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Griffin Turns Down Denver; Would the Nets Deal Lopez?

by Tommy Dee on August 25th, 2010 at 10:46 am

Via ESPN

Former Phoenix Suns assistant general manager David Griffin turned down the Denver Nuggets‘ offer to be their next general manager, according to sources, and the team is expected to pursue Masai Ujiri, director of global scouting for the Toronto Raptors.

Griffin turned down the offer, a league source said, in part because it was nowhere near $1 million a year, the median salary for recently hired GMs such as the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ Chris Grant, the New Orleans Hornets‘ Dell Demps and the Portland Trail Blazers‘ Rich Cho…Another league source said Anthony, “in his heart,” would like to stay in Denver but has lost faith in the team’s direction.

A source also tells me that New Jersey is apparently having internal discussions surrounding the idea of moving Brook Lopez, among other pieces including Devin Harris, in a deal for Melo.
  • flossy

    Ha! If NJ is dumb enough to trade Lopez and Harris, Carmelo would not even unpack his suitcase.

  • http://knicksvision.com RandaNYK

    If the Nets do this, not only is the Knicks not an option, but it also puts Melo in his birthplace: Brooklyn.

    It also could set up some heated rivalry between the two teams.

    If the Nets are contemplating this seriously, all I can say is: oh crap.

  • Jon

    WOW! I would say that would be the winning offer if Brook was included but not so sure how willing Melo would be to sign an extension in Jersey being that he would have no supporting cast and if he were to wait a few more months he can pick as to where he will be… Just like this years cap beat expectations i expect the new CBA to do the same and Melo will do fine without the extension… Only time will tell… as usual

  • http://midtownexception.com/ noah

    Melo would agree to wipe out his new team? Something tells me forming a trio with Jordan Farmar and Travis Outlaw is not in the plans.

  • bmathews77

    Exactly, why would Melo want to be on the Nets if Lopez and Harris are gone. He’d just be in another Denver Nuggets situation.

  • BigTyme

    WTF would Melo go to Jersey w/o the possibility of formig The Little Three That Could?

  • jaknicksfan

    Wow! that deal would definitely get Melo to the Nets but would he stay? without lopez and harris the nets have nothing attractive for carmelo besides playing in brooklyn, would that be enough to keep him? if not he will be a knick

  • dino of syracuse

    Carmelo for Lopez and Devin Harris? I wouldn’t trade the Knicks’ worst player for “Overrated” Harris. Anyway, as the rumor mill turns…

  • http://knicksvision.com RandaNYK

    Derrick Favors, free agency in 2011 and draft picks. Sure the Nets would be down, but they wouldn’t be out. Not by a long shot.

  • http://knicksvision.com RandaNYK

    He might sign the extension knowing that he’ll end up in Brooklyn. His supporting cast would include Favors and Ariza, which is fine, but they would also have free agency in 2011 to go after players as well as the draft. This development will come up surprisingly strong in my opinion.

  • http://knicksvision.com RandaNYK

    C’mon Harris is a future stud. Harris/Lopez for Melo would work any day of the week for Denver

  • http://knicksvision.com RandaNYK

    It’s possible. He could recruit talent like Paul in 2012. Put Melo, Paul, and Favors in there in three years and see if it brings out a title.

  • ridiculous upside

    Ariza??

  • Jon

    Ariza??????

    Cmon man follow the trades…

  • Director

    Why isn’t Donnie aggresively going after Melo? We a GM capable of closing this. I don’t care what it takes. Just get him here.

    First you buy the house and then you worry about wher you like to face the bed and the rest of the furniture.

    Miami had 4 players a month ago. Look at them now. Filling pieces that fit is the last step in team building process.

    First you get the two mega stars. A few veterans, a few role players and a few “Specialist” aka one dimensional players. Hire a coach to maximize chemistry and output and get everyone to buy in on a team goal. Why is this so complicated?

    Come one Donnie. Stop playing games just do it.

  • ridiculous upside

    +1

    He’s a horrendous PG. 1-on-1, ballstopping, low % chucker. He’s Starbury without the talent.

  • ridiculous upside

    Denver doesn’t having a GM to play (games) with.

  • http://knicksvision.com RandaNYK

    Sorry guys, Ariza’s been with five teams in the past three years. My bad.

