility, whereas Melo has all but confirmed that he will not be playing in Denver next season.

But what's eerily similar about the two, is that reports keep on coming on what seems like a weekly if not daily basis that say Melo wants to go to New York and/or New Jersey. One year ago today we were lead to believe that LeBron was either staying in Cleveland or going to New York or New Jersey. And the reasons why he'd go to each team are exactly the same. It's all about playing in New York and its big market. We keep being told by these rumors and reports that it's cool to play under the lights in New York City, the best city in the world. And we keep being told that if a player goes to New York he becomes more marketable and will make the most money as a result.

I'm just about convinced that all of these reports are coming from people within the New York and New Jersey organizations (or at least people who want to see them succeed).

From what we know about how LeBron made his decision to go to Miami, it was his plan all along. The only other option was staying in Cleveland. And yet for an entire year or more, we were fed reports and rumors about how LeBron wants to go to NY/NJ, and how he'd benefit from doing so. And in the end, they were all wrong. 100% wrong. Maybe guys in LeBron's camp leaked this pro-NY/NJ information just for the hell of it, or maybe the rumors were just that, rumors - completely made up.

I tend to believe that Melo does in fact want to create his own superteam like the Heat did. And because of how it went down last time around, I'm willing to bet he's discussed it with the other big names involved, and that The Decision Pt. 2 has already been made. And to be fair, if I had to guess right now, that next superteam will in fact be in New York. It's Melo this offseason and CP3 the next. Paul/Melo/Amare. In New York. Sounds fun.

But, given what I've said in this post, I think it's fair to think that Melo's true intentions remain a secret, and that he'll end up with a team that none of us are talking about right now. Like I said, a year ago today, no one was predicting LeBron to the Heat. No one (at least seriously). And certainly there was no one predicting Bosh to be in on the mix as well. And yet, the three of them and whoever else they told managed to keep the real plan a complete secret until a few weeks before it went down. Kudos to LeBron/Wade/Bosh for that, honestly. Keeping secrets in today's world is next to impossible.

The Bulls also emerged as a strong possibility for LeBron in the weeks prior to The Decision, but we weren't hearing much of that possibility mid-season.

So maybe there's a bigger plan in the works that Melo and some NBA superstar buddies have worked up. Maybe the media is right, and that plan comes together in New York or New Jersey, but maybe not. Maybe Melo lands on another random team this next season, and the year after CP3 and D12 are free agents, and they team up to join forces with Melo.

Can't say I didn't warn ya.

[rockymac52]

Also, going back to this thread's original question, I think Melo won't resign with Denver just for the money. The only way I see Melo coming back to Denver is if the Nuggets make a big trade or two and acquire some younger, more substantial allstar talent before the trade deadline. I don't think Melo has a serious problem with the city of Denver or the Nuggets organization, I think he just wants to be in a better position to win a championship in the next 6 years or so. But if the Nuggets made the stars align and acquired one or two big names who aren't on the downside of their careers, maybe Melo would sign that extension.

But with that said, I don't think there's any way Denver manages to trade for even one legitimate allstar talent without trading Melo.

[nykinoz]

So who are the random teams in a better than us for Melo??

Orlando moved their assets for Richardson, Agent zero, and Turk, Bobcats have been rejected by Melo, Denver has been rejected by Melo, Dallas lost Butler which hurt trade chances.

So, where could he go? Sacremento?

[RapsGM]

People keep using the threat of a new bargaining agreement, will keep Melo in Denver. Nobody knows how that going to end up. Sure Melo going to make a ton of money no matter what. If the cap gets shrinked? it happens to everyone. Then again it might stay the same or even go up some.

Not a chance. I would be absolutely shocked if the Owners agree to a new agreement where the cap stays the same or goes up some.

Does anyone know how much Melo may lose if he signs outright with the KNicks.

[J Smitty]

People keep using the threat of a new bargaining agreement, will keep Melo in Denver. Nobody knows how that going to end up. Sure Melo going to make a ton of money no matter what. If the cap gets shrinked? it happens to everyone. Then again it might stay the same or even go up some.

Not a chance. I would be absolutely shocked if the Owners agree to a new agreement where the cap stays the same or goes up some.

Does anyone know how much Melo may lose if he signs outright with the KNicks.

Estimations are in the 25-30 million range. Melo knows it too, which is why he has said the extension is his top priority. If he had no fear of the CBA, there would definitely be no reason to even bother with trying to get traded, as he could get pretty much the same money in the summer, like Lebron and Bosh did. But that's not the case here, and he doesn't want to lose out, which is why he is pushing so hard for a trade.

It's just a matter of where he is going to finally decide to accept the extension at.

[Nutty Nats Fan]

Fact is- Melo sees D'Antoni's offense, a chance to play with Amar'e, life in the big city and the awesome environment at the Garden and has already made up his mind.

How can you say that's a fact?

Didn't he knock D'Antoni because of no D?

Yes, I thought of that right when I read D'Antoni's Offense... LOL. There was an article, I believe before the last time Denver played NY, in which Melo said he didn't want to go to a team with D'Antoni's lack of defense. Of course, the Media pretty much ignored that since it goes against their wet dream of him playing in NY.

[miltk]

but it's not a bluff. it's just not going to be nyk like he wants.

