Melo should be offered an extension...
by Andrew Feinstein on Jun 8, 2010 8:07 AM MDT
in Denver Nuggets: News and Opinion
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It may only be a ceremonial gesture, but the Nuggets should do the right thing and offer Carmelo Anthony a max contract extension this summer.
LeBron James may have "suckered" Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony into attending Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, but by showing up at Staples Center our friends Chris Tomasson and Benjamin Hochman were able to get Melo on record about an assortment of topics.
Reporting for Fanhouse and the Denver Post, respectively, Tomasson and Hochman wrote Monday that Melo has not yet been offered a contract extension by the Nuggets and even if offered one, he may not be inclined to sign it. In other words, Melo's 2010-11 campaign could be very similar to LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh's 2009-10 "will they stay or will they go?" season. Which will be very, very annoying for Nuggets fans.
As reported by Tomasson, Melo is being coy and non-committal about his future in Denver, saying: "Of course, if somebody's offering you an extension and I've been most loyal to Denver since I've gotten there. But right now I've got to think about my family and me. It's open for me right now. It's up in the air. I haven't made any decisions as far as an extension or anything else.'' And really, I don't blame him.
But even though Melo will likely want to test the free agency waters in 2011 as his draft class peers are going to do after July 1st this summer, the Nuggets should offer him a max contract extension now anyway. Melo may have his fair share of critics in Denver - me first and foremost - but his stamp on Nuggets basketball and the NBA is undeniable and doesn't go unnoticed among the fans here at Denver Stiffs. Since arriving in 2003, the Nuggets are one of only three NBA teams to make the playoffs every year, and Melo deserves a lot of the credit for this era of consistency. It's especially impressive considering that the Nuggets play in the always-loaded Western Conference. Moreover, Melo possesses top-10 - and maybe top-five - playing ability, even if he doesn't tap into it as much as we'd like (notably in playoff closeout games, but we've belabored that argument around here enough for the time being).
As a general statement, max or near-max contracts scare the crap out of me. We only need to be reminded of the ghastly, financially crippling deals signed by the likes of Kenyon Martin, Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, Antoine Walker and so on to send any rational general manager running for the hills when it comes to free agency. Melo, however, is an exception because, quite frankly, he's an exceptional player. In my opinion, only a handful of NBA players are worth "max money" at this stage of their careers: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, (soon to be) Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony. And no, Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Danny Granger, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash don't make the list (to be fair, due mostly to age in the cases of Duncan, Nowitzki and Nash).
And whether Melo re-signs with Denver this summer, this season, next summer or jumps ship altogether next summer, he's getting max money. But, as pointed out by Tomasson, the definition of "max money" could be quite different next summer and Melo risks leaving money on the table by waiting too long. With the NBA's collective bargaining agreement presumed to be renegotiated next summer while the owners lockout the players, it's likely that the max money available to star players like Melo could be less than it is today. Thus, the looming lockout could be beneficial to the Nuggets when it comes to re-signing Carmelo Anthony.
Regardless of the technical logistics of re-signing Melo and the money possibly available to do so, the Nuggets should offer a max contract extension now for psychological reasons. For starters, it would show that the organization stands by it's best player for the long term, a gesture Melo and his agent should appreciate. Secondly - and perhaps of equal importance - it would show Nuggets Nation that owner Stan Kroenke and his management team aren't going to go cheap on the fans who fill their coffers, a la what Bernie Bickerstaff did in 1996 when he refused to give Dikembe Mutombo all-star caliber money. And thirdly, if Melo does indeed leave town in 2011, the organization can't be faulted for doing what it took to retain their star player's services when they had the chance to do so. Melo would be the bad guy in that latter scenario, not the organization.
Melo will inevitably play a wait-and-see game with the Nuggets this summer and this upcoming season to see if they're serious about winning a championship in Denver. That's his right and I don't have a problem with him exercising that right. But if the Nuggets want to demonstrate such seriousness, step one begins with a max contract extension offer to their best player.
Photo courtesy of AP: Don Ryan
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I think, in this situation
it’s more about the Nuggets organizations seriousness about winning a title. Lets face it, last off season we were filled with alot of lines about “players improving” (cough…..Nene….cough) and they did nothing besides sign Bird to an inflated contract and get Ty (which was GREAT). People may point to Aaron Afflalo, but let’s face it…he was by and large replacing the departed Dahntay Jones.
So the FO kept telling us and, presumably, Melo that these players will just improve and our team will get better through maturation. Well….didn’t happen. Bird go fat and happy and broke down. Nene didn’t improve in the slightest, and Kenyon went down again with an injury.
