Trades that "move the needle"

Would we have any interest in trading CJ for Dion Waiters? He does not play well with Kyrie at all as both guys seem more comfortable with the ball. Jack also likes to have the ball, that backcourt is not working well together in Cleveland. CJ could be an off the ball shooter for them. Dion could take over for Mo’s role next year and move Lillard off the ball at times when they are on the court together.

 

Oh lord! That'd be a lot of hair. Do it!

 

I think CJ has a lot of value still, he was an elite scorer in college. He showed that scoring ability in summer league more than Ben McLemore or Otto Potter. His injury isn’t a joint or a chronic injury, it can be a pain to recover from and be prone to early setbacks but once its healed its something guys always make a complete recovery from. We have a lot of hope for CJ but another poster said it best, prospects such as him are like an unused scratch off ticket, its worthless if you scratch it off. If we wait to deal CJ he will either play great in which case we want to keep him or else he bombs in which case he losses all the value he currently has.

I don’t know too much about Dion he was a very high pick so I thought maybe we should look into it. I meant to pose that more as a question to people who are familiar with his game, than something I’d do. I’ve heard Cleveland is disappointed with his ability to play with Kyrie but perhaps in a different situation he would perform much better.

With Chandler we would more than match his salary if we bundled TRob, Freeland, Meyers, CJ, Claver and Crabbe. We could probably get within the matching limit without all those players. Brian you probably know more about that limit, what is it 150%? Meyers is a guy I and others have been very harsh on but when you’re talking about him being the 3rd or 4th asset coming back in a trade I think NBA teams will look at his upside. I don’t think NY is interested in the above type of trade yet, especially since they don’t have their own draft pick this year, but it’s the type of offer I’d be inquiring about around the league. It’s the type of offer a team who has a big injury or an implosion as we had when Nate got fired could push them to close a deal. We are best off waiting until the offseason to make roster moves but if another team is eager to do something immediately as the Pelicans were with Robin or the Rockets with TRob we should jump at the opportunity.

 

Here's where caramelo puts my needle:

 

What about your other needle?

 

Finally, someone taking advantage of my straight lines.

 

6420 comments on blazersedge. If I'm a troll I'm awfully dedicated to one team!

 

relevant article today from SI on Melo
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20131122/carmelo-anthony-knicks/?xid=nl_siextra

 

Melo is a complete fucking tool. He deserves to be in New York. Perfect place for a tool

 

Your "reasons": "I love Melo... I don't care what the fans want the fact is Melo is better than all three of those players and in my head I'm the GM so I'm doing what is best for the team. . Melo isn't a consistent defender but he when he needs to he can lock his man down and is the most versatile scorer in the league. He can score in any way from any spot on the court."

I don't love Melo, but that's hardly relevant. Melo being better than any one player in your mind, does not equate to him improving a team if you have to give up 3 guys, that combined, make Portland better. Why does Portland need more scoring with an offense that is already one of the best in the entire NBA? Even you agree, Melo doesn't defend. Portland's weakness is defense, and Melo does not address that in any way, shape, or form.

For you to take this, "People don't think past their fantasy basketball rosters, and may God have mercy on your soul", literally, is unfortunate. This isn't a straw man, it is sarcasm (unless you feel your opinion of Melo is related to you salvation). But there is truth to that statement. People advocating for Melo to be a Blazer either won't address, or are unable to address significant barriers to Melo being traded to the Blazers and how the cost to the Blazers for obtaining him make Portland better. Look at the Knicks record. How the heck does that make Portland better to bring anyone from that team to Portland?

You said you gave several reasons why you believe Melo would be a good addition to the roster. I went back, painful as it was, and looked for your reasons, and the more I read, the less hyperbolic I feel my statement was. You want to play GM, you provide poor reasoning for how this helps the Blazers as a team, and you assert your opinion as fact. That is definitely fantasy. So, my apologies for giving you too much credit by adding "basketball" to the fantasy. Unnecessarily specific be your grievance (oh, and if you say it like a pirate of the Caribbean, it's kinda fun).

Portland is headed in the right direction (in your opinion), but they should change the entire line-up with the exception of Lillard and Lopez. This makes about as much sense as a screen door on a submarine.

According to Melo's coach, Anthony is not a superstar, because he doesn't get "superstar calls." Who cares who can't stop him if he can't stop anyone he's defending either? That starting line up you suggested, TRob starting PF? That makes Portland better? Seriously, go back to the trade machine and enjoy yourself... quietly. Maybe take a coloring book and a box of crayons with you.

