Melo 15: The End Is Nigh

[kulaz3000]

Hey bro thanks for banning me for 4 days for being a racist against white people. When i am white myself.

Sorry, perhaps it's not my place to say, but this is a public forum after all, but I hate when people use this excuse to justify their offensive comments. It doesn't matter whether you're white, and you say racist remarks against other whites, or if you're Asian and you make racist remarks against other Asians, it's still racist and it still offends people, perhaps even more so because you are the same race. I can see it being passed over as just jokes among friends and family that you are familiar with, but you can't expect strangers to give you that same slack.

I'm sure you weren't making comments to directly offend people, but at the same time you shouldn't be surprised when a bad joke falls flat and you have to deal with the consequences. Just saying.

[TheGameChanger]

Just get Love

[G I N T]

Have I given up on Melo? Hell no.

If it doesn't happen? Eh, we still have a hell of a roster that is going to be balanced out by some additions to the offensive side.

Winning 55+ games and competing with anyone in the conference is nothing to fret about.

Sure. But they can win 55+ games and compete at a high level even with Keith Bogans as their starting 2 and an albatross like Carlos Boozer taking up a third of their salary cap. Doesn't mean it's good enough to win it all and take out the true elites in a 7-game playoff series. Whiffing on Melo/Love doesn't mean the Bulls won't be a very good team - they're always kings of the regular season - but it does make a title highly unlikely. Which is fine if you're cool with that stuff, but it's not the ideal result.

[Shogun12]

I want some intrepid reporter to inquire as to whether the team had serious interest in Afflalo. Did they ever make a formal offer for him? Because if the plan was to pitch Carmelo on taking less, you could've potentially done a deal sending out Taj for Afflalo, and still had the means to do a S+T with New York for him. If you had any inkling that Melo was always going to lean towards resigning with the Knicks, then we really should've been aggressive in getting a deal done with the Magic to serve as a hedge in case we missed out on Anthony.

You still would've had potentially 15 million to cap space to sign both Gasol and Mirotic, too, after dumping Dunleavy, etc.

[SSSFreak]

Just thinking about it...if Melo actually does go back to NY with a full max deal, doesnt it effectively put a big dent in Phil's plan to bring in big names to the Knicks in 2015?

I thought the understanding of Phil was for Melo to take less so the team could bring in more talent 2015 and after.

Maybe I am wrong in this.

Yep, they are basically screwing each other for the length of the contract.

[6_Rings]

Damn no person in the right mind will turn that money down. Thanks for the lovely afternoon Mello

[Knicksfan20]

Hey bro thanks for banning me for 4 days for being a racist against white people. When i am white myself.

Sorry, perhaps it's not my place to say, but this is a public forum after all, but I hate when people use this excuse to justify their offensive comments. It doesn't matter whether you're white, and you say racist remarks against other whites, or if you're Asian and you make racist remarks against other Asians, it's still racist and it still offends people, perhaps even more so because you are the same race. I can see it being passed over as just jokes among friends and family that you are familiar with, but you can't expect strangers to give you that same slack.

I'm sure you weren't making comments to directly offend people, but at the same time you shouldn't be surprised when a bad joke falls flat and you have to deal with the consequences. Just saying.

It was an obvious joke. I doubt anybodies feelings got hurt.

If it was an issue, it should have gotten a warning first or at the worst an hour ban. Not a 3 day ban. That is bull ****.

[musiqsoulchild]

I dont understand your post.

The fact that some of you fans are saying that the Bulls have all the leverage is false.

We do have all the leverage because Melo is not an absolute necessity to come out of the East.

Sure he helps an offensively strapped team like the Bulls, but there are other ways to add balanced scoring. We retain DJ, add Mirotic, keep McDermott and Dunleavy and go after an FA or trade partner to get the 2 guard upgrades offensively.

The bigger concern for us is not Melo....its Rose.

[Knicksfan20]

Just thinking about it...if Melo actually does go back to NY with a full max deal, doesnt it effectively put a big dent in Phil's plan to bring in big names to the Knicks in 2015?

I thought the understanding of Phil was for Melo to take less so the team could bring in more talent 2015 and after.

Maybe I am wrong in this.

Pretty sure we can still offer a FA the full max. We will have Bargnani and Amare coming off the books this year.

Shump and HwJR still on rookie deals and JR only signed for like 5 -6 mil next year or something.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

Just thinking about it...if Melo actually does go back to NY with a full max deal, doesnt it effectively put a big dent in Phil's plan to bring in big names to the Knicks in 2015?

I thought the understanding of Phil was for Melo to take less so the team could bring in more talent 2015 and after.

Maybe I am wrong in this.

Meh. Even at almost 24 million, and JR Smith at another almost 7 million, and Calderon at 7 million the Knicks could conceivably have 20-25 million in cap space to sign another (close to) max FA.

