Yahoo!: Carmelo Anthony privately has expressed more enthusiasm over joining the Houston Rockets than the Knicks

I think if giving the opprotunity the rockets should trade for Carmelo he brings offense which would take pressure off of yao rebuonding which could start a lot of fast breaks for with young legs.

Oh and Hollinger brought up a very interesting 3-way proposition centered around.....Brooks to Charlotte, Damp to Den, and Melo to HOU

Hey Rahat, what do you take of the new WoJ piece saying that Melo's definitely getting traded

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AmdHYRCQ5...

Looks like we'll finally get that franchise player! Also, do you see the roxs trading brooks to a third team as a sweetner for the 3rd team to take on either Kenyon martin and JR?

Well on the picks thing I don't think this season matters really because well the Rockets have the right to exchange picks with the Knicks (unless they get the #1 pick) and we have their 2012 pick also...so the earliest pick they will get is in 2013 (that is if they don't give it away also) and this season has no bearing on what they get in 2013. So no, waiting it out for the Knicks would not be smart and waiting it out for the Rockets is not smart either because they will be desperate to move him instead of getting Lebron'ed next free agency period.

If you can get Melo and keep Martin, I think you try to make it work. Or see if Martin can come off the bench as the 6th man.

But a that would be a pretty bad defensive team... I think either Martin or Brooks probably should to go if Carmelo is here. Most likely we keep Brooks. A team with Yao, Scola, Melo, Lee, Brooks is a more balanced overall.

Your comment about Melo is spot on. He doesn't move without the ball. Heck, he doesn't move the ball quickly either if he does not have a shot. I mostly often see him stand pat, wait for the ball, then go 1 on 1 (shoot or drive), kinda like McGrady but minus the passing. Melo has the body to post but don't do it nearly as often as I'd like. I also wonder why talented players like him dislike moving without the ball. It is often so much easier to score when getting the ball on the move (off a screen) rather than having to create it in 1/1 situations.

I agree we need a player like Carmelo. Punctuation and init caps are your friend

Given that he signed an extra year with the Nuggets to have the extra money/security, I think the Rockets make the most sense. If they do an extend-and-trade, he'd get his maximum money. Plus the extra money from the China market. Plus no taxes in Texas.

If he's running the numbers, he'd make more in Houston than with any other team in the league. And him joining the Rockets would make them a true contender, especially if we can keep Kevin Martin. Just imagine a team where Scola is the 5th option! And Kevin Martin the 3rd option!

Every Rockets game is shown in China. And occasionally some other high profile games. Just about all the Rocket players have endorsement deals over here. In the airport I see billboards of Luis Scola!

Carmelo has been here multiple times. He's played very well here (both in the Olympics and the NBA pre-season game against the Pacers). I'm sure he's seen how much bonus all the Rockets players get from the Yao effect. Not just from endorsements, but also from fan voting for the All Star game.

I think Carmelo thinks differently from Lebron. He grew up in New York and Baltimore -- which are both a lot more "international" than Ohio. And he was the only one that signed for an extra year (to get the extra security and salary) and skipped the free agent sweepstakes.

I agree with the idea that Bosh is an oversized SF. That describes his scoring style. His favorite spot on the floor is at the elbow, facing up in a triple threat position and then either driving to the basket or shooting a jumper. He gets low like a wing player. He struggles to score in the post due to a lack of strength and maybe a lack of feel.

Because of his rebounding, he can cut it as a PF. Overall, he rebounds like a PF, scores like a SF without a three point shot, passes like a big man who isn't counted on to pass a lot and isn't a defensive anchor. Bosh is Nowitzki without the range on his shot or quite the dexterity from the mid-range.

Regarding Carmelo, I think you have the wrong impression of him. He does not move off the ball well, except to catch lob passes, which he is excellent at. No, he is an iso player similar to Artest but with actual scoring ability.

I agree Patrick, spot on. I read the story about Howard and Carmelo making the movie in China just before i read the rumor he wanted to go to Houston.

