By Migs
It has been a while since I've written here, but fear not, my quill has not gone icy.
Finally, Carmelo Anthony's been dealt to the New York Knicks. Who won the deal? For me, the Nuggets won financially, and the Knicks won in terms of nabbing a morale boost.
For years, the Knicks have languished in mediocrity, mainly due to the incompetence of one Isiah Thomas, and the lax ways of James Dolan. With the acquisition of marquee forward Amare Stoudamire and young prospect Raymond Felton in the offseason, New York looked poised to become relevant again. Despite this, something seemed missing. The still lay in the shadows while teams like Boston, Miami, and Orlando reupped and put together their own versions of the Superfriends. Gotham needed a super trio to compete.
Now they have it.
Chauncey Billups is a proven playoff performer who can still contribute despite being 34 years old. Amare is, well, not Dennis Rodman on "D", but few can match his tenacity and versatility on offense. Carmelo Anthony is no defensive stalwart either, but few others score more effortlessly.
Are the Knicks now ready to dethrone Boston? Miami? Maybe not, but at least at the present time, they've got a tangible foundation upon which to build on.
As for the Nuggets? Well, they've still got a lot of viable young guns on this roster- the blossoming Raymond Felton, sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari, the mercurial JR Smith. All signs point to the Nuggets not being done when it comes to wheeling and dealing. Denver has insisted that it shall not deal Kenyon Martin. They should add a "for now" tag to that statement. Al Harrington is not particularly transcendent in terms of attitude and defense, ergo, he is expendable. For what the Nuggets gave up, which were two stars in Billups and 'Melo, they got a decent haul in return- talent wise, and finanicially. No Kwame Browns in the mix. No Gilbert Arenas-esque contracts.
Three snaps for Masai Ujiri and Josh Kroenke.
All is quiet on the Eastern and Western fronts- now.
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