  • ridiculous upside

    Brook Lopez continues to be the most overrated player in the league. Mediocre O, horrible D, poor rebounding — he’s Eddy Curry without the scoring chops.

  • Mel0knicks9

    New jersey is our toilet paper cant see any star picking them over us. They trade Lopez harris of a 12 win team. Fine ill be genrous they would win 25 if healthy. so u take those 2 guys of add Melo what are u now 35 win team? Why leave denver Nets are Ny but they dont have much of a fanbase.

  • http://facebook.com/willhanza Will H

    Nets would be left with ‘Melo and a bunch of 6th men, at best.

    ‘Melo may have been born in Brooklyn, but he was raised in Baltimore, “returning to Brooklyn” is a bit over-played, although La La wants to be near or in NYC, so there is that.

    I think the Clippers could be the darkhorse, as LA also provides what La La wants- proximity to an entertainment center. The Clips have peices they could trade.

    Or maybe the Lakers would deal Bynum and Odom for Melo.

  • Jon

    when was he ever a net?

  • HankNight

    Denver is better than the Nets without Harris & Lopez

  • ridiculous upside

    Derrick Favors looks like he’s 6’7 next to NBA big men. Nothing special.

  • Chapzilla

    This site is becoming worse than espn and 90% of the guys commenting are idiots in the fantasy league.
    This is LeBron sweeps part 2, De Ja Vu and Ground Hogs day. It sucked the first time fellas. Melo’s not coming to NY. Save yourself the heartbreak.

  • jaknicksfan

    Cant Wait for the season to start so we can just talk about the knicks already

  • PipeDreamin

    Isn’t ariza with NO?

  • flossy

    A LOT better

  • flossy

    There are no decent PGs in 2011 free agency unless I’m missing someone. And Jordan Farmar is not in any way a starting NBA PG

  • flossy

    People talk about him like he’s all that… “Star” centers do not lead their teams to 12-win seasons, I don’t care how bed the rest of the team is.

  • macnasty357

    Wow!! The Knick strength and what now will attract players to NY is the Knicks young talent. You want to gut the team of it’s strength for just Melo. I like Melo but I don’t want to gut the team for him.

  • Jon

    +1

    I cant wait for at least training camp to start so we can talk about on the court activities… like how gallo looks in his big year 3, how anthony randolph is fitting in to Dantonis system… felton and amare’s P&R… Chandlers handle (especially left) improvements?… and Amare being the face of the franchise/leader/dominant force the knicks have been missing since Patrick

    Lets get this started already and talk trades AFTER they happen

  • KNICKAPLEASE77

    2 more months guys and the anticipation will be over..

  • johneco

    That’s a dumb comment. He’s bigger than Amare according to draftexpress!

    He’s 250 6’10″ with a 7’4″ wingspan, 9’2″ reach, and 35.5 vert.

    For comparison, Amare is:
    250 6’10″ with a 7’2″ wingspan, 9’0″ reach, and 35.5 vert.

  • joetheknick

    The rumors are getting crazier and crazier. If the Nets give up Harris and Lopez who is left to give Melo a chance to win a championship??

  • mistachill

    You realize Melo left Brooklyn for Baltimore when he was 8 years old, right? You really think his ties to Brooklyn are that strong?

  • mistachill

    Can’t see Kobe and Melo being a good mix. Odom works well with the Lakers because he’s very talented and doesn’t mind being 3rd or 4th guy on the team. I don’t see that happening with Melo.

  • http://mikeosteenstra.blogspot.com Mikeosteenstra

    You think it’s dumb to trade Lopez and Harris for melo? Harris is injury prone/overrated and Lopez is too uncoordinated to ever be dominant.

  • http://mikeosteenstra.blogspot.com Mikeosteenstra

    Like(Thumbs up)

    Lopez sucks.

  • HaS

    19 pts, 9 rebs, over a block and a half a game and 22 years old at one of the hardest if not the hardest position to fill in basketball?

    I agree he’s a little overrated at times, but he’s definitely not the most overrated, and “Eddy curry without the scoring chops”? Wow.

    “Derrick Favors looks like he’s 6’7 next to NBA big men. Nothing special.”

    ridiculous upside comment.

