"I really don't know what to expect," he said. "I know me, personally, I'm just looking forward to going there and getting a win."
Anthony said he has not ruled out any options for his future.
"As of right now, I don't think the Nets will be calling," he said, laughing.
"I expect it to be a pregame intensity to the game, and then I'm sure there will be some antics during the game that will have to be understood and handled," Karl said. "I would say for most of the time, those things usually motivate my team to play more focused and serious. If we have to play an intense playoff-type style game against a team like New Jersey, I think we're capable of doing that."
Karl says he's proud of the way the Nuggets have handled the Anthony trade circus.
"We laugh about it, we joke about it," Karl said. "In general, it has not had a big effect on our basketball."
I'm sure the laughing will soon stop around 2/23/11... I will be on hand at the Prudential Center keeping everyone posted on of the Melo Drama...
By now I know you all have heard a rumor or two involving Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks but here is a trade scenario via bleacherreport.com that I really like for all parties involved.
It's a three team trade involving the Knicks,Bobcats and Nuggets.
Knicks get Carmelo Anthony
Ray Felton is having a career year and to keep it going strong after the All Star break Donnie Walsh should look to get him some help.A play making point guard who can backup Ray who will accept his role assisting the likes of Amar'e,Chandler and Melo.So how about Felton's ex teammate D.J. Augustine
Bobcats get Al Harrington,Aaron Afflalo and Bill Walker.
Al Harrington comes to ball every night,we as NYK fans saw his grind first hand last year and the Bobcats can use what he brings to the court. Afflalo is a player on the come up and would replace what they loose in Augustine.Bill Walker with added playing time will continue to improve,his three point range has improved within the last couple weeks alone.He would make that team really athletic all around with his dunking ability.
Nuggets get Stephen Jackson,Danilo Gallinari,Eddy Curry and Landry Fields
That's a package in my opinion the Nuggets should jump on without any hesitation.It would include a first round draft pick of course or Anthony Randolph.It allows the Nuggets to dump the salary of Al Harrington,gain youth in standout rookie Landry Fields and with Gallo and Action Jackson gives them help today for a playoff run.Not to mention Eddy Curry's contract
It isn't perfect and its allot of speculation but I'm sure this can be used as a framework to something we all can walk away happy about.
With STAT's right knee sore and Shawne Williams serving his One Game suspension the Knicks will need some front court help tonight versus the Pistons. D'Antoni has recently said that Timofey is still a part of this team's immediate future, well I guess tonight is as immediate as it gets.
Knicks fans witnessed much of Mozgov's abilities early in the pre-season and some in the beginning of the season. Eventually D'Antoni pulled Mozzy from the rotation after the Knicks 3 and 8 start to give the team a offensive lift with moving STAT to the center roll. Since the move the Knicks did improve and were able to develop some unknown talent in Williams. But it's no secret that the Knicks are limited in the BIGS department and the eventual departure of Randolph these leaves the team with limited options. With this in mind The Mozgov Project may need to go back in effect tonight, with quality minutes from this guy in the second half of the season it can go a long way for this teams growth.
In the midst of Williams vs Williams middleweight bout(Knicks vs Hawks) Marvin rolled onto Amare's right knee, twisting it awkwardly. The knee didn't keep him out of the game completely but it did raise some cause for concern during yesterdays practice.
NBA (David Stern) didn't overlook last night's little scuffle hitting our favorite Williams (Shawne) with a 1 game suspension and Atlanta's Williams with a 2 game suspension.
"It's a typical NBA altercation where there's a whole lot of swinging going on and I couldn't tell what Shawne did or didn't go," Knicks team president Donnie Walsh said before the punishment was handed down. "I didn't watch any replays of it so I accept whatever the league does because I didn't break the film down. I was glad no one got off the bench or didn't appear to. Those things can be instinctive and then you lose another guy. But we'll take whatever the NBA says."
Last night may have been the best night for Knicks fans in years, first we receive the news that Amare will be starting in this years All-Star Game, then we were blessed with best home performance by the Knicks this season.
Thanks to all my Amazing fans, you guys have made this a special year in NY. All-Star isn't possible w/o my teammates. Thanks 2 my TEAMMATESless than a minute ago via EchofonAmar'e Stoudemire
Amareisreal
Ken Berger from CBS Sports reports that the Denver Nuggets may now be interested in including Anthony Randolph in the possible Carmelo Anthony Deal. Previous rumors lead us to believe that the Nuggets were more concerned with Randolph being dealt in exchange for a draft pick first.
