Carmelo Anthony Trade: 10 Bold Predictions for the Knicks, Nuggets
Carmelo Anthony was dealt to the Knicks Monday in a blockbuster trade that sent Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman to New York along with Anthony.
In return, the Denver Nuggets received Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, a first round pick, two second round picks and $3 million.
With the Eastern and Western Conferences completely shaken up, the playoffs are essentially up for grabs.
No. 10. Raymond Felton Will Take Over the Nuggets
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In 54 games for the New York Knicks, Raymond Felton averaged 17.1 points, nine assists and 1.8 steals per game.
He has had an average career so far, but has always played with superstars. His transition to the Nuggets will boost his performance on the court.
Denver still has veteran players like Al Harrington and Kenyon Martin, but Felton will be the new on-court leader.
No. 9. Carmelo Anthony Will Not Be Any Better in New York
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Yep, that's right.
Carmelo is playing about as well he has ever played. In Denver, he was the only great player on a good team. Now, he's playing alongside another superstar in Amar'e Stoudemire.
The only thing that will hurt is his individual production. I'm not saying the Knicks won't be any better as a whole with the addition of Anthony, but Carmelo has already reached the peak of his stardom.
No. 8. Nene Will Leave Denver
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Whether it be via trade or free agency, Nene is going to leave the Denver Nuggets.
He is one of the hottest players on the NBA trade market. Teams like the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets would love to bring Nene in if they can.
If Denver doesn't trade him, he will be happy to sign elsewhere when his contract expires.
No. 7. Another Great Tandem Is Born
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I know I said Carmelo Anthony won't play any better in New York then he has been playing right now, but he won't play any worse either.
The duo of Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire will be one of the league's best, along with Kobe-Gasol and LeBron-Wade.
No. 6. The Knicks Will Beat Boston Before the Season Ends
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The Boston Celtics are by far the hottest team in the NBA, and they beat New York twice this season (105-101 and 118-116) thus far.
The Knicks have two more regular-season chances to beat the Celtics, and they will take advantage of their opportunities with two wins, evening the season series.
No. 5. The Nuggets Will Make the Playoffs
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For some reason, this shocks people. How could the Nuggets do anything without Carmelo?
Let's take a look at the Western Conference playoff picture.
The top four seeds are taken by San Antonio, Dallas, Los Angeles and Oklahoma City.
The bottom four seeds are taken by Portland, New Orleans, Denver and Utah.
The next three spots are occupied by Memphis, Phoenix and Houston. Who exactly is going to overtake Denver?
Memphis just lost its best player, Rudy Gay, for at least four weeks, and Portland lost its best player, Brandon Roy, for the season. If anything, Denver may even rise in the playoff picture.
No. 4. New York Will Finish with the Fourth Seed in the East
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Once again, this surprises people for some reason.
People automatically assume the Knicks will be in the top three, if not first or second. I don't care who the Knicks just got, but they will not be better than the Heat or the Celtics this season.
I have them at fourth because they are currently 10 games behind Chicago, and there is no chance they make that up.
Especially with Joakim Noah coming back from injury, the Bulls will be just as good, and the Knicks won't get higher than a four seed.
No. 3. Denver Will Lose in the First Round to Dallas
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Denver is going to grab the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
That is about as well as the Nuggets could hope to do, and that is also as far as they will get.
Their first round matchup will be against the Dallas Mavericks, and Dallas will overwhelm them and win the series, 4-1.
No. 2. New York Will Barely Get Past Atlanta
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In the first round, New York will match up against Atlanta, who will grab the fifth seed over Orlando.
Atlanta will give New York a very difficult time with the outstanding play of Al Horford, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith.
Even still, New York will win the series in seven games and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
No. 1. That's All She Wrote
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Unfortunately for Knicks fans, New York won't be the Cinderella story of the year.
In the second round, New York will run into a wall of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Miami will just be too good at this point in the season and will take the series in six games. The 2010-11 season won't be one that New York remembers forever, but an unforgettable season may not be too far away.
