Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 at 11:00 am  |  103 responses

Carmelo Era in NY Set to Begin

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Our long, international nightmare mercifully came to an end last night. The Melodrama is over, and the Knicks have their man. At last.

It’s a glitzy, fascinating, somewhat desperate, and vaguely terrifying move on New York’s part. In other words: it’s absolutely, perfectly Knicks-esque.

The Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks have been forever transformed by this, and though it’s clear that the Nuggets are now in full rebuiding hell, it’s harder to tell where the Knicks truly stand.

We’ll have to wait until the summer of 2012 to see if New York can land another big fish to compliment ‘Melo and Amar’e Stoudemire; it’ll be yet another tumultuous period for the team and its fanbase, with a front-office that may look radically different by then.

For the rest of this season, the New York Knicks are going to be wildly entertaining. They won’t defend anyone, may even put a scare into a Playoff team or two in the Spring, and Madison Square Garden will once again be the most electric gym in the NBA.

Welcome to New York, Carmelo Anthony. This is what you wanted all along. Now, it’s time to deliver on the grandest of stages.

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  • http://http//portlandfan1203.blogspot.com Karley

    New Big 3 in the NBA..
    Chauncy, Amar’e and Melo!!

  • O

    @Riggs, I’ve heard the Marc Gasol chase rumor before, BUT that was Donnie Walsh’s plan. If he leaves or gets let go, and Isiah comes back into the fold – which is more likely than Walsh staying – then you can forget Marc and bank on Isiah giving up Fields, Turiaf and Williams for Ron Artest. There goes the rest of the budget!

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Isiah’s idiocy is a tad overrated.
    And it’s not like Donnie Walsh did a great job in Indiana, is it?

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Melo was going to sign his extension with whatever team he was on in June. That’s what was gonna happen, 30-40 million roughly will be cut from what he could make after the presumed details of the new CBA are agreed to, half or more then half of what he could have been making. He wasn’t going to sign in NY, but he also wasn’t going to be happy in Denver. And the Knicks were right to give up all the stuff they did, even if it wasn’t part of Walsh’s “plan” simply because a player of Melo’s talent level and ability comes around once every 20 years, the last guy NYK had like this (other then Amar’e ofcourse) was Patrick Ewing, and its been 27 years since they drafted him..

  • http://Philosophervision@blogspot.com The Philosopher

    I love Isiah.
    One of the more shrewd guys in NBA History.
    Many a player owe Isiah some of their paychecks.
    Master negotiator.
    Master politician.
    Master charmer.

  • O

    @Allenp: Under Isiah, MSG looked like an entire season of Oz. Women were walking around the Garden with phone books taped around their a$$e$. If HBO made his tenure as Knicks President into a mini-series it would be called… (Fill In The Blank)

  • O

    Isiah was basically Warden Martin Querns while Marbury was running around like Adebisi.

  • riggs

    @Enigmatic: what depth? they got rid of their starting 4 people and are still left with the same bench that they had before, D’antoni is going to play the same minutes and the same rotation before.

  • LexaB

    Let’s try and see the big picture there. Melo and friends’ trade won’t turn Knicks into contenders, they still can’t beat Cs, Heat, Bulls or Magic come playoffs time. Still that D thing. D’Antoni, for the most part. But Melo changes so much more in the long run. A star of the game every night in the Garden. A true one, not Amare. That alone (a few more wins would help, too) could bring another star in 2012. Think CP3. Think D12. In The Decision’s area, the one that’s been going on for a while now and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon, players go from one jersey to another with ease, tryin’ to form dream squads so they can contend, win rings and cash the extra ad-bucks (see soccer. In Europe.) Let’s not pretend otherwise, our glory old days where most stars played their entire career for the same franchise are over, what we see these days is what’s gonna happen on a regular basis

  • LexaB

    for a long long time. The new CBA could be bad for the players but they will keep on movin’ from one team to another. So those two possible Knick and future Knick (Melo + CP3 or D12) could be the thing that will attract star players to NY for the next dont-know-how-long years, being NY and all. Melo can be the start of Knicks back to relevancy like it should be. Garden. Playoff basketball. Those words match.