Of course that requires them to continue sucking this season and then pray a FA wants to join that collection of suck.

Calderon and Smith at 7 million a piece is what's hurting that team.

[MisterRoy]

Pretty sure we can still offer a FA the full max. We will have Bargnani and Amare coming off the books this year.

Shump and HwJR still on rookie deals and JR only signed for like 5 -6 mil next year or something.

There is so much money coming off your books. It's ~$34M with Amare and Bargs alone.

Your comment about Smith...I still think Melo comes to the Bulls and PJ forces us to take smith. Smith immediately comes off your books and then Boozer at the end of next season. That's another $22M + the $34M at the end of next season.

[kingkirk]

It was an obvious joke. I doubt anybodies feelings got hurt.

If it was an issue, it should have gotten a warning first or at the worst an hour ban. Not a 3 day ban. That is bull ****.

Let's move on from this subject. If you want to continue it, PM fleet. Don't air it in public. That is not on.

[Knicksfan20]

I dont understand your post.

The fact that some of you fans are saying that the Bulls have all the leverage is false.

We do have all the leverage because Melo is not an absolute necessity to come out of the East.

Sure he helps an offensively strapped team like the Bulls, but there are other ways to add balanced scoring. We retain DJ, add Mirotic, keep McDermott and Dunleavy and go after an FA or trade partner to get the 2 guard upgrades offensively.

The bigger concern for us is not Melo....its Rose.

Then you have issues of too much depth and finding mins for everyone. May sound silly but it could be an actual issue.

Then you again are asking Rose to handle the majority of the scoring, risking further injury.

Also going into the season with a lot of question marks. What if MCD gets injured? What if he is a huge bust? Same with Mirotic...

You Add Melo while keeping last years team plus Rose...That team is competing for titles. Or you can roll the dice on a few rookies, hope Rose can stay healthy and hope your team can score some bucekts.


Even with Rose not in the picture... Last years bulls team with Melo is a much better basketball team. And your team would also have JR off the bench. Doubt you guys would run into many scoring droughts at all.

[DRoseCantStop]

Please be a smokescreen....please be a smokescreen....

[MisterRoy]

If we add Melo and Rose goes down again, I still think we have a shot at Miami and whoever comes out of the west. I am not saying we win, I am just saying we have a shot.

[johnnyvann840]

I want some intrepid reporter to inquire as to whether the team had serious interest in Afflalo. Did they ever make a formal offer for him? Because if the plan was to pitch Carmelo on taking less, you could've potentially done a deal sending out Taj for Afflalo, and still had the means to do a S+T with New York for him. If you had any inkling that Melo was always going to lean towards resigning with the Knicks, then we really should've been aggressive in getting a deal done with the Magic to serve as a hedge in case we missed out on Anthony.

You still would've had potentially 15 million to cap space to sign both Gasol and Mirotic, too, after dumping Dunleavy, etc.

How are the Bulls going to sign Melo for $20M per, Afflalo for $7.5M per, and Mirotic, and Gasol with cap space while only sending out Taj for $8M (even with MDJ going and all the other concessions) ? The Taj for Afflalo savings are only $500k per.

Also, I understand that Afflalo wanted to go back to Colorado. He loves it there and they made it happen. I understand completely.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

Damn no person in the right mind will turn that money down. Thanks for the lovely afternoon Mello

Yep. It's kind of like the Joe Johnson signing all over again.

[MisterRoy]

Please be a smokescreen....please be a smokescreen....

I am starting to wonder if ALL of what has been reported is to get Chicago to add more real assets to a sign and trade. Assets you rebuild a team with, like Buter and Mirotic.

[coldfish]

I understand that coldfish. Thats why we have some leverage here. That is my point. I understand the new rules just fine. What part of any of my posts says otherwise?

They offer a better monetary situation than the Bulls, but the sign and trade doesn't give the player anything. That's my point. Why would the Bulls give up all of the stuff to the Knicks in sign and trade when they can just give up Taj and the MLE? There is an upper limit to how much Chicago would offer in S&T as a result and your offers are well past that.

Side note: I had a typo in my last post. Its 4/96 from Chicago.

[Knicksfan20]

If we add Melo and Rose goes down again, I still think we have a shot at Miami and whoever comes out of the west. I am not saying we win, I am just saying we have a shot.

Exactly and youre 100% right. Also Melo is a pretty decent defender. Dont believe the BS that he isnt.

You guys can talk about Love all you want, but he cant carry a team like Melo can. Love would be an amazing fit with Rose, but can Rose stay healthy?

Melo carried the 2012 Knicks. That team had a lot of injury issues and werent amazingly talented. He carried that team to the 2nd seed and if it wasnt for every Knick outside of Melo and Shump choking vs Indy, probably should have been in the ECF. Also Woodson is a terrible coach.