[rockymac52]

As far as teams that aren't being talked about that Melo might have a plan to turn into a superteam... Here's what I've got off the top of my head:

Clippers: If they can trade Kaman (or Davis) for an expiring this year, they can easily afford to sign Melo. Then if they can trade Davis the next year (if they traded Davis in the first year, this won't matter because Kaman will expire in this second year), they have enough money to get another max contract. Paul or Howard? Big city, young and very talented big man in Griffin to be the third part of the trio. Paul/Melo/Griffin and Melo/Griffin/Howard sound pretty dangerous to me. I'm not sure the Clippers will have the foresight to get the trades done, but if it's Melo's secret plan to go to the Clippers in this situation, I assume he'd communicate that with the Clippers front office so they could get it done.

Pacers: Will have $20+ million in cap space this offseason, so they can afford Melo, and the year after they'll have just as much money again, even after adding Melo's max contract. Although I don't see this happening because no one really wants to play in Indiana (the location) and more so because Danny Granger would be the third part of the trio, and he's pretty redundant with Melo.

Kings: Have $30 million in cap space this offseason as is, so they can afford Melo, and in theory, they could add the third part of the Melo/Evans trio this offseason as well, although I'm not sure who that would be. Then they'll have enough cap space the year after to afford another max contract, so like I've been saying in my examples, Paul or Howard. Evans is young and talented. And there's the potential 4th leg of the trio if Cousins becomes an allstar or at the very least he's a young, talented player. Paul/Evans/Melo/Cousins or Evans/Melo/Howard/Cousins is disgusting. Then they'd literally be the 3 Kings (or 4 Kings if you want to go there). AND furthermore the Kings are garbage this season and are looking at a top 5 pick in this year's draft. I know it's supposed to be a weak draft, but let's be real, anybody taken in the top 5 could turn out to be an allstar (hell, they might hit the jackpot and get #1 overall).

Thunder: Doubtful Thunder could afford a second max free agent the year after like the previous scenarios, but Westbrook/Melo/Durant is a damn good young core.

Wizards: Isn't guaranteed to work out as well, but I'm a Wizards fan and homer so I'm throwing them in there as a possibility because I want to dream. Melo S&T to Wizards this offseason. Melo's from Baltimore, so this is his hometown team, but who knows how much that means to him. In order to get the third part of the superteam trio the next offseason the Wizards would have to shed a few million in salary via a trade, but that doesn't seem like it's out of the question. It shouldn't be that hard to trade McGee or Blatche for an expiring at that point if that's what it comes down to. Plus the Wizards, like the Kings, will have a top 5 pick in this draft, so that's a possible bonus. Wall/Melo/Howard + whatever's left of Blatche, McGee, 2011 top 5 pick, Young, Booker, Seraphin. Doesn't sound nearly as dynamite as the other options outlined above, but like I said, I'm a homer and I want to make it work. If Melo (or you) views Wall as a future superstar, then maybe it's possible. Let's say in 2 years Wall is where Derrick Rose is right now. Seems like a very attainable progression and projection. You've got one of the best point guards in the game, and he's young. Plus you, who's a stud. Plus Howard who's a superstar. And the rest fills itself out. As far as the third part of the superteam trio goes, I think Wall's potentially just as good as any of the other third legs mentioned above. He might not completely be there yet, so this seems like a bigger leap of faith on Melo's part than the others, but hey, hometown team, maybe he's a big fan of Wall's future, who knows? Thanks for entertaining this last one.

[rockymac52]

And of course, the popular options:

Knicks: Melo/Amare/Howard or Paul/Melo/Amare are both nice.

Nets: Honestly, you've got Melo/Lopez. Then unless they can unload a LOT of salary in a trade for expirings, I don't know how they get the third leg. I don't know why Melo would want to play for New Jersey, unless he legitimately is in love with the New York area, because basketball-wise, the Nets suck, and don't have much hope in getting that much better outside of a Melo trade.

[Mamba Venom]

Melo gave them ample warning. Melo will do what he says. Its not woman speak (some kind of code) Melo is clearly saying if you do this I will do that.

Cause and effect. Melo prefers to only wear 2 team's jerseys.

[Nuggets_Talk]

no matter what, i still want him traded. even if the nba forced him to stay (which is impossible) why would we want a guy paid so much that didnt want to be here? he wouldnt help our team at all, and in the end thats all that matters.

trade him for which ever team offers the most assets and doesnt hurt the future cap space. simple as that.

[doozyj]

Melo has enough money to last him the rest of his life in luxury. He wants the hell out of Denver, he simply wants to enjoy where he lives while being in the NBA.

[J Smitty]

Melo has enough money to last him the rest of his life in luxury. He wants the hell out of Denver, he simply wants to enjoy where he lives while being in the NBA.

Correction...his wife wants to be in a city in which she can revive her "career" (whatever the **** she actually 'does' anyway, I couldn't even tell you). But he definitely doesn't wear the pants in that relationship.

[wang000hk]

no matter what, i still want him traded. even if the nba forced him to stay (which is impossible) why would we want a guy paid so much that didnt want to be here? he wouldnt help our team at all, and in the end thats all that matters.

trade him for which ever team offers the most assets and doesnt hurt the future cap space. simple as that.

Just let him walk after this season,you will get the capspace you want

[lukekarts]

It's actually in NY's interests to trade for Melo (if they can) rather than sign him in FA.

1. It means they'll be more competitive this season
2. Depending on who they give up, it gives them a chance to resign their Restricted Free Agents e.g. Chandler
3. It gives them the flexibility to use their MLE - Something they won't be able to do in FA.
4. They can probably keep Turiaf without having to dump him.