Mitch Lawrence is reporting that a source close to the Knicks indicated that Donnie Walsh has Joel Przybilla or Marc Gasol on his trade wish list.
"He's not getting any heat from above," said the source, referring to Walsh.
With the trading deadline still 30 days away, Walsh and the Knicks seem to be more focused on adding a big man and shoring up the backcourt than going after a major piece in Anthony.
"The Knicks are like a lot of teams, they're keeping their eyes peeled for help," said an Eastern Conference GM. "But there are a few teams that are looking for the same things the Knicks are."
"Donnie is going to err on the side of taking his time," said the GM. "He's going to wait for the right deal to come along."
While the Knicks were snapping out of there six game losing streak versus the Wizards, a source at MSG yesterday informed me that the Knicks may have a deal in place for Carmelo Anthony as early as "this friday". All of the details of trade were not disclosed but the source did confirm to me that "Denver is already driving up the price", which may drag the process out for a few days longer than expected.. The source also indicated that the "Nuggets are looking for two first rounders", which may be difficult for the Knicks to acquire unless a third team can get involved.
The Knicks look to turn there six game losing streak around tonight versus the Wizards, who ironically is the worst road team in the league with a despicable record of 0 and 20.
According to TerezOwenz.com now STAT appears to be tapping singer Ciara, he was previously linked to Amber Rose and Serena Williams. Seems like Amare's scoring is happening on and off the court...
As the trade deadline countdown continues to loom(34 days to be exact)were all left hanging to every scene of this MELODRAMA movie that is unfolding everyday it seems. True we me have seen a similar movie recently starring LBJ but this one just has a different feel to it, the audience can already see the ending but getting there is the drama. Almost like Carlito's Way, we know what should happen(Melo to the Knicks) but were not really sure how, when, and if we will really see that actually occur.
BuisnessInsider is reporting that a source informed them of a deal in place to send Anthony Randolph to the Pacers in exchange for a first rounder.If the Knicks plan to use that pick for the Melo deal I rather deal with the T-Wolves, that pick will be significantly higher than that of the Pacers.
Standing Tall And Talented - the Nike Air Max Fly By sports New York colors with Stoudemire's signature logo embellished on the upper strap.
Nike continues to create Kicks for STAT that he wont wear, but these are actually my favorite pair thus far. Most Knicks faithfuls already know he rocks the Nike Zoom Huarache Trainer, even though I never really considered those BBall kicks...but I guess STAT knows better.
The Post reported Thursday that Walsh was waffling on whether to trade Randolph to Minnesota for a first-round pick that could be used in an Anthony deal, but the Nets are the ones closest to landing him.
Walsh still could use an extra first-rounder in another deal before the Feb. 24 trade deadline. "I won't comment on a private conversation," Walsh said.
The stumbling Knicks could get a much-needed offensive jolt from a sweet-shooting small forward Monday.
No, that doesn't mean that New York is suddenly the favorite in the increasingly muddled Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes. But the Knicks are likely to get their own talented swingman, Danilo Gallinari, back for Monday's game against Phoenix at the Garden, as long as everything goes according to plan Sunday.
Gallinari, who suffered a mild sprain of his left knee early this month, is expected to practice Sunday with the team in Greenburgh. As long as the forward feels no extra soreness Monday, he'll return to the lineup.
"He should be ready (for Monday)," coach Mike D'Antoni said on Friday.
Gallinari's return couldn't come at a better time. The Knicks fell to the hapless Kings, 93-83, Friday night at the Garden, and they've now dropped three of their last four. Those early-month blowout wins over the Spurs and Suns now seem like a distant memory. D'Antoni called Friday's game "ugly," and Raymond Felton called it a "loss that we hate.
"We've just got to put it behind us," Felton said.
Not that things will get any easier against the Suns. Phoenix comes to New York seeking revenge after the Knicks handed them a 121-95 beatdown on Jan. 7, which is why Felton is dying for Gallinari to get back in the lineup.
"No question," Felton said. "It's always good to have one of your scorers, one of your guys who's a big part of the offense back."
With Gallinari sitting out, D'Antoni went to a bigger lineup, starting Ronny Turiaf at center and shifting Wilson Chandler to the wing, and the new group helped the Knicks earn wins over the Spurs and the Suns. Shawne Williams and Bill Walker also saw increased minutes, playing Gallinari's role of floor-spacing shooter.