So I will point out that, yes, Melo will get a Max contract offer….but the front office better do something other than sit around and give people platitudes about player improvement. Otherwise we will see Melo walk out that door and NO…Nuggets fans won’t feel like everything was done to keep Melo here.
"Groovy" Ash from Evil Dead 2
"No one came from miles around / and said man your music is really hot" No One Came...Deep Purple
Quitter's People United Member # 78
i think your criticism of andersen is unfair
i remember the media bitching about how he needed to gain weight because bynum and gasol owned his ass, and that’s exactly what you got. injuries are part of the game, and he was well overdue for a few. basically, i just think you’re one of the many nuggets fans out there who are all butt hurt after losing to an inferior team in utah and you’re trying to find somebody on your own team to bitch at. you make it sound like nobody is allowed to have one bad year. yeah, the year before, he was pretty good, but still. calling somebody like andersen “fat and happy” is uncalled for and unfair.
i’m not trying to be a dick or anything, but i’m just saying that you shouldn’t be pointing fingers at him directly.
anyway, i new to the neighborhood, and i’m sure everybody is going to call me a “troll” since i’m a lakers fan and all, but i also like denver. they were our only competition in the west.
by lakerlover2by4 on Jun 8, 2010 11:58 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
My bad for using the expression....
What I meant to say and imply is that Bird got his contract, and didn’t come to camp prepared. While Bird’s refusal to sit out and play through injury is admirable, he was so ineffective he might as well have just stayed out.
I remain true to my criticism. If you saw Bird argue with Melo, and blow past coaches in game 4 of the Utah series after bricking a shot he never should have taken you’d understand that the criticism of Bird was a very long time coming. I hope he comes back with more ENERGY this year, but the Nuggets overpaid for him (the were bidding against themselves, no one else showed any interest in him last off season) and were left with a player who was a shell of himself all year.
"Groovy" Ash from Evil Dead 2
"No one came from miles around / and said man your music is really hot" No One Came...Deep Purple
Quitter's People United Member # 78
with camp
i don’t think he should have gained any weight during the off-season. we all know that he’s your hustle player (not names balkman) so having more weight is going to slow him down. i can’t really argue with him being unprepared though.
i watched that series. if carmelo got in my face for taking ONE stupid shot, i’d get angry too. bird had every right to get pissed.
i can’t belive you’re pissed off about that. it was one shot. jr gets more touches and throws up more questionable shots in one game then bird did in one series. if anybody should have been yelled at, it should have been jr. i didn’t see or hear that.
you can’t blame bird for his contract. if i remember correctly, you guys were the ones who wanted to fill out the petition to make sure he didn’t go anywhere. your front office could have given him a 5 year, 15 mil deal, and he would have taken the offer. besides, the nba has a nasty habit of overpaying players (see tracy mcgrady) i can clearly see your standards are very high for this , and rightfully so, but don’t forget. nba players are humans too….including lebron and kobe.
by lakerlover2by4 on Jun 8, 2010 12:39 PM MDT up reply actions
Who's this guy?
A Laker fan defending a Nugget?
Well, I suppose I can deal with this, however,
This is a public site and everybody is entitled to their opinions. jpage78 has a right to complain, as we all do, so jump on him for talking about what he believes.
Back to the ACTUAL topic:
I want Carmelo to sign his pretty name on that peice of paper and stay with the Nuggets for a few more years. I also want Melo to be happy, and if he says that changes need to happen, then so be it. He obviously wants to win, but he can’t do anymore then has already given.
Sure, we want him to play defense, but I suppose we can’t complain so much when he has to do everything else.
Tim Tebow is the LeBron James of the NFL
Quitter's Proud United Member #11
I meant "don't jump on him for talking about what he believes."
Stupid typing. Lol!
Tim Tebow is the LeBron James of the NFL
Quitter's Proud United Member #11
How can you say Bird didn't come to camp prepared? What evidence do you have to say that?
The offseason video of Bird working with Steve Hess at Red Rocks suggests just the opposite … I don’t know why Bird got injured, but I’m also not prepared to say it was b/c he wasn’t in the shape he needed to be in.
Denver Stiffs.com: Defending the sovereignty of Nuggets Nation.
Nate...verbal symantics are getting me in trouble. I don't think he was prepared
because he spent the whole off season trying to do things that simply are outside of what he does. My apologies for leading people to believe I’m saying that Bird was not “prepared” physically for the NBA season
But lets take these things one by one.