 

I'm sure you were the same person saying KG would never get a ring, or LeBron in Cleveland or Pierce in Boston. If you can't envision how players might fit together in different circumstances than their current one than what are you even doing in a trade thread except to troll? The team IS good right now but I want them to be the best. Melo is one of several players who could help bring the team to that level. This current roster is the Atlanta Hawks of the aughts

 

Did you just compare KG and LBJ to melo?! Totally different league. They both make their teams better and are unselfish. Something Melo is not.

 

I'm sure I don't care about other teams, or discuss their chances of getting rings. I'm sure I have only been posting here a week or so. I'm sure I made it VERY clear that I CAN see how Melo would fit AND that it would be a HORRIBLE fit. Melo is NOT one of several players who could help bring the team to "that level." And, your analogy to Atlanta is a straw man. I just thought I'd point out an example since you clearly don't understand what a straw man argument is.

 

Melo has made every team he's been on better. The Nuggets had the same record as the Cavs the year before he and LBJ were drafted and he made the playoffs in a tougher western conference. The Knicks have had more success with him than they did with Danillo Gallinarri and Wilson Chandler.

 

Or did he? Denver were still good when he left and New York sucked

And before the trade, New York was riding a damn good winning streak

 

Clearly you just lack vision.

Look, the submarine is good, but I want it to be the best. For that to happen, we need a screen mesh to cover the hatch and keep us safe from flying insects while we're scooting along the bottom of the mariana trench. To pay for this, we'll of course have to get rid of the nuclear warheads and propulsion system, as well as learn how to breath underwater, but lets focus on the big picture. No fucking flies.

 

Which proves what?

That he can score? The Blazers don't need scoring from the kind he provides.

That Melo is better than Gallinarri and Chandler? I would argue that Batum, Matthews, and LA are all individually better than those 2 guys.

That Melo leads teams to titles? What success has NY had with Melo in a weak eastern conference with 3 teams with winning records? Oh, injuries? A stronger argument could be made for the Blazers in that respect over the past few seasons.

Your counter-arguments are not compelling. And again, Melo's perceived success in Denver and NY is a straw man, as you resist to support how that makes the Blazers better. You Melo/Bargnani/Shumpfort is not a move that helps Portland. It quite literally guts the Blazers for a volume shooter. It doesn't solve any of the Blazers' current weaknesses, nor can you explain how that won't drop a giant poo on the Blazers ball movement, unselfish play, and multi-option attack plan.

 

Denver was good because they had a HOF coach with one of the greatest minds in the history of the game who could make all the pieces fit together. They were still out in the first round. NY has made the second round for the first time in 13 years with Melo. A breakdown of that trade from the article I cited earlier, just to refresh everyones memories here:

The Knicks gave up a lot of replaceable role players to acquire Anthony:
• Danilo Gallinari, who has averaged 15.5 points and shot 41.6 percent from the field in 128 games with the Nuggets. He sustained a torn ACL last April.
• Raymond Felton, who is back with the Knicks after disappointing seasons with the Nuggets and Trail Blazers.
• Wilson Chandler, who has averaged 12.3 points in 77 games with Denver.
• Timofey Mozgov, the "deal-breaker," who has been DNP for more than 40 percent of his games as a Nugget, and has averaged 4.7 points in 13 minutes when he has played.
• Eddy Curry, who has played 108 minutes since the trade.
• Anthony Randolph, who has averaged 6.9 points with two teams since the trade.
• Two second-round picks that turned into Quincy Miller and Romero Osby, who between them have played a total of 27 NBA minutes.
• A first-round pick in the 2014 draft, which may turn out to be the most valuable piece surrendered by New York.
Not only did the Knicks receive Anthony, but they also acquired Chauncey Billups, whose contract (via amnesty) enabled them to land Tyson Chandler. So they were able to exchange those role players (whose value had suddenly increased thanks to coach Mike D'Antoni's offensive system) for one of the NBA's most prolific scorers and a championship center.
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20131122/carmelo-anthony-knicks/#ixzz2lQ43iFlw

Getting Melo and Chandler in that deal is a pretty clear win for NY.

 

Then you using melo for nugget success is moot, if you are going to downplay their success when melo was gone. Sorry but melo doesn't make a team better. Maybe on nba jams, where you play 2-2