But while Williams and Walker were effective, neither is as reliable - or feared - as Gallinari on the perimeter. Opponents have started clogging the lane.
That's left Amar'e Stoudemire and Felton little room to work their pick-and-roll game. Felton is shooting just 33.8% from the field over his last five games. And Stoudemire has found fewer paths to the lane. He made just six of his 22 field-goal attempts on Friday.
Stoudemire and D'Antoni blamed that loss on fatigue, but the Knicks star also admitted that Sacramento's defense frustrated him in the lane.
"They're just kind of sagging in on the screen and roll," Stoudemire said. "Making sure that nobody gets a layup in the paint. Forcing us to beat them from outside."
That won't work with Gallo back. And that's exactly what the third-year forward was thinking as he watched Stoudemire get shot after shot rejected on Friday.
"That was a tough loss, a very tough loss," Gallinari said afterward. "Hopefully, I can get back and help the team."
"I don't know, I mean I can't really answer that question," Anthony said when asked where he wants to play next season. "It's tough for me to sit here and say, 'Oh, I want to play in New York' [or] 'Oh, I want to play in New Jersey' [or] 'Oh, I want to stay here in Denver.' "
There have been a few Amare highlight mixes created this season but this kid(perfectdark24) did a great job with this one. It has a great artistic, cinematic feel to it...fitting for Broadway.
Don't forget to catch STAT on David Letterman tonight, check out the preview HERE. You can also watch STAT's previous apperance on Letterman HERE
Amar'e Stoudemire has reached out to Carmelo Anthony to say he "wants him in New York," a league source told Yahoo! Sports.
The Knicks forward recently contacted Anthony via text message to let him know that he wants him in New York and to urge him to resist a trade to New Jersey.
Stoudemire doesn't like the speculation that he doesn't want to play with a co-star in New York.
The Nets and Nuggets have twice been close to a trade that would send Carmelo to New Jersey.
Trying to get the most out of a deal with New Jersey for Anthony, Denver has reportedly threatened to deal him to New York.
Amare Stoudemire had 23 points and eight rebounds, Raymond Felton added 17 points and 14 assists, and New York beat the Portland Trail Blazers 100-86 on Tuesday.
The Knicks (22-15) held Portland to 34.5 percent shooting, and the Blazers took themselves out of the game with poor shots down the stretch.
"Our defense was great," Felton said. "Our defense is what fueled our offense tonight, and that's what allowed us to win this game."
Ronny Turiaf had a season-high 19 points and tied a season best with 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who improved to 12-8 away from home, surpassing their road win total from last season. Wilson Chandler added 17 points. Stoudemire has scored at least 20 in 22 straight games.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers. Rudy Fernandez scored 12 of his 18 in the first half, while Andre Miller had 14 points and Nicolas Batum 13.
Portland had an eight-game home winning streak snapped in an overtime loss to Miami on Sunday. The Blazers looked as though they had not recovered, falling behind by 12 in the first half and wilting after briefly taking a third-quarter lead.
"I thought we looked mentally fatigued," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "We were just a step slow in everything we did."
Portland led 57-56 in the third on a layup by Wesley Matthews, but Chandler nailed a 3-pointer to regain the lead for the Knicks. Bill Walker hit a 3 to put them up 71-62, and they led by nine going into the final quarter.
"I'd say we are getting it," New York coach Mike D'Antoni said about his team's defense. "The key is that players are buying into it and trying to get better at it."
The 6-foot-10 Turiaf started in place of injured Danilo Gallinari and scored in double digits for only the third time this season. He held his ground against Portland big man Joel Przybilla, keeping Przybilla and Marcus Camby out of the lane to open up opportunities for Stoudemire. Turiaf also had three assists and three steals.
Aldridge and Stoudemire renewed a rivalry that gained notice when the two clashed in the first round of the playoffs last season when Stoudemire was with Phoenix. Stoudemire averaged 20.5 points during that series, which the Suns won, while Aldridge averaged 19.
Stoudemire got the best of the matchup early on Tuesday. Aldridge picked up three fouls in the first half and played just 7 minutes. Without him, Portland struggled, shooting just 36 percent in the half while New York shot 55 percent.
Stoudemire had 13 points by halftime, and the Knicks led by as many as 12 in the second quarter.
"We just didn't make shots," Aldridge said. "I tried to force the issue going to the basket, took some shots that probably couldn't go in, but I didn't want to just take jump shots over and over. It was tough."
