The Importance Of Shooting Threes
Aug 26, 2010 2010 Offseason, Offense
The Nets offensive woes from last year have been well documented on NAS, but for those of you who still aren’t in shell shock from the 2009-10 campaign, I wanted to revisit the team’s three point shooting performance. At .314 percent, the Nets ranked second-to-last in the league on treys, and while there were a number of reasons why the Nets ranked last in the league in offensive efficiency, they’re inability to hit much from behind the arc was certainly a contributor and something the front office has very forcefully addressed in their player acquisitions this summer.
Anthony Morrow is one of the best sharpshooters in the league, while Troy Murphy may be one of the NBA’s better shooting PFs. However, Jordan Farmar and Travis Outlaw also bring respectable shooting to the team. And while I’m sure you’ve heard this before, I’d like to point the many advantages of having legit shooters in the NBA: it spaces the floor better for your big men in the post while preventing defenses from settling into monotonous zone defenses – something that repeatedly did the Nets in during their close games last year.
So how much better are the Nets at shooting threes? By looking at just how their new acquisitions performed last year, the answer is: miles and miles better. Collectively, the current Nets roster shot 37 percent from three last year, which would have placed them 6th in the league based on overall percentage. It’s difficult to gauge if those shooters could have replicated those numbers in the Nets system last year – keep in mind that Courtney Lee went from a 40 percent shooter in Orlando to a 34 percent shooter with the Nets – but it’s a good indication as to how much more improved the Nets are in that one area.
It’s also worth noting that good three-point shooting does not guarantee success in the NBA – Toronto and Golden State were both in the top 6 last year. But look at some of the other teams near the top in this statistic – Phoenix (1st), Cleveland (2nd), Orlando (3rd) and Dallas (5th). So it obviously only helps, especially if they’re able to accomplish other things on offense besides launching treys.
As a fan, these numbers are also reassuring that the front office has developed a legitimate strategy for improving the team on offense. While the Nets didn’t acquire the “best” player at any one position, outside of Johan Petro, all of the new acquisitions have long range shooting skills and an offensive system can be built around that, especially with Brook Lopez in the middle.
Daily Link: The Importance of Chemistry
Aug 23, 2010 2010 Offseason, Daily Link
The Nets may lack a true superstar, but Jason Schreier of Real GM thinks the Nets could building something successful with something more important than a Carmelo Anthony-type player: chemistry. Schreier compares the Nets to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who went from one of the worst team’s in the league to a near first round upset of the World Champion Lakers last year:
With Avery Johnson running the team, the Nets might be able to achieve similar results. The team’s exceptionally talented young players – Lopez, Williams, Favors – need to be given the time and space to develop alongside more experienced players like Harris and Murphy. Locker room problems like former guard Chris Douglas-Roberts need to be zapped immediately, and the Nets should seek out vets who are known for teamwork, like Grant Hill or Shane Battier.
I love the positivity, but keep in mind that OKC has one of the best players in basketball with Kevin Durant. OKC didn’t need to import a superstar because they already had one. Is Derrick Favors that superstar for the Nets? It’s going to be a while before we know, but I still think the Nets need to take advantage of their assets and cap flexibility if the right player comes along.
Nets Of the Round Table: OVERDOSE!
Aug 20, 2010 2010 Offseason, Nets of the Round Table
Obviously, this is a New Jersey Nets blog, however, the NAS crew absolutely love the NBA in general. So, every week, Sebastian, Mark, Devin, and myself will answer questions regarding the L.
I’m sitting out this week, but my NAS colleagues kicked major derriere on the questions below. – DV
1) List in order the teams (New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, and Houston Rockets) that have the best shot of acquiring Carmelo Anthony and what the winning bid (players traded to the Denver Nuggets) would be.
Sebastian: I am going to have to say the Rockets. They have a combination of what you need to trade for a star player. They have a lot of young talent at the Small Forward position (Chase Budinger and Shane Battier – who is expiring), and they have a ton of trade exceptions. Plus Daryl Morey seems to be a guy who can pull this thing off.
The Nets simply don’t have enough to make the contracts match up. The only tradable contract that they have is Devin Harris, and the Nuggets don’t really need a point guard.