  • Bloop33

    Without a doubt.

  • JeffM729

    WOW!!! Favors must be the incredible shrinking man.

    At age 18, he was the same height and weight as Dwight Howard according to Draft Express. He could actually grow a few more inches.

  • Bloop33

    Oooooooo damn dude, crash n burn.

  • young hova

    I have to say I really just want to watch our team play together. Would I love Melo? Absolutely but I’m excited by the team we currently have anyway so I really just want training camp to start and October 27th to get here

  • Bloop33

    Does Carmelo wanna win or rebuild the Nets franchise????

    Its a shame this CBA issue has put a damper on us targeting him next summer.

  • clydetheglyde

    The difference between the Nets and Knicks is that is the Knicks give one of their top pieces Gallo, or AR for Mello they are probably a 45- 50 win team, while if the Nets gave up one of theirs, Lopez, Harris, the Nets are probably a 35- 40 win team. In a tougher eastern conference I do not think Mello will want to sign an extension with a possible 7- 8 seed and play second fiddle to the Knicks his entire career.

  • http://facebook.com/willhanza Will H

    Let’s get a fantasy league with people from this blog. It would be interesting.

    I usually win in fantasy. Hahaha…

  • JeffM729

    You can talk all the smack you want about Brook Lopez, but what if the Knicks drafted him instead of Gallo?

    Frontline of Lopez, Turiaf, Amare, Randolph, Chandler. That’s pretty strong.

  • clydetheglyde

    Rather have Amare, Melo, Paul anyday.

  • NYK4Life0307

    Any idiot who thinks a Lopez/ Harris trade for Melo is smart then i dont know what to say. Just adding Melo to the Nets with a bunch of no names will NOT make them a playoff team. Trust me. It will be like the Pacers. Granger doing all the scoring, the rest of the team watching. It just makes more sense for him to come to the knicks.

  • Dylan

    No chance the Knicks can compete with a deal centered around Lopez and Harris. That is so much better than any deal the Knicks could offer. And to all those saying the Nets wouldn’t have a roster left, they would still have Favors, T-Will, Morrow, Murphy, Humphries, Farmar, and Outlaw.

    PG- Farmar
    SG- Williams
    SF- Melo
    PF- Favors
    C- Murphy

  • KnickFan4Life

    I think he is referring to the fact it would not be a very attractive place to play without those guys on the team, even with Melo there that’s not even a playoff team…

  • KnickFan4Life

    Harris been in the league a minute now though. I don’t realistically think he’s going to get much better. He is what he is. A good scoring guard but not a great playmaker and doesn’t really make his teammates better. He’s a great accompaning star though, great sidekick and I would prefer to play him with another guard who can handle the ball to divvy up PG duties…

  • Old Knick

    @Will H
    “I think the Clippers could be the darkhorse, as LA also provides what La La wants- proximity to an entertainment center.”

    Wrong!!!!! Lala does NOT want to be close to an entertainment center. She wants to be close to a specific job that is only in NYC. She also wants to be close to her family which is in Brooklyn NY.
    Just wanted to straighten that out. Dont want there to be a missunderstanding. Lala does not want an entertainment center like LA. She wants 2 or 3 specific jobs that are in NY only!!!

  • statcity

    It would actually put melo in NJ for 2 years.

  • Old Knick

    @Dylan
    “PG- Farmar
    SG- Williams
    SF- Melo
    PF- Favors
    C- Murphy”

    Who are these guys??? I only recognize the SF!!!

  • Old Knick

    To trade Lopez and Harris would be the dumbest thing the Nets could do. What would be dumber than that? Nothing really except Melo staying with the nets when this is over. That team would be garbage with nobody. What is this the housewives of new joisey???

  • KnickFan4Life

    He’s good but yeah he’s definitely a little overrated. I think he can be Rik Smits good but some people get a little crazy with the comparisons. They think he’s going to keep getting better but they have to realize centers usually have very low ceilings. Brook realistically probably already reached his.

  • ridiculous upside

    You’re rounding up. There’s a hundred NBA players that can get 18 & 8 when force-fed on every possession.

    He’s not a natural scorer – takes a lot of effort to make a basket. No fluidity, kills any offensive flow.

