The super Melo to Portland thread + The Big Blockbuster

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Should the Blazers puruse Carmelo Anthony?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Not No but Hell No

Results are only viewable after voting.
pretty much what's been thought all along, it'll be New York or Portland.
 
dviss1 said:
Bumping this with actual Carmelo news.

QUICK!!! SOMEBODY GO POST THIS AT CLUTCHFANS!!

Report: Carmelo Anthony trade talks between Knicks, Rockets have stagnated

The Knicks and Rockets have been closely linked to a deal involving Carmelo Anthony all summer long. With Anthony having a no-trade clause in his contract, he can control his destination, and the only team he wants to play for is Houston. The Rockets and Knicks have so far struggled to get additional teams that can help make the deal work.

As a result, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, talks between Houston and New York have become "dormant" as of late despite the two sides re-igniting those talks recently. With no deal in sight, Anthony and the Knicks have accepted that they will be together once again at training camp.

"Carmelo Anthony right now, those talks have been fairly dormant between Houston and New York. The Rockets have tried to find third, fourth teams to help facilitate a deal with Carmelo Anthony. They haven't been able to do that. Both sides are prepared for the fact that Melo may have to go to camp."

Houston, in many ways, doesn't need Anthony if it wants to compete in the Western Conference. They made the conference semifinals last season with only James Harden and the Rockets used this summer to add Chris Paul next to him. Anthony would certainly help them, but they aren't in dire need of him. This gives them a lot of leverage in trade talks, but it sounds like it's on them to find a third or fourth team.

The Knicks, on the other hand, are once again stuck with a player that they don't seem to want around. Anthony has become disgruntled over the last few seasons with former president Phil Jackson getting involved in a very public feud with Anthony. The relationship feels beyond repair at this point, but with Anthony's insistence on playing in Houston the two sides are going to have to make it work for now.
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Clutchfans already created a cheerful narrative for stories like this: "Nothing is likely to happen until training camp, or maybe the trade deadline or it might even be a buyout after the deadline. We only need him for the playoffs anyway! We're still going to be the best!"

After the trade deadline, they also expect Wade to be bought out and to sign with them for the minimum to come off the bench. It's a happy life when you're delusional.
 
This is a much more interesting column about 'Melo.

http://nypost.com/2017/08/23/carmelo-anthony-to-cavaliers-not-as-farfetched-after-big-trade/

Carmelo Anthony to Cavaliers not as farfetched after big trade

When the Cavaliers talked to the Knicks about Kyrie Irving, Cleveland brass had no interest in discussing Carmelo Anthony. Kristaps Porzingis was their lone focus.​

Whether that changes after the blockbuster trade that sent Irving to the Celtics, with the Cavaliers emerging with more assets than anyone imagined, remains to be seen. As does whether Anthony, who has a no-trade clause, will have renewed interest in playing with LeBron James — even if it is for one season.

Anthony claims to be “at peace,’’ but he must be getting antsy after watching Irving get his wish and Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Chris Paul each get traded, too.

The Irving chaos and James’ reported wish to bolt Cleveland after the season turned Anthony’s main focus toward Houston. But the Cavaliers came out of the Irving fiasco looking more formidable than ever by adding explosive point guard Isaiah Thomas, defensive forward Jae Crowder and the rights to the Nets’ potential lottery pick next June.

The gritty Crowder can’t be traded for 60 days — until Oct. 22, but the Knicks consider him an attractive piece. Now that Cleveland has secured the Nets’ pick, under NBA rules it is permitted to trade its own 2018 first-rounder.

Also, with Phil Jackson gone, it’s not as farfetched for the Knicks to consider taking back Iman Shumpert, who had been looking at a change of scenery, too. Shumpert was the Knicks’ first-round pick in 2011. Still, many league sources believe the salary-cap mathematics for an Anthony trade still will be tough to pull off with Cleveland.