Mark: Based purely on possible assets to trade I would say Nets, Rockets and Knicks. The Nets are obviously loaded with young, affordable talent on the NBA level and first and second round draft picks. If a guy like Terrence Williams continues to evolve into the player he was at the end of last season, perhaps Denver can be enticed with a package centered around him, Golden State’s first rounder we acquired for Marcus Williams and Troy Murphy’s expiring, though I’m guessing Denver will want at least Derrick Favors and/or Devin Harris (I’m sure they’ll also ask for Brook Lopez, but that’s not happening). With that being said, the whole point of importing a player like Anthony is to improve your core of players and become a title contender and if the Nets have to trade Harris or Favors to do that, I don’t know if there’s enough depth on this roster to reach that point. And consider if Anthony wants to leave Denver because he doesn’t see them as a long-term title contender, why would he come to New Jersey to be a perennial 5th seed in the Eastern Conference? And obviously the Nets don’t do any deals if Melo doesn’t sign an extension. As per my quota let me just throw in that if the Knicks think a deal around Eddy Curry and the Rooster is going to get Denver interested, they’re nuts.
Devin: I’m not going to keep falling for the New York media circus. They’ve just been wrong too many times about who’s lining up to play at “The Mecca.” (I’ve been to both venues many times. The Prudential Center is better.) Since the Rockets are an inexplicable choice to me (seriously, Houston? How random is that? Did their fans even think about the possibility of getting Melo? Did Morey? Who knew?), I’m going to have to go with the order they were given – Nets first, Knicks second, Rockets third. As for a straight-up Denver-NJ trade, the only thing that makes sense for the Nets to give up is Harris+T-Will+Hump+3mil+picks – but the Nuggets already have Billups & Lawson, which makes a trade for Harris’s long-term deal unlikely.
Because of that, I think the thing that makes the most sense for the Nuggets is to deal him for as many expiring contracts as possible. Check out this three-team deal I thought of last night. NJ sends T-Will and Humphries to Denver; Devin Harris to Detroit. Detroit sends Tayshaun Prince to Denver. Denver sends Melo to NJ. Denver gets $14 million in expiring contracts (including a starting-quality SF to bridge the gap) and a talented young piece to build with in Williams for a guy who’s going to leave anyway. Detroit gets depth that it sorely lacks and desperately needs at the PG position at a decent price for four years. New Jersey gets Carmelo Anthony without having to give up Lopez or Favors. If the clock is ticking, I can’t see any of the three teams saying no.
Nets Of the Round Table: Collison, Ariza, Winners of the Trade
Aug 13, 2010 2010 Offseason, Nets of the Round Table, Trade
Obviously, this is a New Jersey Nets blog, however, the NAS crew absolutely love the NBA in general. So, every week, Sebastian, Mark, Devin, and myself will answer questions regarding the L.
1) Is Darren Collison the PG answer the Pacers have been looking? Project his production for next season.
Sebastian: Yes, he is going to be the answer for the Pacers. He turned the ball over a ton last year, even for a rookie, but with the Pacers determined to move T.J. Ford, this is going to be Collison’s show to run the entire year, good or bad. He will struggle early on, but during the end of the season and two years from now, he will shine.
Mark: Collison was quite the pleasant surprise last season for NOLA and I’m shocked that they got rid of him with the Chris Paul situation so precarious. I think he’s going to be a huge plus for Indy. Predicting his number is tough business, but if he starts every day as expected, I can easily see a 16 and 8 season from him.
Devin: I think so. I’m not really sure how he fits in Indiana’s offense (since I flat-out don’t know much about Indiana’s offense in the first place), but he was certainly very exciting and turned a lot of heads when CP3 was out and he’s always been known as a talented asset. However, he seemed to be playing too fast for his own good a lot of the time – my guess is that it was due to the pressure of being Chris Paul’s replacement. If he can control the ball a little more effectively – it’s hard to forget his near-triple double of 25 points, 9 assists, and 10 turnovers – chances are he can make a big splash in Indiana.
DV: I’m a huge fan of Collison and definitely think he’s the PG answer for the Pacers. He’s quick, has excellent court vision, and can play defense. No matter the personnel around him, it’s hard not to have his talent mesh with any offense unless Larry Brown is running it or it’s the triangle offense which isn’t as friendly to point guards. I think it’s a good move for Larry Bird and the Pacers and think Collison will average 17 and 8.
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Daily Link: What’s Up With Rod Thorn? And Mannix Responds to NAS
Aug 13, 2010 2010 Offseason, Daily Link, Rod Thorn
Former Nets President Rod Thorn was introduced yesterday as President of the Philadelphia 76ers stunning many around the league who didn’t realize Thorn would be so quick to take on a new job after mysteriously leaving the Nets last month.