    You killed Lee (as did I) for his lack of defense but you like this guy? He’s just as bad on D.

    On the Favors comment, he looked kind of small in summer-league. Pus, he very raw in terms of any offensive game.

  • NYK4Life0307

    WHO??!!! LMAO!!!!

  • NYK4Life0307

    It looks like a practice squad except for Melo. LMAO!!!

  • Dylan

    T-Will is very underrated. He is going to be way better than any SG on the Knicks. Murphy is also a legit 10 and 10 guy, plus he can shoot the 3, which is very rare for a C. Favors is going to be very good (its just a matter of time). Farmar is a decent backup PG who will be forced to start. The Nets would also have a pretty decent bench. Morrow can put up 30 points on any given day, the Nets are obviously expecting big things from Outlaw (or they wouldn’t have given him a long term deal), Humphries is a decent bench player, and Damion James is definitely someone to watch.

  • Citiboi12

    PG-Farmar-Who???

    SG-williams-all potential but has proven nothing

    SF-Melo-yea we know

    PF-Favors-Hasn’t even played an NBA game yet

    C-Murphy-If you really count on him being healthy all season god help you……oh and he isn’t center

  • ridiculous upside

    Probably more. That building is not happening any time soon.

  • NYK4Life0307

    Agreed.

  • KnickFan4Life

    Top 3 in draft historically usually one of the 3 is a bust or a major disappointment at the very least. This year Wall, Evans and Favors. The early word on Evans hasn’t been great but I think he’ll be a decent NBA player. If I had to pick one to disappoint or bust my money would be on Favors…

  • ridiculous upside

    Rather have Gallo – he actually has an upside.

  • CircleLimit4

    Did you really just list Humphries and Farmar as attractive pieces?

  • Dylan

    You haven’t heard of T-Will, Murphy, or Favors? I would put money on T-Will having a breakout season, whether Melo is in NJ or not. That guy has so much potential. Murphy is a legit big that can shoot the 3-ball. Favors was the 3rd pick in the draft. Morrow can also put up a ton of points off the bench.

  • KnickFan4Life

    I wouldn’t say definitely. THe Clips supposedly are willing to trade Kaman and Gordon which is very comparable…

  • KnickFan4Life

    Were you confusing Ariza with Outlaw?

  • KnickFan4Life

    It’d be an awfully dumb way to waste prime playing years though…

  • ridiculous upside

    T-Will is a poor man’s Flip Murray. Poor man ’cause Flip can actually shoot.

    “Humphris is a decent bench player”

    Oh boy.

  • Infidel55

    Not only that, but Denver already has an established PG, Billups, and his heir apparent, Lawson. Why would they want Harris, a guy with a questionable outside game and limited size for a SG, playing with Lawson in a few years.

    Lopez, and some combination of Favors/Williams/James would be what Denver would ask for.

  • ridiculous upside

    T-Will is one of those guys that needs the ball to be effective. Except he’s not good enough to pound, pound, pound.

  • Citiboi12

    “Favors was the 3rd pick in the draft”

    Kwame brown was the 1st pick in the draft………….

  • HaS

    “You’re rounding up. There’s a hundred NBA players that can get 18 & 8 when force-fed on every possession.”

    And you’re rebounding down. I rounded up because he’s above half, but if makes you feel better. 18.8 pts, 8.6 boards and 1.7 blocks. The kid is 22 he’s going to get better.

    “He’s not a natural scorer – takes a lot of effort to make a basket. No fluidity, kills any offensive flow.”

    He had no shooting around him all year and he saw a lot of double teams as well as ball denial (sometimes by his own teammates in the 2nd half of games). Again he’s twenty-two years old, same age as Gallinari.

    “You killed Lee (as did I) for his lack of defense but you like this guy? He’s just as bad on D.”

    I killed Lee for his lack of effort on defense. There is a difference and Lopez blocked nearly 2 shots a game without a real coach he’ll get better in that department as well as his defensive positioning as long as he puts in the time. Again he is 22 years old lol, Lee was in his 5th year and 27 and got worse every year on that end.

    “On the Favors comment, he looked kind of small in summer-league. Pus, he very raw in terms of any offensive game.”

