shtolky wrote:Battery wrote:shtolky wrote:
I think he legit loves NY and playing in NY. It seems winning to him is secondary and he wants to finish things out here. I really don't know, but I just don't think it's going to get as dramatic as some think.
Him loving NY and playing here is all fine and dandy until the organization tells him that we don't want you anymore. This is about money and sticking it to Phil. He will be gone soon and most likely agree to a buyout.
Sure, but haven't we already essentially told him we don't want him anymore? Short of flat out saying, get the hell off the team (which I am sure we would never say), I think it's clear we are looking to move on. We see things from the outside but we don't know about his family situation, if he cares about winning more than living in the northeast, etc. I just can't imagine buying out Melo, who, despite all the negative press, would still bring in some assets. Better wait it out than just cutting him. You think Dolan is going to want to pay him millions to play for the Cavs? He's got 2 years left at over 50m. You usually don't buy those guys out. Again, despite the hyperbole, Phil has been pretty gracious and complimentary when talking about Melo, and has hardly "humiliated him" as I've seen some say. I don't think this becomes a circus, either they work things out or Melo agrees to a deal.
The problem is nobody is going to give up assets for him, at least not from the teams that he would agree to go to. Trading him we would have to bring back equal salary, and unless we can flip that person for a first rounder, then there is no point in the deal. We wouldn't be saving much money if we had just bought Melo out in the first place. Next year Melo will be replaced by a young player making much less money, so in the end, it all evens out if we were to just buy his butt out now.
We need to tank one more season, but in the process develop our young players to play the way that wins championships. We are building from the ground up and the process is beginning now. You don't keep part of a crumbling foundation (Melo) around when you are trying to build a brand new building. The longer he stays, the more it chips away at the foundation. We need another good young homegrown player or two to help build a solid foundation. Then once that happens we look outside the organization to fill in the missing pieces. You don't fill in the missing pieces now until we see what we have in our young players.
As for his family life, I have no sympathy for him there. For his son, yes, but not for him. According to all reports, he was the one who cheated on his wife. If he was that concerned about his son, he would not have done that. I'm not saying he's a bad guy because he's only human and as humans we all make mistakes.
He is much better off being someplace else where he can take part in something that is much greater than himself, which is playing team basketball that competes for a championship. And with all the new technology today, he can still see his son whenever he wants.
There will be a buyout because the empty roster spot can be filled with another young player our coaching staff can mold. That is worth a lot more than keeping Melo on the roster who will only put us in a position to draft a player that is most likely not ready for the NBA. We need to get into the top 5 next draft, preferably top 3. Gives us the flexibility to do many more things next offseason which is key because then you are in a position of power, like Boston.