Upset over the public nature of their trade talks, the Nuggets threatened the Nets on Monday with the possibility of trading Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks. Denver made the threat to put pressure on New Jersey, according to a source.
A source told Yahoo! Sports that a three-team deal was "really close" on Sunday, but the talks went underground on Monday following Denver's treat.
It is known that the Nuggets are now trying to get the Nets to take on Al Harrington, who has four years and $28 million left on his contract.
Anthony refused to discuss a potential deal before the Nuggets played New Orleans in Denver on Sunday night. He said afterward he didn't think a 96-87 loss was his last game in a Nuggets uniform. "Uh-uh, not at all," he said, repeating the phrase "not at all" four times.
Asked if that was an indication he wouldn't sign the extension so the trade with the Nets could be consummated, Anthony demurred, saying: "I haven't heard anything. Only, that it's just been speculation as of right now."
Anthony noted that team executive Josh Kroenke and general manager Masai Ujiri "are not even here, so I don't see that happening."
In what time frame was he referring to? "I'm just saying I don't see it happening right now," Anthony said.
This week sometime? "No."
"It’s real close,” one source with knowledge of the talks said.
The Nets are close to completing the component of the trade that exchange Troy Murphy(notes) for Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton(notes), sources said. The teams are still negotiating whether Nets center Johan Petro(notes), who has two years and $6.75 million left on his contract after this season, will be included, but that isn’t expected to unravel the overall deal. The Pistons are too motivated to unload the remaining two years and $25 million on Hamilton’s contract for Murphy’s $12 million expiring deal.
The proposed trade will send Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Hamilton, Nuggets guard Anthony Carter and forward Shelden Williams to the Nets. The Nuggets will receive two first-round picks from the Nets, point guard Devin Harris(notes), rookie forward Derrick Favors, guards Anthony Morrow, Ben Uzoh, Stephen Graham and Quinton Ross. The Pistons will get Murphy and Petro.
Spike Lee or Jack Nicholson, who's the bigger fan?
Jack has been a loyal court side season ticket holder for more than three decades, he was featured as NBA.com's #1 in Top Celebrity Lakers fan in 2007. Mr. Nicholson has been involved with this team since before the Showtime Lakers of Magic, Worthy, and Kareem. He's respected by everyone in the Lakers Organization, "He's been a good friend of mine ... for years," Pat Riley said, "and it's borne out of basketball more than anything else. He's simply a fanatic and has been ever since I started my career with the Lakers in 1970. "He's a real fan. He's not one of these actors that all of a sudden get front row seats and then they're gone. He's for real. He cares."
Every real Knicks fan out there already knows Spike Lee is the biggest Knicks supporter ever. He's been attending games since the championship teams of the 70's, and has worked his way from regular MSG visits, to upper level season tickets, to what we now consider the celebrity row or "Spike Seats" at the Garden. Jay-Z has a famous rhyme mentioning Spike and his seats at the Garden("Next to Spike and comparing left to right").Even ESPN featured the director in a 30 for 30 documentary discussing the impact of Spike and the Knicks vs Reggie Miller. This season he's been traveing on the road with the team like local beat writer, or aspiring blogger(myself).
The new look Knicks play the reigning champion Lakers tonight but the real match up to look out for is Spike vs Jack...
One thing we should all be able to agree on: This is the toughest call on the board after 30-something games.
You can accept LeBron James' publicly issued invitation to delete him and Dwyane Wade from consideration because they allegedly neutralize each other in the MVP race … which was actually a thinly veiled/pretty sly way to try to force voters to do the exact opposite.
You can also notify Dwight Howard that we'll check back in during Trimester 2 after we've had a longer look at the Magic's extreme makeover … since all of Dwight's undeniable offensive improvement to go with his peerless command of the paint can't change the fact that Orlando started so poorly that management felt it had to shake things up dramatically with two big trades.
You'd still have to find a way to separate Stoudemire and Derrick Rose after all that.
Good luck.
If you can pardon the Bulls for Wednesday's deflating crunch-time failure in New Jersey, Rose has the Bulls on a 55-win pace even though Carlos Boozer has missed 15 games and Joakim Noah has missed 10. That's the stuff that should wow you even more than Rose's gaudy statistical production (23.8 points, 8.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds per game) and how he's hiked his success rate from 3-point range to a robust .394.
