New York Knicks: Who Says the Carmelo Anthony Trade Was Bad?

If Winston Churchill were still around, chomping stogies and downing whiskey throughout the day—and were an avid Knicks fan who followed the travails of the last 10 seasons—he might have this to say regarding the famous (or infamous, if that's your take) Carmelo Anthony trade:

"The Knicks got the worst end of that deal...except for the other two teams."

For longest time, I didn't agree with this. But then I got real.

I'm not the biggest Carmelo Anthony fan, but I'm not going to give up on him just yet.

He wants it his way. He wants the ball too much. He disrupts the flow of the offense.

He messes with your point guards, in this case Jeremy Lin's mind. Better be sure to know where Anthony is at all times and get him the ball occasionally, regardless of the situation. Otherwise, there will be some drama.

Actually, Carmelo does seem to be improving on those fronts, but not on this one:

What bothers me most about Melo is much more intangible. Haven't you noticed? He doesn't have the heart of a champion. Yes, I know he won in Syracuse, but you don’t hear him say things like Michael Jordan did:

“I play to win, whether during practice or a real game. And I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.”

Or:

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”

Or like Derek Jeter:

“We just want to win. That's the bottom line. I think a lot of times people may become content with one championship or a little bit of success, but we don't really reflect on what we've done in the past. We focus on the present.”

Or any other champions’ odes to winning IT ALL, dammit.

With Melo, its more like:

“My team needed me out there to get some things done. At halftime I just told them it's time for me to wake up and just go out there and win the game.”

Huh?

Or:

“I didn't know what the numbers were, but I knew I needed to hit some shots. Then I realized I was going off all by myself.”

Yikes. Pay attention man.

If you look at most of Melo’s quotes you will see that lack of championship something.

THAT is the annoying feeling in your gut about Anthony. Do you ever really picture Melo hoisting the championship trophy? Or is it more like, "gosh I hope we win tonight. We're playing the Milwaukee Bucks. I hope Anthony and [Knick player] gel tonight. Do we still have the eight seed? Whew."

Now there has been some definite improvement since Mike Woodson took over, like a 7-1 record improvement.

But I'm not totally sold. They didn't really play anybody tough, except for the 76ers.

So the jury is still out, and I am going to hold onto any final judgement. I'll be like the rest of us, elating in surprising performances and occasional blowouts, swallowing embarrassing, maybe inept, defeats and surfing the waves of possibility to the end. It's a ride at least.

But let’s all hold our horses for a second. We should be grateful for what we have. Because, let me tell you, the pieces the Knicks gave up for Carmelo have even less to show, and they're a lot more boring.

Now of course, if there never were a trade then these guys would still be on the Knicks. Who knows how they would be playing, or if a hobbled/out-indefinitely Stoudemire would have made a difference, or if Tyson Chandler never made his way to New York. Those are all alternate realities. I'm not going to play "what if?" here.

Let's be in the present. Let's be real. Let's exorcise the Carmelo Anthony good-or-bad-trade demon once and for all. And what the hell, let's have a whiskey and a stogie while we're at it (only if you're 21!).

Who would you rather have right now? Carmelo Anthony (and Tyson Chandler, indirectly acquired) or these guys...

*
Jordan and Jeter quotes from brainyquote.com.

Wilson Chandler, Zhejiang Lions/Denver Nuggets SF

After the big trade, Chandler’s averages dropped slightly across the board.

Then, he jumped ship during the lockout to play for the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions in China. He did very well there, but the Chinese Basketball Association is no NBA. Would he have gone if still a Knick? Why not?

Chandler just returned stateside, signed a multi-year deal with the Denver Nuggets and has played in only three games this season so far.

The Knicks have a better Chandler, Tyson, who is having the best year of his career, and has made a definite impact, evidenced by how bad the team played when he was out with ankle and hamstring issues.

Raymond Felton, Portland Trail Blazers PG

Raymond Felton was like butter with Amar’e Stoudemire and the Knicks. Not so with LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland.

Felton’s transition to a Trail Blazer has been anything but smooth. First, he just couldn’t play out coach Nate McMillan’s slow pace. When McMillan changed his style to fit Felton’s faster one, it was a failure.

Free-agent-to-be Felton is now a lame duck having the worst season of his career since his rookie campaign. He's wondering who he will be playing for next season.

I would still take a healthy Chauncey Billups, and now Jeremy Lin, over Raymond Felton.

Danilo Gallinari, Denver Nuggets SF

OK. Despite a couple of injuries, Danilo Gallinari is having a good season in Denver.

But, he’s only been healthy enough for 33 games (out of 50) and is looking at another four weeks ahead on the bench with a bum thumb. That’s pretty much the rest of the regular season.

And there may not be a postseason for Denver and their 29th-ranked defense. The Nuggets are hanging on to the ninth spot in the West as I write.

Do the Knicks miss Gallinari’s sharpshooting? Steve Novak has picked up a good amount of that slack—he’s sporting higher field-goal and three-point percentages and is better statistically across 36 minutes.

Timofey Mozgov, Denver Nuggets C

Timofey Mozgov is coming into his own, having a respectable sophomore season.

But where would he go on this year’s Knicks?

Tyson Chandler’s got most of center covered now and I wouldn’t bump Jared Jeffries for Mozgov at the moment. Jeffries has been kind of reborn.

Then there’s Josh Harrellson, who has shown more than we expected.

Eddy Curry and His Contract

Eddy Curry and at least part of his $11 million salary finally came off the Knicks’ books after a dreadful, perhaps the worst, contract in Knicks lore.

Curry had made $20 million the previous two years—all for a total of seven games (that’s $2.9 million a game).

Unloading this albatross is what made it possible for the Knicks to even think about a major acquisition of any kind.

Amazingly, Curry is playing for the best team in the East, the Miami Heat. He has 14 points in 11 games. I’ll eat my hat if he gets a ring.

Anthony Randolph, Minnesota Timberwolves PF

Who? Oh yes, he played in 17 games for the Knicks. What a devastating loss.

Not really.

Randolph has found a niche in Minnesota eking his way into 23 games behind Kevin Love and Michael Beasley with some mostly uninspiring play.

$6 Million Cash

That would be $3 million apiece to the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

For the New York Knicks and gangsta James Dolan, this is an inconsequential number. And look, it greased the trade machine.

Anyway, they've made it all back and then some on the ticket price hike (another coming) and Jeremy Lin gear.

Draft Picks

Now, this is where the trade stings a little. You don't want to mortgage your future. I don’t care what kind of draft picks. Any kind of draft picks you just hate to give up.

To get Anthony and Billups (and Renaldo Balkman, Anthony Carter and Shelden Williams—all gone now), New York had to throw in three draft picks: 2012 second round, 2013 second round and 2014 first round.

That really isn’t that bad.

Second rounders are often a crap shoot—certainly not all the time – but, eh, I can live with those—especially with a New York team that really is built with the hopes of winning now and through the next two years at least as it is.

That 2014 first rounder is hard to let go of, but it’s three drafts away. And again, without a trade, the Knicks have their Big Three signed through 2014-15.

In a pinch, New York can pull a trade bringing a first-round pick back into its inventory. It’s not something I’m going to be too concerned now, though, given the current makeup and timeline of this team.

Conclusion

Love the one you're with.

The Carmelo Anthony trade was in New York's favor.

With Anthony and Tyson Chandler, the Knicks have a better chance of going far in the playoffs or even winning a championship in the next three years, than with what they gave up.

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