Sooooo much speculation. My guess is that they will try to hold onto melo until the trade deadline and see what they can get for him, from teams like the knicks who will be looking for extra help getting into the playoffs.
Hard to tell really... It would make more sense to trade Melo now. For 2 reasons:
1- Why deal with all the distractions, and specualtion, all season. Can only hurt the team, right?
2- Sure, some team might get desperate come Feb. Maybe even willing to rent Melo for a few months.... HOWEVER, DEN will get the most in return for Carmelo right now.
Let's be honest here, any team willing to rent Melo for a few months wont really be willing to strip apart their team to make their playoff run, b/c that sort of defeat the point. They are trying to improve their club at that point.
A team that is making a trade for the future, wont really be desperate enough to sell the farm for a player who is a few montsh away from free agency.
So DENVER is really in a tough spot here. Sure, they could play the season and make one final run at things this year. At least another playoff appearance appeases the fans and makes the owner some money. They could play chicken and see if an injury arises, or if some team caves in and sells the farm. But this is a risky bet, and the fear of not havign a seat when the music stops would set this feanchise back.
Denver is also operating under new management. They are not invested in this team as currently constructed. To them, it's probably to sell Melo on 80 cents on the dollar, then hold out for 120 cents on the dollar and risk going bankrupt.
They could start rebuilding by dealing Melo. get soem young players in now. THEN, deal the other parts (Billups, Smith, Harrington) for some more pieces. This way they enter 2011 armed with a bunch of young players and draft picks.
The alternative is getting stuck in neutral and left without a partner come Feb.
FINALLY, we also hear rumors of the owner seeking CAP RELIEF. If saving money is a primary motivation, you know the Knicks will be more than happy to help.
AGAIN. Who knows. Most likely they risk it. Go into the season and wait until mid December. I doubt they wait until Feb. They see if anyone calls their bluff, see what the landscape looks like, feel settled with their new regie running the front office, understand best available offer, and then pull the trigger on something a week or so before Xmas. That would be my guess.
Would it shock me if nothing happens? Not at all.
Would it shokc me if Melo is dealt this weekend? Nope.
If he's traded to the Nets come Feb? Not really.
Anything goes.
BUT, let's look at it from NY's perspective. Perhaps D-Walsh probably knows what he needs to do. Maybe he's exhausting all avenues, trying to get Melo at the cheapest price possibly. Maybe he wants Melo so much, that he'll wait until final moments and then pull the trigger and pay max price to get Melo here.
Maybe he's calling DEN's bluff. They told him what they want. He's holding out hope they lower their demands, but ultimately will grant their wishes 48 hours before season begins? We'll find out soon enough.