Knicks Get Melo: Did they give up too much?
 

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/n...ris&id=6146231

How much is too much for a player of Anthony's calibre? I say they overpaid considering the leverage they had but still ended up making the right move. You give whatever you have to give to land a player like Anthony.

Denver did really well for themselves considering the position that they were in.

They had to get Melo at any costs. Getting a chance at a player of his ability in his prime is rare. They can bulid around him and Amare. They would have been no better then 500 team with those other guys. I think its a great deal for both sides.

To answer the original question, yes they gave up too much. After this season if they are able to sign another player it might turn out to be an okay trade for them. But right now, IMO, not a good trade for them. Rony Turiaf is slated to start for them and they gave up all of their young talent.

The good news is all of the doucher NY fair weather celebs will be on hand to watch a first round exit.

At least Spike Lee, Woody Allen, and Matt Modine have beeen going for years while they sucked.

This trade is so hilariously bad that it almost feels like an April Fool's joke. Isiah Thomas's slimy fingeprints are all over it. His goal of continually destroying the Knicks continues. He never did get over Bernard singlehandedly beating him in that five game series in 1984.....but he sure has gotten his revenge.

Isaiah is very busy coaching FIU Basketball:zz:

Isiah Thomas < The gift that keeps on giving.

The Knicks may be the worst run franchise in sports.

This is comical. Everyone, every Knick fan I know and its at least 30 loves the move. People are realistic and know its not a this year move. Its the next 5-9 years after this move. The other guys are just players. Melo is a star.

I dont agree that you get Carmelo at all costs. He is a great scorer and will thrive in D'antoni's system but with no draft picks, no depth, perhaps a smaller salary cap and two max contract guys to deal with giving up that much to a team with close to zero leverage is criminal.

Felton, Chandler, Randolph and fat boy Curry's contract should have been plenty. If you call his bluff and he winds up elsewhere? So be it. Yeah there will be plenty of excitement in the Garden when Anthony averages 35 a game an the Knicks get torched in the Playoffs

Good long term move for Knicks, they are in position to challenge next year if they can add a piece or two, Denver got the best deal they could but are no longer a force in the west as they will seek to rebuild.

Thanks for sealing the deal, Isiah1985

I think the problem is that he would have ended up with the crosstown (or soon to be) Nets. That would have been a disasterous step back for an organization trying to move forward after a beyond horrible past decade. It's a move that will most likely help this team move forward, generate more excitment around the team and appease a fan base that has started to come back.

As far as if they gave up too much, they probably did. But I think it was necessary because if push came to shove, I really believe that he would have accepted the trade to the Nets so he could get the new extention before the possible new CBA. I think I heard the number being somewhere close to 60 million if he didn't sign it this season. I can't imagine him leaving that much money on the table when he had the opportunity to play for a team in the same area.

Denver got a great haul. Compare what Denver got to what Cleveland got for LeBron.

There was no shot of him signing with the Nets. This isnt baseball where a team like the Yankees can just blow everyone out of the water. The deal he would have signed as a FA is going to be the same regardless of where he went. HE wanted to be traded because he makes more money resigning as a member of a team than as a unrestricted FA. DENVER wanted to trade him because they did not want to wind up like Cleveland. But seriously do you think the Nets would have made a deal for him if they had no guarantee that he would resign with them? The Russian simply played his hand as well as possible by bluffing the crosstown rivals into giving up too much.

I am a Knick fan. I will root for him. But the fact is that he was coming to NY regardless and he could have come to a team that is a lot better than the team he will play on.

Chuck what I was trying to say, was that he would have ok'ed the trade to the Nets and then re-upped with them to get the max. That is if the Knicks decided not to trade for him and just waited for him to hit the FA market, hence him leaving alot of money on the table.

Quoting a liberal to make your point? You are convinced.

I'm not a Knick fan, but if I were, I'd be ambivalent on the deal. Carmelo is a tremendous talent and he/Amare will be the second-best one-two punch in the NBA. But there really isn't much beyond that on the team now. Billups is on the way down, Fields is a roleplayer and Shawne Williams and Turiaf are one-trick ponies. I can't even name any other players on the team.

In order for this trade to be a long-term positive rather than another Isiah-esque shortsighted headline grab, the Knicks will have to continue to be ultra-aggressive in free agency. People may think this means grabbing Chris Paul or Deron Williams, which may indeed happen, but they also need to amass some reliable MLE-type guys this offseason to make it more than a two-man team.

In the end, I think as long as D'Antoni is the coach, this team isn't winning a championship. He's an offensive genius, but his laissez-faire attitude towards defense just isn't conducive to the type of basketball that gets to and wins NBA Finals. I can't recall a team winning a championship in the NBA by playing 120-115 shootouts every game.

I dont think he would have agreed to an extension with NJ. The money difference isnt that much. The knicks absolutely botched this beyond belief. They should have back-channeled to him that we will not give up all our complimentary pieces to trade for you. Ride it out, sign with us and we have a shot to win a championship next year. Winning in NY will make you way more money than the difference between re-upping. Not to mention they could do a sign and trade with Denver AFTER the season like Cleveland and LeBron and Toronto and Bosh did.

The funny thing is LeBron gets blasted but the reality is he manipulated the system to make his team better and took less money. Anthony played the system simply to make more money and weakened his team in the process.

He is a smart liberal who makes sense. Not too many of those to follow.

