Carmelo Anthony Thread (Merging)

[Rich Rane]

The Cats holding up another deal? Shocker.

I believe Melo still has to approve an extension also.

[jerseyjac]

I'm not a fan of this deal...at all...

First and foremost, you dont make this move without calculating your next one (options, who can Melo attract to join him and can we obtain that player)...its that simple...with Favors thrown into this trade, it limits us in our next move...

Acquiring Melo guarantees us the playoffs this year, nothing more...Sure there should be interest from other stars around the league, but can we get those deals done?...If the Nets are now throwing Favors name around in this trade, I would have to assume we know who we CAN go after as our next piece to the Nets puzzle (ableit trade or FA next year, ect...)

My concern is whether the Nets front office are looking beyond the Melo move...right now it looks like we're rushing to get something done because we dont want Melo to enter training camp with Nuggets...

I'm sure everyone read, heard or understands this is a no go if Melo does not agree to an extension...

[Rich Rane]

I'm sure everyone read, heard or understands this is a no go if Melo does not agree to an extension...

As close to being the equivalent of a no-trade clause as it can get.

[jerseyjac]

With Devin Harris going to Charlotte in proposed deal, Nets want D.J. Augustin. Yet 'Cats still reluctant to part with PG, sources tell Y!

Per Woj on Twitter.

Cats can go **** in that case. They are lucky to even be in this deal.

on a sidenote, I absolutely agree...

[SOUP]

I like Melo too and would love to see him live at home games, but if the trade-off is 1st-2nd round exits year after year (which I honestly think this gets us) and watching MLE guys to Miami or Orlando and top picks being picked elsewhere along with us picking just outside the lottery, it really isn't worth it. The only way I could truly like this 4-team trade is if we get that one other star after to put us over the top to truly contend.

One step at a time, we have to set things up in order to move forward. Basing our future on lottery picks is risky in itself (see this years draft).

If this goes through I see it as a positive step for the Nets.

[jerseyjac]

I'm sure everyone read, heard or understands this is a no go if Melo does not agree to an extension...

As close to being the equivalent of a no-trade clause as it can get.

yeh, see KG and the trade to Boston, ect...

[Netaman]

The Harris portion of this trade really confuses me. It seems we prefer to trade him over Murphy based on the fact that we could ship Murphy to Denver in place of AK47 and cut out the other 2 teams (while keeping Devin). I would personally prefer to do that and let Hump, Smith, Outlaw, and James vie for time at the PF position in the interim. It seems however that we have chosen the reliable double double with an expiring contract over committing to Devin as the PG of the team long term.

As far as the trade goes I don't love it but Im not going to complain. Carmelo is an elite scorer in this league. He is clutch and he can take over a game. While he hasn't proven to be a "winner" on Kobe's level, he's shown he knows how to win. In a league where there aren't very many elite players, when push comes to shove you have to take your chances when you can get one. Lopez + Melo + TWill will be a pretty solid core. A heady defensive PG would really balance that lineup.

[jerseyjac]

The only way I could truly like this 4-team trade is if we get that one other star after to put us over the top to truly contend.

thats a big IF...but thats pretty much where I am at...

[KingLakers]

Chris Broussard just tweeted that on scale form 1 to 10 on being done this trade is a 6.5. The Nets want to get a PG in return also. Why not just sign Rafer Alston he's still available and he's from NY he might want to play close to home.

[mikhailjordan]

Had Rafer last year he ended up crying his way out of down =O... All I hope if this deal goes through is that the Nets don't give out too many 1st rounders.

They'll need some of those + Murphy's expiring if they hope to acquire a 3rd cog down the line.

This also moves the Outlaw signing from reasonable / questionable into bad IMO. Also moves Damion James out of the rotation...

[jerseyjac]

Had Rafer last year he ended up crying his way out of down =O... All I hope if this deal goes through is that the Nets don't give out too many 1st rounders.

