If I'm not mistaken, jpage might have said something to this effect. If he has, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to steal an idea or something.

Anyway, it seems as though the general consensus is that if Melo wants to stay, we should keep him. However, even though Melo hasn't come out and said he wants to leave, we feel impelled to trade him.

The one thing we HAVE to remember is that if we don't trade Melo prior to the season, he'll be playing. This isn't the kind of situation where a player is like "I want to be traded, and I refuse to play otherwise". Sure, Melo has said he's considering becoming a free agent next year, but a lot can happen in a season.

Some people have mentioned that letting Melo walk after the season is an option. What I haven't heard is people mention how we can convince him to stay with OUR PLAY ON THE COURT.

One argument that I arguably hear the most is that "we're only 2 years removed from being a team minutes away from a finals appearance/championship". We've added Al Harrington, and we have Kenyon and J.R.'s contract to bring in some pretty good pieces. I mean, as it is, we're still borderline contenders! Factor in some good trades and it's easy to envision a situation where we're in championship contention! Would Melo want to leave then?

Sure, banking on us becoming a contending team again is a risk. But then again, any trade involving Melo would also be a risk. But shouldn't we be focusing on getting a title, no matter who's on the team?

Basically, let me ask you this. Honestly, what are our chances of Melo re-signing if we make a trip to the WCF again, or even the Finals? Why don't we re-double our efforts to build a championship team around him rather than plan for a future without him?