Thorn continues to say there’s no ill will towards his old team and there are no nefarious reasons for his leaving:
“I was never retired,” Thorn said Thursday. “I just retired with the Nets.”
Still seems like something is up to me. And the timing of Thorn’s announcement couldn’t have been worse. So I wish him well, but not the best if that makes sense.
***
In other news, earlier this week, I ripped on SI’s Chris Mannix for giving the Nets a C- in his off-season report primarily because they weren’t doing enough to conserve cap space. My point was that after the signings of Travis Outlaw, Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro and Anthony Morrow, the Nets still had a ton of financial flexibility while only barely passing the NBA mandated threshold for minimum team salary.
Totally expecting my opinion to enter the void of the interwebs, I was shocked to see a response from Mannix yesterday. For starters, I give total kudos to Chris for addressing my criticism publicly and not dismissing it as the rantings of some mouth breathing superfan. However, after reading his defense, I still think his argument has major holes:
My problem isn’t the money; it is the number of years over which the money is being paid. You want to give Petro $3.5 million per year? Fine. I mean, you have to wonder why the Nuggets, who were practically ready to hold open tryouts for a big man most of the summer, weren’t interested in re-signing him, but whatever. You want to hand Outlaw $7 million annually? The Blazers traded him and the Clippers weren’t in any rush to bring him back, but I’ll buy that too. And $4 million on average for Farmar? Sure, go ahead.
It’s the lengths of the contracts that are ridiculous. Five years for Outlaw. Three for Petro and Farmar. It’s true, none of these contracts put the Nets over the cap, and with newly acquired Troy Murphy and Kris Humphries coming off the books next season, New Jersey will likely have $20-plus million to spend.
But when you are rebuilding a team from the ground up, maintaining as much financial flexibility as possible is the key.
I get it, and in a vacuum, Mannix is right, but the problem is, in this bizarre off-season where guys like Drew Gooden and Darko Milicic were getting crazy deals, who were these players being signed for 1-2 year deals that would have also kept the Nets mildly competitive? The Nets could have went out and signed a bunch of D-Leaguers to 1-year deals and then they would have been dealing with the min. salary threshold again. They could have traded the last of their assets for a bunch of expiring contracts and then be faced with the same problem with rebuilding an entire roster next summer.
At the end of the day, after the Troy Murphy deal, the Nets are going to have more than enough money off the books to procure a game changing player via free agency next summer while also having 8 players from this year’s roster still under contract with experience playing together. The Nets missed out on their superstar, but have gone out and acquired a batch of young players who seem to tie-in to a specific system so they can grow together and be ready for the day that the Nets CAN acquire a superstar either via trade or free agency. I’m comfortable with this style of team building and I just don’t see how Mannix sees this as spending for spending sake. If he gave the Nets a C- and left it at the Nets whiffed on the big FAs and didn’t get the #1 pick, there’s no arguments for me. But by trying to add some depth to his reporting, I feel Mannix is still exposing his lack of insight about the Nets’ specific situation – which is understandable with many of these national writers who are paid to follow the Celtics, Lakers and Heat, not the Nets.
TrueHoop round-table on four-team blockbuster
Aug 12, 2010 2010 Offseason, Courtney Lee, Trades, Troy Murphy
On Wednesday afternoon, the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, Indiana Pacers, and New Jersey Nets pulled off a four-team blockbuster, swapping several key contributors.Rahat Huq of Red94, Ryan Schwan of Hornets247, Tim Donahue of 8 points, 9 seconds, and Sebastian Pruiti of Nets are Scorching got together to provide assessments of the outgoing players from their respective ballclubs.
Rahat Huq (Red94) on Trevor Ariza: I’ve written a comprehensive series of essays on Trevor Ariza entitled ‘Assessing Ariza,’ evaluating his strengths, weaknesses, and player potential. (Parts 1, 2, and 3)
In short, he’s an ideal role-player who thrives off the ball, spotting up or using his superior athleticism to slash to the basket. Now having the benefit of playing next to Chris Paul, I expect Ariza to return to form from his playoff run with the Lakers – he really took off after the acquisition of Kevin Martin; Ariza is at his best playing next to dominant players.
If you’re hoping Trevor will grow into his physical gifts and emerge as a primary option, you’re going to be disappointed. While a capable ball-handler against light pressure, he doesn’t have the handles to create for himself off the dribble. He also has extremely poor footwork and body control. Even worse, Ariza has an oddly inflated sense of entitlement–possibly due to his Lakers pedigree–leading him to force bad shots and make poor decisions; Ariza struggles when needing to think on the basketball court.