Anthony is a tremendous scorer but isnt a complete player and IMO they have left too many holes to fill and not enough maneuvering room to get real help. The Chris Paul/Deron Williams thing just isnt going to happen unless everyone agrees to take a lot less money and isnt that the main reason that Anthony and Amare are in NY? Again getting Anthony is great but considering the circumstances I think they gave up far more than they needed to and probably as Silver said have "doomed" themselves into being a 50 win team that probably wont ever win a title. Kind of like a Dallas Mavs of the East.

Exactly why they had to pay up to get him. No one will ever know what was promised and discussed when Carmelo sat down with Prokhorov, but I really think that they were a legitimate threat to get him if the Knicks balked on the trade and insisted on signing him in the off season.
Winning would probably make up the difference and then some money wise, but there ain't no money like gaurenteed max money. Besides winning isn't a sure thing, especially with having to get past the Celts and Heat.

I think this is really what it all comes down to. This team is going to score, but Amare plays little defense and Melo plays less. Even if they add a Paul or Williams next year they aren't going to outscore the better teams in the east and they certainly aren't going to be able to keep up defensively.

Now that Carmelo Watch is over how about Rose Watch? Come on ESPN lets get it!@

I am still not convinced that the Nets bogeyman was ever in the running. I think the Lakers faux offer should have made the Knicks realize that this was all a smokescreen and there logically wasn't any reason that any NBA all-star would willingly choose the Nets unless there was just no other option. I suppose we may never know the real story

Is there any chance whatsoever that Phil Jackson finishes his career as the Knicks coach?

Not unless they are 100% primed to win an NBA title. I think beatings by the Heat, celtics and Bulls would be too much for his ego to take.

People are talking about adding Chris Paul but I don't see how they make that work. Can someone explain?

I can assure they will love it, the fans here have been waiting on Melo to perform post-season and carry the Nugs through for a long time. No dice here, and the current NY team is far worse than this years Nuggets team was and it will look that way. Good riddance.

He could not beat Kobe (basically solo) when he was here. They will never get by those two monsters.

Noah Rose Boozer vs Amare Mello billups..I would take a shot in a series.. Forget what they gave up, are the Knicks significant better suited for the next 5 years today then they were 3 days ago.. Forget the salary cap because if NY is screwed so is Miami Boston etc.

Please stop. This is making me feel worse about this.

Deron Williams reported to Nets DONE DEAL

Gallo has health issues. Chandler is a free agent anyway and hardily the answer, Felton was fine but hardily the long term answer. Whats the big deal the 3 mil? They kept the kid who is likely the best compliment to the two big guys. They need a coach not Gallo and Chandler

Stoudmire has health issues. Why do you think they weren't able to insure his contract.

The point that everyone (and you) seems to be missing is that when you give up all your chips, regardless of how you regard them, you no longer have any hands to play. The entire salary structure of the NBA makes cheap help that performs above league average (like all of the players except the big guy who obviously has not had enough experience to make an impact) very important in not only making up your rotation but having the ability to add further pieces. The Knicks now have tight cap space, very few draft picks of value, virtually no desirable players and a roster full of holes.

Is Miami in a similar boat? Yes BUT they have LeBron James who not only is a far better player than Carmelo or Amare but someone who makes players around him better. The ability of the Knicks management to be able to come up with the type of players that can fill in the holes under the present circumstances is certainly questionable.

Bulls all day. No way Billups could warm Rose up at this point.

The knicks are way better today then they were days ago. The team was 6/12 in there last 18 and the meat of the schedule is upon them. They know have the best 1-4 they have had in a very long time featuring 2 of the best 10 players in the world. They will get Paul in a few years per Paul and since everybody plays by the same cap rules it is what it is. billup expires in two years so either you can off him and his contract late next year or you just play him til the end. Either way its Billup not some bum like Curry, Billups is way better then Felton.

Ok but at least its a series. Rose, Noah, Boozer vs Gallo, Felton and Amare is a kill

You miss the point again. They are not going to be in position to get Paul because they wont have enough money or talent to get him. Obviously the bar has been set and now ALL the top players will want a sign and trade. The Knicks jut dont have the cap space, especially if the cap shrinks in the new agreement, nor do they have anything tangible to pull off a deal for Paul.

The Knicks as currently constructed are not anything more than a 1 round and out team. This fantasy that they will be able to find a good role players for nothing is just that, fantasy.

Plus with al the commotion about player movement the owners may hold out for an NFL style "franchise" tag which will make the Knicks plight even tougher.

Billups is a 35 year old PG who can't guard anyone.

If you had to pick any player in the league to be on your team right now who would it be?


I'd pick Rose. I think he's going to be the most accomplished player in the league once Kobe and Duncan retire. If he were 6'6" with the same athleticism he would be by far the best player right now.

Seriously? You realize the Knicks are playin Ronny Turiaf at Center and will have to play Sheldon Williams 15 minutes a game, more if Anthony, Turiaf or Stoudamire get in foul trouble? They have no back SG that can shoot? They have a 35 year old PG who doesn't guard anyone? Bill Walker wil getting playing time? If this was the Sprite 3 on 3 contest they Knicks would be fine. But since you need at least an 8 man rotation in the system that they play in you realize how weak players 5-8 are?

I'd still take LeBron. Probably Durant next just because no one else his age comes close to the type of player he is.