Put aside my feelings about Melo, I think a trade is inevitable.
I know a lot of y'all will disagree but if I were him I'd probably ask out at the deadline if things aren't going anywhere. I don't think the team or Phil is making it a secret that this is a 2-3 year project at best at this point. While I do like a few moves and think some young guys he's brought in will eventually be NBA caliber players, I think the only NBA ready guys who can realistically help this team fight for a playoff spot are Afflalo, Rolo, O'Quinn and Seraphin. I'll throw Grant into that mix as well but how many rookies can get to that elite level in their rookie year to push a team to the next level? Most of the impact guys are on good teams in good situations, I don't think this is gonna be one of them sadly. As much as a I wanna say those guys can help us get an 8 seed, I really don't think that's a realistic goal.
From Melo's point of view why would he want to put up with this rebuild when he's 31? There's also gonna be a bunch of teams who won't hesitate to take on that contract with the cap going up. I think if the Knicks can find him a winning situation he's gonna jump ship.
I also think it would be fugazy as **** for fans to jump on him if he accepted a trade out of here. Y'all know how I feel about dude but honestly if he wants to win and leaving here is his only option, I got no problems with him leaving. I got other issues with him basketball wise and what not but I can't blame dude for wanting to win while he's in his mid 30s.
Gonna be a really interesting season and important one even if we suck.
Explain to me how getting an 8 seed in the East isnt a realistic goal for Melo to achieve with Lopez, Afflalo, Calderon, Grant, Porzingis, O'Quinn etc. when he got a 2 seed with Chandler, JR Smith, Shumpert, Felton, Kidd/Prigioni, etc. ?
I mean listen, I'm not going to guarantee a playoff birth this season or anything. But to say it is "unrealistic" to think this team can find a way to make the playoffs in this conference, looking at the teams Melo has made the playoffs with in the past, is absurd. I couldnt disagree with that anymore than I do. Making the playoffs this year is not unrealistic. It is basically the expectation. Whether they can achieve it or not remains to be seen but in no way do I think it is unrealistic. If Melo plays the way he is capable of and Fisher coaches this team properly, it is very realistic.
And then as far as Melo, sure this is a 2-3 year project. Nobody is expecting the Knicks to win the championship this season. But that is exactly what Melo signed up for and once again, he has said and done NOTHING to make anyone feel like he wants out of this situation. So you can speculate all you want. But I think there is a huge difference from being 2-3 years away from contending and being 2-3 years away from making the playoffs. Reaching the playoffs should be an immediate goal without a draft pick. It can be done. And if we can achieve that goal we would have a lot of room to grow from their due to player development and cap space.
So you can keep saying this and that but none of it means anything until the season starts and none of it is anything that would catch Melo off guard. Last year was a rebuilding season to the max. We had a draft pick and the team sucked. We used our draft pick, added some capable pieces, and Melo got surgery. Sure, I dont think anyone can blame Melo for asking out if the Knicks have 10 wins at the trading deadline again, but who is to say that is the case?
It's a different team this year. Dude signed a 5 year contract for a reason. He didnt have to and it would have been more profitable for him not to. He is here for the process and he is here to lead and build with this roster. If you think that Melo is going to walk away just because we wont win a championship this year, then you really dont know Melo. Thats not what he does and he has shown that time and time again. Dude had a chance to sign with any contender he wanted last summer. He chose to come back. So the circumstances will likely have to get a lot worse than they are right now for him to leave. And it sure as hell cant be determined if they will or not right now, before we have seen anything.
There is obviously a tipping point. I dont think anybody would fault Melo for asking out if the Knicks are a trainwreck again. But there is a very large middle ground between winning a championship and what we saw last season. Most likely, the Knicks will be somewhere in the middle of that this season. Melo will be the driving force behind how far we go and where this team eventually gets within the next 4 years. And that is EXACTLY what he signed up for.
Like I said, nothing you are saying is any kind of new development until the season starts this year. Why even bring it up? Over artificial media driven trade rumors? Melo has not only not hinted that he wants to be traded, but he hasnt even hinted anything besides absolute loyalty and dedication to this team. With his words AND his actions. Sure, maybe Melo didnt know last season was going to be as bad as it eventually was, but at the end of the day, what the **** is the difference between 30 and 17 wins? We are better off where we are now than had we stumbled our way to a 30 win season.
It was always about this season moving forward. So until the Knicks are a laughing stock of a team again this season, there is nothing to talking about. You are just rehashing old ******** off of ******** trade rumors that dont really exist, and painting a picture of something disastrous that also hasnt happened yet. Basically, you kind of sound like Frank Isola with all that. I mean, I am realistic. If there reaches a point where a Melo/Knicks seperation is the best thing involved for both parties, then we'll cross that road when we get there. But to talk about this right now is outrageous and takes focus away from the season at hand.
All rumors and ******** can quickly be dissolved by winning. You're writing off this team before you have even seen them play. So instead of riding along with these fugazi rumors, lets actually see if this team is capable of winning some games before we talk about trading away our star player who is the player most responsible for winning to happen. Especially when we dont even have a draft pick to capitalize from a losing season.
To seriously say you want to trade Melo right now, before he has even played a ******* preseason game with this turned around roster is not only absurd, it is completely irrational and illogical. Trading Melo right now would be an absolute unmitigated disaster. It would take away from everything we did this summer. And he doesnt even want to ******* go. So again, why bring it up? What is there to even talk about? Why are we talking about this? You could say this has nothing to do with your feelings for Melo, but haters gonna hate, even when it doesnt make sense to.