2011/2012 NBA Thread: The Heat is On

[runawayboulder]

Yeah but can't Amare and/or Melo restructure his contract after this year? It's not out of the realm of possibility.

Melo can opt out after the 2013-14 season.

Stat is locked in.

 

[Docker2.0]

Yeah but according to the new CBA, they can restructure their contracts after the 3rd year I believe. So if Melo and Stat are willing to give up a little change to make the team better, I think that they can make it work.

 

[L.A.]

If the knicks sole depending in stat and Mello the two selfish players on the team to take 50 percent pay cut to get Cp3 than I have nothing to worry about

 

[runawayboulder]

I think Melo would do it in time. Now that LeBron has won a ring a lot of the scrutiny about not winning a championship will fall in Anthony's lap.

 

[Docker2.0]

Agreed runaway! Plus, nothing like the white hot pressure of the NYC media to break a player. If they don't win, especially with Lin gone, it's all on the "superstars." But LA, you are in denial. It was Paul's idea for them to go to the Knicks, he rejected his new deal and again, he said himself that's it's always in the back of his mind. He's going to be a Knick sir. That Clipper's curse has avoided him thus far but I'm sure he sees what it has done to Blake.

 

[Darthphere]

I could see the Knicks easily dumping Stat or all 3 of them (Stat, Melo and CP3) restructuring their contracts and taking less money to play together. I mean, people forget that's what Wade, Bron and Bosh did. They could've gone somewhere else and gotten paid more but they knew they had to sacrifice a few millions to keep guys like Udonis on the roster.

 

[Poeman]

Lin is done as a Knicks.

His game will go back to fodder soon enough now .

And if that comes to fruition Darthphere, it would be even more insane. Stat and Melo would have to make that happen.

 

[Darthphere]

Lin is done as a Knicks.

His game will go back to fodder soon enough now .

And if that comes to fruition Darthphere, it would be even more insane. Stat and Melo would have to make that happen.

No sacrifice, no victory.

 

[The Apocalypse]

I could see the Knicks easily dumping Stat or all 3 of them (Stat, Melo and CP3) restructuring their contracts and taking less money to play together. I mean, people forget that's what Wade, Bron and Bosh did. They could've gone somewhere else and gotten paid more but they knew they had to sacrifice a few millions to keep guys like Udonis on the roster.

Melo and CP3 still make tons of cash other places anyway. As well as BronBron. I can't see Melo taking a pay cut though. I think he's a great player but the guy is selfish at heart.

 

[Darthphere]

Melo and CP3 still make tons of cash other places anyway. As well as BronBron. I can't see Melo taking a pay cut though. I think he's a great player but the guy is selfish at heart.

Yeah, the marketing opportunities alone would make up any "lost" income.

 

[Docker2.0]

Well I know they will. I didn't think they planned on Chandler coming who was Paul's favorite other target in NO's before he left so that makes it even more appealing for Paul. No way he stays a Clip.

 

[L.A.]

Melo and CP3 still make tons of cash other places anyway. As well as BronBron. I can't see Melo taking a pay cut though. I think he's a great player but the guy is selfish at heart.

Agreed on Mello. This is same guy that forced a trade to the knicks cuz he wanted max money which cost the knicks almost all there assets. He could have waited at the end of the season and sign knicks which would have made them a much better team. Mello ain't a team player! Dude simply just not a winner

 

[Scrandy Randy]

Melo and CP3 still make tons of cash other places anyway. As well as BronBron. I can't see Melo taking a pay cut though. I think he's a great player but the guy is selfish at heart.

Yeah, the marketing opportunities alone would make up any "lost" income.

This. I'm sure the Knicks would secure sponsors to soften the blow or even possibly make up any money that they would lose with new deals. I think this happens frequently in sports but it's not talked about. One example I know of was when Cesc Fabregas went to Barcelona he paid a certain percent of his transfer fee to Arsenal and Barcelona helped him recoup it by getting him a sponsorship deal with Puma.

 

[L.A.]

I could see the Knicks easily dumping Stat or all 3 of them (Stat, Melo and CP3) restructuring their contracts and taking less money to play together. I mean, people forget that's what Wade, Bron and Bosh did. They could've gone somewhere else and gotten paid more but they knew they had to sacrifice a few millions to keep guys like Udonis on the roster.

Not really much of a pay cut when all three guys still signed 100 million contracts. Plus it would take more than just Mello taking a pay cut, stat and possible Chandler too. Friends wanting to play for each other is one thing. Giving up
8 figures in salary is another lol

 

[L.A.]

