Carmelo Anthony to New York Makes Knicks Instant Contenders

The New York state of mind just keeps getting more appealing to Carmelo Anthony, with the Knicks on an eight-game winning streak and being one of the hottest teams in the league.

ESPN.com’s Chris Sheridan reports that Carmelo Anthony will not sign an extension with the Denver Nuggets, reported to be for three years and worth $65 million, unless he is traded to the Knicks.

A source close to Anthony reported that he desires to only sign the deal if he can play for the Knicks. Anthony has been subject of trade talks this past offseason, with rumored destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Orlando in discussion. 

At the beginning of the season, SwishScout.com took a look at how Melo might fare with these teams in a 7-game series against the Miami Heat.

Anthony, who won a national championship at Syracuse his freshman year, has been a favorite son of sorts with the New York crowd. Early Sunday afternoon, the Knicks defeated the Nuggets 129-125 in Madison Square Garden.

The New York fans gave Melo a standing ovation after hearing about the murmurings of NYC as his desired destination. 

The Knicks are one of the hottest teams in the league, having won eight in a row and a combined record of 16-9. Mike D’Antoni, former long-time coach of the Phoenix Suns, is in his third year with the team and has them playing high-octane basketball. 

This season, the Knicks are averaging 107.7 points per game, second best in the NBA. 

Amare Stoudemire has emerged as an MVP candidate for the team with 26.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Amare, who played under D’Antoni most of his career in Phoenix, has boosted the Knicks after signing with them this offseason as a free agent. 

Their other significant free agent addition, Raymond Felton, has been impressive with 18.1 points, 8.4 assists and two steals a game at the point. 

The depth of the Knicks has helped as well, with Danilo Gallinari adding 15.3 points, predominantly from three-point range. Wilson Chandler has emerged as a "sixth man of the year" candidate at small forward, putting in 16.9 points and six rebounds off the bench. 

Rookie forward Landry Fields from Stanford has also emerged as a "Rookie of the Year"-type candidate, putting up 10.3 points and grabbing 7.5 boards on a nightly basis. 

With Carmelo Anthony at the Small Forward position for the Knicks, NYC becomes a true contender to come out of the East. Anthony, Stoudemire and Felton become another "Big Three" tandem in the East, with all of them as exceptional players at their respective positions. 

Carmelo Anthony is averaging 22.8 points per game and eight rebounds, but more importantly, gives the Knicks a solid half-court scoring option every trip down the floor from the perimeter. 

Anthony is one of the elite players in the NBA with the ability to improve any team. He has one of the best inside-out games in the league, as he can get to the basket, pull up from mid-range or knock down the three as well as anyone. 

Felton pushes the tempo, Stoudemire anchors the paint and Anthony plays the perimeter as a "go-to" scorer, making the Knicks offensive attack even more multi-dimensional. 

The only teams in the East right now with better records than the Knicks are Boston and Miami; the Celtics have won their last 10 and the Heat is on an eight-game win streak. 

Other contenders, such as the Orlando Magic, are ice cold, having lost their last four games. The Atlanta Hawks are playing solid ball at 16-9 as well. 

Although it's early in the season, there is an indefinite opportunity for the Knicks to make a move and arrive as one of the league’s elite. 

The question then becomes: "Who do the Knicks have to give up to get Carmelo Anthony?" 

With Denver knowing that Anthony won’t be sticking around, the Nuggets organization isn’t in a position to ask for a ton of value before the trade deadline. The fear for a lot of teams is seeing their star walk away for nothing of value in return during the offseason. 

The recent hot play of the Knicks only adds to the suspense of the "what if" of Carmelo being back in New York on the NBA level.