TR1LL10N
Hannibal Lecter
This is not a thread to discuss whether to get Melo or not. This is not a thread to discuss whether we need a center and role players more than Melo. This thread is simply recognizing that Melo looks like he will be a Knick and to discuss the pro's/con's of trading verse waiting for free agency.
I was one of those people who thought the ideal scenario would be to wait till FA in order to sign Melo and keep our young core. The more I think about it, the more I believe that trading now will leave us with a deeper team!
Denver does not have any power since only Melo can decide to sign an extension. So if you believe all the reports that Melo will only extend with NY that means that Denver only has two options:
1.Wait till FA and lose Melo for nothing.
2.Trade Melo to NY for pennies on the dollar.
There is no way Denver allows Melo to walk without getting something in return. This means that all the Knicks have to do is propose a package that is better than what another team will offer to rent Melo for 1/2 a year. I firmly believe we can obtain Melo for a package of:
AR
Walker
Curry
Future 1st rounder and maybe a 2nd rounder or two
Some of you will undoubtedly ask or state:
"why not wait till FA and keep EVERYONE"?
"AR could be special on both sides of the court and we should just hold out to next year"
"Trading 1st rounders is a mistake and has burned us in the past"
My answers to these points are exactly why I am making this thread:
Another major factor is that if we trade for Melo he will extend with us for the maximum 3 year deal. This avoids a longterm 5-6 year MAX deal affording the Kicks options in 3 short years to go after another max contract if the Melo/Stat experiment happens to be a failure. This is a huge factor and one I have not seen addressed by anyone!
So in conclusion I have changed my opinion and think the ideal scenario is to rape Denver in a trade rather than wait till free agency. With the addition of Melo this year added to an already hot NY team we will solidfy ourselves as elite and propel us from a likely playoff team to instant title contenders. There is no time like the present and anything can happen next year...the time to strike is now while the iron is hot and there aren't many teams hotter than the Knicks!
I was one of those people who thought the ideal scenario would be to wait till FA in order to sign Melo and keep our young core. The more I think about it, the more I believe that trading now will leave us with a deeper team!
Denver does not have any power since only Melo can decide to sign an extension. So if you believe all the reports that Melo will only extend with NY that means that Denver only has two options:
1.Wait till FA and lose Melo for nothing.
2.Trade Melo to NY for pennies on the dollar.
There is no way Denver allows Melo to walk without getting something in return. This means that all the Knicks have to do is propose a package that is better than what another team will offer to rent Melo for 1/2 a year. I firmly believe we can obtain Melo for a package of:
AR
Walker
Curry
Future 1st rounder and maybe a 2nd rounder or two
Some of you will undoubtedly ask or state:
"why not wait till FA and keep EVERYONE"?
"AR could be special on both sides of the court and we should just hold out to next year"
"Trading 1st rounders is a mistake and has burned us in the past"
My answers to these points are exactly why I am making this thread:
If we wait till FA we cannot keep EVERYONE! Melo will command a MAX contract therefore we won't be able to resign Chandler. If we trade for Melo and he extends we can use Chandlers Bird rights next year to go over the cap and resign him. This effectively increase our cap next year and enables us to retain a quality homegrown young player who is getting better and can play both ends of the court. Retaining the ability to use Chandlers Bird rights is the BIGGEST reason why trading for Melo now is better than signing him in FA."why not wait till FA and keep EVERYONE"?
Chandler is better than AR therefore retaining him is more of a priority then hoping that AR ever reaches his potential. Simply put, we already have a young two way player and his name is Wilson Chandler! (A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush) If we wait for FA to sign Melo than Chandler is gone...period!"AR could be special on both sides of the court and we should just hold out to next year"
This is a hard one and I tend to agree since we have been burnt time and time again. That said, the reason we have been burnt is that we traded our picks and did not get better in the process. In essence we were trading lottery pics that have the potential to be quality players. This trade would not be the same as before because the Knicks are poised (barring a major injury) to be playoff bound for many years to come. Further we will be getting a legit superstar in Melo who in all likelihood will be better than any potential draft pick we might end up losing out on. Further Melo is young and in his prime so it's not like he won't be producing for many years."Trading 1st rounders is a mistake and has burned us in the past"
Another major factor is that if we trade for Melo he will extend with us for the maximum 3 year deal. This avoids a longterm 5-6 year MAX deal affording the Kicks options in 3 short years to go after another max contract if the Melo/Stat experiment happens to be a failure. This is a huge factor and one I have not seen addressed by anyone!
So in conclusion I have changed my opinion and think the ideal scenario is to rape Denver in a trade rather than wait till free agency. With the addition of Melo this year added to an already hot NY team we will solidfy ourselves as elite and propel us from a likely playoff team to instant title contenders. There is no time like the present and anything can happen next year...the time to strike is now while the iron is hot and there aren't many teams hotter than the Knicks!