1) didn’t pierce give Boston a “hometown discount” with his last contract? Doesn’t that come with an implicit “no trade to Cleveland” clause, considering the gm he signed it with is still there?

2) Jim, either you’re now in the spamming business or your email has been compromised, FYI :)

flossy: I guess anything’s possible, but those scenarios all seem INCREDIBLY far-fetched.

Except option 1 obviously lol

Hubert Davis:
I’m not even sure Melo doesn’t opt out after next season.He & all those redeem team guys have opt out after 2014.

Barring a miracle trade, we’re looking at the same team the rest of this year + next.Let’s say we don’t have success in the next two playoffs. Melo’s choices could be:

1. Opt in, and give it a third try w the same cast (we’ll have 0 roster flexibility, so it will probably be this team 2 years older, w the possibility we lost JR to a crazy offer along the way).

2. Go to Miami and replace Wade.

3. Go to LA w LeBron, possibly to team up w a dominant-again Howard.

It’s no slam dunk he opts in.I hope you stay with us either way, Ruru.

I guess anything’s possible, but those scenarios all seem INCREDIBLY far-fetched.

Hubert Davis:
I’m not even sure Melo doesn’t opt out after next season.He & all those redeem team guys have opt out after 2014.

Barring a miracle trade, we’re looking at the same team the rest of this year + next.Let’s say we don’t have success in the next two playoffs. Melo’s choices could be:

1. Opt in, and give it a third try w the same cast (we’ll have 0 roster flexibility, so it will probably be this team 2 years older, w the possibility we lost JR to a crazy offer along the way).

2. Go to Miami and replace Wade.

3. Go to LA w LeBron, possibly to team up w a dominant-again Howard.

It’s no slam dunk he opts in.I hope you stay with us either way, Ruru.

Haha. Thanks. I’ll be around.

But there is no way Melo leaves New York on his own volition. I say that for a lot of reasons.

Barring a miracle trade, we’re looking at the same team the rest of this year + next. Let’s say we don’t have success in the next two playoffs. Melo’s choices could be:

1. Opt in, and give it a third try w the same cast (we’ll have 0 roster flexibility, so it will probably be this team 2 years older, w the possibility we lost JR to a crazy offer along the way).

2. Go to Miami and replace Wade.

3. Go to LA w LeBron, possibly to team up w a dominant-again Howard.

It’s no slam dunk he opts in. I hope you stay with us either way, Ruru.

Theres little reason to expect Tyson to slow down a bunch if he keeps himself in prime shape.

Melos game should age extremely well, a la a bigger, more explosive Paul Pierce.In fact, I’d suspect the second half of his career will be much better statistically than the first half.

Third, it wouldn’t surprise me if Melo s extension was below the max, especially if the Knicks don’t win a title by then. Chandler I bet will come in around 10-12.

Conceivably you could add two max types around them, and set up a 4-5 year run like the Celtics did.

Unless you’re foolish enough to think you can start completely over and compete with a Durant or Lebron team, you’ve got to do it with 4 guys.

Its already established what Melo and Chandler can do without any production from a max slot, imagine what they could do with one and a guy like Shumpert hitting his potential and prime.

The Knicks may have a chance to draft a developmental prospect at center, and you never know what’s out there on the trade market, but it’s not far-fetched to think that Chandler at 33, 34, 35 (especially if he’s making < $10m) would be a better option at center than whoever the Knicks could get to replace him.