Taj will recruit. He'll be at Melo meeting (with Noah)

[KeithBoothfan]

Just when I was hoping they would offer a trade including Taj for an elite player.. The Bulls go out and let him recruit. This can not get any worse. This off-season is looking more and more like we will not sign any relevant FA.

People don't seem to grasp that this move is essentially neutering our own bargaining position.

Taj being at the meeting is of negligible value if Noah is already going to be there anyway.

Unless this has all been cooked up months ago with Melo, I'm more concerned then I've ever been about the situation. Especially on top of Rose's clumsy words today.

Ehh you're probably right, but, not necessarily. The Bulls were commended even by the Heatles for their preparation and straight-forward pitch in free agency 2010. Maybe they're prepared to put all options on the table as part of the sales pitch. While it would certainly take some nuance and massaging, the Bulls could well be making the pitch to Melo: "Hey, you're the best pure scorer in the NBA, and we're a pretty good defensive team that needs the kind of scoring you provide. We want you here and are willing to do whatever it takes to land you. Even if it means trading Taj, who is sitting over there, and you've met. Joakim absolutely does not want to lose Taj, nor do we. Taj is one of our best players and a perfect fit for a roster with you on it. So we'd much prefer to figure out how to get you in here on a salary worthy of your talent without giving up Taj. Here's what we have in mind....[discussion of S&T scenarios, what Melo can do to facilitate, what Bulls will be doing to clear space, etc etc.]. But at the end of the day, we are so committed to getting you to Chicago that we are prepared to trade Taj to get it done. We'd just prefer to find another way."

Maybe this is too awkward a scenario to realistically happen - having a player in the room who has to listen to trade scenarios involving him (albeit worst case scenarios) during the pitch. Taj is a team player, but is he that much of a team player? Would any of us be? Tough to say. But it's maybe not utterly fanciful. And, if handled just right, could be very persuasive.

[TheStig]

I will be pretty upset if our instance in keeping Taj Gibson costs us Carmelo Anthony. Hopefully we can convince Melo to take less or NY to do a sign and trade.

Did u ever think maybe Melo wants Gibson to be here as well...

I hope he wants Taj here. I want Taj here. Thats why I said if. If NY is absolutely stuck on no s & t and Melo wants more than 15 mill and we pull the we don't want to lose Taj card ( like we typically do with a number of our guys) than I will be upset.

[Axl Rose]

"yeah melo, come to the Bulls so they trade me"

nah i guess this means taj is going nowhere...i hope they got it all planned out and are gonna be able to give Melo what he wants money wise

otherwise we are wasting our time

[Shill]

The money component is just too hard to read. Melo himself says it's not about the money. He says he could retire today and he'd be "good."

Now perhaps that's all talk, but he's reached the legacy stage in his career.

Do you think Charles Barkley would rather have an extra $20 million in the bank, or a '93 finals victory over Michael Jordan?

I think Sir Charles takes the victory 10 times out of 10.

LeBron is more legacy starved than Melo, and LBJ just made 30m off the Beats headphones deal. He's not hurting even less.

If we believed these players are so much not about money, LeBron could take 12m year 1 starting same as Bosh and Wade, and bring Melo to Miami.

Do we really believe Melo is less about money than LeBron?

These throwaway comments players make should be assumed to have reasonable limitations. At 15.8 Melo would be around the 20th paid player in the league only.

Honestly I think he would if:

1. He felt it was needed

2. They actually wanted to play together.


I think the answer to both is "no."

[Axl Rose]

i just hope that we are keeping jimmy also

we are probably gonna have to give up something worth while.....i'd be fine with moving Jimmy if we have too

[Trm3]

I will be pretty upset if our instance in keeping Taj Gibson costs us Carmelo Anthony. Hopefully we can convince Melo to take less or NY to do a sign and trade.

Did u ever think maybe Melo wants Gibson to be here as well...

The Bulls aren't some lock to win titles even if he is.

It's still about Derrick Rose's health and he isn't helping.

People keep saying "If Melo is about winning, he'll come" and take this huge paycut if necessary.

Sure, if we were forming the next Miami Superteam, I could see that. The Heatles took a few million haircut for a virtual lock multiple Finals appearances. Melo could be taking a 60m haircut to 'maybe' be one of three top teams in the East with Indy and Mimai still right there.

We aren't locks, if Rose isn't back to 100%, this team's chances will remain second rate and fringe contenders. I don't see Melo leaving 60m on the table should he have to, for a fringe contender.

If we had Melo even without Rose we'd be better than Indy..I questioned if they were even better than us this past year.

[CousinOfDeath]

When did the Bulls board turn into Us Weekly regarding Rose. Everyone's just making stuff up regarding his attitude.

