zORi wrote:the_warden wrote:I'm impressed with how Nuggets fans (at least on this board) are handling this. I'm pretty sure Cleveland fans would've had a collective stroke if this happened last summer.
I don't think Nuggets fans are as fond of Melo as Cavs fans were of LeBron. I've heard more than a few of them say they wanted to blow this whole team up and start again.
i as well as most Nuggets fans love Melo, but also understand where he is coming from. The Nuggets have 2 of their top 3 bigs probably sitting out the 1st month or 2 of the season, they have been struggling to improve the team for 2 years, the team has not gotten out of the 1st round in 6 of the last 7 years, Karl has been sick and may be gone at the end of the year, the young talent on the team is limited, and overall the Nuggets do not have many trade assets they can use to get better, without taking on someone else's problems.
there have been discussion on this as well as other Nuggets boards since March of how to reload the team, with most discussions coming to the realization that we would either have to trade Melo or Billups if we had any chance of getting talented young players. This whole Melo issue has helped decide the solution to the Nuggets issues, if the Nuggets do well in the trade, then they could possibly make the playoffs once again, and actually get a couple of good players that can develop over the next 2 or 3 years.
statsman wrote:zORi wrote:I don't think Nuggets fans are as fond of Melo as Cavs fans were of LeBron. I've heard more than a few of them say they wanted to blow this whole team up and start again.
Define "blow up". Is it shed salary as quickly as possible and build through the draft? Is it attempt to trade for young players, maybe some expiring contracts, and draft picks? Having seen this before, teams are usually behind the eight-ball when their star player wants to be traded (look at what was mostly garbage in return for Garnett, Gasol, etc.).
I cannot tell you what every Nuggets fan wants, but what I want for Melo in a perfect world is
A young big with real potential to be a 20 and 10 with good defense.
A young SG/SF, that can be a solid all around type guy.
A couple of extra picks, one with the chance to be a high lotto pick.
I am sure the Nuggets would like to take back less money then they send out, but I think that may be at the end of the list.
Overall the Nuggets are slated to have less then $30 million in guaranteed salary next year, and that could turn into less then $20 million. Without any big name free agents, I don't see them as being desperate for expiring contracts, but they are not going to take back a bad deal in a Melo trade.