Report: Wizards talk to Nuggets about trading for Carmelo Anthony
by Mike Prada on Aug 28, 2010 1:07 PM EDT
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PrintThe headline will probably cause you to freak out a bit, but don't. According to Michael Lee, the Wizards did indeed call up the Nuggets and explore a way to trade for disgruntled star Carmelo Anthony. That much is true.
However, it doesn't sound like the talks got too far.
Take it for what it's worth, but the Wizards recently made an obligatory call to the Denver Nuggets to check on the availability of all-star forward Carmelo Anthony, a league source said on Friday. The source added that the Wizards were simply doing their due diligence and that the same phone call was made by "29 teams. Carmelo is pretty good."
It sounds like the problem is exactly the problem we discussed a couple weeks back: the Wizards just don't have the right mix of pieces to trade back to Denver.
The likelihood of Anthony returning to play professionally near his home town of Baltimore is on the shady side of slim. Denver has told league executives that it is seeking a package of expiring contracts, future draft picks and young prospects in any deal for its franchise cornerstone.
[...]
The Wizards have no plans of trading No. 1 overall pick John Wall and no large expiring contracts of note, while the Nuggets have no interest in taking back bad contracts, which rules out shipping Gilbert Arenas and the four years and $80 million left on his deal.
This was one consequence of the Kirk Hinrich trade. The Wizards took on the extra year of Hinrich's salary seemingly because they would rather have a player with some on-court utility and a longer contract than a player with an expiring contract, but no on-court value. Denver is looking to completely rebuild with a trade, and therefore, Hinrich's on-court value means little to them. If Hinrich had an expiring contract, the Wizards could put together an enticing package, potentially including some combination of Hinrich, Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee, Nick Young, Al Thornton and draft picks. But he doesn't, and that makes things tough.
In other words, while it's nice to see the Wizards doing their due diligence, don't get your hopes up that Anthony somehow makes his way to D.C. this year.
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It's not that hard to acquire an expiring deal though
If Ernie wants to earn his paycheck he should be working the phones to add a 3rd team to the mix. Josh Howard, Yi, Gil, NY, Kirk, any of the rookies… I’d do what it takes to get that expiring and then ship out what’s left along with our 1st rounder + Blatche for Melo.
You can't acquire an expiring contract and immediately flip it
Unless the expiring contract moves by itself.
As Lee pointed out in that article
We simply don’t have enough talent on the roster to trade for Melo and have a good enough squad to get him to resign. The only way we could get Melo is through straight FA. DC is such a star obsessed town all of their sports teams/fans just sit around waiting for some star to fly in and save them. But it never happens. Maybe we should try and build something rather than hoping some super star drops out of the sky to make everything all better.
Hm, just hypothetically
Wall
Arenas
Anthony
Booker
McGee
with Young, Howard, and Armstrong off the bench? No, you’re right, there’s no way it’d be feasible. Really, the only team that could realistically make a decent trade for him and expect him to resign is Houston.
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by pantslessyoda1 on Aug 28, 2010 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Maybe the Clippers
If the Nuggets would go for Al-Aminu and some firsts and the rumors of him being interested in going there for Lala are true. Or the Nets? Most of the talent on our team is still developing. With Gil off the table that doesn’t leave much talent that we can trade and still be a strong team right away. Waiting 2 years for Wall, and whatever of the young bigs will be left(McGee, KS, Booker) to develop might not be what Melo wants to do.
by BayAreaBullet on Aug 28, 2010 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions
this trade is simply not happening
i thought we are rebuilding youg team.why do we trade 2 of the big 3,got all this young guyes ,i dont think to just throw them away for melo.he need championship contender team wich washington is not going to be,he needs big players aroynd him.all we do this year is rebuilding and watching exciting young group hopefully getting the 8th spot and make it to the first round,thats about it lets be honest
Go Wizards
by ag3ntzero on Aug 28, 2010 2:04 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
nope
yipes that scenario is scary, thats a heck of alot to give up for melo
I didn't mean give up all of that
I said if Kirk was expiring, you could pick and choose from that group of players.
