Capn'O wrote:SmoothLefty21 wrote:Bill Pidto wrote:
For some people in this thread, Ball is like the missing piece for Melo. The delusions never end.
Get Melo the F outta here. I don't care if the Knicks end up with a Michael Jordan/LeBron James hybrid.
I wish we traded Melo years ago. I wish we never re-signed him. Too many people on this board act like Melo doesn't have a NTC. If he doesn't want to be traded during the dumpster fire we've had the last three seasons then why in the world would he want to be traded when you add someone like Ball to the equation?
There's a chance he wants to go but wanted to do it during the offseason for planning/family reasons. There's also a chance he won't waive irregardless. Hard to tell from the outside but I suspect the Melodrama will fire up again and we'll find out either way.
The reason he still goes: Because the Knicks make leadership decisions, which by definition require difficult choices, and make it clear to Melo that he wouldn't be part of the Ball-KP-Herny future that the Knicks intend to start working on right away.
That means less playing time and restrictions on his game if he decides to stay. It should really mean the bench.
People still talking as if Melo runs the show. He doesn't. He shouldn't. He gets to earn a contract and he's a player who gets to go in games when the coach decides he should. The coach answers to the president.
Really nothing complicated about this.
If the Knicks decide their future does not include Melo and they want to get started on that future sooner rather than later, which seems like the wise choice, then Melo shouldn't be getting much or any playing time or much or any role on the team.
You can look at it as punishment or whatever. It is called leadership. You make decisions. Melo is not paid ot make decisions like these.
He can make the decision not to be traded -- that's his contractual right. It is not his contractual right to play basketball for the Knicks in any way or at any time he decides suits him.
Man oh man.