Carmelo Anthony Traded To Knicks As Part Of Blockbuster, 12-Player Deal

Carmelo Anthony was just introduced as a member of the New York Knicks in a press conference before the team’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. He was introduced along with Chauncey Billups and team owner James Dolan, in front of a mob of media members. Anthony’s smile beamed as he said multiple times that the trade was a “dream come true.”

The press conference was a strange one at times, one that’s par for the course with the Knicks. Before Anthony spoke, Dolan took the podium to shoot down suggestions that former general manager Isiah Thomas orchestrated the trade, against the wishes of president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni.

Beyond the specific Knicks analysis, Silver’s post is well worth reading for the intuitive but insightful definition of a superstar.

For Karl, it was about Billups more than Anthony. Billups held a prominent role with the team, mentoring the younger players as a leader for the Nuggets.

For more on the deal, check out our Carmelo Anthony trade StoryStream. To connect with Nuggets fans, check out SB Nation’s Denver Stiffs.

The irony of James, who was courted by the Knicks this past summer, speaking about having the Knicks on the way up is almost too good to be true.

For Stoudemire, the addition of Anthony helps alleviate some of the scoring burden from his shoulders, giving the Knicks a solid scoring tandem going forward. It’s better than a one-two punch, he says, and will create matchup problems for the team’s opponents.

Now that Carmelo Anthony has been traded to the New York Knicks, the immediate question is this: what jersey number will he wear. Anthony wore No. 15 with the Nuggets, but that number has been retired by the Knicks for Earl Monroe and Dick McGuire. Therefore, Anthony will change numbers and wear No. 7, according to a report by CNBC’s Darren Rovell.

There was talk that Anthony would wear No. 13, but in the end, it appears he has decided on No. 7. Anthony wore No. 22 in high school, but that number has also been retired for Dave DeBusschere. There was talk that Anthony might wear No. 30 (15 x 2), which is what Knicks legend Bernard King wore, but that also never came to be. Instead, it’ll be No. 7.

Anthony Randolph was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as a part of Monday’s wondrous Carmelo Anthony blockbuster. The New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets needed help from a team under the cap to facilitate the ‘Melo swap, and as a thank you for their service to Spike Lee and country, the Wolves earned Randolph, the enigmatic third-year forward who alternately looks like a player poised to win the MVP and break down crying at midcourt.

Of course, the Wolves also gave up a disappointing lottery pick, Corey Brewer, and took on the massive expiring contract of Eddy Curry. (And, well, the massive Eddy Curry, too.) Canis Hoopus has done the math, and it comes out a wash; the Wolves paid about $300,000 in the deal when you consider that the Knicks sent Minnesota $3 million cash (the maximum allowable under league rules) and that we’re 50 games or so into the season. The trade does hurt the Wolves’ ability to make additional moves, though Minnesota has a large trade exception available thanks (thanks?) to the Al Jefferson trade.

The New York Knicks finally have Carmelo Anthony, a player they have been pining for since his wedding in June. So, why exactly are fans unsure of the whole arrangement? Why are Knicks fans not embracing ‘Melo in all of his ‘Melo-y goodness? As the wonderful Seth Rosenthal of Posting And Toasting outlines, it’s because the trade negotiatons and final result harken back to the days of He Who Must Not Be Named, Isiah Thomas.

In a thoughtful post on a personal reaction to the trade, Rosenthal explains why a certain section of the Knicks’ rabid fan base preferred the team’s existent blueprint -- build smart -- over Isiah’s old way of acquire-acquire-acquire-sell-sell-sell.

Carmelo Anthony. The four-time All-Star is the marquee name in this trade, and the new marquee name in New York. Anthony’s trade saga lasted 202 days, but resulted in what he wanted all along: to be in New York. There’s serious debate as to whether ‘Melo is even one of the best 15 players in the league. Regardless of that, and the fact that he won’t help New York’s serious defensive problems, he’s a huge name, and a marketing coup for the Knicks.

Corey Brewer. The fourth-year wing might be traded again before the deadline. If not, he’ll be one of the few defenders on the Knicks’ roster. See more on Corey Brewer’s future.

On the court, Balkman produced next to nothing for the Nuggets; he simply wasn’t afford an opportunity for minutes over the past season and a half. Balkman has played all of 135 minutes since signing his three-year extension in the summer of 2009; that extension didn’t go into effect until this season, as Balkman remained on his rookie deal in 2009-10. In the last season and a half, Balman has scored a grand total of 27 points, or roughly what each of ‘Melo and Amar’e Stoudemire average per game.

Of course, the lack of a center -- or Stoudemire’s inability to defend big men, depending on how you look at it -- and poor backcourt shooting helped determine the Knicks’ quality as much as Chandler’s sub-star production did. But that’s the classification that’s sussed out when you consider Chandler from 10,000 feet: he’s the perfect D’Antoni player, but not quite good enough to be a key cog in a great team.

Anthony Randolph found himself inserted into the Carmelo Anthony trade drama on Monday, becoming part of a trade that saw a plethora of players put in motion between three teams. Randolph is set to join teammate Eddy Curry in Minnesota as part of the mega-deal as the Knicks traded for Corey Brewer while building a package to secure Anthony.