You may know better than most - Do the Houston Rockets have a large following in China because of Yao - I would assume they do.

cheers

I FEEL LIKE HOUSTON NEEDS A PLAYER LIKE CARMELO HE IS BIG FAST AND ALSO HE IS STILL YOUNG AND IF YOU HAVENT NOTICED THE ROCKETS ARE A FAIRLY YOUNG TEAM SO ADDING MELO WOULD BE A PLUS FOR HOUSTON PLUS HOUSTON IS THE TEAM THAT CAN MAKE IT TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP WITH THE RIGHT PLAYERS WITH YAO BACK AND NOW IF MELO YOU NEVER KNOW THE SKY IS THE LIMIT PLUS LOOK MELO AND THE NUGGETS FELL BAD TO THE LAKERS IN THE PLAYOFFS SHIT THE ROCKETS WHERE THE LAKERS BIGGEST CONCERN

I mean i get what your saying but how else are we going to get to a championship. do you think we have enough to take on the lakers right now? This is a league built on its superstars, almost every team that has won a championship in the last decade had at least 2 superstars on there team.
Does carmelo lack on the defensive side of the ball yes, but so does kevin martin, and we have to try to amass the best talent on this team to compete for a title.

so you think if we get carmelo we will wont be able to win a championship

Some article on ESPN noted Texas' lack of an income tax was the major reason for Carmelo's interest in Houston. Compared to New York that could be about 1.4 million a year he would save coming to Houston. I am a rockets fan, but the truth hurts. He has no idea who Daryl Morey is, and he is probably basing his preference on net income and a recommendation from Drake.

George Karl really plays to his personnels, the GP-led seattle teams always had good def ratings when he was coaching them, whereas the big 3 bucks teams were always the ones with the top offenses.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/kar...

@ Greg

Bosh is neither a solid defender or good passer. You say he plays well around the basket? how far do you extend that to; 15 feet? Bosh is an oversized small forward IMO, and I was thrilled that he went to Miami because he wasnt improving our PF position by much. My thought is that Melo can come to Houston and thrive, because his skills fit perfectly what Adelman tries to do, move without the ball, off of screens and make mid range shots and would instantly improve the 3. Yes his defense has a bad reputation, but i remember last year when he made an effort it was above average. I could be wrong but I dont think of George Karl's teams as defensive minded, and considering we stunk it up last year defensively (most of which i attribute to the lack of yao) we still pulled out 42, i think we can absorb that type of dynamic player and still be respectable defensively. Add to all that the buzz and national pub that comes with it and if you're Darryl Morey how do you NOT make this move if genuine and approached?

Getting Carmelo is the main hurdle. Deciding who takes the last shot won't be a problem. Last shot will go to Carmelo if he comes to Rockets.

I would favor Bosh. He plays well around the basket and is a solid defender and passer. His strengths and weaknesses generally compliment Yao's strengths and weaknesses.

Anthony scores a lot and he scores well in the clutch. But the way he gets his points don't compliment the Rockets system. The drawbacks I see with Anthony are (1) he's a ball hog; (2) he's a lazy defender; and (3) he disappears in the play offs.

I have yet to be convinced.

agree with Patrick here, also, the Thuggets are just a yr and 3 months removed from WCF and was the 2nd best team (by pretty fair margin) in the west until February when injuries to key players and George Karl wrecked their season. So I wouldn't say Thuggets' time being a (pseudo) contender is quickly fading much as everyone dismissed the Celtics after one injury-riddled season.

Anyhow, I think unlike LeBron, Bosh, or Wade, Melo actually realize the advantage of Yao's coattail in terms of getting himself many more marketing opportunities and endorsements from China versus the fact that being in New York does not really increase his international profile, rather, just his national one, which has little margin for growth since he's already very well known as a NCAA champ and the guy picked after LeBron. Whereas in China, he could potentially sale 20 mil extra jerseys just by being on the same team as Yao and if the Rockets actually get to the Finals......just thinking about the ratings implications would make David Stern cream his pants. So I absolutely think Patrick is 100% on the money on this one. Sorry JT

I think if we got Melo, held onto Brooks and Martin, then the backcourt would be too crowded with scorers and devoid of both defense and playmaking skills.

I can't help but wonder if certain moves Morey has made as of late have been for the purpose of positioning to make this move. Wondering if this has been his ace in the hole for a few weeks now. We've signed a third PG to a multi-year deal, did what was necessary to retain Lowry, went hard and got Lee. So we were once looking at a starting 5 of Brooks, Martin, Ariza, Scola, Yao, are we now looking possibly at Lowry, Lee, Melo, Scola, Yao? I would tend to favor the latter lineup with a true PG, versatile SG with strong defense, top 5 scoring SF, Blue collar PF, and the dominant big man, versus the former with 2 shooting guards in the backcourt, both with terrible defense and marginal playmaking skills, lackluster SF, and the same in the frontcourt. If this is what all the signs are pointing to, then I like it!