    Of course he is raw he’s coming off one season in college, but he’s also the youngest NBA player in the league right now if I’m not mistaken at 18, he’s going to get better and he may even grow. I read somewhere Durant grew 2 inches since coming into the league.

    Geez, I know you guys hate the Nets, but try to be a little unbiased at least. If Gallinari had Lopez’ numbers people would be killing Walsh for even allowing his name to be in a rumored trade for Carmelo.

  • bluemax

    did I say tomorrow the nets. so here we are.

    I guess next should be WASH. we havn’t heard from that camp yet.

  • Infidel55

    Which is what a lot of folks seem to want to do.

    You wonder if Anthony would be concerned about something like this. Why come over to a stripped down team (No Gallo/AR/etc.)- makes no sense.

  • HaS

    So they’re the same age, but Lopez is not going to get better, but the sky is the limit for Gallinari.

    Okay.

  • http://mikeosteenstra.blogspot.com Mikeosteenstra

    Good call, my bad.

  • ridiculous upside

    No homo!

  • Dylan

    Don’t find them attractive pieces. I just think they can fill out the roster. The Nets could also look to make a trade for a legit PG. They have a ton of picks, and a very good expiring in Murphy. How about they trade for Billups as well?

    Nets give up:
    Harris
    Lopez
    Murphy
    1st round picks

    Nets get:
    Billups
    Melo
    Anderson

    That would leave the Nets with a lineup of:
    PG- Billups
    SG- T-Will
    SF- Melo
    PF- Humphries/Favors
    C- Anderson/Barron?

    Don’t tell me that team isn’t legit.

    It would also leave the rebuilding Nuggets with a lineup of:

    PG- Harris/Lawson
    SG- Smith
    SF- Harrington
    PF- Murphy
    C- Lopez

    Murphy would be a great expiring which Denver could trade at the deadline. Plus he could contribute a lot this year. Denver would also have a bunch of picks which they could use to rebuild the roster. That deal makes sense for both teams.

  • HaS

    “T-Will is a poor man’s Flip Murray. Poor man ’cause Flip can actually shoot.”

    Dude just stop.

    LOL

    They aren’t even remotely the same type of player.

    T-Will is 6’6″ ridiculous athleticism with point guard skills, no he can’t shoot but he has shown an ability to score.

    You’re comparisons are “ridiculous”.

  • Dylan

    Yup, if you watched T-Will at all during the summer league, you would be singing a different tune. And I know its just summer league, but sometimes you can just tell when a guy can play. T- Will can play. He needs to work on certain aspects of his game, but there is no doubt in my mind that he will be a very good player.

  • KnickFan4Life

    lol true. I’d expect Washinton rumors to pop up eventually too.

  • illmatix

    why would denver want harris, i think they have their point guard situation on lock with billups and lawson and i tend to agree with folks here, lopez is slightly overated, granted there arent many legit 7 footers in the league but he isnt killing opposing centers every night and if he REALLY was that good he could have gotten them a few more wins on his own. imo the nyets arent seriously in the running for melo

  • HaS

    “She wants 2 or 3 specific jobs that are in NY only!!!”

    What jobs are those, since we’re being “specific”?

  • flossy

    Don’t get me wrong, I think Carmelo >>>> Harris & Lopez. But there is no way in hell Melo sticks around to team up with just TWill and Favors, and Harris & Lopez >>> half a season of Melo.

  • Old Knick

    “Favors was the 3rd pick in the draft”

    Kwame brown was the 1st pick in the draft………….”

    Hahahhahahaha LOL!!! So funny and true!

  • JeffM729

    If by having no upside means 20 points and 10 boards for the next 10 years, I agree.

    Lopez is in the NBA’s Top 10 for offensive rebounds and blocked shots for his two NBA seasons and not missed a game.

  • grahambo86

    In my opinion, Denver need big men in return. Kenyon Martin isn’t getting younger and is injury prone and the Birdman is a backup. If I was Denver’s GM, whoever that would be, Lopez would definitely have to be included. I would then have to push for Favors because looking at the roster, that’s really all they have that is worth trading for and helps Denver with the big men area. As for Harris, if he was a throw in sure but I’m not going to be begging for him. Just with Billups and Lawson, no immediate need. Then throw in a 1st round or two and I can see that happening.