In Minnesota, Randolph, a third-year power forward out of LSU, gets a fresh start and a chance to see more playing time after spending most of the year on the bench in New York. With the depth in the front-court, and Amare Stoudemire as the focal-point of the offense, there was little room for Randolph, making him expendable as the Knicks sold the farm to secure Anthony.

It’s hard to see Eddy Curry as anything more than a contract dump as part of the Carmelo Anthony trade. The Knicks, as part of a three-team deal with the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, built a trade around Anthony, dumping Curry and Anthony Randolph on the Timberwolves for Corey Brewer. With Amare Stoudemire holding down the center spot, there was little need for Curry, who’s been a disappointment over the last two seasons in New York while playing just 10 games total.

In Minnesota, Curry gets a fresh start, though it’s unlikely he makes any kind of impact either now or in the future. The 2010-2011 season marks the final year of his contract and the Timberwolves have little need for the center. Set to make just over $11 million over the rest of the season, Curry instantly becomes Minnesota’s biggest contract problem, more than doubling the next highest earner.

It was the most unlikely player that had the potential to stall the Carmelo Anthony trade on Monday night. With all the rest of the pieces in place, Timofey Mozgov became a sticking point. The Denver Nuggets wanted him, the New York Knicks weren’t ready to give him up and, for a moment, talks hit a stand-still.

Shortly thereafter, though, Mozgov was added to the fold, shipped off to Denver as Anthony and others were traded to New York. But why the big fuss over Mozgov. As mentioned earlier, he’s averaging four points and three rebounds in 13 minutes per game. It wouldn’t appear he’d be that big of a deal to be any more than a throw-in.

Raymond Felton may find himself in a tough spot after being traded from the New York Knicks to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Felton had the run of the team in New York, but now heads to Denver to battle second-year point guard Ty Lawson for playing time. It all shook out as the Carmelo Anthony mega-trade was finalized, with the Nuggets, Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves swapping a wide-variety of players to make the deal work.

Felton is averaging 17.1 points and nine assists per game playing the bulk of the minutes for the Knicks this season. Lawson, playing in a backup role with the Nuggets, is averaging 10.4 points and 3.7 assists per game.

Chauncey Billups, a 13-year NBA veteran, is heading to New York as part of the Carmelo Anthony trade between the Knicks, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. From the start, it appeared Chauncey Billups was destined to join Anthony wherever he landed and on Monday night that was the case as Billups, Anthony and others were traded to the New York Knicks for a haul of players and picks.

Billups and Anthony bring a built-in rapport to New York having spent much of the last three seasons together in Denver. The Knicks, undertaking a drastic roster overhaul with the deal, can use Billups’ veteran presence and that stability, though the roster is clearly formed around Amare Stoudemire and Anthony.

The 28-year-old Brazilian center can and likely will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. While losing Nene for nothing wouldn’t be quite the hit losing a player like ‘Melo would have been, the Nuggets would still like to either ensure he’ll be retained or ensure his departure returns an asset. Nene is, after all, the team’s best or second-best player, depending on what you think of Gallinari.

As such, it’s of little surprise that ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported early Tuesday that the Nuggets sought to sign Nene to an extension quickly after finalizing the ‘Melo blockbuster. It remains plausible that if the team can’t reach an extension agreement, Denver could put Nene on the block.

Gallinari is different. He’s a scorer first, second and third, yes, but more of a gunner than a wizard. Where Anthony has jab steps and dribble trickery for days, Gallinari is more deadly spotting up and heaving away. ‘Melo is a career 31.1 percent three-point shooter. Gallo, known as The Rooster, is at 37.7 percent through two-plus seasons. What’s more, while only 12 percent of Anthony’s attempts have come from behind the arc, more than half -- a solid 51 percent -- of Gallo’s shots are three-pointers.

But the opportunity for magic is there, if Karl stays in Denver and Gallinari gets comfortable quickly. The Nuggets’ offense will be vastly different with ‘Melo gone, but Gallo will try to build a new era filled with three-pointers and magic.

The Carmelo Anthony trade keeps spawning more parts as details slowly trickle out and Corey Brewer is reportedly the latest piece to be thrown into the pile. The Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves put together a three-team package sending almost a full roster of players in motion, all centered around Anthony.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported the addition of Brewer to the trade following the whirlwind of reports on the Anthony trade on Monday night.

All told, it’s a hefty pull for a player who was going to be a free agent in all likelihood, and who is a top-15 player in the NBA at best.

Anthony’s first game with the Knicks should be Wednesday’s Madison Square Garden matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The New York Knicks got their man on Monday night, finalizing a trade to bring Carmelo Anthony to New York after months of speculation. The cost for Anthony and the pieces that came with him was sky-high, with New York sending six players and three draft picks total to the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. With the Knicks going all-in on Anthony, the move appeared to be a break from the previous talk coming from general manager Donnie Walsh, who had been ready to ride out the storm and wait for the Nuggets to cave.

According to Yahoo! Sports, Walsh wasn’t sold on giving up everything for Anthony, but felt pressure from Isiah Thomas and James Dolan. In multiple tweets, Adrian Wojnarowski laid out the details, and speculated about what may have gone on behind the scenes.

Over at Posting & Toasting, our Knicks community, many fans are even more upset than Denver’s were. How could this trade possibly make everybody sad at once?