Your theory and my theory are not mutually exclusive.

Don't think so Patrick. Melo is probably reading the signs saying that the Nuggets being a contender is quickly fading, especially with the age of Billups, Kenyon Martin , Harrington, Andersen et al. At least the Rockets have a nice nucleus of guys close to or just entering their primes.

Personally, I would rather have Carmello Anthony in a Rockets jersey before I would offer one to Chris Bosh. Neither have won jack squat in the pros, but one has put up elite figures on a Western Conference playoff contender, and the other has put up solid and sometime spectacular figures on a Eastern Conference also ran/no chance in hell playoff team. I know that Bosh was available this offseason and that Carmello isn't a FA until next season, and that we had more of a positional need at the end of last season for help at the PF slot than the then overloaded SF slot, but if we can get Carmello Anthony now then we have to make a push to get him. Speculative two-deep lineups hardly ever come to fruition, but I could live with Brooks/Lowry/Smith at the point, Martin/Lee or Lee at shooting guard, Anthony/Battier at small forward, Scola/Hayes at power forward and Yao/Miller at center. The other players are negotiable, as should be the Knicks picks and the trade exemption. I'd be reluctant to give up Martin, but I'd rather have Anthony if it meant giving up Martin and keeping Patterson and/or Hill and the Knicks picks.

http://www.nba.com/rockets/video/2010/08/24/Yao...

That's Yao Ming's work out. Yao's foot is completely healed and he should be ready to go for the season opener against the Lakers.

I think melo would be a great addition to our team. I hope we trade martin and not brooks. I feel martin is unreliable because of his history of injuries. I think melo wants to leave the denver nuggets because of what took place in last years playoffs. Melo felt he did not have enough help from his teammates and openly expressed to the media that he wants more help from his teammates. Right after that J.R smith tweeted something about Melo being a ball hog. Now there are rumors that J.R smith is on the trading block and I think this is denver's way of pleasing Melo.

Melo is a player who can take a shot for us in clutch moments and I think that is the only thing we are missing. Hopefully we get Melo. Go Rocketsss!!!!!

My theory is that Melo is interested in the Rockets because of Yao. Specifically because that would give Melo greater access to the China market. Carmelo was part of the Olympic team that played in Beijing. They also did an Olympics exhibition game in Macau. Last year the Nuggets played a NBA pre-season game against the Pacers in Beijing. And today there was a news article that Carmelo and Dwight Howard are going to be starring in a NBA movie with a Chinese director targeting the Chinese market (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=549...). Seems pretty obvious to me.

On a related note, I was at the pre-season game in Beijing where the Nuggets played the Pacers. Carmelo scored close to 50 points in 3 quarters. He would have broke 50 but they sat him since they were ahead by a comfortable margin already. He scored incredibly easily and the Chinese crowd LOVED him.

not quite understanding why all the animosity towards Melo. as fans of the rockets we should be thrilled that an elite caliber player even mumbles our team in rumor mills. some of you make it seem like Melo is gonna waltz into town and slap Rick Adelman in the face then try to pick a fight with Yao .. what is going on seriously??? It boils down to this for me, IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT first and foremost, and i think back on last season and how many games were decided on last possession, im hoping one of the better researchers can validate this but i'll be willing to bet that Melo is one of the better clutch perfomers, and that is exactly what we need ... he wouldnt have to come here knowing he has to pour in 30 a game to win, and i think he can excel in the motion offense too, his midrange game is sick and tailor made for RA, with him and Martin together? with their ability to draw fouls and put teams in the bonus? dude we're talking super efficient, but my main thing is this: who is going to take the last shot for the Houston Rockets in 2010?? better yet who can be unstoppable in a 3 possession contest?

melo's skill as a primary scorer in the nba is ELITE. unlike Yao who can be neutralized by certain strategies, Carmelo is a matchup nightmare that can not be stopped. he is too quick for pf and too strong for almost all sf. Even if you have reservations about him as a player, MARK MY WORDS... THIS IS A MOVE YOU HAVE TO MAKE! The window for championship contention rises and sets with Yao. A western conference birth or finals appearance does not mean anything. It's championship or bust. This is our best hopes of being that team. Look at the big picture.

Melo would be the better but it will all falter trust me. And I'm for it to a certain extent.