The issue of Ariza’s defense is a contentious one. His reputation precedes him, but his is a reckless, instinctual approach, garnering him gaudy steals totals but often leaving his teammates scrambling to rotate after blown coverage. Still, this manner can be conducive to forcing tempo if that’s your cup of tea.
All in all, assuming expectations remain reasonable, I think the Hornets will be very pleased next year with Trevor Ariza. While his struggles with the Rockets are well documented, playing next to Chris Paul is a situation tailor-made for a player of Trevor’s skillset and abilities – in returning to his former role with the Lakers (next to a superstar guard), I think Trevor will really thrive.
Ryan Schwan (Hornets247) on Darren Collison: After watching him for a season, I’m comfortable claiming that Darren Collison is the proud owner of the “fastest man in the NBA” title. When he played, the Hornets pace increased by five posessions, as he exploded up court every chance he could. Considering the heavy-footed players he was dragging with him up the court, it is a pretty amazing feat.
Collison started off his rookie season pretty rough, shooting poorly from deep, and struggling valiantly to figure out how to score over the faster, taller atheletes he met in the paint. In fact, for the first month, a pick and roll run by Collison typically had very little going for it. That all changed, however, when Chris Paul went down. Given long minutes, constant coaching by Paul, and confidence that never seemed to waver, Collison started deploying a stutter step and mid-range pull up jumper that made him deadly on the pick and roll by the end of February. His long-range shot, which was amazing in college, began to settle in, and soon he was deadly from three, both as a spot-up shooter, and as a guy who could pull up off the dribble and knock it down.
As a passer, Collison is excellent in the open court, solid at the pick and roll, but tends to struggle in the pick and pop. He’s great at driving into the paint and laying the ball off to a big man for a dunk or finding the roller, but when he has to find the open men on the perimeter, he still struggles. As a result, though he gets a lot of assists, he also gets a lot of turnovers. He also has the tendency to be called for a carry once or twice a game, though that was fading by the end of last season.
Defensively is where Collison has his biggest problems. He makes Allen Iverson look fat – and unlike mighty mouse Chris Paul, he’s also not physically strong at all. That leaves him to be exploited terribly in post ups last year, and because of his lightness, a good screen or series of screens can take him out the picture on defense despite his recovery speed.
As a team leader, Collison was remarkable. He was barking commands to veterans like Okafor and David West from the start of the season. On more than one occassion I saw him get on teammates for not being where they were supposed to be. He’s intelligent, knows how to get a team into its offense, and it shows. He’s also cold-blooded. He had two game-winning shots last season, and another three that put a nail in a run the other team was making to come back. He doesn’t shy from that big shot – and he has a decent track record of making it.
In the end, I feel Collison will be an exciting-as-hell, explosive scorer in the mold of Tony Parker, and most nights will outscore his opponent. At the same time, I’d also expect his opponent to regularly score more than is usual.
Tim Donahue (8 points, 9 seconds) on Troy Murphy:
Offensively – The short answer is that Murph is a 6?11? Steve Kerr. He is an extremely efficient scorer, and serves as a safety valve for the offense. I can see him being a very nice player with your personnel, offensively, as he is a low-usage guy. The Pacers use him to float at the top of the key, and he took all but like 10 of his three’s from the arc (very few corner threes). He has no post game to speak of, and he’s a solid passer, but not a great high post guy. He does a good job of reading his defender, and is very good at reading the closeout, putting the ball on the floor and finishing at the rim. He doesn’t get many offensive rebounds because of (a) where he plays and (b) his lack of footspeed, but could get more if he played closer to the basket. However, I think you’d be an absolute fool to play him – offensively – in any other way than the way O’Brien used him. Look at his eFG and TS numbers the last three years under Obie vs. his time in GS. He plays completely within his skill set (almost to a fault), and I have never – never – seen a guy with better shot selection than Troy. Very, very nice complementary shooter to have on your team.
Defensively – He is definitely a liability, and that is because he’s slow and physically weak. He gets lots of defensive rebounds, but he doesn’t really control the glass the way most guys who pull down the volume of boards he gets. He is not a block out guy, but has a good nose for the ball. One-on-one he will never be better than, well, bad, but he can learn and will follow team defensive concepts. In other words, if the opponent decides to target him, then he’ll get beaten, but he won’t blow defensive team schemes. Overall, your team’s defensive performance will drag when he’s on the floor.