  • LexaB

    Sorry for the two-part message

  • http://nobulljive.com/ Enigmatic

    Fair enough, Riggs.

  • http://www.google.com/news BETCATS

    Meh at this trade. NY lost a lot of role players and wont be doing much until they fill the voids this offseason. If they invest in good role players instead of saving it all for Derron or Chris they can actually have a solid squad. And Amare went to New York because of the market, not to be the #1 option. Lebron or Wade couldve very well been joining him when he signed and he knew that.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Really Melo wanted to have his cake and eat it to.
    He wanted the extra security of a longer deal, and the flexibility and current salary cap that would have been his for signing a shorter deal.
    People got mad at LeBron, but Melo was the one who played this one a little selfish.
    New York should have just told him to hold and wait, and theyw ould get him after the season and still have a freaking team to put around him. But, they knew he would have been pissed about missing out on all that money, and they caved.

  • MikeC.

    Now it’s time to wait on buyout veterans D, E and F. Whoever they may be. Buyout veterans A, B and C will be signing with the Celtics, Heat and Spurs. The Knicks are likely the next-most desirable destination based on playoff upside, market and availability of minutes. Players who sign with NY will actually get a chance to play solid minutes and not watch the team win from the bench.

  • MikeC.

    @Allenp – of course he wanted to have his cake and eat it too. Who would have a cake and not want to eat it? That’s just silly.

  • http://nobulljive.com/ Enigmatic

    I like to eat my cake but not have it, personally.

  • LakeShow

    I like to eat my cake but save a portion for later when it would give me value nutrionally.

  • MikeC.

    I didn’t take into consideration the possibility that a person could have a cake and not like that particular kind of cake. Then they’d have a cake and not want to eat it. So many cake-eating scenarios. I’m going to the store to get some cake.

  • http://nobulljive.com/ Enigmatic

    Cookie Dough Delirium ice cream cake from Coldstone FTW!

  • LakeShow

    ^^ take your Cake and eat it to Batter!

  • JTaylor21

    Y’all a bunch of caking a** dudes!

  • monkeyball

    @Allenp: A LITTLE selfish?

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    @Allenp: A LITTLE cake?

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    If you eat your cake you don’t have it anymore. You can’t it the cake and still have it. Thought that cliche was obvious.

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    Knicks did the right thing. Really people acting like bobcat Felton, Gallo and Wilson were so good. The Knicks were only 2 games over.500. People don’t realize in this trade the Knicks got a good defensive player in Corey Brewer and got to keep Fields. The knicks new lineup with Billups, Fields, Brewer and Amare would kill the lineup of Felton, Wilson, Gallo and Amare. I like the trade and Knicks will win some games and if the face against Magic, Heat or Bulls they have a chance to win. Knicks beat Bulls with a worst starting lineup and Lebron plays afraid against Melo for some reason. Knicks are a better team now and anybody that thinks they gave up good young talent did not really watch the games. Melo is a superstar the rest are not. BOOK IT!!!

  • http://slamonline.com Enigmatic

    I went to the grocery store today. Picked up the paper discussing this Melo business. Walking past the fruit aisle I realized…I have spent more time focusing on All Star weekend than I have with my fellow NAMBLA members smh.

  • http://slamonline.com The Ambassador

    Man where is the sense of loyalty these days!!! Billups said over and over again that he wanted to stay in Dever and idk about this but probably wanted to retire there too and what did the Dever origanization do, they traded him away!!! I think that the Knicks gave to much for Melo!!! Felton, Galllo,and Chandler werent that bad and all of them stepped up in big games!!! At least the Knicks didnt give up Laundry Fields or else I would have gone crazy!!!

  • http://airtsinelas21.blogspot.com Roy

    At least all the drama is over with…..

  • JTaylor21

    Enigmatic, what the hell is a NAMBLA and there are grocery stores in Alaska? Also I’ve been wanting to ask you this question for a long time; can you see Russia from your house?

  • http://slamonline.com Enigmatic

    JTaylor21: Google it bro. I coulda sworn you told me you were a member.