I can't take no more of these comments. Good thing these are just opinions, everybody's got one. Well! I got one too. Leave Melo out of this. Wanitng him just to be wanting him is going to bring the organization down. This would be Morey's trademark. He is trying to help his team, BUT he is trying to pad his resume. Don't get it twisted, Melo can help every team out there. He is an asset to anyone. Yet if you bring him in now you'll ruin what we can have in 2 seasons and have to go back at it for another five seasons. You don't see it now, that is mostly the problem. You blinded by the lights and likes Melo brings. To me Melo haven't been nothing more than a jump shot. I still see him that way.

I watched Wade at Marquette and I knew he would be a superstar in this league, because he pushed it to the limit. I watched Melo shoot his way through the NCAA's and overshadow what Warrick and Mcnamara did for the team. Alls I'm saying is don't get too wrapped up in his name and stats. eVen the stats says he's not a winner. One thing Melo has lacked his whole career is heart. And one thing the Rockets where built on was heart. If we can find our heart we can bring the glory years back.

For the record, any one who is leaving the best team in the trade rumors is not ot bright don't you think?

Now go ahead open up your stat books talk about what and how he's scored at Denver and Syracuse.

What??
That's it!?
All he can do is score?!

Remmeber the Barkley! Remmber the McGrady! no. Rmember the Dream.

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's hard but its fair.
Morey don't do it
It will KILL you

Melo has been downgraded due to efficiency but when you take a look at his numbers, they suggest (contract aside) that he is a real talent. Per review of last years offensive stats courtesy of http://www.basketball-reference.com, I noted the following for the top 6 SF listed on http://sports.yahoo.com/nba (I know they are not the authority on ratings but it is a starting point). I looked at TS% (measure of offensive efficiency taking into account 2pt, 3pt and FT’s) and then did the Doug Collins TNT – quick stat (points scored/field goal attempts) to see how Mr. Anthony compared to the other top SF per Yahoo, see below: Rank/Name TS% TNT-QS 1) LeBron 60 1.48 2) Durant 61 1.48 3) Melo 55 1.30 4) GWallace 59 1.47 5) Iggy 54 1.25 6) Granger 56 1.31 This quick look basically states that though Melo is technically not as efficient as some of the other SF’s the difference is negligible. For example, mathematically Durant averages out at 1.48 points per shot while Melo post a 1.3. Taking Doug Collins’ approach, for every 5 shots Durant attempts he scores 7 points and Melo would score 6. Say both players take 20 shots, Durant would post 29 and Melo 26. Not much of a difference. That said, I have only seen Melo D up for 4 games (western conf. finals 2009). I guess the concern would be can he do that on a consistent basis. However, of the teams that would be a threat in the west, only one (OKC) has a SF that is better than Melo.

...not more favorable had the Rockets landed Bosh instead of 'Melo

I may be the only one thinking this but I think picking up Anthony would be a mistake. To me the guy is Allan Iverson lite. Defensive liability who has to take way too many shots to get his points. I understand that it's a benefit that he can create his own shot. I get that it's harder to score when the opposing defense is keying on you. But I've sat and watched Morey accumulate players that are undervalued by the league, and I've understood that the goal was to eventually translate those assets into an all-star player. I had just hoped for something better than Carmelo Anthony.

If RA can tailor his motion offense to Yao Ming, of ALL players, then he can certainly tailor it to Carmelo Anthony!! Yao needs to be a #2option for a number of reasons, most importantly his health, but also the fact that we cant win a championship w/ Yao Ming as our best player and KMart as our #2. That tandem will NEVER beat LA or Miami in a 7 gm series. Forget about who is better between Bosh and Anthony. Bosh is GONE!!! The Top 6 players in the league, IMO are LBJ, Durant, Wade, Anthony, Howard and Kobe, in that order. NONE of those other guys are available other than Carmelo. Why wouldnt you want to move on a Top player in this league for $.60 on the dollar???

Yao and KMart are not gonna win a championship together as #1 and #2. Melo is a PRVOEN scorer who can do the same things in the playoffs! Since the Olympic Games, he has taken his game to new levels, especially in clutch moments. You cant say the same thing about Martin, or even Bosh for that matter

I think the biggest thing to remember when taking all this in, is that this may be Yao's last hurrah. If the opportunity to get Melo comes, we take it. He's what 25 or 26? He would be the next cornerstone of the franchise. This would prevent us in the 11-12 season from having to completely rebuild and search out that next cornerstone, we would simply have to do just a little tweaking, like finding a younger center and we'd be right back in the mix. Neither Martin or Bosh is cornerstone material, both are 2nd wheels at best.