They'll need some of those + Murphy's expiring if they hope to acquire a 3rd cog down the line.

This also moves the Outlaw signing from reasonable / questionable into bad IMO. Also moves Damion James out of the rotation...

Avery screwed us...

[demens]

Had Rafer last year he ended up crying his way out of down =O... All I hope if this deal goes through is that the Nets don't give out too many 1st rounders.

They'll need some of those + Murphy's expiring if they hope to acquire a 3rd cog down the line.

This also moves the Outlaw signing from reasonable / questionable into bad IMO. Also moves Damion James out of the rotation...

I like the trade the way its been reported so far. The subtleties that make it ok are in the details though which are not set. I'm fine with giving up Harris and Favors as the center peace, the question is in the rest of the trade. Adding the GS pick and getting back Augstine makes this deal just right, i might even be ok with giving up one of our own picks (1st) down the line since it shoudlnt be very high. Ross and Hayes are beyond expandable. But that is MAX offer, if there is a throw in of Humph or another pick or Twitt or James this will quickly turn into overpaying. So its all in the details.

I also agree that this makes Outlaw signing really bad. Hopefully he can be used as a trade asset although i dont even think he has a ton of minutes coming his way to do that.

[enetric]

How is Harris and Favors for Melo too much to give up?

Devin is not irreplaceable and Favors hasnt played a game yet. What else is in the deal, 1 pick, 2 picks? We dont know the details yet right? I'd assume Bobcats are giving up a pick too, dont think Diaw is enough to get them Harris. So depending on the rest of the package Harris+Favors isnt all that bad.

Dont most of you hate Harris and think Twitt is a better PG anyway? If we keep Murphy this is easily a play-off team this year, even with Farmar starting. Not like an all-star pg is a requirement for a good team. Plus we still have Outlaw to trade for a decent starter if Farmar is not good enough.

Overall though, this deal would have been easier to put together if we never got Outlaw, thanks Thorn.

The usual stupidity. It would have been easier had we not dealt Lee and 12 mil in pure tradeable cap space since Denver is 13mil over the LTT. We could have spared Favors from the deal...and that was my point from day one of the Troy trade.

The Outlaw signing? That's you ignorantly trashing Thorn again to piss everyone off. If we trade for Melo...yes we will wish we hadnt signed him. But that siging pushed for by AVERY...in July when it got us to league minimum payroll was no where near the inderence or impact of Troy. We were going to spend that 7 mil one way or the other to get to the Minimum. We spent about 1-2 mil to much for this year. That's about it.

Try was short sighted. Outlaw would in the case of Melo going down...a casualty of war.

[enetric]

This is a joke. Harris + Favors and I'm guessing our picks for Melo? Seriously King? Really gonna let us be stuck in mediocrity with no end in sight for 5+ years? I hope to God Melo doesn't sign that extension so this deal doesn't go through.

NOTE: IF THE LATEST VERSION OF THIS TRADE IS IN FACT TRUE...THAT WE SEND DEVIN/FAVORS/GSW PICK/ONE OF OUR 1ST ROUNDERS....

THERE IS ONE WAY TO SALAVAGE THIS. ONLY ONE AS I SEE IT...BARRING TWILL, OUTLAW OR MORROW FROM EXPLODING. AND THAT IS...TO MAKE ANOTHER MAJOR TRADE. IF TROY IS SPARED FROM THE DEAL...YOU HAVE TO BE SHOPPING AFTER DECEMBER 15TH WITH HIS CONTRACT AND OTHER ASSETS. THAT WILL BE HARDER THIS YEAR THAN MOST BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY TEAMS WITH BIG EXPIRING CONTRACTS, TE'S AND CAP SPACE. BUT IT CAN BE DONE.

[enetric]

Relax... I know we might be giving up a lot but we are really getting a superstar in return, and this is just the beginning. With this trade, we become a more desirable team and this time, we might actually get a chance to sign a star on free agency.

