'Melo-Drama Over

Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov heard the pleas of Nets fans everywhere and finally put an end to the Carmelo trade rumors when he instructed Gm Billy King to pull out of all discussions with the Nuggets. He then went and canceled his meeting with Carmelo scheduled for last in the week. Folks, it seems that this deal is finally dead. And I for one, couldn't be happier.

It's not that I didn't want Carmelo. It's just that trading for Carmelo is like scratching poison ivy. It feels really good at first, but when you're done, you're in no better place than you started. Really, you should have just left it alone from the start.

I decided not to talk about the trade rumors until something concrete happened. My objection was simply to stay level headed and not let all the excitement go to my head. Some people might not rate Carmelo as a top 10 player, but there is no doubt that by acquiring him, the Nets would have gained instant credibility. They would have the score-at-will player they are sorely missing. They would have a local product to build the team around. They would have had another piece in their growing collection of WAG's. The possibilities were endless (did you hear the one about the secret handshake that would bring Chris Paul to Brooklyn in 2012?).

Acquiring Carmelo would have been like scratching an itch. Damn it feels good. But then you're done and realize the team would be no better off. Let's actually digest the proposed trade. The Nets were going to get 'Melo and Chauncey Billups from Denver and Richard Hamilton from Detroit. Billups made it be known in the press that he would ask for a buyout and not play for NJ - so really it would be Melo and Rip. I don't know how many of you have seen Rip lately, but he looks done. So really it was all about Carmelo. In return, the nets would send Troy Murphy and Johan Petro to Detroit and Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Anthony Morrow, Stephen Graham, Ben Uzoh and at least 2 first round draft picks to Denver. At the end of the day that would leave only Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Jordan Farmar, Travis Outlaw, Sasha Vujacic and 2 scrubs as the only Nets to remain with the team.

They would essentially be gutting their team and losing their salary cap flexibility to sign 'Melo for 3 years and Rip's skeleton for 2 years. I'm sorry, but maybe the lineup of Melo-Lopez-Humphries-Farmar-Hamilton could make the 8 seed in the East, but that's as far as they could go. That would be their ceiling. And then 'Melo would leave after 3 years.

The thing that the media kept striking out on was Carmelo's clear lack of interest in playing in NJ. People were saying that Prokhorov and Nets management could talk him into signing an extension. They could sell NJ/Brooklyn as the place to play. There was tons of optimism, but it was all unfounded. Carmelo consistently said how he wanted to play for the Knicks. If he wanted to go to the Nets, he would have said something by now. To me, his silence was deafening. I know he was never coming to NJ. And you know what, that's fine.

My problem was that he kept it dragging on too long. I don't know if he was playing the Nuggets. I don't know if he is just dumb, but the fact remains that he handled the situation all wrong. And not only did it affect his play, but it hurt the Nets too. This isn't a team that was going to make the playoffs...and I know they only won 12 games last year, but a 11-31 record to me is a major disappointment. They have been in many games and clearly should have 15-17 wins right now. Now that all the trade talk is over, Harris and Favors can quit being distracted and instead help us win some ball games.

I looked at their schedule and in their first 41 games, their opponents win percentage was 52.7%. This included two games against Miami, Lakers, Orlando, Boston and Chicago. In their last 41 games, their opponent's win percentage is 48.9%, which is being skewed upwards up by two games against San Antonio and Boston. In fact, they have another game against Detroit, Cleveland, Philly, Minnesota, two against Milwaukee and three against Toronto. The level of competition definitely goes down over the last half, so much so that I don't think 16-18 wins out of 41 games is out of the question.

So yeah, we didn't get Carmelo. We still have some bad contracts (looking at you Travis Outlaw). The 2011 free agent class isn't very strong. But we still have flexibility and an owner who is willing to think creatively (not sure Billy King can, but I believe in Prokhorov) to improve this team. If Favors can develop into the player most think he can be and if they are able to get some luck in the upcoming draft, they might be able to contend in a few years. With Carmelo, fist round exits would have been the best case scenario.