Just check the salary, the knicks have over 73 million guaranteed for next season. Even if Mello took 50 percent pay cut they still wouldn't be under cap! Lol you know which team will be under the cap to sign a max player next season? The clippers! If we can sign one of the big free agents next year like Howard, harden, Ellis, j smooth, Bynum, or Iggy no doubt Cp3 signs with clippers

 

[Darthphere]

Not really much of a pay cut when all three guys still signed 100 million contracts. Plus it would take more than just Mello taking a pay cut, stat and possible Chandler too. Friends wanting to play for each other is one thing. Giving up
8 figures in salary is another lol

Joe Johnson is being paid 33% more than Lebron James is. In the first year of his deal with Miami Lebron only made $14 million, last season he made $16. May not seem like a lot but it's a pay cut Melo would have to take along with Stat and Paul would have to be willing to take a little less money.

 

[L.A.]

Joe Johnson is being paid 33% more than Lebron James is. In the first year of his deal with Miami Lebron only made $14 million, last season he made $16. May not seem like a lot but it's a pay cut Melo would have to take along with Stat and Paul would have to be willing to take a little less money.

That's a lot of ifs. I can see Paul taking less if its best for the team because that's the type of person he is. Team player and winner. Stat and Mello on the other hand....clippers are still in the drivers seat. Besides if Paul really wanted out he would simply request a trade like before. So far that hasn't been the case.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

The NBA doesn't have a hard cap. Teams get penalized for going over it but they CAN go over it. You think Dolan wouldn't pay to get Chris Paul?! Over the cap or not, he's going to get him. Speaking of which, the Nets signed Humphries to a 2 year contract worth around $20M. That means their starting lineup alone is making $10M+ each and Proko-----whatever it is, doesn't care. Dolan is known to throw money at players and when Paul is free, I think they will get it done. Me personally, I'd match Lin's offer, just to use him as trade bait than let him walk for nothing. But if the Knicks don't, I couldn't care less. Lin has a ton of faults and due to Linsanity, you are going to have guards have career highs against him just to prove a point to him.

The NBA has a soft cap, which teams can go over, but once they do, they can only sign players to exceptions. Meaning a team over the cap can't sign players to max contracts. Which is why, until this upcoming year, Miami had such a weak bench, because with all the money split up towards the Big 3, they could only bring in guys willing to take vet minimums.

In other news, apparently someone on Twitter put Dwight Howard on blast, posting some DM's that Dwight made to him bashing the Magic organization. Basically, Dwight is whining that he only got 1 phone call from the Magic after his surgery, so he's using that to say that the Magic don't care about him, never did, and only care about the $$$ he brings.

To which I say, welcome to the real world, Dwight. Grow up and stop acting like a whiny girl. Companies typically don't care about their employees beyond the value they bring to the company, and companies typically aren't going to bring flowers and get well cards to your bedside in the hospital. It sucks, but that's the real world. You think the Nets are going to value you any more? Hell, you don't even value them, you just want to go there to play in a big market alongside a premiere point guard, and get all that media exposure...

In the tweets, Howard also said his back isn't okay, he's not healthy, and that the Magic are "hiding" it from the rest of the league.

Oh Dwight. I'm not gonna lie, ultimately I want to see this resolved, and Dwight sign the extension (I'm not delusional, I know it's not happening), but he sure is a whiny little runt.

Watching Dwight's antics this summer make me not really care what they do down there in South Beach with LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, and all the Big 3's they are forming down in Miami. Cleveland may have gotten boned by LeBron, but at least it was done quickly, and allowed Cleveland to attempt to move on, and James didn't insult the city or the franchise in the process. Dwight is just dragging the Magic and the city of Orlando through the mud.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

I've found myself hating Howard much more than ever since he's such a whiny diva. No one forced him to re-up with Orlando so he has no one to blame for his situation but him.

 

[Docker2.0]

Yeah Dwight is a baby but the Magic should have settled this by now. The Lakers would be crazy to bring Dwight there without him signing an extension. They should have gave him to the Nets because whether people like it or not, once these players name the place they want to go, they always end up there. I honestly think Dwight doesn't want to play with Kobe and that's Bynum's problem as well. I wouldn't want to go from being the man to a glorified rebounder from all of Kobe's bricks that he throws up trying to prove he still has it.

 

[Scrandy Randy]

Yeah Dwight is a baby but the Magic should have settled this by now. The Lakers would be crazy to bring Dwight there without him signing an extension. They should have gave him to the Nets because whether people like it or not, once these players name the place they want to go, they always end up there. I honestly think Dwight doesn't want to play with Kobe and that's Bynum's problem as well. I wouldn't want to go from being the man to a glorified rebounder from all of Kobe's bricks that he throws up trying to prove he still has it.