I mean, we have to it somehow right? If it takes Harris, Favors and picks to do it then im down with it. Lets just get it done and move on.

We have to remember, this is what pressure brings. With a new owner that wants to win, moving to a new place, a wider market, and the post Heat saga... People think that teams can still bargain a trade to acquire a star but i think the Nuggets got lucky because this is the start of teams having a superstar to get a better deal. The way teams are built right now, i believe, is the main reason why teams will overpay.

We are not going to Brooklyn and not have a decent team right? At least now, we are an inch closer and the rest depends on Prokhy on how really willing he is to spend.

... Of course, if the deal goes down.

I dont see the signing. Who? And how? Melo making 21 mil year one and climbing? add it all up. Melo is the biggest potential free agent this summer. So who do you get vastly better than Troy in free agency for his salary?

I think it has to be by trade. And of course...the more you give up in this deal...the less you have to offer later. And 2012? Brook is up for contract? I dont see it. I think its by trade. I think we do this deal...we are playing Knicks style building. Loose and fast. We jump in...we have a short window...all about the now...and that means trades.

[eugn23]

Had Rafer last year he ended up crying his way out of down =O... All I hope if this deal goes through is that the Nets don't give out too many 1st rounders.

They'll need some of those + Murphy's expiring if they hope to acquire a 3rd cog down the line.

This also moves the Outlaw signing from reasonable / questionable into bad IMO. Also moves Damion James out of the rotation...

Why would this move the Outlaw signing to questionable/bad? Until he got injured in Portland he was one of the best players in the league coming off the bench. If anything this makes the move even better. If we get Melo then this shifts outlaw to his natural 6th man position where he's best. So that means...morrow (top 3 3pt% in the league) can play SG and play off of melo, troy murphy can also play off of melo...and lopez gets buckets inside. Outlaw comes off the bench.

Our biggest weak point after this would be PG.

[Hansel]

(Hopping back on the forum quickly. I've spent all of my time studying for the October 9th LSAT and have weaned myself off of a lot of the Internet).

This is pretty simple to me. A Favors+ deal that doesn't involve Devin as the + is something I do in a heartbeat. I know a lot on here aren't in love with Carmelo (and I don't view him as a top-5 player either) but he's a legitimately stud piece who is on the right side of 30. However, needing to include Harris makes NO sense to me. None. Judging by the names being thrown around in addition to Devin (Diaw, AK) it seems like he's being valued way too low here. Is he a superstar PG? No, he isn't. But a Harris/Melo/Brook core is something to talk about and get excited over IMO, whereas a Melo/Brook/remaining pieces just is not. This deal really cannot get done without Harris? Does it really have to be expanded? They're that into having Murphy as a 4? I find it hard to believe. It seems like they're just giving up on Devin and it's dumb.

They're going to have to do something with Troy's expiring contract at some point otherwise I don't really get this at all. No Harris? Sign me up.

[enetric]

I would think there are more players involved because right now the salaries don't match. It would make sense for you guys to get a player like DJ Augustine back to help at the point.

That would be great. Farmar is good enough to fill in the starting spot if the trade happens but I would love to have Augustin as an option as well. The millisecond Carmelo says hell sign the extension the Nets should sign the papers. As 60 cent pointed out this makes the Nets a worthy spot for future free agents to look at and want to play for. It also improves the team immediately. I really have high hopes for Favors but we know Melo is a monster. Harris has been good but ill part with him for this deal 10 times out of 10. And we lose some draft picks but we already have the most of any team over the next three years. Melo is still very young he can accomplish alot.

I have no problem with giving up Devin. Or the picks. Or even another one of our prospects. Its Favors. That's a mistake. We only have to beat the teams on Melo's list. We DO NOT have to give up fair value for Melo.

Knicks offering one of Gallo or Randolph. Curry's useless ass but expiring contract, no pick until 2014? And only THAT pick?

