Re: NBA Regular Season Discussion Thread
What a sandwich:
- Melo holds his opponent to the second lowest PER off all starting SF's in the league so that he plays no D shit is Blue hotorade.
- He has never missed the postseason or has a losing season unlike the others in his class
- He is the best scorer in the league
- He is the best rebounding SF in the game
- His last second shot stats make the other perimeter players in the league look bad
- He is one of the top box office and TV draws in the league behind Kobe, Lebron, Wade, and D12
- He is just 26 years old with no injury history
His biggest fault is that he isn't a playmaker.
If you are the Nets and Knicks you get the damn deal done
Knicks
If you want to think he will sign their this summer you are assuming that he is willing to give up 20mil at the least to play with Gallo as his sub since the guy can't play SG or PF. Chandler's bird rights have to be renounced for them to even make space for him. Curry alone isn't enough to create the cap space for that team. So with that said how is giving Wilson and Gallo up a bad move on their part? How is giving away guys in Randolph and Curry who don't play a bad move?
You can argue about Felton, but lets be real here. Billups is the better player as of right now. Felton had a hot start and Billups had a slow one, but they have come back to their old levels. Billups deal also gives the team far more flexibility. Did I mention that Felton's only playoff experience was get ass fucked by Jameer Nelson and not even attacking back?
As for the so called steaks, who are you talking about? Is it Howard who is looking at the Lakers in 2012? Is it Deron whose CAA agent has already said he want to be back home in Texas? Is it Paul who has never played a full season, has no meniscus, and has talked about wanting to play with Melo?
Nets
Billups either plays well and gets his option picked up, gets bought out for 3mil, or maybe signs for more years and less money. No matter how you slice it he is better than Harris right now who has never helped NJ make the playoffs or even stayed remotely healthy in his time there.
If you plan on being a good team those picks don't matter. You aren't missing out on anything in a weak draft because of the CBA negotiations. You give up a pick from LA (bottom of the 1st round), Houston (outside of the lottery because Denver isn't a playoff team without Melo), Golden State (low teens which is protected), and the Nets themselves (Will be a bottom lotto pick with Melo on that team winning games like he has always done). You stop yourself from having capholds while trying to be a player in the 2012 free agency, which along with Chauncey's current deals structure enables you to have more cash to offer to a top tier free agent and sign veterans looking to be on a contending team.
Harris does have a nice deal but the end results of him in New Jersey have been all but nice. He has been an epic fail replacement PG for Kidd. He is constantly injured, hasn't helped the team get to the playoffs, and was a main piece that resulted in their horrid record last year. This year Favors has gotten undeserved minutes that should have been Troy Murphy's and he has done jack squat with them. He isn't NBA ready and by his own coach's admission he won't be in the next couple of years from watching him play and his habits; that sounds eerily similar to Anthony Randolph and Stromile Swift if you ask me.
You trade away your 2nd best player in Harris after a failed tenure and a guy who is at best your 8th best player in Favors and is already having his level of play and work ethic questioned by the coach. You don't give up your best player in Lopez or the players 3-7 in your rotation to get Carmelo Anthony, a top 10 player in the league, a guy who has never missed the playoffs, a guy who is a box office draw, and is by far the best scorer in the game. You do that damn trade every day of the week if you are in Jersey's current position and have hopes of making a name for yourself for the first time since Kidd left while planning on moving to Brooklyn