NBA Trade Rumors: New York Knicks Should Wait on Carmelo Anthony
When the New Jersey Nets exited the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes (or so we think), the Internet became filled with articles suggesting the New York Knicks should get themselves back into the mix. The logic makes sense. Put Carmelo alongside Amar'e, and you have a team that should be able to contend with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. However, the Knicks would not be able to bring in Carmelo without sending away some very valuable pieces.
That is why the Knicks would be crazy to trade their valuable young pieces away for Carmelo this year. Here's why.
Too Little Time Left This Season
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If the Knicks were to bring in Carmelo Anthony at the trade deadline, they would only have him for around 26 games. We saw at the beginning of the season this year how the Miami Heat struggled to find their chemistry and really didn't start winning consistently until 20 games in. Amar'e and Carmelo is a great one-two punch, but it would take time to get used to.
As the standings are now, the Knicks are 11.5 games back of the Boston Celtics, 8.5 games back of both the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat and 5.5 behind the Orlando Magic. Say the Knicks miraculously went 26-0 with the new addition of Carmelo, they would still need the teams ahead of them to play around .500 ball to pass them for the top four seeds.
An Amar'e and Carmelo team with no quality role players does not equal an NBA title this season. It might not even equal a top four seed.
Danilo Gallinari
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Gallinari loves playing in New York, and New York loves watching him play. Gallinari plays the game of basketball with a ton of passion and is not afraid of taking big shots in pressure situations. Gallinari is also only 22 years old and averages 15.9 ppg. He is a piece that Denver would ask for in a trade, and while Carmelo is a better scorer than Gallinari right now, who knows what this Italian sensation could become?
Landry Fields
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There is a reason Spike Lee is wearing his jersey. Charles Barkley says this is the best rookie out there (Blake Griffin excluded because Barkley said he's really a second-year guy). Fields has a big future ahead of him and New York would prefer not to see it be in a Nuggets jersey.
Carmelo Wants To Be a Knick
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The Knicks know that Carmelo wants to be a New York Knick. They do not have to explain to him why he should play in New York, the sale has already been made.
So why not wait until the offseason and show Carmelo Anthony a roster that truly could win a title if he was inserted into it?
They have the salary cap space to make it work.
Salary Space
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All lockout/collective bargaining rumors aside, take a look at the Knicks' salary cap positioning.
As you can see, about $16 million opens up next season. LeBron and Wade make around $15 million each as part of the Big Three. Carmelo has said it's not about money, and while what he could make with the Knicks is not as much as what he could make with Denver, the team is better positioned to make a run.
Notice after next season, Raymond Felton's contract is up and the Knicks could find a way to bring in Chris Paul to make that wedding toast complete. But even without Chris Paul, this team would be stacked.
The Starting Five With Carmelo
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PG: Raymond Felton
SG: Landry Fields
SF: Danilo Gallinari
PF: Carmelo Anthony
C: Amar'e Stoudemire
Yes, this lineup appears unconventional, but so is D'Antoni's coaching style. This would be the fastest lineup in the league, and even though they have no true center, they would still be incredibly long. Amar'e and Gallinari are both 6'10", Carmelo is 6'8" and Landry Fields is 6'7". This would be a matchup nightmare for teams to guard.
The Bench
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Toney Douglas has been great off the bench. Turiaf would provide good low post help for Dwight Howard. Whoever they get in the trade for Randolph could also come in to provide size. Then they also have Wilson Chandler to back up Melo and Gallinari.
Most importantly, Shawne Williams is becoming a real talent in New York. His defense on LeBron last week will make other teams offer him plenty of money when he becomes available. The Knicks need to hang onto Williams.
What's great about this lineup is the way these Knicks players would fall into roles. Amar'e has already established himself as the scorer, Carmelo would become the perimeter scorer, Gallinari and Fields would fill in when one of the stars had an off night and Felton would find himself probably averaging 13 assists a game.
The bench would give them defense and perimeter shooting. A trade for Melo now would give the Knicks two superstars and a lack of depth, but signing Melo in the offseason would give the Knicks a true team.
How the Competition Would Stack Up
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The Boston Celtics will look entirely different in three years. So will the Magic. The teams that have young talent and are already at the top are the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. Let's look at how they would match up.
Chicago would put Noah on Amar'e and then send out Boozer to guard either Carmelo or Gallinari. See the problem?
Likewise, Miami would have Chris Bosh chasing around Gallinari while LeBron guards Carmelo. You want LeBron to be fresh in the fourth quarter, and having him defend Carmelo all night limits that.
In a slow-it-down, low-post type of game, the Knicks would struggle, but if they could determine how fast and how high-scoring the game would be, very few teams would be able to keep up.
Final Verdict
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The Knicks without Carmelo will probably finish as a five or six seed and unless they draw Chicago, I don't see how they beat the Celtics, Magic or Heat in a best-of-seven series.
If the Knicks land Carmelo but lose Gallinari, Chandler and a draft pick, they might climb up to the four seed, but I still would see them losing in the second round to the Heat or Celtics.
If the Knicks sign Carmelo Anthony in the offseason and insert him into this current lineup, the Knicks could grab the No. 1 seed and be on their way to an NBA title.
No need to rush a trade, be patient and let Carmelo come to you.
