2014 Off-Season Thread

[turty11]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

because they can get a SnT for melo, rather than having to outright sign lebron, which would require them to have to find a trade for lin/asik i believe.

im just wondering which of melo/harden/howard would accept being a 3rd option

[KingTocco]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

because they can get a SnT for melo, rather than having to outright sign lebron, which would require them to have to find a trade for lin/asik i believe.

im just wondering which of melo/harden/howard would accept being a 3rd option

None of them which is why it would be terrible. Also, other than Howard, there is no defense being played at all.

[The__Answ3r_i3]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

because they can get a SnT for melo, rather than having to outright sign lebron, which would require them to have to find a trade for lin/asik i believe.

im just wondering which of melo/harden/howard would accept being a 3rd option

Well if they confident lebron would sign there they can just trade asik/lin to teams that are under the cap so houston wouldn't take any salary back like gsw did last year in order to sign iggy.

[ojandpizza]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

I actually think he's a good fit there, he'll end up playing a lot of stretch 4 minutes.. Doesn't help or hurt the defensively compared to where they were this year, basically just adds another big scorer to the exact team they just had.


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[volstopfan14]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

I see very little ball movement in that lineup with Harden/Howard/Melo. Lots of iso ball.

[ojandpizza]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

I see very little ball movement in that lineup with Harden/Howard/Melo. Lots of iso ball.

I agree, but that's all they do now anyways.. Which is why I don't think he's a bad fit there, they don't have to change anything.


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[DJ_Solis]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

I wouldn't even do that trade if I was Houston. At this point, I'm not sure Melo is worth all that. Melo isn't going to make that team a contender IMO.


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[Majingir]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

Part of me thinks Raptors could be very interested in Al-Farouq Aminu. Raptors GM obviously big on basketball in Nigeria, and Aminu is part Nigerian(with long storied family history from there as well) and plays for their national team. Not to mention one of his biggest strengths is defense,something Raptors coach emphasizes more than anything.

Seems like he could be a real good fit on their team.

[OkayC]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

I know this has been said, but i'd like to reiterate that melo would not make houston better. dwight and harden already dont fit that great together, and adding another ball dominant offense stopper trying to go for 30 in the first quarter of every game isn't going to help houston. Especially considering that you could make a case that melo is at times worse on defense than jones is, you can chalk houston up to being nyk all over again, cept this time there in the western conference. Imo houstons problems stem from just bad offensive and defensive philosophies, and adding more talent isn't going to fix that. I think melo should go to chicago. Chicago on there defense alone is a contender, and with a take no bull type attitude that thibs has(no pun intended) melo would at least learn better positional defense, him and rose's style of play would compliment each other in a westbrook and durant type of way, and mix the bulls top 3 defense with the ability to now score the ball at a higher level(ala rose and melo). and melo would have a better shot at rings on chicago than on the rockets.

To me, best case scenario, rockets would survive in the west off a talent alone, but get bounced in the second round due to a stingy and predictable offense. An offense talented enough to maybe beat a 1st round opponent, but not much else. Chicago best case scenario, two 25+ point a night scorers give a top defensive team, a top level offense and become favorites in the east.

[Sportsbuck]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

Lost in all the talk of superstars teaming up, is the fact of what makes the Heat work with having 3 truly special players: they are all incredibly unselfish. Their ball movement is terrific, and they are all willing to change their roles to suit the team. It's really a thing of beauty to watch that team move the ball and work it around for a great shot.

I'm not sure if Melo, Howard, and Harden could do that. Hell, there are very few superstars who can.

[turty11]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

honestly i was disgusted at how parsons started playing in the playoffs after starting that 1st game hot.

melo WOULD make them better, so long as they can find a a 3 who can defend (maybe deng somehow, send cleveland asik in a snt or something)

melo @ the 4 is where he needs to be on houston, if hes @ the 3 i dont think it works

[RedSceptile]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

Houston doesn't need Melo. Melo wouldn't make the team better. It'd be a lateral movement or even a downgrade.

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

Houston doesn't need Melo. Melo wouldn't make the team better. It'd be a lateral movement or even a downgrade.

I think it would make them better, but only a tiny amount, and that would also depend on what they give up.

They desperately need to upgrade their perimeter defense.

[ojandpizza]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

In my opinion Melo will be a decent fit on either team..

For me, Chicago has the most to gain from getting him. They already have a great defense, they need another scorer. He seems to fit in with what they need there. Houston already plays a lot of iso ball, they basically used Jones as a 4th ball handler anyways and he was garbage defensively in the playoffs to the point the nearly stopped playing him.. So I think Melo is an instant upgrade over him. Chicago needs him to become contenders, and whether anyone believes he makes Houston a contender or not what other move could they make that's as impactful as this one? Both teams should be wanting to pull the trigger on whatever it takes to land him IMO, because the alternative isn't going to be as good.

The only thing I don't like.. I don't like D Rose as an off ball player when Melo has the ball.. He's a great scorer, he can make plays as a point guard, Melo would be a great complimentary scorer along side of him.. But I almost think he meshes with Houston's guys a little better... Houston has more shooters for when Melo does have the ball, particularly the teams best perimeter player Harden being a much better catch and shoot option than Rose is.. Also Parson is better at attacking and kicking than what Butler or Dunleavy or whoever would be.. Nobody is going to double down on Noah, or get caught waiting for when they need to help down on him or Taj like they would with Dwight. I just think Melo finds more opportunities at clean looks in Houston, perhaps making it slightly less likely that he has to ISO quite as much.. Though as a whole Houston's ball movement is much worse than what it would be in Chicago (it's borderline horrible), all of their score-first players draw attention, and all are solid playmakers.. And better outside shooters for when Melo needs to kick. It would be extremely difficult to ever double, or really even help over against that offense.

Putting myself in Melo's head. I love the idea that the guys in Chicago seem to want him there. It's got to be nice for him knowing the coach and Noah have already hinted around the fact that they would like him to come play there.. At the same time though, both teams were a first round exit.. Houston to Portland, but Chicago was beat out by Washington, and Rose hasn't played in roughly two years now. That has to at least be a thought in his head, also Houston has slightly more "star power". Which may or may not be a factor, but Melo looks damn good alongside other stars playing with team USA.. So saying it "can't work" at this point is a little pre-mature..

All in all, I think he fits best in Chicago, but he's should benefit from both spots, as both spots would benefit from him. And with Chicago being somewhat of a uncertainty, I'm sure Houston is getting equal thought from him.


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[OkayC]

Re: 2014 Off-Season Thread

My problem with houston, is they should have more than enough to contend right now. I feel like melo going there just makes them one of those teams with too much talent that doesn't end up meshing and struggle trying to find the correct role for everybody. For instance, who is even supposed to be number 1 on this houston team? everyone talked like howard was gonna be the number 1 this year, but harden didn't let that happen. Yet in howards mind, he seems to think it is his team. Melo coming in will probably want to be the volume shooter, the clutch shot taker, and big shot maker, and that'll be tough when harden and dwight are tryna do the same thing. Plus back to my original point, houston has enough to win now as is. So for the fact that they have one of the most talented teams in the league, yet can't even take a second round exit at the very least, would have me thinking that maybe this team doesn't have what it takes to be a contender. And since talent isn't the issue, maybe its coaching style, or lack of discipline by the players on both sides of the ball. Either way, this stuff has to go through melo's head as well.