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Seeings how this is a Raptors site and there are Melo trade rumours, this is how I see Toronto getting in on this action:
First off - rumours are Melo wants to go to Orlando or New York..... tough titty Melo. Denver does what is in their best interests and you go where they send you.
This is what I would see Denver wanting:
All-star quality player with name recognition to keep the fans/sponsors
Prospects
Rotational players
Salary cap relief
Draft picks
First off, to get Raptors involved we need to do this trade first:
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMa...radeId=27gaxym
CHA: gets under cap, gets PG
IND: rids Ford, adds a couple of bigs
TOR: drops Dampier, team payroll of only $38.5M ($20.2M below salary cap!), Ford is the price to pay (positive: $8.5M expiring contract)
Next, Melo time. While Orlando and New York are the teams mentioned thus far, Anthony surely wouldn't mind teaming up with Chris Paul. Where does TOR fit in? They are a facilitator with only $37.8 in payroll:
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMa...radeId=2fm8pjv
(The option on Dorsey's contract would need to be picked up)
DEN: gets expiring contract in Carter and a (decling) star, a younger and cheaper point guard (Billups is 34 to start season), Bass who wants out of Orlando, Thorton who had a great year last year with more potential, and Pondexter who is a prospect. Probably throw a draft pick their way too. Denver also sheds $15.5M and is now under the luxury tax. This actually saves them around $28.5M next year. They still have a good team - but much younger with more flexibility going forward.
NOH: gets another superstar to team with Paul. Paul/Ariza/Melo/Martin/Okafor with Brackins, Gray, Belli, R. Anderson, Afflalo off the bench. NOH still needs another PG (pssst! GSW are holding off offering Panergo a minimum contract, I think he fit in well there before!). Next year they have around $20M coming off the books (re-sign Chandler, good friends with Paul, Okafor at 4 and Chandler at 5????) and if Melo really wanted to compete with BOS, MIA and LAL, he'd take a paycut like Pierce, LeBron, Bosh, Wade, and Allen all did (Paul would do the same in 2 years).
ORL: get a proven winner at point, a mid-range scoring all-star at the 4, rid of 2 two guys bitching about playing time (Anderson and Bass), depth with Songalia, and $10.7M in cap savings (which is actually $21.4M). Wait! Wait! Wait! They have no one to back up Howard! True. And the Raps dropped Dampier - vets minimum for the chance to win?
TOR gets a C, a rental SF with a $14.3M expiring contract, the TPE is still not touched, next year's salary commitment is only $44.3 ($36.7M if Barbosa opts out) with a core of Jack, DD, Kleiza, Bargs, Gortat, Davis, Johnson, Alabi, and Barbosa*.
PG: Jack/Ford/(Bobby Brown?)
SG: DD/Barbosa/Weems
SF: Kleiza/Peja/Wright
PF: Bargs/Davis
C: Gortat/Johnson/Anderson/Alabi
What do you think? Probably not possible but I think it works.
First off - rumours are Melo wants to go to Orlando or New York..... tough titty Melo. Denver does what is in their best interests and you go where they send you.
This is what I would see Denver wanting:
All-star quality player with name recognition to keep the fans/sponsors
Prospects
Rotational players
Salary cap relief
Draft picks
First off, to get Raptors involved we need to do this trade first:
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMa...radeId=27gaxym
CHA: gets under cap, gets PG
IND: rids Ford, adds a couple of bigs
TOR: drops Dampier, team payroll of only $38.5M ($20.2M below salary cap!), Ford is the price to pay (positive: $8.5M expiring contract)
Next, Melo time. While Orlando and New York are the teams mentioned thus far, Anthony surely wouldn't mind teaming up with Chris Paul. Where does TOR fit in? They are a facilitator with only $37.8 in payroll:
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMa...radeId=2fm8pjv
(The option on Dorsey's contract would need to be picked up)
DEN: gets expiring contract in Carter and a (decling) star, a younger and cheaper point guard (Billups is 34 to start season), Bass who wants out of Orlando, Thorton who had a great year last year with more potential, and Pondexter who is a prospect. Probably throw a draft pick their way too. Denver also sheds $15.5M and is now under the luxury tax. This actually saves them around $28.5M next year. They still have a good team - but much younger with more flexibility going forward.
NOH: gets another superstar to team with Paul. Paul/Ariza/Melo/Martin/Okafor with Brackins, Gray, Belli, R. Anderson, Afflalo off the bench. NOH still needs another PG (pssst! GSW are holding off offering Panergo a minimum contract, I think he fit in well there before!). Next year they have around $20M coming off the books (re-sign Chandler, good friends with Paul, Okafor at 4 and Chandler at 5????) and if Melo really wanted to compete with BOS, MIA and LAL, he'd take a paycut like Pierce, LeBron, Bosh, Wade, and Allen all did (Paul would do the same in 2 years).
ORL: get a proven winner at point, a mid-range scoring all-star at the 4, rid of 2 two guys bitching about playing time (Anderson and Bass), depth with Songalia, and $10.7M in cap savings (which is actually $21.4M). Wait! Wait! Wait! They have no one to back up Howard! True. And the Raps dropped Dampier - vets minimum for the chance to win?
TOR gets a C, a rental SF with a $14.3M expiring contract, the TPE is still not touched, next year's salary commitment is only $44.3 ($36.7M if Barbosa opts out) with a core of Jack, DD, Kleiza, Bargs, Gortat, Davis, Johnson, Alabi, and Barbosa*.
PG: Jack/Ford/(Bobby Brown?)
SG: DD/Barbosa/Weems
SF: Kleiza/Peja/Wright
PF: Bargs/Davis
C: Gortat/Johnson/Anderson/Alabi
What do you think? Probably not possible but I think it works.
. However, I have the NFL - the real league to watch where any franchise can win the Superbowl whether big market or small market and players are hardly used as faces of the league(we know Brett Favre, Larry Fitzgerald, Reggie Bush, Drew Brees, Antonio Holmes, Rothlisberger, Randy Moss, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and others because of their performances on the field and none of these guys are touted as the face of the league regardless of their talents).
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