Melo #14- Can Melo Come Out and Play?

[ingvald]

Melo was in Denver making 15-16M in the tough western conference but his team was having more success than he had in New York making 20M+

Melo should know going to the Bulls gives him the proper mix of Iverson's 2001 Sixers and Dirk's 2011 Mavs

Take the 15/16M, keep Taj and others, re-up, win 2 rings, go to the HOF and be a top 20 player All-Time

Glad to see you're still alive, Mitch.

Don't speak so soon, I can see something big happening until Melo signs

You'd be welcome in Wisconsin. Plus we could catch the Knicks or Bulls v. the Bucks for $10. No joke.

[DanTown8587]

I'm not saying they shouldn't, I'm saying they won't with the way they included him in their pitch to Melo. You just don't bring in a guy to help pitch Melo and then trade him.

"Hey Melo, come to Chicago it'll be great. So good that I'll leave if I have to."

If Taj wasn't a part of the pitch Id say sure, they'd be willing to move him. No way it's happening now.

Lin wasn't at the meeting. Taj was.

If bringing him to the meeting made him untouchable, then the FO out-thought themselves.

Or are just satisfied that the max Melo can get in a worst case to threaten the Knicks is about 17m.

Which imo, actually lessens the chance of making our best case offseason actually come true.

Or, the front office truly is unwilling to part with Taj. While I think that is foolish, it would fit in with the assertions by many here that Taj is all-star material as a starter.

It may be possible they know Mirotic isn't coming over, they know it would be a PR disaster to bring Boozer back, and they are unwilling to part with Taj, even for Melo, because it plugs one hole to open another?

Not all holes are the same and if you had to make a choice between starting PF who is excellent defender but average scorer for the position versus high level wing scorer who is an uninterested defender, you take the scorer.

Again though, I doubt Taj is the guy they'd move. Butler, to me, is the guy they'd look to move.



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[PJ Brown]

The landscape changes by the minute. Everyone knew that if Melo wants close to max that it would only be possible by getting rid of Taj. I'm sure Taj is fully aware of the possibility. It's clear to everyone that the Bulls don't have the money available to sign this guy outright without him taking a significant paycut. I'm sure the Bulls tried to sell Melo the idea of taking less and keeping a guy like Taj and that's why Taj was part of the pitch but I'm also sure the Bulls understood that might not be feasible and a potential trade including Taj to free up cap space may need to be explored. It's a business.

The Bulls don't want to trade Taj but if you can get Melo and Pau by moving him, you have to do it.

I was thinking along these lines, that maybe they fully informed Gibson of that they were committed to keeping him but couldn't completely rule moving him out, essentially asking him to come to the meeting to recruit for himself, making a case to Anthony that he was key to winning titles. Yeah, this could be far out, but likewise, they couldn't possibly be unaware that treating a guy like he's part of pitch only to throw him under the bus is going to make them look "disloyal" to players around the league.

[Rerisen]

Melo was in Denver making 15-16M in the tough western conference but his team was having more success than he had in New York making 20M+

Melo should know going to the Bulls gives him the proper mix of Iverson's 2001 Sixers and Dirk's 2011 Mavs

Take the 15/16M, keep Taj and others, re-up, win 2 rings, go to the HOF and be a top 20 player All-Time

“I’m going to make money. I have money. I’m good if I want to retire right now,’’ Anthony said in an ESPN interview in February. “As far as the money, it don’t really matter to me. If I go somewhere else, I get paid. If I stay in New York, I get paid. As far as the money goes, it’s not my concern.

“My concern is to be able to compete on a high level, a championship level, in this last stretch of my career.’’

[MoneyMitch]

Melo was in Denver making 15-16M in the tough western conference but his team was having more success than he had in New York making 20M+

Melo should know going to the Bulls gives him the proper mix of Iverson's 2001 Sixers and Dirk's 2011 Mavs

Take the 15/16M, keep Taj and others, re-up, win 2 rings, go to the HOF and be a top 20 player All-Time

“I’m going to make money. I have money. I’m good if I want to retire right now,’’ Anthony said in an ESPN interview in February. “As far as the money, it don’t really matter to me. If I go somewhere else, I get paid. If I stay in New York, I get paid. As far as the money goes, it’s not my concern.

“My concern is to be able to compete on a high level, a championship level, in this last stretch of my career.’’

My man

[fleet]

If bringing him to the meeting meant a change in plans, they would never have brought him. The plan was the plan. He was already untouchable

Better hope Phil doesn't call our bluff then, or all the risk is on Melo to commit first to take enormous financial losses.

Being willing to move Gibson is the only way to make NYs worse case worse than ours/Melo's.

If our worst case is Rose/Butler/Melo/Gasol/Noah and NYs worst case is Melo walking for nothing, we win. And end up with our best case, which is keeping Taj.

I honestly don't think the Bulls are that married to landing Melo. They aren't as "all in" as the media is reporting. They are probably very comfortable keeping the team together with the 2 rookies and maybe signing a lesser 2 guard. Quite possibly, they really believe they can sell Melo on winning by taking less. Ostensibly, that was the pitch being reported right? They might be delusional. But that's not the worst they have been called by us.

[bad knees]

question is, how are the Bulls selling this Gasol idea to Taj and Melo?

