NBA Rumors: Does Carmelo Anthony To the Knicks Make Them The East's Best?
The Potential Trade
Reports this morning are saying that the Knicks have made significant progress in their pursuit of Carmelo Anthony. The Nuggets star has not backed off his desire to move on, and the team has softened its demands on what it would like in return.
The Knicks are said to be offering Anthony Randolph and the expiring contract of Eddy Curry. What they really need to be able to offer Denver is a first-round draft pick. Now, it looks like they may be close to acquiring that pick from a third team.
If New York can land Melo while hanging on to talented young players like Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, this deal would be an absolute steal for them. A starting lineup featuring Anthony, Gallinari, Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton could possibly compete with the Miami Heat.
What will the Nuggets do if they end up parting ways with Carmelo? Probably head into full rebuilding mode. They would love to get out from underneath the contracts of J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin. However, trading them is not imperative since their contracts expire at the end of this season anyway.
They may also look to trade starting point guard Chauncey Billups to a team on the brink of contention for some young talent.
The Nuggets have been a playoff team ever since they drafted Carmelo, but they've never been able to take the next step and become serious championship contenders. A fresh start may be just what they need right now.
The Knicks With Carmelo Anthony
There's no doubt that the Knicks would be a much better team if they landed Carmelo, but how would they line up against the rest of the east?
"Big Threes" are the trend in the NBA right now, and New York's would probably be Melo, Felton and Stoudemire. While that big three might not be as good as Miami's, the positions involved are more complimentary.
The Knicks trio would be a point guard, a wing and a big. Plus, they'd have good complimentary players in Gallinari and Chandler. Miami's trio consists of two wings who essentially play the same game and a big, with an unproven point guard in Mario Chalmers and an underwhelming center in Joel Anthony.
In Mike D'Antoni's system, that Knicks lineup may be just as good offensively as Miami.
The Heat aren't the only team the Knicks would be competing with in the east. Boston, Orlando and Chicago all feel like they have a legitimate shot at Eastern Conference dominance as well.
New York would have a hard time with the defenses of Boston and Orlando but I think they would instantly leap frog Chicago if they acquired Melo.
The biggest problem for this team would be the same one that has plagued D'Antoni's teams for years. Defensively, they would not be very good, and everyone knows defense wins championships.
So, if New York acquires Carmelo Anthony, they may not be the favorites in the east. However, they'd certainly catapult themselves into the top four from that conference.