I think it's less about Hinrichs contract and more about the depth of talent
I don’t think we can give up any of our big men and still have a hope of contending. Especially since we will be pretty much capped out with Gil and Melo on the roster.
by BayAreaBullet on Aug 28, 2010 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, those two with Wall and a re-signed McGee would probably take up 50, 55 million dollars in cap room
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by pantslessyoda1 on Aug 28, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Well Melo, Wall, and Gil would be 44-45M next year
That leaves 10 roster spots to be filled out.
by BayAreaBullet on Aug 28, 2010 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Thats the exact mentality
That got us right where we are right now. Holding on to guys just in case they are good enough one day. If we could somehow turn ‘Dray and Young and pieces into Carmelo, then I am all for it. Cuz the only thing those guys have showed is that they might be allright players one day. Apart from Andray who I think could make an all-star team or two if he got his head straight for a whole season. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to be leading anybody to champiionships or winning scoring titles. All I’m saying is I’m pretty sure this is an improvement and holding on just in case, is a bad plan. Although I am under the impression that this isn’t even realistically going to happen anyway.
by returnofswagger on Aug 28, 2010 7:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Building through the draft
I don’t think paying top dollar for a guy like that is a good idea, since we don’t even know how good this team is without him. I think we need to escape the Dan Snyder mentality and build through the draft, like we are doing. If we become a playoff team and we need another piece to get us over the top, then I think we should go through with it. I also think Carmelo is overrated, but that is my opinion.
And this isn't a once-a-decade opportunity
Melo’s good, but he’s not a Wade or Lebron or Howard who can turn almost any team into a contender. If we got him, we’d need to basically fill out the roster with the kinds of solid role players that the front office has never really had an eye for, too.
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by pantslessyoda1 on Aug 29, 2010 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah I agree
I would much rather watch a home-grown team full of guys we drafted. And that is probably the smarter route to take. All I’m saying is I don’t like the idea of waiting for guys like Nick Young to develop for 6 years, when the fact that it is taking him this long, probably means he isn’t going to be all that. I think Nick will be a good player for a good team one day, but we want championship caliber guys. And let’s face it, we all know Nick Young, Andray Blatche, and even Javale, are probably not that championship caliber player. I’m talking like the NBA elite here. Because I don’t want Webber’s Kings, Nash’s Suns, Malone’s Jazz, or Dirk’s Mavericks. Those are/were all really good teams who won a lot of games, but never could beat the best teams. And I’m not saying that our guys won’t ever play for a championship team, but they won’t star on one.
by returnofswagger on Aug 29, 2010 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
You have to get good to be great
You’re going to have to clarify this “championship caliber” player you’re thinking about, because honestly, I don’t think that phrase has much substance. I think Dray is a very good player, I think JaVale is a developing player and I think the only hope for Nick is if he’s channeled into a seventh-man role. I really don’t see how you can classify players into “championship caliber” and “not championship caliber.”
Also, you really wouldn’t want a perennial contender like those teams you suggested? Again, you have to be good before you get great – it’s not like team shoot up from 20 wins to the title right away. Only Boston’s done it recently, and that’s because they brought in two future Hall of Famers.