  • JTaylor21

    “LeBron plays afraid against Melo”, damn he must have been scared sh*tless when he dropped 43/13/15/2/4 on his head. Bron might as well retire now that Melo is in the EC.

  • the Dude

    Billups will determine if this team is relevant.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Wow, JTaylor, you know that’s not me at 9:22 and 9:57 right?
    And that first question about Alaska is incredibly stupid.
    And the second one, no. But Sarah Palin never said that. Tina Fey did.
    What Palin said is that Russia is viewable from Alaska.
    Which is true. We have islands that are only 30 miles away from Russia.

  • JTaylor21

    Enigmatic, just clowning. Let me ask you this, did you expect the bulls to be this good this quickly and what are you thoughts on Thibs so far?

  • Mike

    Anybody know where i can cop the fitted melo is wearing at the airport?

  • http://slamonline.com Enigmatic

    JTaylor: Definitely not. I never dreamed our lil SG masquerading as a PG would will us into 3rd in the East, but then again I never expected I’d turn out to be a black redneck. Thank God for Sarah Palin and the rest of the nutcase Tea Partiers!

  • http://slamonline.com Enigmatic

    Hooorah! Semper Fi! Down with all Arabs and Persians. Basically all Muslims, as they are a threat to U.S. freedom. The nerve of them keepin all that oil from us!

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    I’m black???? Sh*t, that’s news to me.
    JT, I expected the Bulls to be 4th or 5th in the East. So this is pretty dope.
    And Thibs is my pick for COY.

  • http://slamonline.com Enigmatic

    Oh yea, I forgot I’m a wannabe who occaisionally makes fun of black peolpe. 5’3″, hung like a flea. Peace

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    You’re soft as hell is what you are.
    No balls, Fake Enigmatic.

  • http://sdfklf.com Jukai

    Alright, I’m messaging Ryne to do something about the above poster.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Jukai, I thought about doing the same but don’t have Ryne’s contact info.
    I can look past all the wack “I’m gay” posts, but insulting me for being in the military?
    I honestly hope that imposter isn’t American or doesn’t live in the US.

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    O, with the Oz reference. Good taste in TV, my man. I just re-watched some of Season 1–maybe the best season of television ever. Seriously. And it paved the way for all the real shows on cable/HBO too, first of its kind.

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    Why would anyone want to diss Enigmatic like that? That’s pretty… enigmatic. *Badum chhhhhhh*! But seriously, stop it.

  • el_larsen

    oz rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    melo is overrated.i mean billups,nene,jr smith,al,lawson…and he couldn’ t even go the wcf?like lebron in fact(jamison,mo ,shaq,varejao,)!
    I mean wade won with the heat by himself(and the refs),and yes, the ambassador ,there ‘s no sense of loyalty anymore in this league.

  • el_larsen

    i ve read a good article about the trade that sums up my opinion.it s says this:
    “Carmelo Anthony wanted to be on the Knicks. Not the Nuggets, not the Nets, and not anyone else. Rather than capitalize on that leverage, the Knicks capitulated. To Denver’s stubborn demands, to Carmelo’s impatience, and to pressure from their fans. Rather than act like the team that Carmelo Anthony that desperately wanted to join, they acted like the team that desperately wanted Carmelo Anthony.(…)
    People call this a bold move, but look at the bigger picture. The bold move would have been calling everyone else’s bluff.”
    from sb nation

  • Clydesays

    NY had to do that deal. All Stars who can drop 40 pts without breaking a sweat are hard to come by. How far was the team going to get with Felton/Gallo?

    Walsh didn’t have much leverage since Melo public stated he would ONLY sign an extension w/ NY and Dolan wanted the deal done.

    Knicks might not become a post season threat until they upgrade at center, but they’ll probably win more games this season and get a decent seed in the playoffs. Isn’t that better than what they had before?

  • el_larsen

    i really think they could paid less.
    or even paid nothing at the end of the season.they act a bit desperate;like if they were the nuggets

  • riggs

    @El_Larsen: youre comparing wade getting to the finals when the east was garbage to melo not making the WCF in a tough western conference. wtf.

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