To Taj: "Don't worry, we want you to recruit Teusday. We'll offer him cap space, keep the team together."
To Melo (Taj is out of the room): "Don't worry, that cap space deal we just told you about? We have a plan B. Know any tall Spanish power forwards?"

Honestly though, how can Taj know about this? Answer, he can't know, otherwise why would he be a part of his possible demise as a Bull? Pretty sneaky. And I'm not sure I buy it being considered seriously for that reason. Its pretty sneaky and kind of dirty dealing your guy, who you like.

Teams have to give up guys they like for guys they like even more on a regular basis. I think the Bulls want to keep Taj very badly, but I'm not convinced they'll refuse to deal him if that's the only roadblock to landing Carmelo. But FWIW, I suggested the other day that the FO may have even discussed the various scenarios with Taj ahead of time and got him to agree to recruit even with the hopefully remote, but real, possibility he could be dealt, and was declared mentally incompetent by a bunch of people, so take my ramblings with a grain of salt.

No, I understand. You do what you need to do. But you don't use people like that in the process. If they were dumping Taj for Melo and Gasol, they would not have used Taj during the meeting imo. Its not a remote possibility scenario we are talking about. It is a likely outcome if Pau is coming with Melo with few other options that we know of thats for sure.

Maybe the Bulls told Taj: We want to get Melo and keep you. Melo says he wants you on the Bulls if he comes. And the best way to make that happen is for you to be in on the pitch, and sell Melo on coming to the Bulls for lesser money. But if Melo comes back and says that he needs $20M, then we might have to trade you. You up for this pitch? It's the best way to build a championship team and we really think that it's the best option. Get Melo to commit and then we can see if we can do a S&T that would pay him more money and keep you here. You up for this?

[Rerisen]

Like I said in my posts, it wouldn't shock me if either Butler or Mirotic is offered in a deal to entice NY to take Boozer's salary. I doubt both but one makes sense, particularly Butler.

Then we have to hope that's enough enticing to persuade NY not to call Melo's bluff on taking 15 or 16m. I don't know if it is.

[organix85]

Just hear on the sports radio here in LA Marc Stein is reporting that The Bulls and Rockets are out of the sweepstakes for Melo it's down to the Knicks and the Heat never expected Melo to come anyway


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Stein is speculating or bsing if he really said this. Bulls aren't out of anything yet.

[ingvald]

Did anyone post the quasi-news that Lawrence Holmes "broke" at 6pm last night?

To paraphrase- he has a friend who is close with Melo and hung with him in Chicago. When asked if this is all a dog-and-pony show, this friend said "no" and that interest in the Bulls is real.

Sorry, no link but not trolling. Holmes said this at 6pm last night on the Score. Led off his show.

[WinCity]

Melo was in Denver making 15-16M in the tough western conference but his team was having more success than he had in New York making 20M+

Melo should know going to the Bulls gives him the proper mix of Iverson's 2001 Sixers and Dirk's 2011 Mavs

Take the 15/16M, keep Taj and others, re-up, win 2 rings, go to the HOF and be a top 20 player All-Time

“I’m going to make money. I have money. I’m good if I want to retire right now,’’ Anthony said in an ESPN interview in February. “As far as the money, it don’t really matter to me. If I go somewhere else, I get paid. If I stay in New York, I get paid. As far as the money goes, it’s not my concern.

“My concern is to be able to compete on a high level, a championship level, in this last stretch of my career.’’

We shall see if he meant that. If he did its CHI or HOU (CHI has the advantage of the east and a better fit with our talent).

If he wants to squeeze every dollar and get the limelight its NY or LA.

Personally, I think he is going to go for winning.

[Chad09]

Knicks are meeting with Melo after he is done with the Lakers. It's from Broussard.

[Jordan45822]

@Chris_Broussard: The Knicks will meet with Melo this afternoon in Los Angeles, after his meeting with the Lakers....

[IndianPlaya17]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard/status/484757010765086720[/tweet]

[IndianPlaya17]

Bulls can find out by tonight or tomorrow where Melo is leaning.

[RememberLu]

it seems like teams aren't willing to wait the weekend for Melo to make his decision

Bulls flying out to LA, now the Knicks...

[Rerisen]

They might be delusional. But that's not the worst they have been called by us.

It is delusional if that is a position they called 'extremely confident' in months ago, and have reiterated similar strong statements since, including about the Melo meeting going 'perfect' and making a very good impression.

Those are not all things you say if your big pitch and focus of the offseason all revolves around Melo taking a substantial paycut - perhaps less than Gordon Hayward is about to get - while having no backups concerning getting him.

The only excuse to absolve the above is if Melo already gave a guarantee to go along with this setup though back channels long ago. And maybe that's the case, but it would certainly turn everything on its head as far as all that is believed about him.

[MoneyMitch]

Melo will get the savior role wherever he goes

NY- Can he do what Ewing couldn't

Chi- Can he bring #7 and be the first since Jordan to lead the Bulls to a title

LA- the envy Lakers mega star(sadly for 2 years he'd be Kobe's rebounder)

[Proven_Winner]

It's about to be a straight up brawl in La. Bulls are there and now Knicks came out there. This is going to be some bloods vs crips stuff.

[NecessaryEvil]

Bulls/Knicks/Lakers all out working today.

Hoping for an agreement with based Gasol