Warriors, Bulls, and Clippers are also in mix for for Melo...LAC are long shot according to #NBA league source http://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/22617697691 #Nets look like favorites now but are fighting including lopez...Harris, Favors, and picks are package #Nuggets would prob. want Kaman and Eric Gordon from #Clippers 4 Melo....that deal would make LAC much worse #Nuggets discussions w Chicago involves a package of Luol Deng and Taj Gibson #Warriors offer for Melo would be Stephen Curry, Biedrins, and picks...GSW unsure tho about parting w Curry #Warriors, #Bulls, and #Clippers are also in mix for for Melo...LAC are long shot according to #NBA league source check #Nets first round picks...its 9 over next several years....I'm told multiple picks would be involved in #Nuggets deal If #Nuggets were to make deal w #Nets, they would likely move Billups in another deal bc of Harris Hearing from an #NBA league source that the #Nets are not including Brook Lopez in any trade discussions w #Nuggets 4 Carmelo Anthony http://twitter.com/jonrothstein
Interesting talk...Id love to see Melo come in, we'd have to fill Taj's role however with a supplementary young big tho
I think the Bulls would be more than fine. Carmelo is big and can play big so I think he could easily slide over to the 4 when Boozer is out and Korver/Brewer comes in at the 3, forming a running unit.
If those are the other contenders, I think we've got a legitimate chance. I'm pretty sure if I were the Nuggets I'd try out the Favors/Harris package, but I'm very high on Favors. I think if I were Anthony, I'd balk at going to the Nets if they trade away Harris though. That'd just be an awful team with no PG at all. I'm starting to get a little optimistic about this. If Anthony can be had for Deng/Taj and picks, and then we can get something at all from Asik (we'll need some backup help), I can see us maybe going toe to toe with the big guys. At the very least, it'll be fun.
I'd be interesting to play Boozer at the 5 and Melo at the 4 in some lineups. You have to figure if you're playing the Heat, for example, Udonis Haslem is their main "big" and he's definitely shorter than Boozer. Bosh is tall but skinny and not super physical. You could definitely go Noah vs. Haslem Boozer vs. Bosh Melo vs. Lebron Korver/Brewer vs. Miller/Chalmers Rose vs. Wade You can make a very good case for the Bulls, especially as Rose improves and Wade probably falls off a bit with age.
My first instinct is that Carmelo has all the tools to defend Lebron very well Better, in fact, than anyone else we have, and better than Deng. Carmelo also has a chip on his shoulder to be considered great. Get him in a playoff series where legacy matters and he’s going toe to toe with Lebron, and he’s going to bring his A-Game. You think he wants to be known as the guy who repeatedly got his ass kicked by Lebron for the next ten years? Hell no. He’s going to play him hard.
Even with a chip on his shoulder I don't think Melo has the skills necessary to be a defensive stopper against good players let alone a top 3 player like LeBron and even if he knows somewhere deep down that he NEEDS to and SHOULD play tough defense to secure his legacy I don't think he will ever give 100% on defense night in and night out. I still think nabbing him would be a good deal for the Bulls but I disagree that he will become a good, consistent defender and disagree that he is potentially a better James-stopper than Deng.
Why does he need to be some sort of defensive stopper? According to 82games.com, he puts up a 25 PER on offense and opposing SFs put up a 15 PER. The differential is enough to make up for your PG/SG having a 10 PER and opponents having a 20 PER. Roughly.
I should clarify. I don't think he'll be a good, consistent defender, but I think he wouldn't want to get punked and would up his game. This is an area where the stats sort of allow for player vs. player comparisons since all three of those guys have manned most of their SF positions for the last few years. So if you look at Lebron's performance vs. the Bulls and Lebron's performance vs. the Nuggets, I'd guess that you're getting a pretty decent idea of how Lebron vs. Melo and and Lebron vs. Deng stack up. Lebron's average is 27.5 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Against the Bulls (mostly Deng?) he averages 29.5 points, 6.7 boards and 6.1 assists Against the Nuggets (mostly Melo?) he averages 26.4 points, 7.1 boards and 7.6 assists If there's anything to draw from those numbers, It seems in general to me that against the Nuggets, he's trying to score less and pass more, whereas when he's going against the Bulls, he's just tried to go out and roll up a bunch of points. I dunno. In any case, I don't think it's a matter of shutting Lebron down. Deng certainly hasn't made much dent in him. Interestingly enough, the best defender of the three by this measure would be Lebron. If you look at how both Melo and Deng do against him, they both score less than their average. Melo scores more than his average against Deng, and vice versa, although Melo's average is also much higher. Basically, what you see is that Lebron is obviously better in his offense and probably defensive effect than Melo or Deng. Offensively Melo is obviously better than Deng. Defensively, Deng and Melo seem about the same when trying to guard Lebron
This makes sense to me. If if Deng is technically a better defender, guarding Melo will take a bit out of a defender's O.
I dunno about inspiration or turning a guy into a stopera, bit a realistic goal of a good defensive coach, and it happens all the time, is to have a good defense even if all your players aren't naturally great defenders. The bulls under smiles routinely did that. If a guy doesn't want to get cloaked and rebounds fairly well (check and check with Melo) he'll be fine.
I would rather a more ball dominant Derrick Rose than a ball dominant Carmelo Anthony ( who I believe would diminish Derrick Rose ) I wonder whether Luol Deng , Wilson Chandler and a 2011 1st from Chicago to Denver would work Carmelo Anthony goes to New York Danilo Gallinari and Eddy Curry go to Chicago Eddy Curry's expiring contract allows us to avert the luxury tax moving forward Seperately to this we try and swap James Johnson for Corey Brewer to try and shore up our defense on the wing Noah Boozer Gallinari Brewer Rose bench Asik Gibson Korver Brewer Watson Thomas Bogans Lucas the 3rd Young balanced team that can grow together for several years and would have one of the best concentrations of young talent in the league