Stoudemire, however, is the guy who was undaunted by the prospect of being painted as New Yorkers' consolation prize when the Knicks didn't get LeBron, fully confident (delusional?) that he could single-handedly lead the Knicks back to prominence … and actually has them pointed that way faster than anyone imagined. The Knicks have little depth, play little D and started 3-8, but Stoudemire leads the league in fourth-quarter scoring (7.4 ppg) and has quickly hushed all of us media mavens who said his numbers would drop off dramatically without Steve Nash spoon-feeding him. No Nash? Amare simply formed a successful new partnership with Raymond Felton instead.
I know you're probably wincing as you brace for the inevitable speech about how much team success always plays in the MVP thinking here, but the standards are actually a little looser at the first-trimester pole. Stoudemire has little to apologize for anyway with the Knicks at 20-14, which computes to a 48-win pace, with No. 7 Indiana sitting four games under .500 and five games back.
Common sense says the Knicks won't maintain that pace as the schedule gets tougher and the regular-season grind starts to wear on Mike D'Antoni's tight rotation. But that likelihood -- along with the well-worn stat about how we haven't seen an MVP from a team that won less than 50 games since Moses Malone in 1981-82 from the 46-win Houston Rockets -- only helped break this Amare/D-Rose deadlock.
Translation: Rose can probably count on factoring heavily in the MVP race all season. I wanted to make sure, since Stoudemire doesn't have the same luxury, that he's properly feted now for delivering in the harshest media glare in the league.
The New Jersey Nets' latest attempt to acquire Denver's Carmelo Anthony involves the Detroit Pistons.
Sources with knowledge of the talks confirmed the Nets and Nuggets have discussed a three-way trade proposal that would land Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups and Pistons guard Rip Hamilton alongside Anthony in New Jersey.
But a source close to the situation subsequently told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard that the three-way deal in its proposed form -- which would require the Pistons to take Nets center Johan Petro and surrender a first-round pick in addition to absorbing the expiring contract of Troy Murphy to the Pistons -- is not amenable to Detroit.
The source told Broussard the Pistons -- restricted in their attempts to make changes in recent months because of the team's pending sale -- would be interested if a trade scenario develops where they only had to surrender Hamilton and take back Murphy. Such a scenario, however, has not been discussed.
The Nets have already committed to send rookie Derrick Favors, former All-Star guard Devin Harris and at least two first-round picks to the Nuggets in exchange for Anthony. But New Jersey has been attempting to find a third team -- having already tried Portland, Minnesota and Cleveland before Detroit -- to help facilitate the blockbuster deal for Anthony that they've been chasing since the September collapse of a four-team swap involving Charlotte and Utah.
Stoudemire received a rousing ovation when he was introduced. "It was great," he said. "It lets me know that the fans are still appreciative of the hard work I put on this court and the perseverance to injuries. It was a great ovation, and I love the Phoenix fans forever."
Raymond Felton had his first career triple-double with 23 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the Suns matched their second-worst home loss since 2000. "The ball was coming my way. Everybody did a great job of boxing out so it allowed me to get some rebounds," Felton said. "That's what really happened so I've got to take my hat off to my teammates. Once again they made me look good tonight."
Stoudemire had 19 by halftime. But it was the Knicks' sharpshooters who turned the game into a blowout with a 3-point barrage in a 38-point third quarter. "I had one objective and that was to dominate from the start," Stoudemire said. "That was my main goal, was to dominate from the get-go. I got it going early. Then in the second half they went to a zone and my teammates got it going."
It was the kind of performance Suns fans were accustomed to in coach Mike D'Antoni's 4 1/2 seasons in Phoenix, before he jumped ship for New York in 2008. "They really followed what we tried to do," D'Antoni said, "take them off 3s, play them straight up, make them make hard jump shots, and I thought that kind of set the tone. Then we were just hitting 3s, and that was kind of the difference in the game."
Well, not quite. But I bet Landry Fields has done his fair share of giving opposing teams some nightmares. While living out what other rookies would consider a dream.
He is the starting 2 guard for the New York Knicks. Our New York Knicks. A winning New York Knicks. Landry had the luxury of not being part of the team for the last ten years so he probably cannot put it into proper perspective as to what playing winning basketball means in New York for its players and us, the fans.
When you look at the box score night and night out you might see something like 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal. Not ground shaking numbers. Possibly not even Rookie Of The Month numbers. An award he has one more than once during this young season.
Be careful though, statistics do not always tell the whole story. There is no statistic for intangibles. The utility worker in this league usually will not wow you with statistical numbers but they always leave their stamp on the game. The impact they bring. The key rebound, the great defensive play, the deflected pass, the art of drawing charges, crucial baskets from unlikely heros.