    I just don’t see Melo nor the Nets doing this because I don’t see Melo staying with them and I dont see the Nets giving up their only young talent. Melo would be better off staying in Denver.

  • flossy

    Our current team, without Carmelo, would smoke that line-up.

  • Old Knick

    Look if the nets from joisey are trying to get melo whatever they do if they want melo to stay they MUST KEEP that overrated 7 footer at the very least. Why do you joisey guys think that melo will stay with joisey if u gut the team??? Worst case scenario, joisey guts team for melo and at end of season he signs with the knicks.
    Cry me a river!!!

  • KnickFan4Life

    Playing devils advocate but maybe they plan on flipping Billups after they trade Melo. Can’t imagine Billups will be thrilled about playing on a team with no Melo and a bleak future. But who knows Billups is from Denver originally and maybe they plan on rebuilding around him…

  • KnickFan4Life

    Playing Billups and Harris in same backcourt would probably work pretty well actually…

  • Dylan

    Denver might be willing to take Favors instead. They are going to need to rebuild anyway if they lose Melo. They would probably deal Billups as well. It would sure make the Harrington signing look awful though.

  • JeffM729

    Melo was the 3rd pick in the draft!

  • grahambo86

    The problem with that though, IMO of course, is Favors is only a project right now. You would have to ask for both and do your best to do that. Couple that with a NJ Nets 1st round pick and then your talking.

  • yuhdunknow2g

    1. Melo would be stupid to join the nets if harris and/or lopez is gone.

    2. that would be a huge gamble for nj. even as great as Melo is, the 2011 free agency doesnt have any big names they can go after once melo is off the market, so no hope there.

    3. it would be an even bigger gamble because w/o harris and/or lopez, just melo alone would do horrible for the season. probably another bottom of the league year. Then Melo would just leave next summer leaving nj with absolutely nothing. Might be a decent deal (better than getting nothing in return) for DEN, but I dont think NJ should go thru with this deal.

  • Old Knick

    @Will H
    “I think the Clippers could be the darkhorse, as LA also provides what La La wants- proximity to an entertainment center.”

    Wrong!!!!! Lala does NOT want to be close to an entertainment center. She wants to be close to a specific job that is only in NYC. She also wants to be close to her family which is in Brooklyn NY.
    Just wanted to straighten that out. Dont want there to be a missunderstanding. Lala does not want an entertainment center like LA. She wants 2 or 3 specific jobs that are in NY only!!!

  • Dylan

    Yeah I agree with that. Favors, Harris, and picks is probably better than anything the Knicks would/could offer. And anyone who says that the Nets wouldn’t be good with Melo, Lopez, Murphy, and T-Will is out of their mind.

  • JeffM729

    I think that Damion James, the other Nets 1st round pick, might be a real surprise. He looked good in the Summer League and was rated by David Thorpe as the second best prospect.

    2. Damion James, Nets
    Summer-league stats: 18.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1 apg

    James started off just OK in Orlando and then took off from there. His great energy combined with a solid outside stroke and lots of confidence makes him a scoring machine who just keeps coming at his opponent. It’s fair to expect rotation minutes for him at the start of the season.

    6. Landry Fields, Knicks
    Summer-league stats: 15.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.6 spg

    Like Harangody, Fields does not yet look the part of an NBA player, but his game is spot-on for the Knicks’ style. He runs, shoots and finishes, and he has a great feel for the game overall. When considering talent plus fit, I think this may be the best overall draft selection of all 60 picks.

    http://www.nbadimensions.net/forums/nba-forum/59600-rookie-watch-best-summer.html

  • illmatix

    point taken and i agree, billups probably wouldnt want to finish out his career on a possible lottery team if melo leaves or is traded

  • Dylan

    Yeah and you know this how? Melo is not going to let Lala decide where he plays basketball. Come on now!

  • KnickFan4Life

    As poorly as I think of Billy King I would think they would secure an extension from Melo before doing such a trade. It would be atomically dumb to make that move without that extension…

  • Dylan

    Totally agree. In my other post I said that “Damion James is definitely someone to watch.”