Imagine that, he'd be playing second fiddle to one of the greatest, if not the greatest player of all time. Madness! Now you say Kobe throws up bricks trying to prove he still has it, he shot above 40% and would have easily taken the scoring title this year if he didn't sit out those games at the end of the season injured and even then it came down to the last regular season game for Durant to get it over Kobe.

Dwight doesn't want to be a Laker because he doesn't want to have expectations to meet. He didn't have any in Orlando and he won't have any in Brooklyn. If he becomes a Laker he more or less has to win a title. Not only that but he'll be compared and expected to be more or less as good as the likes of Shaq, Kareem, and Wilt. Dwight is afraid of this.

 

[Docker2.0]

If he goes to Brooklyn, they are expected to go to the Finals, so how can you say that?!? And it's been known in a few circles that Dwight spoke with Kobe and Kobe told him he'd be the 3rd option and now the 4th behind Nash. There's no way I'd want to go there in that situation. And I honestly believe it's why Bynum acts the way he does because he doesn't like playing with Kobe. When Bynum has 20 and 10, these guys are almost unbeatable but you have Kobe taking 30 shots and then blaming everyone else because he's missing. Don't bring up the playoffs when HE lost the game and had the balls to call out Gasol. Are you kidding me?!?!

 

[SoNicRaDiATioN]

Shooting above 40% is no great feat. He would have won the scoring title taking the most shots. Look at the guys around him who scored the same but were much more efficent.

And I would not be surprised if Howard ends up a Laker. Thats what Kobe does better then anyone else, inherit other superstars to play with. He doesn't even have to get creative behind the scenes. Must be nice to be a Laker.

 

[Docker2.0]

Shooting above 40% is no great feat. He would have won the scoring title taking the most shots. Look at the guys around him who scored the same but were much more efficent.

And I would not be surprised if Howard ends up a Laker. Thats what Kobe does better then anyone else, inherit other superstars to play with. He doesn't even have to get creative behind the scenes. Must be nice to be a Laker.

If Dwight goes to LA, it's going to be Shaq and Kobe all over again because Kobe is going to refuse to pass the ball.

 

[Scrandy Randy]

If he goes to Brooklyn, they are expected to go to the Finals, so how can you say that?!?

You're kidding yourself if you think playing for Brooklyn would hold the same expectations playing somewhere like Boston or Los Angeles. In LA he'll be expected to win at least one title, most likely multiple, and like I said reach heights that Shaq, Wilt, and Kareem hit. He's afraid of not living up to the heightened expectations he would have in LA.

And it's been known in a few circles that Dwight spoke with Kobe and Kobe told him he'd be the 3rd option and now the 4th behind Nash.

He was never even reported as saying he'd be 4th behind Nash. This "rumor" was reported before the Lakers even had Nash and it was reported by someone not exactly known for being in the know NBA wise(Jarrod Rudolph) and not from a reliable source either(Real GM) and despite all that Kobe still went through the trouble of telling the New York Post that those rumors weren't true.

There's no way I'd want to go there in that situation. And I honestly believe it's why Bynum acts the way he does because he doesn't like playing with Kobe.

No, Bynum acts the way he does because he's young, stupid, and petulant and never had the college game to teach him some manners. Of course it's Kobe's fault though, you want everything to be Kobe's fault, you'll find a way to trace anything Laker related back to Kobe.

When Bynum has 20 and 10, these guys are almost unbeatable but you have Kobe taking 30 shots and then blaming everyone else because he's missing.

So what's Kobe supposed to do when Bynum's not getting into the game and being his constant petulant self? Just give it to him anyway? No, again you just finding another way to put blame on Kobe that's really not his deal at all.

Don't bring up the playoffs when HE lost the game and had the balls to call out Gasol. Are you kidding me?!?!

Now Kobe is the sole player at fault for losing in the Playoffs this year when Bynum didn't play himself into several games and Gasol was being his typical soft self when things get tough. Reality check, Kobe was the only player the Lakers could go to in that Playoff series against OKC. He scored 42 points in that final Playoffs game and you have the audacity to say it's his fault, amazing.

Calling someone a hater is so stupid but you and others make it so clear that's all you're out to do.

Shooting above 40% is no great feat. He would have won the scoring title taking the most shots. Look at the guys around him who scored the same but were much more efficent.

That's an excuse. Kobe only averaged three more shots a game then Durant and he still had to have eight games over Kobe to win the scoring title and like I said it still came down to the last day.

And I would not be surprised if Howard ends up a Laker. Thats what Kobe does better then anyone else, inherit other superstars to play with. He doesn't even have to get creative behind the scenes. Must be nice to be a Laker.

Hahaha are you seriously trying to say Kobe has been carried by other players to every title hes won?