Idea: Carmelo to the Raptors!

[Hotshot]

Melo is a douche, he wanted to be in the big apple and getting payed knowing this team will suck for a few years while still run by a crazy owner who acts like a GM when he feels like it.

Big mistake not signing with Chicago.

[raptors999]

Carmelo to the Raptors if Carmelo only wants 5 million a year on a two year contract if possible....

As long as the second year is a team option. He can replace GV for 1.5M less

[tonious35]

Carmelo to the Raptors if Carmelo only wants 5 million a year on a two year contract if possible....

[tonious35]

Masai traded his ass away before, are you forcing him to trade Carmello away again for shits and giggles?

[Bendit]

Casey would have a love affair with Melo...he'd get the pre-eminent ISO player for the ages...and a veteran as well. OMG.

[Scraptor]

According to the Casey-haters, that is our system, unless you're talking about someone who they dislike maybe more than Casey (i. e. Melo) and who would fit that supposed system perfectly, in which case it's not our system.

Whoosh.

[3inthekeon]

Isn't our system isos and midrange jumpers? Melo would fit perfectly lol!

According to the Casey-haters, that is our system, unless you're talking about someone who they dislike maybe more than Casey (i. e. Melo) and who would fit that supposed system perfectly, in which case it's not our system.

[GuiJaeger]

Just his ability, what he's capable to do in offense. For entertainment purposes, I admit. I'd reckon he would be nerve-racking if I had to emotionally invest in his game.

[Joey]

I love watching Melo play. And I think he could be gettable. But I would only do it if it's a robbery-type deal. If you have to give up anything of real value for him, I wouldn't risk it, for all of the aforementioned problems he represents (defence, diva status, etc).

What do you love about watching him play exactly?

[jacobdr4]

Melo would not fit in our system

Isn't our system isos and midrange jumpers? Melo would fit perfectly lol!

[Scraptor]

I hate Melo. I think he's one of the most overrated players of the last decade.

[GuiJaeger]

I love watching Melo play. And I think he could be gettable. But I would only do it if it's a robbery-type deal. If you have to give up anything of real value for him, I wouldn't risk it, for all of the aforementioned problems he represents (defence, diva status, etc).

[Joey]

Masai trades away Melo. Not for. He'd never do it.

[planetmars]

NY media at its finest.. one report says he'd give up his no-trade clause.. another report says he wouldn't. It's all hogwash. The Knicks suck, and the media needs to write about something.

Either way, if Melo is traded it's to a team with a "superstar". I can see Brooklyn being an ideal landing spot for him. He still plays in NY but just a different locale. Could trade Melo for JJ and Plumlee .. and then Melo will get to play with Deron.

I just don't think Dolan would ever agree to it though.

Melo is a big time talent though.. could see him doing well in Toronto. We play a lot of ISO ball anyway so it won't be that big of a change. Would have to trade DD though or else it would become the Rudy+DD show all over again. The chances it happens will be extremely low though.

[TheWaterboy]

Given that Fisher's insistence on making the Knicks play better defence, I don't see Melo waiving his no-trade clause in order to go to a Casey-coached team and its insistence on a team defensive identity, especially since he would either need to be sharing touches with Demar and Kyle when playing with the starters, or be constantly fighting to be the shoot-first alpha dog when Greivis and Lou are on the floor. And I doubt the Knicks are willing to risk the ire of their fans by dealing with the Raptors again, even if our offer is the best offer available, especially since Melo is even more important to the psyche of their fans right now than Vince was to the psyche of ours when the Raptors traded him.

All that being said, however, if you can make that deal for, say, expiring salaries, Bebe or Deandre, and a first-rounder, and keep your core intact, you have to consider it. Melo at PF with Demar and Kyle as established star-level players and Ross and JV as up-and-comers is one rip-roaring starting lineup; Greivis, Lou, James Johnson, PPat and a player to be named later (or combination of spot duty from the starters) is a top-five second unit in the league. (If we keep Amir Johnson rather than rolling him into the trade, that's arguably the best second unit in the league.)

The bottom line is this: if you make that deal, you're gambling on Anthony buying in to the system's values, putting in a solid effort on defense and keeping his ego in check, and that is not a sure thing by any stretch. On the other hand, the payoff if the high-risk move paid off would be enormous: a contender-level starting lineup and four-fifths of a contender-level bench in place for this year and the next, with important pieces in place for even longer. I'd probably pull the trigger, knowing that we have the talent to keep him on a tighter leach than JV has had (especially once Demar gets back) and that some other will be willing to take a chance on him if we simply can't make him fit here.