We discover he has knee tendinitis right smack dab at the beginning of the year. This was apparently known about but nothing was done. That’s on the Nuggets. However, even through pre season Bird had ZERO energy. No leaping ability (partially due to the tendinitis….partially due to him bulking up with Hess) All that “preparation” with Hess limited him even more by adding needless pounds to a frame that needs to be lean to provide energy
Two….he himself stated that he worked on things that arent part of his game. IE: SHOOTING. Remember all those drives and shots that he took at the beginning of the year? While trying to improve himself, he wasn’t focusing on his ENERGY. Rather than working on not leaping at the first pump fake, he worked on driving to the bucket. The problem of Bird getting faked out was exposed against the Lakers last year in the Finals
Three…subsequently during the season Bird injured or reinjured himself 4 additional times. Including a partially torn patella tendon at the end of the year (Kenyon Martin’s injury) and refused to get BETTER.
All in all, the Nuggets need Bird to be who he is. Not who he’s like to be. He earned a contract based on being an energy guy who got blocks. We need THAT guy again.
"Groovy" Ash from Evil Dead 2
"No one came from miles around / and said man your music is really hot" No One Came...Deep Purple
Quitter's People United Member # 78
Yes, this helps clarify what you are trying to say. I’d say I agree that I didn’t like the added bulk, but he definitely needed to add some more offense to his game … did it work? I don’t think it hurt him, but clearly he’s an energy guy that needs to focus on just being a hustler when he’s given time. Bird tried to take on too much last season and yes, I agree, it took away from who he is and who the Nuggets need.
Denver Stiffs.com: Defending the sovereignty of Nuggets Nation.
3 player rotation at center and power forward hurt him
his rebounds per game average was a career high. he finished 6th in the nba for blocked shots averaging 2 per game. the extended durations of minutes hurt his energy. with the 3 player rotation andersen, nene and kmart were trying to ration their fouls.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
we're on a mission from god
it's because he doesn't know what goes on in the pepsi center
i’ve been reading this blog all season and all he’s done was simply bitch about a contract he simply deserved. you can’t tell me that he’s overrpaid because every big in the nba get overrpaid because they’re hard to find.
as of right now, andersen is rehabing his right knee into shape. that’s right jpage78, he’s doing something. he’s not sitting at home watching the tv, waiting for the season to start to he can suck again.
i can guarantee andersen is going to come back and put all of your negative thoughts away.
done ranting.
by lakerlover2by4 on Jun 9, 2010 3:38 PM MDT up reply actions
lol....you are quite amusing Laker fan
You are always welcome here
"Groovy" Ash from Evil Dead 2
"No one came from miles around / and said man your music is really hot" No One Came...Deep Purple
Quitter's People United Member # 78
And I'm sure Andersen is happy to know he has fans who are Lakers fans
I hope my criticism doesn’t lead people to believe I don’t like him. I think I’m disappointed more than anything else.
"Groovy" Ash from Evil Dead 2
"No one came from miles around / and said man your music is really hot" No One Came...Deep Purple
Quitter's People United Member # 78
inviting a laker fan here? i feel honored
i guess i should be a little nicer. afterall, this is your site.
by lakerlover2by4 on Jun 9, 2010 5:55 PM MDT up reply actions
hey i'll chip in if we're short.
who’s with me???!!!
QUITTER'S PEOPLE UNITED # 3
a proud follower of pickaxes, the star, and the almighty cervelli\
Melo did say
He wanted one or two more pieces added. So if we don’t add one or two more pieces (not Polar Bear & Karls Jr) then look for Melo to walk. I really think we have to take the man on his word and see if the FO is stupid enough or just so cheap it tries calling his bluff.
by InboundingLobPass on Jun 8, 2010 1:10 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
The Post article on Josh Kroenke mentioning Melo's friendship with Josh
makes me hopeful that Melo might stick around.
QPU # 2.
Son of Stan was also college roommates with Kleiza
So that may not be such a good thing… Kleiza re-signs with Denver with a new max contract… arrrrrrgh!!!
"Maxie Miner Rules"
"Remember the Alamo", "Remember the Maine", "Remember the Hunter Trade"
"Contenders commit to building a champion; pretenders end up getting bit right on their pick axe"
LOL Son of Stan
I'm freaken pumped,I've been drinking green tea all goddamn day! God I go to church every god damn sunday,your going to bring the demons out of me...This is my hat now, this is totaly my hat !
