Carmelo Anthony: Do The New York Knicks Need the Nuggets Star This Season?

The Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks rumors have been running rampant since the early parts of the summer, and while no deal has been struck yet, there is still little chance a trade happens involving the Knicks this season.

The Denver Nuggets will be looking for a very solid package of players in return for Anthony and the Knicks do not have much to offer in terms of proven young talent.

Further complicating matters, is New York's lack of valuable draft picks, many of which were traded away in the past few seasons as the Knicks tried to clear salary cap space for this summer's free-agent bonanza.

The young talent the Knicks have is good, but it won't be enough to pry Carmelo away from the mile high city.

Forwards Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari are good players, but neither has shown half the talent of Anthony yet, and to think either of them could be nearly as good as Anthony at any point in their career's is being a bit too optimistic. 

Tomorrow is the day when teams can trade players they signed as free agents during the summer. Even though December 15th is the actual day these players can be officially moved, teams have included these players in trade negotiations all season.

The Knicks have two notable free agent signings who are able to be traded tomorrow: forward Amare Stoudemire and point guard Raymond Felton. 

Stoudemire is a fan favorite already and is the first superstar the Knicks have had since Patrick Ewing. Not only is he popular among the Madison Square Garden faithful, he is playing at a very high level. His scoring has been immense for the Knicks and his defense has improved as well.

Felton has turned into one of the best free agent signings of the summer. Originally viewed as a backup plan due to the failure of the Knicks to sign LeBron James in the summer, Felton has been a very good player for coach Mike D'Antoni.

Felton and Stoudemire are displaying the type of chemistry that makes you think they've been teammates for years, so the chances of either being dealt away is slim to none.

If the Knicks do not make a trade for Anthony by Christmas, then they likely will not bother again until the summer, when they can give nothing to acquire him by signing him as a free agent. The only problem with this idea is the cloud of uncertainty pertaining to the new collective bargaining negotiations between the players and the owners.

Anthony will want to sign a new contract extension before the summer because reducing player salaries is a likely consequence of the new CBA that must be agreed upon if there is to be a 2011-12 NBA season. 

The Knicks are much improved and are competitive right now. They will make the playoffs and will improve each game as their younger players finally play in games that mean something in the second half of the season.

New York doesn't need Carmelo Anthony right now, so there is no point in trading for him and giving up young talent when acquiring him does not elevate them from playoff contender to title contender this season.