Melo-Price?

If you ask most New Yorkers...they would say, without pause, yes. Then they would wonder who the Knicks would have to give up to get him. Every day that passes now, it seems as if the price for Carmelo is going down as the Denver Nuggets try to salvage anything from this potential deal. Deep down they know Melo will never re-sign with them. Everyone knows he wants to be in NY but now LA has jumped into the mix and I'm sure Melo is fantasizing about life in Los Angeles with Kobe. The LA business is most likely a scare tactic though. Denver is desperate not to come out of this looking like the Cavaliers.

I wouldn't mind if the Knicks sat back and waited until the off-season to sign Carmelo. It will save the Knicks money and some of their prized players that they may have to give up if a trade does go through. I would be stunned if, as a free-agent, Melo doesn't come sprinting to NY. If we do end up trading for him, hopefully it's at a minimum cost. Get Curry's fat ass out of here, give them the pick and Wilson Chandler too. That would be perfect for the Knicks. Chandler is a very good player who has finally started to come into his own but it's not even worth comparing him and Melo.

What I don't want is to have to give up Landry Fields and Gallinari. After years of not having picks or drafting players barely worthy of the D-League (i.e. Michael Sweetney) the Knicks have finally gotten two draft picks right. Landry Fields is one of the greatest hustlers in the game. He brings a tenacity that has come to define these revitalized Knicks. He is the type of role player that every great championship team has.

I'm not keen on trading Galo either. I know people have a bias against European players, and Galo comes across as

Sesame Street

goofy but he is going to be a down right star. The casual viewer may laugh at this prediction but if you watch, when the Knicks go to Galo (which too often they get away from doing) he can be at times un-guardable. He is an excellent (though sometimes streaky) shooter but he also has an unorthodox but effective way of putting the ball on the floor and finding the rim. It took Nowitzki a few years to truly blossom and I think we are seeing the Galo pedals unfold right before our eyes. He is also a very underrated defender. He leads the leagues in charges taken and consistently does a decent job on the opponents best player, night in and night out.

So I am all for Melo coming to the Garden, but I do not want the Knicks brass to brake up this already talented team. If anything, the Knicks need some bruisers who can help them out defensively. The only defense that Carmelo is known for is Matador D. I am always for bringing in a special talent and offensively Carmelo is as special as they get but I don't think he is as necessary as everyone thinks. This team is still growing and with a few more pieces they can be a contender with or without Melo. I will cheer just as loudly for him as every other Knicks fan if he comes to the Garden but I would hate to see the Knicks give away two of their most talented in the process.