Q.P.U. #Pi
by Joelsopinion on Jun 10, 2010 9:02 AM MDT up reply actions
Max Extension Makes Good Sense
It is a no-brainer to offer Melo a 3 year max extension this summer. And, given the NBA’s financial condition, Melo would be wise to take it. This would give Denver Melo’s rights in the prime of his career, help attract another piece or two, and give Denver a great trade piece if they decide to blow the motha up after next year.
by ACEIII on Jun 8, 2010 9:34 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
Melo wanted to re-up last summer after the WCF, but the front office was too stupid to do it then and now we all might have to pay the price. For the record I do believe Melo eventually re-ups but I would’ve preferred avoiding going to hoops hype everyday and reading about what team Melo is going to sign with once he becomes a FA. It looks like I’ll have to deal with that for a full season. I’ve said this before, but the one team i do think he could go to if he doesn’t re-sign is the Washington Wizards. He’s from B-More, so that’s as close as he can get, he’ll be on the East coast which means more exposure and they’ll already have a nucleus in place of John Wall, Gilbert Arenas (if he’s good again), Andray Blatche, and Javale McGee. Not bad.
They need to offer it now
and get a definite answer about Melo’s intentions. If he intends to walk after next season, better to find out now. I’m a huge fan of Melo and want him to stay in Denver his entire career. If Melo is offered an extension and refuses to sign it, best to know now so they can trade him this summer rather than risk losing him for nothing.
Formerly KS and CS
by ThrowItDownBigManThrowItDown on Jun 8, 2010 12:28 PM MDT reply actions
i hope Melo
carry this thing over very long. I doubt he will leave the Nuggets though
In time the criticism turns to praise
Carmelo balled hard, relentlessly attacking the bucket-Colin Powers
There is no quit in Carmelo Anthony-Reggie Miller
visionsfromthecut.tumblr.com
QUITTER'S PEOPLE UNITED #115
If he doesn't get ready for some pain
If Melo opts out after next year and leaves, at the very least the Nuggets face a painful multi-year rebuilding process. We probably won’t be bad enough without tanking to draft another franchise player. Extending Chauncey and Nene for big money no longer makes sense for a rebuilding team. Basically we’re back to 2002. Melo would be wise to lock up some big time money with his buddies Lebron and D-Wade before the new CBA, even if it’s only for another 2 or 3 years. The only reason I think it hasn’t happened is the turmoil surrounding the front office and ownership right now. The Brex Chapentein GM model might not continue when Josh takes over as owner. It starts at the top even if the Nuggets stay in teh Kronke family, heads will roll when somebody else takes over and they should. A decision has to be made on Warkentein and Melo sooner rather than later.
twitter.com/skitalicious
Quitter's People United Member #13
Offer him the max
…barring injury, he would be the best Nuggets player ever.
We can with a title with Melo as a centerpiece
We just need some better “rooks” and “bishops” and “knights” to work with. I’m not sure what to expect this offseason, though, unless we can somehow shed a K-Mart contract in an unforseeable trade scenario…
well of course its an unforseeable trade
In the most outrageous free agent bonanza in the history of the NBA NOBODY BUT NOBODY knows just how things will shake out. One trade, leads to another, leads to another to balance things out. We can EASILY trade KMart’s contract, the real test will be being able to get the best value for it. Also, just because, if and when we’re able to trade for max value, we get valuable players for Kmart’s expiring, it does not mean we’re a shoe-in to go deep into the playoffs. Right now is really the calm before the storm. Though all those top free agents might decide to stay put which would make the potentially historic offseason rather mundane. I hope shit gets crazy simply for entertainment value. Though in the interests of Melo resigning with the Nuggs, I’m not really sure how a crazy / mundane offseason effects his (and his agent’s) decision making process. Its gonna be…..something. just wait and see I guess.
by InboundingLobPass on Jun 10, 2010 12:36 AM MDT via mobile up reply actions
Interesting Article
From HoopsHype.com came this article arguing the case that Melo is starting to become the linchpin (they wrote kingpin, I think linchpin may be more accurate) to this year’s FA shopping:
There’ll be the crazy shopping for the top (LeBron, DWade, Bosh) and near top tier players (Amare, JJohnson, Boozer). But similar to a point discussed on this site, teams may choose to save some of their cap money or re-load for the 2011 FA class which headlines Melo. The 2010 FA class may be huge but there may be better overall depth in the 2011 FA class.
If Melo re-signs, some teams may choose to spend this year rather than save for 2011; which may cause the mid & lower tier players (Gay, Lee, and others) to get overpaid this year.
