Carmelo Anthony Trade: Grading All of the Trade Pieces
Carmelo Anthony has been sent to the New York Knicks as part of a three-team trade between New York, Denver and Minnesota.
The Knicks will send SF Wilson Chandler, SF Danilo Gallinari, C Timofey Mozgov, PG Raymond Felton, the Golden State Warriors' second round picks in 2012 and 2013, as well as their own 2014 first-round pick and $3 million in cash all to Denver.
Wow, that's a mouthful.
In exchange, the Nuggets will send Melo, PG Chauncey Billups, PG Anthony Carter, SF Renaldo Balkman and PF Shelden Williams to New York.
To make the salaries work, the two teams involved the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Knicks also sent seldom utilized PF Anthony Randolph and C Eddy Curry's bloated contract to the T-Wolves for swingman Corey Brewer.
Let's grade all the moving pieces of the deal.
Raymond Felton, PG Denver Nuggets
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With George Karl naming Ty Lawson the point guard of the future, all indications point to Felton getting flipped once again before the trade deadline on February 24th.
Having said that, the Nuggets did well to grab Felton in the Melo package, but other teams are going to know that they will be seeking to move the veteran very shortly.
It remains to be seen where Felton finishes the season, but if he does indeed remain in Denver past the deadline, it's going to look like an awfully curious fit.
Grade (if he remains with Denver): C
Grade (if he gets dealt): TBD
Danilo Gallinari, SF Denver Nuggets
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Many speculated that the Nuggets were going to send him elsewhere after acquiring him from New York, but now the team is stating that they have no plans to move the newly acquired Italian import.
With an affordable deal for the rest of this season and next, Gallo will be a great piece for the Nuggets to begin their re-building process around. A sharpshooting small forward capable of stretching the defense, Danilo will get to jack up plenty of shots for the new-look Nuggets.
If the team does indeed decide to flip him for a first-round pick, they'd better hope that the pick turns into a really good player.
Grade: B+
Grade (if Denver deals him for a first-rounder): C+
Timofey Mozgov, C Denver Nuggets
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With the Nuggets looking to give incumbent starter Nene a contract extension, the demand to include Mozgov in this mega-deal is a little puzzling.
Assuming that Denver keeps the raw Russian, Mozgov is an intriguing player to keep an eye on. If he gets 25 minutes per game, it will be interesting to see how he can produce.
He's shown flashes of brilliance (most recently with his 23 point, 14 rebound performance), but in other instances has looked years away from capable contribution. Like most pieces in the deal, Mozgov's ultimate outlook is very dependent on where he winds up after the deadline passes.
Grade: B-
Grade (if Denver deals him): TBD
Wilson Chandler, SF Denver Nuggets
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After General Manager Donnie Walsh was unwilling to sign Chandler to a long-term extension last summer, it became increasingly clear that he was not a piece of the future plans in New York.
The Nuggets reportedly see Chandler as one of the best young small forwards in the league, and while that fact is certainly arguable, it's definitely far from a convoluted idea.
Capable of playing at either the two or three position, Chandler's versatility should bode well for a Denver team that doesn't have a single guy on its roster who is good at just one thing.
Assuming the Nuggets lock him up before he hits free agency this summer, Chandler could make people forget about Carmelo before too long.
Grade: A-
Anthony Randolph, PF Minnesota Timberwolves
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Randolph remains an extremely young, intriguing athletic talent at just 21 years old, but his NBA career is very much at a crossroads right now.
It's worth noting that two organizations have already soured on Randolph despite his enormous upside, but perhaps the Timberwolves can resurrect his initial success that he enjoyed in the league.
Although he'll be playing behind Kevin Love and Darko Milicic, General Manager David Kahn loves gambling on former lottery picks, and as long as he doesn't wind up in Kurt Rambis' doghouse, Randolph could see 20-25 minutes per night.
He certainly won't turn around the T-Wolves, but he's a nice piece to a slowly improving puzzle.