Anthony probably should be playing it year-to-year at this stage and age (33). Even if James leaves following the season, Anthony, too, has an opt-out clause after 2017-18 to perhaps follow James to Los Angeles.

While James lobbied management for an Anthony trade in-season, he seems more focused on reuniting with Dwyane Wade, who could be bought out by the Bulls soon.

The chance of Anthony being bought out anytime soon by the new Knicks front office headed by president Steve Mills is slim.

The Knicks are bracing for Anthony’s return with training camp less than five weeks away. Coach Jeff Hornacek reportedly attended one of Anthony’s recent training sessions at the Lifetime Athletic gym he owns in a midtown high-rise.

Nevertheless, if the Knicks can’t find a deal by the trade deadline in February and are out of the playoff race, some NBA insiders feel the club could be willing to buy Anthony out if they receive a substantial savings. That would include making Anthony forgo his 2018-19 option year.

If the Knicks were to waive Anthony outright in February with no buyout agreement, that final option year would count on their cap in the summer of 2018.

As a February free agent, Anthony would then have a chance to sign on with Houston or Cleveland with plenty of time to get acclimated for the playoffs.

That James is now surrounded by enough to make the Finals has to make Anthony consider putting Cleveland back on his radar screen. Unless, that is, Anthony has inside information James truly would consider the Knicks over the Lakers in 2018.​
 
PtldPlatypus said:
Whether that changes after the blockbuster trade that sent Irving to the Celtics, with the Cavaliers emerging with more assets than anyone imagined, remains to be seen.
Click to expand...

This is actually reasonably plausible, if Melo decides Cleveland is cool. Crowder and a first round pick, plus some salary filler, is a proposal that the Knicks might be amenable to. I actually think that would be a poor deal for Cleveland, as they give up the two-way wing they've needed forever to get a one-dimensional ball-dominant scorer when they already have two ball-dominant scorers. Of course, I'm not the biggest Melo fan at this stage of his career, as might have become obvious.
 
dviss1 said:
A comment on the above link:

"And now breaking news from Nothing Happeningland, let's go to Chris Barnewell. What's the latest, Chris?

There's nothing happening.

Thank you, Chris."

:biglaugh:
Click to expand...

Your welcome....oh that chris
 
Quoted by LuckyShot:

Just doing my part to keep the thread alive.


How good could the Portland Trail Blazers’ offense be with Carmelo Anthony?

Last season, the Portland Trail Blazers finished 8th in the Western Conference with a 41-41 record, barely making the playoffs. As of right now, they are a mediocre playoff team unable to contend for a championship. However, acquiring Carmelo Anthony could change that. Reports that Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are attempting to convince Anthony to waive his no-trade clause to come to Portland have been floating for weeks.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Lillard and McCollum have “done a good job of recruiting” Anthony, and videos have surfaced of McCollum playing pickup with Anthony in New York. The Trail Blazers are definitely a dark horse candidate to land Anthony. If they acquire Anthony, their offense would certainly be difficult to stop. In the year prior, a four-man combination of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and Noah Vonleh outscored their opponents by 10.5 points. If the Trail Blazers were able to keep these four and obtain Anthony, their offense could be historically great.

During the previous season, Anthony was better in catch & shoot situations than he was in isolation. When he was catching and shooting the ball, he averaged 6.3 points per game on 44.8% shooting, and while in isolation, he averaged 5.2 points per game on 44.2% shooting. This difference doesn’t seem to be that significant. However, on the Trail Blazers, Anthony would have more catch & shoot opportunities and better shot selection because of their multiple offensive weapons and floor spacing. He would move without the ball more often and get open more easily. For example, if Lillard or McCollum were to drive to the basket, the defense would rotate towards them, leaving Anthony either in a position to catch and shoot or give him a wide-open look. Additionally, Anthony shot 43.5% from the corner three last year, while he shot 35.9% at the three regularly. On the Knicks, Anthony was the focal point of the offense, so it was rare to see him in the corner. With the Trail Blazers, Anthony can allow Lillard or McCollum to run the offense to set him up for the corner three.