[DASMACKDOWN]

If we can keep Taj, then yeah man its going to be good times in Chicago.

[Trm3]

I will be pretty upset if our instance in keeping Taj Gibson costs us Carmelo Anthony. Hopefully we can convince Melo to take less or NY to do a sign and trade.

Did u ever think maybe Melo wants Gibson to be here as well...

I hope he wants Taj here. I want Taj here. Thats why I said if. If NY is absolutely stuck on no s & t and Melo wants more than 15 mill and we pull the we don't want to lose Taj card ( like we typically do with a number of our guys) than I will be upset.

Ok, I gotcha now.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

Keeping Rose, Butler, Gibson, Noah, and Dougie Fresh McBuckets and no one else would give the Bulls 16.35 million in cap room. I wouldn't expect that to be enough.

I have to believe the Bulls already have a S&T worked out. Otherwise I don't know what the hell is going on.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

When did the Bulls board turn into Us Weekly regarding Rose. Everyone's just making stuff up regarding his attitude.

NBA players are just like us!

[Trm3]

When did the Bulls board turn into Us Weekly regarding Rose. Everyone's just making stuff up regarding his attitude.

I try my best to not pay attention to the bashing he gets on here..sometimes I get dragged into it.

[BeatDaCavs420]

And Rose is not going too be there

Do you know how bad that looks.....literally disgusted

He must not care about this team and is all about ROSE ROSE ROSE

This just proves this is NOAH team now and if people say otherwise they are foolin themselves,I really don't even no how people can still even defend Rose anymore

But much respect to Noah and Taj!!

[Rerisen]

I don't think we can be certain that Melo understands all these intricacies of the cap.

It's fully possible, if not even likely, that despite his puffy comments about a paycut, which could be well meaning even, he was thinking he would come in to these teams and be shown that Houston, Chicago whoever, were going to be ready to give him at least something close, 18 or 20m a year, which is not too painfully off NY, aside the last year.

He could be gobsmacked, even insulted, that the Bulls pitch is simply 15 odd something and look at our try hard cast.

[bad knees]

I will be pretty upset if our instance in keeping Taj Gibson costs us Carmelo Anthony. Hopefully we can convince Melo to take less or NY to do a sign and trade.

Did u ever think maybe Melo wants Gibson to be here as well...

I hope he wants Taj here. I want Taj here. Thats why I said if. If NY is absolutely stuck on no s & t and Melo wants more than 15 mill and we pull the we don't want to lose Taj card ( like we typically do with a number of our guys) than I will be upset.

The only explanation that makes any sense in this situation is that the Bulls and Knicks already have an S&T worked out. Otherwise, it would appear to be a huge blunder by the Bulls.

[BeatDaCavs420]

When did the Bulls board turn into Us Weekly regarding Rose. Everyone's just making stuff up regarding his attitude.

When Rose decided to open his mouth 2 days prior to the biggest week for the bulls ever thats when

[Shill]

Keeping Rose, Butler, Gibson, Noah, and Dougie Fresh McBuckets and no one else would give the Bulls 16.35 million in cap room. I wouldn't expect that to be enough.

I have to believe the Bulls already have a S&T worked out. Otherwise I don't know what the hell is going on.

This. We give GarPax a lot of ****, but they're not negligent. They seem supremely confident about their chances.


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[Rerisen]

And Rose is not going too be there

One reason the Miami guys also took a *little* less, they were all great friends and wanted to play together.

How much does Melo want to sacrifice, millions less than D Rose is making, to come play with a guy that is so casually apathetic about him being on the team, as to say essentially, "I don't care, come if you want, I don't recruit."

Would Derrick make the same sacrifice if the shoe was on the other foot? I think not, and he'd be slapped into sense by BJ and Reggie anyway.

[Shill]

I don't think we can be certain that Melo understands all these intricacies of the cap.

It's fully possible, if not even likely, that despite his puffy comments about a paycut, which could be well meaning even, he was thinking he would come in to these teams and be shown that Houston, Chicago whoever, were going to be ready to give him at least something close, 18 or 20m a year, which is not too painfully off NY, aside the last year.

He could be gobsmacked, even insulted, that the Bulls pitch is simply 15 odd something and look at our try hard cast.

That's what representation is for.

I just feel like there are things going on behind the scenes.


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[WinCity]

Is our pitch to Melo that Taj showing up means he has to take 14m/YR if NY calls our bluff?

Is getting Melo even a serious thing for us, or just some kind of hail mary instigated by Noah.

Melo is looking at leaving 60 or 70m on the table here.

This could mean GarPax just blew it. If Taj is the reason we won't sign Melo it's a massive failure.