Melo #14- Can Melo Come Out and Play?

[WindyCityBorn]

I thought about making a separate thread on this but what the hell. Let it die on page 80 something of thread 14:

If the Bulls don't get Melo, that's disappointing but not the end of the world. I didn't expect it. For the love of all that is good and holy though, can we drop the whole "flexibility" thing? Please? Can we just try to put the best team possible on the court now? No maneuvering for capspace that will amount to nothing. No dumping players for assets that won't be used. I don't want the Bulls to trade future firsts for bad players or take on awful contracts. They don't have to be Brooklyn stupid.

Just: Let's try to put the best team we can on the court.

I just don't ever want to see another Bulls team where most of the money on the roster is going to people who are there for the sake of "future flexibility".

Yeah I am with you here, and I think the best option as I and others have said is to get Crazy Lance and Mirotic. The whole Pau as a plan B thing makes me sick I can't lie I will rage if that is what we do (Give him 10+ million over multiple years).

That would be the best plan, but Stephenson apparently wants more than $9 million per...that would leave no room for Mirotic.

[Benedict Miller]

GarPax mishandled this.

Taj should never have been in on the meeting.

Part of what happens when players recruit.

[Mech Engineer]

Melo's getting older. Smart of him to lock up his long term super max deal this summer before risking that his body starts breaking down. Or just a regular injury. If you listen to some, that has already begun to happen some.

Well if he is that concerned about dropping off in talent this year then maybe we don't want to sign him at all. What I do know is he won't be getting that extra 23 million dollars the year he is 36 years old.

Hey, I hear ya. I almost prefer the Lance Stephenson fuller roster plan anyway.

All that logic went out once Melo visited Chicago. Now the big Melo sword is waiting to cut off GarPax's heads while Lance is blowing sweet kisses to GarPax's ears.

You already hear people going nuts even on the radio(670) ....How stupid are the Bulls to keep Taj Gibson to give up on CARRRRMELLLO Anthony? They don't know basketball.

They seem to miss the simple point of Melo himself wants Taj and he will not come to the Bulls if Taj is not around. They just don't want to believe it or want to ignore it to keep ranting.. :

The real issue if he is not coming is either the 5th year money or he doesn't trust Derrick's knees.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

GarPax mishandled this.

Taj should never have been in on the meeting.

That's ridiculous. KC reported he was there because Melo wanted him there (on the team).

[coldfish]

GarPax mishandled this.

Taj should never have been in on the meeting.

If you read many of the actual reports, Chicago basically promised him that they would find a way to get him his max.

Maybe its that Derrick should have played this year so that the Bulls could present a better quality opportunity to win.

Probably not though. When people brought up the opportunity of Melo back in October, people here said that Melo would never leave 5/130. Its starting to look like that was always going to be the case. Melo went around and got his butt kissed. He got a chance to run up Noah's cell phone bill and make Derrick dance like a fool for him. Now he goes back to his money.

[ingvald]

does anyone thinks that he will sign here anymore? the only problem is, i dont see many ways to improve without him!

I'm still optimistic. Nothing has changed. This has been the process and plan all along. Seriously- what has happened to change your mind? Phil's gonna get Pau to sign for less in New York than SA or OKC?

If he pulls that off, I'll concede that he's THE $#1T.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

This board is going to be unreadable by Monday.

[Chitownbulls]

Bulls let Melo know they can make the money work if he commits. So I assume they can get a trade done to give him the 20 million a year he way require.

That's what I'm thinking. They said give us a commitment an we will make it happen. In GarPax Thibs we trust!!!

[Peelboy]

Hold on a sec people. Say Melo resigns at $22 starting, Gasol comes for $5. That's not a real contender this yr. Aaaaand......wait for it........

Knicks would have under contract for 2015-16: Melo (23 after raise), Gasol (5), JR Smith (6.4), Calderon (7.1). Add in a draft pick at about 1.5 and 7 cap holds at 507K each totals approx $47M. If the cap goes up $5M it'll be $68 meaning Knicks would have $21M to spend on FAs. Isn't a Love/Aldridge max deal just about $20?

So assuming guys don't resign and actually hit the market, then choose NY, your team would be: Melo-Gasol-Love/Aldridge/Gasol-Calderon-Smith with minimum salaried guys the rest of the way. Is that really even an ECF contender? Likely not. Then add in another guy the following year. Now possibly, but you're talking Melo at age 33 when the team starts to maybe be a contender. And Pau buying in to that same timeline (but he's older) and taking a salary cut to boot? Makes. No. Sense.

