A big difference renouncing Rose and letting him walk away for nada than paying Melo 55 mil to walk to CLE.
Fans want owners to write checks they wouldnt write themselves.
Not really especially considering Dolan's past and recent history with finances, and I think you're one of the more critical fans of Dolan...justifiably so.
I do agree writing blank checks to a ghost has gotta be bizarre but sometimes circumstances call for it. But looking back at history of blank checks and bad checks
Over half a decade of paying Luxury Taxes who knows the true amount but more than likely around $100mil
Larry Brown paid $18mil to walk away
Eddy Curry paid $60mil wanted to buy him out and couldn't because Curry needed all his shekels
Anucha Browne Sanders paid $11.8mil could've paid her $250-500k instead to walk away not to mention all the legal fees
Amare Stoudemire paid $100mil and then bought him out final yr ate approx $10mil
Travis Outlaw waived $3mil
Carmelo $67mil and then $125mil + kicker
Derrick Fisher $20mil to walk away
Noah paid $80mil
Phil $60mil...picked up last 2yrs at $24mil 3mos later fired him and ate $24mil
THJR $71mil + kicker
Whatever he ate for fired assistant coaches
Everyone on this list(maybe I forgot a couple more) except Sanders, I would've never wrote the original check to but then look at all this dead money Dolan absorbed after the regret. He's shown over and over again he will eat money without blinking an eye.
The only oddity in all this, he stops his Bucks with Melo. Why? Like I've said all along Dolan makes decisions based on emotions and it has wrecked this franchise in every case hence one of the main reason fans have been so critical of him.
As far as Rose to Cavs not sure he moves the needle any more than Melo would in Houston but the premise remains the same in that we enabled Cleveland an Eastern Conference foe by the careless decision making on our part(the counter argument correct?). Who knows maybe we could've sent Rose to the Bucks for compensation Delly and 2nd rounders, but we kept faking interest in him until it led us to a sunken place.
If Melo is on this roster to start the season because teams continue to offer trash for him in exchange, it will be another colossal blunder by Dolan not engaging in a buyout and waiving him.