Those things are what Landry Fields brings to the table night in and night out. You know what you can expect from him. And just like our expectations from him when we drafted him with the 39th pick, he often exceeds them.
Coach Donnie Walsh was told he was "going to have a hard time keeping Landry Fields off the court". That might be an understatement. As much as Amar'e, Raymond Felton and the emergence of Wilson Chandler are responsible for this new found success of the Knicks. Landry deserves his fair share of credit as well.
I refer to him as the "Veteran Rookie" for his poise on the court. His basketball IQ is obviously off the charts. Going to Stanford did not hurt either. He rarely ever makes what I would consider a "rookie play" such as bad shots, botched play, or appears lost on defense. Pretty impressive for any player in this league, never mind a rookie.
So while Blake Griffin may be at home polishing a well deserved Rookie Of The Year Award for dunking on everyone who is bold enough to stand in his way. He also will be watching another Rookie perform in the post-season like he's done it before.
"Entourage" creator Doug Ellin is batting around ideas for Amar'e Stoudemire's cameo on the last season of the HBO drama. "I'm trying to figure it out. I might put him in temple because I know he's part Jewish," Ellin told MSG sideline reporter Jill Martin during the Knicks' 128-115 beating of the San Antonio Spurs. Ellin is still writing scripts for the last season, which starts filming in April, but he told Page Six: "I want to get Amar'e and [Yankee] Mark Teixeira to get involved with bringing Don Peppe Italian restaurant in Ozone Park, Queens, to Hollywood," referring to one of Ellin's favorite eateries. "I went with Teixeira there a month ago. I want Turtle [played by Jerry Ferrara] to bring Don Peppe out to Hollywood and bring some sports stars with him." Stoudemire has yet to confirm.
"I signed up for this," Nash said. "I'm committed to trying to build a team here. Obviously, last year was a phenomenal year. Tied 2-2 (with the Lakers in the Western Conference finals before losing in six games), I thought we could win a championship. I genuinely believed we could and would win it. It's tough to be in this position six months later. I'm still committed to it."I love the guys. I think we've got potential but we've had so much change and haven't been able to put it together. If we want to point fingers, we've got to point some at ourselves and say, 'We haven't put it together.' "I'm still happy. I just want to try to win games for these fans and our team because that's the most frustrating thing. We've been in a lot of games that we haven't won, that historically we found a way to win most of those."
Nash is obviously handling this situation in a very PC manner, but everyone knows this team took a turn for the worst beginning with Amare's contract situation. Steve has another year left on this contract worth 11.6 million and would love to finish his career with a winner. He would love to link up with Coach D'Antoni again, Donnie Walsh has a different plan.
The Knicks organization and fan-base is loving Raymond Felton at the moment, he's playing his best basketball of his career(18ppg & 9asst). Ray is 26 while Steve will turn 37 next month, the Knicks are building for the future while and at the same time keeping salary flexibility. Nash hurts the first cause, if the Knicks were title contenders this season, and also made a trade for Carmelo then bringing Nash in would make sense. Knicks are done with the fix for now mentality, trying to fix now severely hurts the later. Walsh will stay with Felton, which is the smarter long term move. Felton contract expires 2012, the year other top tier point guards are available (i,e) Chris Paul and Deron Williams. So the need for salary flexibility is always a must. I assume most Knicks fans can accept a 20-14 record and there pg having a wonderful season with game winners and a "never quit, team first mentality".
"Wilson's a restricted free agent and I'm going to sign him," Walsh said yesterday. "He's a helluva player."
Chris Luchey, Chandler's agent, said he and Walsh were close to a pact before David Stern made alarming remarks in late October about cap shrinkage. "We have a great, open working relationship with Donnie," Luchey told The Post. "We did feel like we were close to having a deal done early on. We thought we were in the same ballpark on what his value was before the commissioner came out with strong statements. That kind of startled Donnie and got him to backpedal." "So we agreed we can play it out, knowing it could backfire in them having to spend more money if his value goes up," he said. "His value has definitely risen since Oct. 31. But my belief is Donnie wants to retain him, even if another spectacular free agent -- not naming names -- comes up."
Thank the Basketball Gods that Donnie is in control, I think Knicks fans really under-appreciate the work this General Manager has done since he's taken over. He's showing us that even at his age you can still learn more, last year's free agency hoopla showed everyone that anything can happen so taking chances is not the answer. Wilson Chandler is not one of those chances, he's definitely a sure thing!