His weaknesses defensively, in Adelman's system won't be a factor IMO because the beauty of strong team defense is that you don't have to have any special skill sets to be effective in it. It is all about controlling the spaces on the floor. Forcing an opponent out of his comfort zone and away from his floor spots by putting your body in it. Simply putting your body in the right spot to help on screens. Putting your body in the right spot to draw a charge instead of going balls-out for an unobtainable block. With the right teacher, these are things easily learned. This strategy is also somewhat effective for conserving the legs of your newly acquired 30 pts per game scorer. Rather than expecting him to play full on in your face man on man defense ala Artest.

As far as why does he want to come here instead of NY? If it's really true, it says alot about him or his handlers. I would just be repeating what has already been said many times in the comments, all true.

Both teams would stand to benefit most acting sooner than later. Since Denver is obviously going to have to rebuild, why string him along for 6 months, winning games, jeopardizing your own lottery chances just to dump him in Feb.? Injury risk for Denver is a big concern, what if Melo gets hurt (which happens often) what would Denver get for him then? They would do well to take our heavy expirings, and draft picks and start the process ASAP rather than drag it out. The expirings (Hill,Jeffries) could even be more valuable for them toward the trade deadline.

Does anyone think that since Morey finally got his highly coveted Lee, that Martin would be expendable? I do. Denver would do well to take the 2 picks, Hill, Jeffries and Martin. We replace Martin's scoring and then some with Melo, and gain some D by starting Lee. Sounds good to me, sorry for the rant.

Couldn't agree more Bob. I think this is Morey's 2nd run at a championship. He didn't make it out of the first round in his last attempt (Bosh). With this news out there, the expectations on Morey just went through the roof, however, this time he seems to have homecourt advantage. to Rahat's question, the organizations stated goal is to obtain enough assets to replace/rebuild with a superstar. Just using the eye test mainly from the "Redeem" team and projecting forward, Bosh would fit next to Yao and move into the primary role based on the effectiveness of Yao (note, he has yet to succeed at that role). Mello on the other hand, is not defined by Yao. In terms of the all important fit question. The wing scorer is not as weak as it was with the addition of Martin however, what Mello brings is a legit post presence which would only take a backseat to Yao (with all due respect to Scola). So in terms of fit and funtion, I prefer Mello.

"Can it not be argued that if placed in the right situation, those warts can be masked, augmenting the true abilities?"

The problem for Carmelo is that Denver probably IS that right situation. At least, if you're looking at the defensive end. If Melo's man burns him, the Nuggets have two quick-footed shot blockers to bail him out: Nene and Birdman. In Houston, he would have to rely on post-injury Yao, geriatric Brad Miller, or out-of-position Jordan Hill to pick up the slack. I see a lot of SF's dunking on Houston in this scenario.

If Morey is as committed to making the Rockets an elite defensive team as he says, then I doubt he pulls the trigger unless another defender is in the deal. And never count out Morey's ability to make a deal.

It doesn't shock me that a star wants to willingly join the Rockets. I will try to keep my biases aside and be as subjective as possible to explain the 'hidden market forces' Rahat mentioned as to why a 'star' would choose the Rockets. I think Rahat was on the money when he said that our GM is our most valueble asset. I think what makes the Rockets such an intriguing organization is that the mastermind of the organization is our most valuable asset. There are numerous examples of teams with ex-players as masterminds who have destroyed organizations as they do not understand the business side of the NBA, which is just as important as talent evaluation. There is always a risk factor in talent evaluation as you cannot control the outcome or return but you can mitigate the risk by controlling the business side of basketball by using the contracts as assets and not liabilities. It is always unforeseen circumstances that has hampered the Rockets' rise to the upper echelon of teams in the NBA and many people realize that. Apart from a top notch organization, the Rockets provide other benifits that do not show up on contracts. The global reach of the Rockets is unfathomable. Playing with a global icon, Yao, bears its own fruit. Chris Bosh claims it is 'night and day' in business benifits of signing witht he Heat. The market exposure the Rockets provide in the world's second largest economy and most popolous nation, would make Chris Bosh's claims look diminutive and catapult a 'stars' brand. There is a reason why T-Mac was slated for another All-Star start without logging in any minutes in the NBA last season. And there is a reason Chuck Hayes, Shane Battier, Mutombo, Adelman, Bonzi, Francis and all have endorsement deals in China. Combine the goblal brand awareness, with a cheap cost of living in Houston, no state income tax in Texas, and a sport revolitionizing organization and you have a recipe for all forms of success.