Bulls...Deng for the filler...which is a BAD CONTRACT. Not an asset at 50mil for 4 years. So that's a detriment and they are only offering TAJ????????


That's what we have to beat. Tell me again why Devin, GSW, pick one of ours and say Twill or James isnt more than enough??????????

[enetric]

This is a joke. Harris + Favors and I'm guessing our picks for Melo? Seriously King? Really gonna let us be stuck in mediocrity with no end in sight for 5+ years? I hope to God Melo doesn't sign that extension so this deal doesn't go through.

What is it with everyone in here and "stuck in mediocrity"??? The team thats put in place now wont even be able to reach mediocrity. Adding Melo now doesnt make the Nets an instant contender but it makes them a whole lot better and attractive for other players to want to play for. We all have high expectations for Favors, but what if he turns out to be the next Sam Bowie? I hope thats not true no matter where he plays, but its a possibility. Why take the chance on the kid when you can have the proven all star???

Because we are looking at things at more than one year at a time. Being attractive to other players only helps if you either have the cap space to sign them...or the assets to trade for them. If you pay Melo 22mil of your 58 mil cap that is expected to drop under the new CBA and you give up too many of your tradeable assets...that is how you get stuck in medicrity in the NBA.

If you stay the course...and you stink...you still have your shot at the next big thing with a top 5 pick. Make a list of the top 10-15 players in the NBA. See where they went in the draft. Now imagine in a league with a cap...instead of paying one of those guys 40% of your cap...you get to pay him 7%-10%...FOR FIVE YEARS. And you do that for more than one guy. Guess what? You STILL Have the cap space to sign free agents.

But...trade for that ONE BIG HIT...all your prospects..all your cap space...most of your picks...how do you get better? You cant attract other guys that you cant get cap wise.

And of course...we are adding 2 of our next three first round picks in the next two years (GSW and one of ours). You improve with MLE signings...or in other words...players no better than role guys.

How does that team look against the Heat or the Magic or even the Hawks?

[Netaman]

I dont see the signing. Who? And how? Melo making 21 mil year one and climbing? add it all up. Melo is the biggest potential free agent this summer. So who do you get vastly better than Troy in free agency for his salary?

I think it has to be by trade. And of course...the more you give up in this deal...the less you have to offer later. And 2012? Brook is up for contract? I dont see it. I think its by trade. I think we do this deal...we are playing Knicks style building. Loose and fast. We jump in...we have a short window...all about the now...and that means trades.

The only signings I could see would be Horford or David West. I like both but don't necessarily see either really being that final piece. This team would likely need a star in the backcourt and then try to get a solid role player at PF for one of the exceptions (Kmart type).

The only disagreement I have with everything here is that I don't think this is Knicks style. The Knicks have never had a building block like Lopez. This is more like Celtics style. Start with 1 star and some guys with potential. Add a bonafide top 15 player. Try to find that 1 last impact player and hope one of the young guys develops.

They were lucky enough to execute all of their movement in 1 offseason. Getting the next star may take us a little longer. However, we are fortunate that all of the pieces in place are 26 years old and younger. If we can get Melo while maintaining some cap flexibility for 1 more offseason we will have ourselves a longer window of top level competition then the Celts had.

Again to me the most disappointing thing, assuming Favors had to go, is losing Harris. Regardless of getting Augustine or not. People are easy to forget that as a supporting player 2 years ago Harris was deadly off the dribble and pretty clutch. On a team with a solid backup PG and other players to handle the ball Harris would have been able to go back to being the defensive menace he was in Dallas. Point blank in a league full of compilers, he had proven that he could be a winning player. To me it seems we're choosing Murphy over Harris and while that will add flexibility for the next move I think it's a mistake. I don't think Murphy is a long term answer while Harris can be. I'd rather mix and match Outlaw/James/Smith/Hump/Melo/Petro at PF/SF for 1 year then have to eventually find a long term PG and PF.