Brian Cronin: As an aside, if it is both, then that trade is ludicrous.  

I agree, but if the Favors/Harris–>AK/picks deal was legit I can see why Denver feels his market value is both plus a pick or two.

If the Knicks really do have the market cornered the price should come down, but then again they can just wait till the offseason too and really pay nothing (I think they can offer a max or around there, no? If not a s&t is still likely to be cheaper)… If he really puts winning first Melo should also want to wait, but that would create more financial insecurity for him between the CBA and injury risk.

Z-man: I meant… As to injuries…

I know, I agree he’s doing great. Couldn’t ask for more so far (granted, not one game’s been played… and whether he’s better than player x also depends how player x plays). I’m just saying that half the media criticism/skepticism on the Amare deal was the injury risk… I remember reading a lot of “he’ll earn his contract early, but they shouldn’t have given him so long…”

I don’t really have an opinion on his injury risk since I have no medical expertise. The micro-fracture surgery does seem like a big deal. Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin have played just fine for years and into relatively old NBA age after that procedure (don’t know how much lost athleticism is from that v. age), but there is some evidence Penny, T-Mac, Houston, and C-Webb were hurt by their knees in their early 30s. Again, I don’t know anything about medicine or the specific circumstances of those players.

Z-man: frankly, anyone other than LeBron, who seems (hammy and elbow aside) indestructable.

I wouldn’t go that far unless I knew the surgery wasn’t a long-term risk, since there are plenty of other players who haven’t missed a full season with a really major surgery. I absolutely would be as worried or more about CP3 as Amare, though, yeah. Boozer too and possibly Wade.

Nick C.: Z isn’t that a Marc Berman article???  

Nope. It’s by Bob Woodward.

In the end, Carmelo will have to compromise on something, be it location, quality teammates, or $. Seems to me that he can compromise on $ in NY, agreeing to an extension below what the Nuggets are offering, leaving them with flexibility in 2012, should the Knicks have to include Gallo AND Raldolph (and Chandler, and Douglas, and Mosgov, and Fields, and their 2014 pick, and their 2016 pick, and their 2018 pick, and Patrick Ewing Jr’s first born son…)

I meant the questions of whether he was as good or better than Bosh, and more importantly, how dependent he was on Nash (perhaps the most mentioned concern.) As high as I have been on him, now that he’s here, I have been even more impressed with his ball-handling, shooting, and array of offensive moves than I was before. His defense and rebounding are about as expected (not as bad as some say, not great).

As to injuries, after not missing even one of 100 or so games last year, and considering his crazy work ethic and chiseled physique, I am not any more worried than I would be about Bosh, Wade, Boozer (sheesh!), CP3, or frankly, anyone other than LeBron, who seems (hammy and elbow aside) indestructable.

Anyway, he is certainly looking everything like a max player thus far, and will be fun to root for.

Brian Cronin: That reads to me that they are just wavering on whether they’re willing to sub Gallo in for Randolph, not that they are considering adding Gallo to Randolph.

As you say it’s unclear. Even in the last paragraph it can be read that the Knicks will send Gallo/Randolph to Denver and Gallo/Randolph to a third team. Denver apparently had an offer on the table of Favors AND their choice of AK/Harris/Diaw AND TWO 1sts. If the Knicks get him for only one of Gallo/AR + one first, his price has been cut in half in a few weeks… That’s why I’m assuming Denver is still asking for both. The Knicks are probably not rushing to offer both, but that’s why I read it as “they are softening their stance on including Gallo on top of their package to get a deal done.”

The rumor I read on ESPN implied BOTH…

While they certainly were not clear, I don’t believe that was what they were getting at.

They wrote:

The offers the Knicks have proposed have always centered around packages including Anthony Randolph, the expiring contract of Eddy Curry and a first-round draft pick they would acquire from a third team, and New York has softened its stance on including forward Danilo Gallinari in a trade.

That reads to me that they are just wavering on whether they’re willing to sub Gallo in for Randolph, not that they are considering adding Gallo to Randolph.

The next paragaph makes it a bit more clear…

The most recent obstacle, according to the source, was for the Knicks to use one of those assets, likely Randolph or Gallinari, to acquire a player from a third team that the Nuggets value more highly than either of the Knicks forwards. The source said that obstacle can now be overcome, with the Knicks confident they can get their hands on a player the Nuggets would prefer. (emphasis mine)