Makes more sense that after meeting w the Bulls and interested but wary of the salary cut, Bulls immediately head to LA to meet Pau and rumors fly about Pau replacing Taj. Then Melo wants to talk to Pau. Potentially about whether he'd join Bulls (or Knicks) because that could influence his decision.

Just as easily be that Melo likes Taj but is willing to replace him with Pau if a deal can be constructed where Melo gets his $18-20 starting salary and Pau takes the MLE to come play on a true contender.

[MalikJoakim24]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/incarceratedbob/status/484775311058280449[/tweet]

[MeloMan85]

I really want Melo to go to the Bulls. He's my favorite player and I just want to see him win. I think the Bulls give him the best chance.

[kuly1990]

also is Paul Gasol = KG in his prime, he is not a star anymore...

[pylb]

Raptor fan here.

Melo to the Bulls seems like the only logical destination, in my opinion. You guys have a good group that you can build around Melo and Rose. Now, I don't know what you guys need to do in terms of player movement to get the money to bring Melo in, but I sure hope you guys can pull it off! Easily one of my favourite teams in the East next to the Raptors.

From a basketball standpoint it's a solid decision. I don't think it's the only logical destination, Miami, Houston, Dallas certainly have positive stuff to offer him too.

It's not just a basketball decision though, this is a decision that will affect his personal life and his family. And on that point, NY seems like the best destination.

[ingvald]

GarPax mishandled this.

Taj should never have been in on the meeting.

What difference would that have made?

Nothing- just getting an early start on the GarPax hate parade.

[Polynice4Pippen]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/CSNBullsInsider/status/484787172311306241[/tweet]

http://www.csnchicago.com/bulls/bulls-s ... winds-down

If the Bulls do not land Anthony, who will likely make a decision before the end of the upcoming July 4th holiday weekend, according to a league source, their assumed fallback strategy will center on acquiring more depth in the form of established veterans, as well as at least exploring a potential trade with Minnesota for disgruntled Timberwolves’ All-Star power forward Kevin Love and making a decision on the fate of Carlos Boozer, with the options to either trade him or exercise the amnesty clause on the final year of his contract beginning July 10. The idea of a deeper, well-rounded squad, while not the big splash many Bulls fans are hoping for this summer, is appealing because of the success of the San Antonio Spurs, who used that model to defeat the star-studded Miami Heat in June’s NBA Finals.

But several role players are beginning to come off the board and at the perceived exorbitant agreements being doled out around the league — for example, shooting guard Jodie Meeks’ reported three-year, $19-million deal with Detroit and point guard Darren Collison’s reported three-year, $16-million pact with Sacramento — this offseason, at least early on, is showing that teams will have to pay a premium for even niche contributors, with the players without contracts and teams in need of talent circling each other like pre-teens at a middle-school dance as free agency continues...

If no Melo then forget free agents. Use our assets to go after Love and Dion Waiters. Rose/Waiters/Butler/Love/Noah. With McBuckets and possibly Taj and Mirotic off the bench if we don't trade them.

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[the ultimates]

does anyone thinks that he will sign here anymore? the only problem is, i dont see many ways to improve without him!

You've improved by adding McDermott and another lottery talent in Mirotic and by axing Boozer. The Pacers have peaked and the Heat don't even have money to add mid level type players. It's disappointing if Carmelo doesn't come but this board should not turn into doom and gloom.

[MalikJoakim24]

GarPax mishandled this.

Taj should never have been in on the meeting.

There was reports that Melo wanted him to be there and didn't want him to be traded.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/incarceratedbob/status/484775311058280449[/tweet]

Incarcerated Bob protected his tweets.

[kuly1990]

does anyone thinks that he will sign here anymore? the only problem is, i dont see many ways to improve without him!

I'm still optimistic. Nothing has changed. This has been the process and plan all along. Seriously- what has happened to change your mind? Phil's gonna get Pau to sign for less in New York than SA or OKC?

If he pulls that off, I'll concede that he's THE $#1T.

if he is thinking about playing with Gasol in Knicks, he is not thinking about playing anywhere else, its not like he is contender with Gasol, so that should make difference in staying or leaving, and Wojo is pretty accurate in his reports

[kyrv]

Can someone put the text? Can't see tweet tags on mobile.

Nothing important. Teams want a verbal commitment from Melo and he may or may not make his decision this weekend.

Thanks!