Lockerroom & Fit – He appears likable enough, but not really a presence. Seems to get along with everybody well enough. There were rumors last year that he wasn’t happy about Hansbrough eating into his playing time, but they were way external to the organization and I never believed them. As far as fitting with your big guys, he should be a great fit with both Lopez and Favors offensively, and probaly a poor fit defensively with Lopez, but pretty good with Favors – assuming I’ve got a reasonable handle on their respective games.
Here’s the most important part – you can’t look at the 14 & 11 and think he’s that traditional double-double guy. He is very much someone who accentuates his positives, but doesn’t improve on his negatives. He is not a physical player, at all. He is who he is, but that can be a good thing. Assuming Avery doesn’t choke on his defense, I suspect he’ll love the guy because he is perhaps the most reliably consistent player I’ve seen in three+ decades of watching the NBA. He will hit shots, he will get some boards, and he will suck on defense. He will score, but he is a safety valve – not a primary or secondary option. It sounds strange, but I think coaches like that because it’s something they don’t have to worry about. They put him out there, and work on everything else. This is why he can have some big games and not really make a difference. He’s kind of a like an offensive lineman. He can have a great individual game, but if the rest of the line sucks, it won’t matter. At the same time, if he’s great and the rest of the line is great, nobody will notice him.
Sebastian Pruiti (Nets are Scorching) on Courtney Lee:Courtney Lee is a guy I like and with Avery Johnson coming to New Jersey, I thought he was the perfect Avery Johnson guy. He shoots the three ok (last years numbers are too low for his shooting ability in my honest opinion), he can penetrate and get out and run, but where he is most valuable is on the defensive end. Courtney is both a very good one on one and team defender, and he works very hard on that end. Lee doesn’t have a high ceiling (and that is why I suspect that the Nets held onto Terrence Williams), and the player he is now is the player he will be years from now. That’s not a bad thing, but there is very little room for him to grow.
Thoughts On The Troy Murphy Deal
Aug 12, 2010 2010 Offseason, Troy Murphy
Yesterday, the Nets were involved in a four team deal that sent Courtney Lee to Houston, while receiving Troy Murphy. The other two teams involved in the deal were the Pacers (who got Darren Collison and James Posey) and the New Orleans Hornets (who got Trevor Ariza). I, like most Nets fans that I have heard from, really like the deal for a number of reasons. So I just wanted to give my thoughts on the deal.
Financial
All salary numbers coming from the great ShamSports.com
To me, this is most important and my favorite aspect of the deal. The Nets started yesterday with $14,547,681 in cap space (by my count) for the 2010-2011 season. They used up $10,615,613 on it to get Murphy (Murphy’s contract minus Courtney Lee’s contract), only giving them right around $3 million to work with for this up coming season. However, what makes this deal work is that Murphy is in the final year of his contract. At the start of next season, the Nets are going to have both Murphy and Humphries coming off the books, plus they are saving what Courtney Lee would be making next year ($2,225,093). This means that they are going to have somewhere in the area of $15 to $16 million worth of cap space to work with next year, when a certain indecisive forward in Denver becomes a free agent. Even if the Nets don’t make a run at Carmelo, they have a lot of money to continue adding pieces to their roster. In addition to the cap space next year, Murphy’s contract is going to be very attractive to teams at the trade deadline, and if Favors is playing well enough, I can see the Nets flipping Murphy for some young talent/trade exceptions/draft picks.
Roster
From a roster standpoint, the Nets now have a power forward who can come in right away and be “the guy” at the spot. Murphy, the New Jersey native, is going to be the opening day starter, no question about it. So what does that do to the rest of the front court? It makes Derrick Favors the back-up, and this is probably the best scenario for him in terms of development. He is still going to get minutes, but since he is coming off the bench he will be going up against team’s second unit. Not a real big difference, but it makes that transition from college to the pros a little bit easier. Plus, it shields him from the “he’s a bust” cries. The expectations for Favors coming off the bench aren’t going to be as high as they would be if he was the starter from day one. Murphy’s expiring deal comes into play in this aspect as well, since he will only be blocking Favors for a year, maybe even less. Most other guys the Nets were looking for would probably have demanded a 2 to 3 year deal from the Nets. If Favors develops in a year (which I think is probable) that would lead to a tough situation. However, where things stands now, Murphy can hand the reigns over to Favors after a season.
