Funny, I hadn't even thought of that. Carmelo is far, far more talented but he's also far, far more costly. So it's Rudy Fernandez with much more risk/reward. If we didn't have Oden, I'd roll the dice on that risk. But with so many of my hopes pinned on him, I'm less willing to take other major risks.
Say what you want, but Melo is one of the few guys I have seen get the better of Lebron James in head to head competition. He seems to be the one guy that Lebron has problems dealing with. I also agree go after Billups. He is the piece we really want off that team. He would bring "completion" to the team.
Yes, it is unlikely, but has no bearing on whether or not we should call the Nuggets and feel out the situation. Obviously, if Melo says he isn't interested, forget about it. But I wouldn't keep my phone on the hook because Melo is "unlikely to have any interest in Portland". link? I'm sure they would prefer to move him to the East, but my guess is the talent they get in return is a higher priority. Depending on what we give up, I think it could significantly improve the team. You could say the same thing about Lebron & Wade, and most experts predict the Heat make it to the finals. This statement is only true if you agree with the opinion you stated above, which I respectfully do not.
What's funny is that he's a partner in the health club to which I belong. The basketball court and scoreboard has Melo's logo on it. Oopsie.
Don't kid yourself; Melo is going to sign an extension before the new CBA, because if he doesn't, he's fucked. Kroenke knows this simple fact and will use it to his advantage.
I will start with the top. Ummm, how do you propose this be done? Melo is currently under contract. Portland can't contact him directly. That would be tampering. They can contact Denver and ask what it would take to trade for Melo, but to what end? They can contact Denver ank ask them if Melo might be interested in Portland and Denver will say, "we have been supplied a list of teams Melo wanted to be traded to by his people. There were two teams on it. We complained and they now have provided us with an expanded list of teams they will consider. The list is still small, and you are not on either list." There you have it. We are not on the list. We can't contact Melo directly to "woo" him and convince him and his people they are missing out on being in an even smaller city than Denver, with an even smaller TV audience, even more removed and remote from the rest of the country, as far away as you can get and still be an NBA city, with a fan base that is FAR FAR less tolerant of knucklehead, imperfect, wannabe gangbanger prima-donna's like Melo, that despite all that Portland is perfect for him. Yeah, that effort on the part of Portland is not a waste of time in the least. It won't make them seem clueless or out-of-touch at all.
LeBron is more of a natural playmaker than any of those guys. LeBron is a better defender. LeBron is better than Melo. Better than Roy. Being better makes up for the duplication that Wade and LeBron have.
Well, Portland could call teams X, Y, and Z who might have an interest in Melo but don't seem to have the proper parts to acquire him, and try to arrange a 3-way where they get Melo and we get something from them, and Denver gets stuff from us. barfo
I don't think calling to see if we are "on the list" or if Melo would consider Portland is a waste of time. I think any responsible GM should look into any situation like this, where a star could potentially be had on the cheap.
That is nice and all. Carmello is a better end of game finisher. Go back and watch the Cleveland vs Denver games from last year and see who got the better head on head. I thought Lebron was going to cry at the end of that game.
I am sure they already did call, and were told: 1) "you are not on the list", and 2) you don't have the pieces we are looking for, but if you want to wow us with an offer built around Roy, we are listening. What I object to is the notion that the Blazer Brass is "do nothing" "sitting on its ass" "not getting it done" "not being agressive make a big run at a star in play". That is all horsepucky. That Blazers don't need to spend a bunch of time, energy and goodwill with other GM's "exploring" the Melo situation to know it ain't happening. The is not like the Chris Paul pipedream which was a longshot, but a legit one. We are not getting Melo in a way that makes sense for the team. The Blazer Brass are making the right choice in not 1) entering the Melo sweepstakes or 2) thinking that they had a legit chance even if they did want him.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-anthonynuggets082610 So Denver has made it clear they want young players and picks. It's a shame Portland doesn't have either of those to go after one of the best players in the league.
Wow. Way to focus on one thing. You take Melo then. LeBron has a good chance to go down as a Top 5 player in history. Melo isn't even a Top 5 current player. Melo isn't even better than Roy.
I hope this is Rich Cho's secret Sportstwo account. Of course he would probably go under the name Dawgsfan, which would make me physically ill.