  • KnickFan4Life

    Yeah I think people get a little too wrapped up in the wife/girlfriend thing. Pu**y is power no doubt but at the end of the day I think these guys are the ones that make that final decision…Lebron’s girl suupposedly hates Miami and he still went there…

  • KnickFan4Life

    True true on CBA

  • Old Knick

    Yeah and you know this how??? Look I know what she wants because it was written in the daily news and it is well known. That is all I was saying. Period. I am not saying where melo is going to sign I am only stating the facts as to where she wants to be. Again she does not want to be in LA. She wants to be in Manhattan because of 2 or 3 specific jobs she wants. She also wants to be by her family in brooklyn. Now those are the facts. Where melo ends up… anybody’s guess.

  • JeffM729

    Denver has a boatload of expiring contracts. K-mart and JR Smith are done. Chauncey Billups has a team option for 2011-12 for $14 million. Nene and Melo have player options for 2011-12.

    If Melo opts out and Billups isn’t renewed, Denver will have huge cap space. So it’s possible that Billups, Nene, and JR Smith could be traded, if Melo isn’t resigning with Denver.

    They could assemble lots of young talent and picks, if they decide to rebuild.

  • ridiculous upside

    “He had no shooting around him all year”

    When you have to bend down to your ankles to dribble the ball, you ain’t got much game.

    He also got cut from Team USA in favor of Tyson Chandler. Tyson Chandler! Lopez is a slow, plodding player that couldn’t keep up with the pace.

    “Again he is 22 years old lol”

    They said the same thing about Curry in Chicago – “he’ll rebound better, defend better” – except he never did.

  • ridiculous upside

    “but Lopez is not going to get better, but the sky is the limit for Gallinari.”

    That’s correct. Lopez didn’t improve any, from rook to soph – just got more shots. He is what he is.

  • ridiculous upside

    Listen man, you can’t stop me, just can try to contain me. #1 Nets hater!

    They’re comparable ’cause they both pound the ball for the entire shot-clock. I hate those types of players. It works for talents like Lebron/Wade but T-Will types are good enough to lose you 70 games.

  • clydetheglyde

    Its not bad but a Knicks team with Carmelo is so much better its not even close, better pg, pf, and center if they play randolph at the 5 plus the bench would be deeper.

  • KnickFaninMD

    CM lived in Brooklyn until he was 8 but “grew up” in Baltimore (which he still considers his “home town”).

  • brookdon

    She works for MTV and her show is based in NYC.

  • HaS

    “When you have to bend down to your ankles to dribble the ball, you ain’t got much game.”

    Centers aren’t paid to dribble the ball man.

    “He also got cut from Team USA in favor of Tyson Chandler. Tyson Chandler! Lopez is a slow, plodding player that couldn’t keep up with the pace.”

    He didn’t get cut. He withdrew because he was suffering from mono. You’re just making stuff up now.

    http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=1043801

    Curry never averaged more than 6 rebounds a game and averaged 1 block a game all of once. Lopez just completed his sophomore season, he hasn’t missed a game and he’s never had weight problems.

    You’re way out on a ledge comparing Curry to Lopez man lol.

  • ridiculous upside

    “He didn’t get cut. He withdrew because he was suffering from mono.”

    Yes, I know they said he was “recovering” except I don’t buy it. That’s just PR. They also said they cut Rondo due to family reasons – then it came out that Rondo had a bad attitude.

    Lopez was the same lumbering player he always is. He couldn’t keep up with team USA if he got an infusion of EPO!

  • HaS

    What “specific” show does she work on?

    If she’s an employee of MTV she must be working from Denver already then, no?

  • HaS

    “Listen man, you can’t stop me, just can try to contain me. #1 Nets hater!”

    Ok. Makes sense now.

  • bluemax

    +1!

    I have been wondering about that myself.

    Remember, they said they were looking for a KG type trade for Melo. So if you want to read the tea leaves here, I’d say they are looking to rebuild and Melo is well aware of it. which is why he is in no rush to sign.

    I’d say considering they just lost their long time GM, that franchise is in for a major change this year.

    My guess is they will try a package. same kind of blockbuster trade involving a lot of those players. billups, JR, Melo, Kmart.

  • http://www.youtube.com/tharealest62qb DaGawD_KnowLedge

    when it’s all said an done,he will resign with the nuggets,if he gets moved i think the nugz should trade him to the team that has the best offer