"Maxie Miner Rules"
"Remember the Alamo", "Remember the Maine", "Remember the Hunter Trade"
"Contenders commit to building a champion; pretenders end up getting bit right on their pick axe"
yaa but teams like New York, New Jersey and Miami can't afford to wait another year...
well maybe if New York signs one MAX (Amare is the only player i could see going there alone), then with Curry expiring they could actually sign melo…which is scary, but for NYK to have to wait another year, I think walsh would be fired… but its better than overpaying for a player like Gay or Johnson
Here's the link
It disappeared the first time.
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/96030389_Carmelo_is_kingpin_in_the_NBA.html
"Maxie Miner Rules"
"Remember the Alamo", "Remember the Maine", "Remember the Hunter Trade"
"Contenders commit to building a champion; pretenders end up getting bit right on their pick axe"
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."... .--George Santayana
Sadly, Kiki should’ve been more of a philosopher and maybe then he wouldn’t have thrown a full max contract & 3 first round picks for KMart.
Hopefully some financial education has occurred over the last handfull of years… understanding in the NBA who deserves a max contract and those who do not:
From the list of names above:
Those who never should’ve never gotten max money in the past (said it then, say it now):
Kenyon Martin, Steve Francis, Antoine Walker
Those who got max in the past where it probably was a good idea at the time:
Tracy McGrady (never been a fan of TMac’s but probably made sense at the time; he just fell apart too early)
Today’s players who are max money players:
Melo, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard
Chris Bosh I do believe is a max money guy… He’s a consistent top 5 performer
Dirk is a tough argument, I don’t think his game has dropped off that much, I think he’d still qualify
Jury is still out for me whether they’re max money players:
Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose
Today’s near top tier players who should not get max money:
Amar’e Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Danny Granger, Carlos Boozer, Rudy Gay, Brandon Roy, David Lee
I’ll Exempt from arguement Tim Duncan and Steve Nash; truly max money calibur players who are towards the end of their careers (possibly 3year max money but not longer).
"Maxie Miner Rules"
"Remember the Alamo", "Remember the Maine", "Remember the Hunter Trade"
"Contenders commit to building a champion; pretenders end up getting bit right on their pick axe"
CP3 definitely deserves max money
I think Dirk deserves a three-year max extension. His game isn’t dependent on athleticism, and I don’t see him slowing down anytime soon.
by airchibundo507 on Jun 10, 2010 9:46 AM MDT up reply actions
do they pay extra for flopping?
CP3 doesn’t get max because his style is so shitty. He’s capable of being one of the best in the game, but as long as he insists on throwing himself on the floor any time someone breaths on him, I won’t respect his game. Even if he would come to the nuggets on a minimum salary I wouldn’t want him, couldn’t stand watching him every game. It’d be like having Reggie Evans back, only for 35 minutes a game instead of 5.
Formerly KS and CS
by ThrowItDownBigManThrowItDown on Jun 10, 2010 11:14 AM MDT up reply actions
-1
His style of play might be a reason for your strong personal bias, but it has little to do with his impact and value on the court.
by airchibundo507 on Jun 11, 2010 1:07 PM MDT up reply actions
Say what you want
about how good he is. It won’t change the fact that she is a flopping little bitch.
Formerly KS and CS
by ThrowItDownBigManThrowItDown on Jun 12, 2010 11:14 AM MDT up reply actions
Stoudemire is a max guy 100%
Dude is a beast and those who talk negative about his defense need to realize the system he has played in. In 2010 when Phoenix decided to start focusing on d some Stoudemire was a beast on the glass and defensively in the paint. He is a max guy and I guarantee the team that pays him max dollars will not regret it. Stoudemire and Bosh are practically clones…
No he isn't
The guy plays in a system suited for his success: (1) there is a shooter at nearly every position surrounding him, and (2) he has the best passer in the league setting him up for a number of his baskets. The guy is not great at creating his own shot and doesn’t understand the concept of passing the basketball. I would take Bosh in a heartbeat over him.
by airchibundo507 on Jun 11, 2010 1:10 PM MDT up reply actions
agreed
He’ll never carry a team, so he’s not a top player. Top players have to be able to create their own shots or be dominate on defense. He can’t do either. Also, mentally, he has Rasheed Wallace syndrom, which is he wants to be in the background with no pressure. You can win with these type of guys, but only if they are the third or fourth option on the team.
Formerly KS and CS
by ThrowItDownBigManThrowItDown on Jun 12, 2010 11:16 AM MDT up reply actions
deron williams defense sucks
he flops on every play.
by lakerlover2by4 on Jun 11, 2010 8:28 PM MDT up reply actions
true
but if the refs call it, then it’s considered good defense. A called flop is the same as a steal. it’s still a turnover
by Melo'sPersonofSeattle on Jun 12, 2010 9:43 AM MDT up reply actions
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