Daily Link: Why Talking Heads Drive Me Nuts
Aug 11, 2010 2010 Offseason, Daily Link
I’m not about to do a FireJoeMorgan (RIP) style post here, but I do want to point out some misinformation, bordering on idiocy coming from an off-season review penned by SI’s Chris Mannix. In the article, Mannix grades the Nets with a C- for their off-season moves, something I don’t necessarily agree with, but I can’t really argue with since the team did strike out on the big free agents and was unlucky enough to not get the #1 pick in the lottery. So fair game there. But here’s one of Mannix’s justifications for the grade (emphasis mine):
Like their cross-river counterparts, the Nets were eyeing the big prizes in free agency. When they missed out, they committed a combined $57 million to Travis Outlaw, Jordan Farmar and Johan Petro. For a team going nowhere this season, preserving that cap space might have been a better bet.
Say what you will about some of the contracts doled out by the Nets – they may have overpaid for Outlaw and Petro, though I think they got great value on Farmar and Morrow – but this idea of having to preserve cap space … teams are mandated by the league to spend a certain amount of money of their players and the Nets are barely spending enough this off-season. They are actually preserving as much cap space as they can get away with. So short of signing a bunch of players to one-year deals, or trading their core for a bunch of expiring contracts, which are both ill advised and unfeasible, I don’t get why Mannix is calling the Nets out for not doing exactly what they actually did.
This is one of the big reason national writers drive me nuts. Outside of the obvious destinations (Miami, Boston, LA), they don’t follow the league as a whole and probably most of these guys have to google search to get facts on lower rung teams like the Nets and the Timberwolves. Now, I don’t profess to be a league-wide expert myself, but that’s why I do most of my analysis for a Nets-blog because I do follow the Nets like they’re a drug. I just wished some of these national columnist would back away from this league-wide stories because it exposes them as misinformed.
Nets Of the Round Table X: Melo, Shaq, Lottery No More
Aug 6, 2010 2010 Free Agents, 2010 Offseason, Free Agents, Nets of the Round Table
Obviously, this is a New Jersey Nets blog, however, the NAS crew absolutely love the NBA in general. So, every week, Sebastian, Mark, Devin, and myself will answer questions regarding the L.
1) The rumor goes that Carmelo Anthony won’t sign the $65 million extension offer from the Denver Nuggets and become an unrestricted free agent next year. Of the rumored teams and teams that will have cap space, which is the best fit for Melo?
Sebastian: I am going to be biased here and say the Nets. The Nuggets just aren’t going to give Carmelo away for expiring contracts like Eddy Curry (despite what Knicks fans will try to tell you). The Nets have the most tradeable young talent, and I can see the Nets sending over Devin Harris, Terrence Williams, and picks for Carmelo. This gives the Nets a real solid front court in Brook Lopez, Derrick Favors, and Carmelo Anthony. Not too shabby.
Mark: I’m going to let the NYC media influence me and say either the Knicks or the Nets. Unless Pat Riley found a way to create more cap room for talent in South Beach, both NY-area teams will have the cash on hand to make a big push for ‘Melo and as Brooklyn native, I can see him being sold on either franchise. That’s why I think it’s important for the Nets to become a functional franchise this season because as we learned this past summer, the all-stars aren’t just looking for money… they want a good shot of winning it all.
Devin: I’d love to see him on the Nets, obviously, but I doubt he comes to Newark. Personally, I think it’s between New York and Denver. He’s spent his entire career there and he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to just skip town like that, but if he was going anywhere it would be to the Garden with Amare and potentially Chris Paul.
DV: If the Denver Nuggets go the trade route, I’d say the New Jersey Nets because they’ll probably want Melo out of the conference and the Nets have some solid supply to meet the Nuggets’ demand. If it’s a free agency situation, the Knicks because they’ll have the money after Eddy Curry comes off the books. With the Knicks, Melo would get to play in a high-scoring offense again and have a high-caliber (albeit with an injury history) big man in Amare Stoudemire and a very good point guard in Raymond Felton. Melo would fit right in.
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Trading For A Core Player: Carmelo Anthony
Aug 6, 2010 2010 Offseason, Trade Rumors
We scheduled this Carmelo to come out on Friday this past weekend, and our timing could be any better. While most fans were hoping that Carmelo would be available to try and trade for, that possibility just got more real this past Tuesday when Alex Kennedy tweeted that sources close to the situation said Carmelo won’t extend his contract with the Nuggets. If the Nuggets are convinced that Carmelo will walk away from the team, they could trade him for young assets to try and rebuild their roster. Out of all the teams with cap space to make a deal for Carmelo (and eat his salary), I think the Nets are the most attractive option. Not only do they have young players to deal, they have plenty of draft picks and cash they can include (the best the Knicks can do is Eddy Curry’s expiring contract!).