Last year, Lillard shot 44.4% overall and 37% from three per game. In catch & shoot situations, Lillards field goal percentages shot up to 46.3% overall and 42.9% from three. As the point guard, Lillard is seldom in catch & shoot situations. Because Anthony, possibly one of the greatest offensive small forwards of all time, attracts so much attention on the offensive end, the defense would sag off Lillard, who would have more leeway to catch and shoot. When running a pick & roll, Lillard averaged 11.2 points per game, which accounts for nearly 41.5% of his scoring average. He likes to attack the basket. Now imagine if Anthony started setting picks for Lillard. This would be a daunting task for even the best defenders in the league. Do you allow Lillard to drive all way to the hoop or make a play? Or do you give Anthony space to shoot the ball? A pick & roll with Lillard and Anthony would throw defenses into confusion and force them to pick their poison. In the previous season, McCollum had a 48% field goal percentage on 1441 field goal attempts, which is insanely good for a shooting guard. He was already incredibly efficient. With Anthony, McCollum would obviously take less shots but trade them for better ones. McCollum could potentially become more efficient because the presence of Anthony on the offensive end would allow McCollum to take better shots and operate more freely.

If the Trail Blazers are able to obtain Anthony, they would become a contender in the Western Conference, up there with Golden State. Their offense would be similar to if not better than that of the Rockets last season. With Anthony, the Trail Blazers offense would be nearly impossible to stop.

FTFY
 
Minstrel said:
I just played a Blazers season in Double Dribble, with Melo edited in. We went 82-0, every game a blowout.

Can someone tweet this to Melo? Or to CJ, so he can pass it along.
Click to expand...

Didn't it get old playing the Washington Generals 82 times in a row?
 
Strenuus said:
I appreciate you trying to help this become the #1 replied thread...

But what the hell, man?
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I think he's implying that Melo should be on one of the big 3 teams because he's old and stiff just like everyone else in that league. :P
 
This feels like the week that decisions will have to be made by the Blazers. I think NO has been holding off making his final roster adjustments up until now, waiting for this Carmelo thing to play out. But now he has to decide what to do with Connaughton by Thursday and there's only a month until camp. Seems like time to poop or get off the pot. Might this be the week that finally sees this thread die?
 
e_blazer said:
This feels like the week that decisions will have to be made by the Blazers. I think NO has been holding off making his final roster adjustments up until now, waiting for this Carmelo thing to play out. But now he has to decide what to do with Connaughton by Thursday and there's only a month until camp. Seems like time to poop or get off the pot. Might this be the week that finally sees this thread die?
Click to expand...

Nope. He'll renegotiate a new "cut by" date with Connaughton and we keep going.

No sleep til Melo.
 
Minstrel said:
Nope. He'll renegotiate a new "cut by" date with Connaughton and we keep going.

No sleep til Melo.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing, but I think it's getting too close to camp for Pat to agree to that. If he still has NBA aspirations, he needs to catch on with a team.
 
e_blazer said:
I was thinking the same thing, but I think it's getting too close to camp for Pat to agree to that. If he still has NBA aspirations, he needs to catch on with a team.
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He may not have realistic aspirations with another team. His strategy may be, "Hang on with the Blazers as long as possible and, if they don't find someone better, I might get another season."

I don't know. Maybe he thinks he'd catch on with another team--if so, then yeah, a new cut-by date isn't realistic.
 
Minstrel said:
He may not have realistic aspirations with another team. His strategy may be, "Hang on with the Blazers as long as possible and, if they don't find someone better, I might get another season."

I don't know. Maybe he thinks he'd catch on with another team--if so, then yeah, a new cut-by date isn't realistic.
Click to expand...

Now that Crabbe's been traded, it could be that the Blazers will just sign Pat to a reasonable contract and hold off on any other moves.
 
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