Matt,

I see your point--having more information about the Knicks picks would definitely help Denver, but a half season wouldn't necessarily be decisive that way. I would hope that Denver would learn from Toronto: Having a moping superstar that everybody knows will be gone does not sell tickets nor generate enthusiasm. If I were a GM, I'd want a clean slate--I'd take my lumps this year, blame it on the past regime, and begin the rebuilding process knowing that I had a solid base generated by the Melo trade. Better to sell hope than have your fans and organized consumed by Melo's eventual departure.

Man,I'm getting way too cynical in my old age.
My first-and second-thoughts on hearing the Denver heir saying Carmelo favors Houston is that it is a ploy to get a better offer from Knicks.

The but-what-if-it's really-true little voive struggling against my pessimism can think of a few reasons why Anthony may prefer Houston.
1)It's really Denver telling Anthony Hou has best offer.
2)No state taxes baby!
3)China,China,China. Massive All-Star votes,endorsement opportunities,liked getting the Rock-Star treatment in Beijing.
4)Rockets would still have enough left over to make a bid for Paul at trade deadline.
5)Player friendly Head Coach who knows how to get stars the ball in space and has shown a history of letting his stars shoot.
6)While touring Nike offices he met a young Aaron Brooks and they made a pact that one day they'd team up.

To answer your question, I think Bosh would have been a better fit, although Anthony might be a better talent (not by too much though). I still worry that Anthony might force Adelman to change his offense, thereby forcing the chemistry to change too.

I suspect that Adelman wasn't quite enthusiastic in taking McGrady back for the same reason. Sure, TMac was an immense talent, and if he was healthy, Adelman would definitely work to fit the offense around him. But my feeling is that he was not too sorry to see TMac go because he has to fit the whole team to TMac's game rather than the other way around.

Anthony's game is even less conducive to the team concept than McGrady's. Bosh on the other hand is the perfect kind of PF in Adelman's system, as you have so clearly analyzed it earlier. That said, if we do get a chance to land Anthony, I am sure the coach would support it, just like he would support having a healthy McGrady, or Yao. Any good coach would welcome talents like that.

I have never liked Anthony. I hope that if he did become more mature, if he comes.

This may be a signal from Denver that it is time for Houston to "overwhelm" them with an offer too good to refuse to get this done now. If Melo has made it absolutely clear that he is leaving Denver regardless, it is time for Morey to do his thing. (I hear strains of Nat King Cole's "It's now or never" playing in the background of my muddled mind)

What Rockets asset do you think holds more value to the Nuggets, Kevin Martin or the draft picks acquired from the Knicks? I'm aware that just 1 of these assets is not enough to get the deal done, but I think that these are our most valuable assets and I can't decide which one is more appealing to a rebuilding organization as the Nuggets would be if this deal came to to light.

As, I mentioned on another thread yesterday, I see alot of reasons for Nuggets to wait. They'll have a better idea of what the Knick picks would be worth, Melo being on the team for half a season will help them sell tickets, and if by chance Byrant, Gasol or Odom get hurt, they may think they would have a good chance winning the West. Plus, if Melo decides to extend in that time, it gives them even more options.

For what reasons would they sell early?

@Rocket Fan in SB: I think the reason he's waiting is because if he signs the contract, he ends up in a Chris Paul situation: unhappy, but with little leverage. I assume Carmelo wants the deal done before he signs, thus making it more like a sign-and-trade-type deal.

Once again I'll voice my support of the deal: if you take Yao out of our lineup (due to likely injuries), we're a slightly better version of Kevin Martin's Sacramento Kings. Bringing in a talent like Carmelo puts us on another level.

Man, I really hope this isn't just another ploy sort of like the one chris bosh seemed to be using by stringing along the Rockets as a possible destination just to move along the process with his actual desired team. I don't think my heart can take it!!!

Wow--I'm still surprised to hear such comments after Houston got very little consideration by the big stars earlier in the summer. I wonder why Melo is so enamored with the Rockets? Rocket fans could think of lots of reasons--but what are HIS reasons? I'm also wondering about the timing of the trade. If Melo really wants an extension and the Nuggets know they are going to trade him, why wait? Melo doesn't want to take the chance of not be able to sign, and to the extent that Melo is more valuable to the Rockets if he comes before training camp rather than at the trade deadline, there doesn't seem to be much sense in waiting. The Nuggets could presumably get more now.