I'm talking like Tim Duncan, Kobe, Shaq
Even D-Wade has it, what ever it is that I’m talking about, that I can’t exactly describe how I am trying. But my point is, I jus can’t see Nick Young or Javale being part of a winning organization, a perennial contender. They don’t have the mentality, don’t play the defense. ’Dray is different, I can see him being a star with the right teammates(somebody who is hands down the leader of their team) and the right
by returnofswagger on Aug 29, 2010 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Sorry im on a mobile
(Cont) coach who he is scared to not go back on the court for. And I hope I’m not alone when I say I honestly don’t want a team like the ones I mentioned, who will maybe make one finals appearance during the JWall era. I want one, two, three,four, five… Or at least a team with that mentality. And I don’t mean to seem like a crazy radical fan with unreal expectations. But now that we are rebuolding, why not shoot for the moon?
by returnofswagger on Aug 29, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I think you need to slow down a bit
You don’t just go from rebuilding to champion – you have to take your time and give people a chance to grow before you cast them aside. Title teams have one Tim Duncan or Dwyane Wade; they don’t have 12.
And I think what you're describing is simply "players who won a championship"
There’s nothing else that binds them together other than being awesome players on awesome teams.
Fair enough
But I don’t think Wall should be surrounded by guys who don’t always want to play defense and can’t accept just doing their job. I feel like Javale has a mentality where he will never just do his job. He’s going to take bad shots in the post from 15 feet away and that’s going to stop people from looking for him in the post. And when a PG has to think on the fly “well that guy probably isn’t going to do the right thing with the ball,” then that’s going to lead him to make mistakes. I guess I’m simply talking about good basketball players lol. The Celtics are a group of good team guys. They aren’t superstars anymore apart from Rondo. But they are I guess what I call championship caliber team-first guys who are going to play defens. And I kinda see your point about the whole “chapionship caliber” thing. But there are some really good guys in the NBA who just aren’t that caliber. You could argue Tmac in his prime was better than Ray Allen or Paul Pierce last year. But they probably wouldn’t have been as good in the playoffs, bc tmac was never one of those cgampionship guys. I think that’s the best way I can describe it.
by returnofswagger on Aug 29, 2010 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
huh?
Because I don’t want Webber’s Kings, Nash’s Suns, Malone’s Jazz, or Dirk’s Mavericks.
Webber was cheated one year and got hurt in another year they could have won it. The Maverick fan’s get to watch a 50 win team EVERY SEASON! They are contenders every year. Malone’s Jazz were stopped by the best player to ever play the game. Nash has led one of the most entertaining team’s in basketball while leading them deep into the playoffs.
I dont really like the “championship caliber” player thing either…because im sure as hell guys like Ron Artest and Lamar Odom wouldn’t be considered “championship caliber” players unless they were playing for the Lakers.
by tw10 on Aug 29, 2010 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Seriously
Let’s try to field a winning team before we become championship snobs.
Things that haven’t happened since 1979:
1. Bullets/Wizards win 46 games in a season.
2. Bullets/Wizards win at least 43 games in consecutive seasons.
3. Bullets/Wizards win more than 87 games in 2 years.
4. Bullets/Wizards make it out of the first round in consecutive seasons.
How can you say you don’t want something when you’ve never tried it? Getting 46 wins is a good interim goal to focus on…
I couldn't care less about Nick young
Blatche has actually shown he can be special. no one is asking him to “lead anyone to a championship”. Every championship team needs quality talent though and Blatche looks like he’s coming along
No thanks
Not interested in another no-defense high-scoring overpaid player. Oh yeah, did I mention he’s a problem personality?
by MR on Aug 29, 2010 12:41 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Did you mention you didn't see him guard Kobe in the playoffs?
No, but I could tell from reading your response.
In the big picture
that’s not a good argument for how well ’Melo defends. Best player in the world, in the post-season, where he shines.
by returnofswagger on Aug 29, 2010 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions
On an overall bad defensive team might I add
Because more than anybody in the NBA, it takes a team effort to stop Kobe.
by returnofswagger on Aug 29, 2010 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Denver wasn't a bad defensive team that year
They were eighth in defense in 2008/09.
Anyway, Melo wasn’t really the primary defender often on Kobe in that series – it was mostly Dahntay Jones and J.R. Smith. Actually, the reverse was often true – Kobe often guarded Melo.