Grade: B
Eddy Curry, C Minnesota Timberwolves
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In a move that was a straight salary dump, the Wolves acquired Curry's $11.3 million expiring contract from the Knicks.
It's doubtful that he'll ever play in Minny given his rather robust frame and constant injuries, the team can use his expiring deal in securing some financial flexibility for the future in the hopes that the team becomes competitive in the near future.
They're definitely not playing for the postseason this season, so perhaps Curry's contract can bring back a nice piece via trade or help to sign a talented free agent for the upcoming offseason.
Grade: B+
Shelden Williams, PF New York Knicks
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Williams has played for three teams (Celtics, Nuggets & Knicks) over the last season and a half.
Regardless of where he plays, Candace Parker's husband doesn't make much of a stamp when he's on the court and is best suited for a seat at the end of the bench.
He's one of the sole Knicks with size on the new-look roster, and while he certainly has proven capable of being a legitimate NBA reserve, his 900K deal is set to expire at season's end, and it's doubtful that he'll be back in New York.
Grade: D
Anthony Carter, PG New York Knicks
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Carter couldn't find much playing time in Denver behind Chauncey Billups and Ty Lawson, and his situation doesn't get much better in New York.
With Billups coming over to the Knicks with him and Toney Douglas running the backup point guard spot, Carter will need an injury to crack Mike D'Antoni's rotation. Much like Williams, Carter was simply a filler in this deal and isn't expected to be a part of the Knicks' plans.
His $1.3 million deal is set to expire at the end of the campaign, and should give the Knicks much needed financial flexibility to improve the bench heading into 2011-12.
Grade: C-
Renaldo Balkman, SF New York Knicks
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Balkman was booed at Madison Square Garden when the Knicks originally drafted him 20th overall in 2006.
While there are certainly draft busts that were selected well ahead of that slot, Balkman's selection ahead of PG Rajon Rondo has many New York fans kicking themselves after seeing how Rondo has blossomed with Boston.
An undersized power forward coming out of the SEC, Balkman probably won't ever turn into anything more than a marginal NBA talent at best.
Grade: C-
Corey Brewer, SG New York Knicks
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Perhaps the least talked about piece of the entire deal, Brewer is a really interesting piece for the Knicks that could get some serious burn.
A talented wing player who needed a fresh start outside of Minnesota, Brewer has never cashed in on the potential that made him the seventh overall selection in 2007. At 6'9, Brewer will see time at both shooting guard and small forward and could be one of the few Knicks that actually plays defense.
If the Knicks don't make him a qualifying offer this offseason, he'll be yet another contract coming off the books and creating even more financial flexibility.
Grade: B
Chauncey Billups, PG New York Knicks
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Perhaps the most underrated piece of the entire deal, Billups is the type of veteran leader that the Knicks sorely need.
Although Felton was a nice story at the start of the season for New York, the Knicks are better off with Billups for the long-run who is a proven winner and has been playoff tested. While he might be on the back swing of his career, Billups is still very productive as evidenced by his 16.5 points per game and 5.3 assists.
He might not score as much as he did during his tenure with Denver, but his assists count should steadily rise and he's going to be exactly what the Knicks need if they hope for a successful postseason push.
Grade: B+
Carmelo Anthony, SF New York Knicks
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The biggest piece to the puzzle, Anthony was a must-have for the Knicks after they swung and whiffed on LeBron James this summer.
While he doesn't elevate the team to title contenders in a crowded Eastern Conference, Melo is the superstar that the Knicks desperately needed to pair with Amar'e as they lay the groundwork for what is now known as the blueprint to a championship in the NBA: concocting a big three.
GM Donnie Walsh expects to have the cap space to add another max contract free agent in 2012, and it's no secret that both Chris Paul and Deron Williams are candidates to be running the offense.
A big three comprised of Melo, Amar'e, and either of those talented point guards would make for an awfully impressive roster.
The Knicks had to get this deal done and bring Melo to Madison Square Garden, and they delivered.
Grade: A