The point was more that whatever defense Melo played on Kobe was unremarkable and not anything to be proud of. Kobe often plays well in the postseason, but he had a particularly outstanding series by his standards against the Nuggets. Kobe averaged 34/6/6 on 48 percent shooting and averaged 12 free throw attempts per game in that series. That’s pretty awesome even for his standards.
Overpaid???
how the hell is one of the ten best players in the game overpaid??? And he has the ability to play defense when he tries…He’s not as much of a problem personality as he is made out to be…’Melo is a proven star…His team has been to the PLAYOFFs EVERY YEAR since he arrived in 03.
I’m just not a big fan. I think he’s a great great scorer but a one dimensional player that is going to require a max deal and frankly doesn’t really fill our needs. If we have two players on max (or near max) deals then our hands are fairly tied moving forward, yet I don’t see that team being championship worthy, so I think it locks us into an Atlanta situation.
I don’t really know him so I guess I can’t judge his personality, but based on his recent actions, contract, demanding a trade etc I’m not thrilled. From “don’t snitch” to drug rumors to his on court demeanor I’m just not a fan.
So im guessing you don't like Josh Howard??
He ADMITTED to smoking weed…and we all know that a lot of players do…he grew up in Baltimore…they dont even ARREST you for weed there(Its not just a rumor, all the police care about is REAL drugs).
But thanks for responding if you dont like him that’s cool…but I do :)….of course I there would still be guys I wouldn’t want us to trade for him—’Dray, Wall, McGee(unless we got 2 draft picks in return.)
If we have two players on max (or near max) deals then our hands are fairly tied moving forward
Cant argue with that. I like ‘Melo, but after reading the post I wouldn’t want to give up what we’d have to give up to get him.
I have nothing against weed in general (don’t smoke it myself), and while I think it must be detrimental to a professional athlete somehow, that’s not really my beef. Carmello has always struck me as a selfish player that needs a lot of shots and needs to be the focus of the entire team. I don’t think he adds much to the team outside of his scoring. I feel like we have enough guys like that. But you know I only watch him twice a year against the Wiz and in the playoffs, so maybe I’m a little off.
Not to mention that he pretty much goes directly against Ted’s 10 point plan.
And man, that don’t snitch stuff is a real pet peeve of mine.
by MR on Aug 29, 2010 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
That dont snitch stuff is real shit
the police never helped anyone. fuck them. their all lying ass faggots.
sorry for the profanity.
and while I think it must be detrimental to a professional athlete somehow
Also, this is false^
I think the bottom line is that when a player of Carmelo’s caliber is available, you gotta see what it would take to get him. That’s what we seem to have already done in this case. But just because he’s available, you don’t do “whatever it takes” unless you think you can compete past the first round of the playoffs with him. Given what we have to offer, and where the team is right now, I just don’t think we are in a smart/wise position to trade for Carmelo. I mean, I would consider trading Gilbert, but I doubt Denver would do an almost straight-up trade involving Gilbert and a couple of picks, before anyone has a chance to see Gil play again. Heinrich has a contract that would put us in the ballpark, but again why do the Nugs want Kurt. I would even consider packaging one of Blatche or McGee with Kurt, but again…I just think some other team would be able to put together a package more to Denver’s liking.
But under those scenarios, we would at least have a shot if for some reason no other team steps up. You just never know. Contrary to what others have said about high-usage players, I think a team composed of Wall-Gil-Carmelo-Yi-Blatche/McGee would become really good in time.
Slightly off-topic, I think the real trade story in the NBA right now is Xavier Henry. If we could steal him somehow, he could facilitate the idea of making an eventual Gilbert Arenas trade, if it turns out Gil doesn’t pan out a the 2 position; or Henry could become the eventual starter at the 3. Henry has similar build to Caron or Batum. He could play there for us; we’d just need a muscle guy at the 4 or 5 position, starting or off the bench, to compensate for Xavier’s smaller build.
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