Before you write off the Knicks as fake contenders because they let Jeremy Lin walk in free agency and replaced him with The Point Guard Formerly Known As Raymond Felton, remember three things: New York has Carmelo Anthony, New York has Amar’e Stoudemire, and New York has Tyson Chandler. Is that the best frontcourt in the NBA? It’s very likely. Read More »

On the night after another wild NBA trade deadline — before which almost 50 players were traded — Chicago looked like the big winner for not doing a damn thing. Trailing Miami by 11 in the third quarter, the Bulls may have been starting to regret not pulling off a deal for somebody like J.R. Smith or O.J. Mayo. Instead, Derrick Rose brought them storming back and the Bulls handed the Heat another loss to an elite team … Chicago was up three with 1:30 to go in the fourth as Rose (26 points) and LeBron James (29 points, 10 rebounds) matched up head-to-head. Read More »

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN — Carmelo Anthony delivered the blow, full-impact right in the face of his opponent, then broke into a speedy yet awkward backpedal, looking like a man built to play defensive end trying to imitate a cornerback.

And the New York crowd, at their loyal and passionate best, gave him a wild standing ovation. Wait … what?

There were plenty of surreal moments during Carmelo’s first game as a Knick, but for me, that was the standout. Read More »

Now that the deed is done, there’s one lingering question: While the Knicks certainly got better overnight by trading for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to form a Big Three with Amar’e Stoudemire, did they improve their standing in the Eastern Conference at all? Forget the Celtics and Heat. Have the Knicks done enough to overtake the Magic, Bulls or Hawks? … In case you haven’t heard, here’s the fallout: New York gets Carmelo, Chauncey, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman and Corey Brewer (from Minnesota); Denver gets Ray Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, one first-round pick, two second-round picks and cash; and Minnesota gets Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry and a legion of happy pizza delivery guys in the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area … Read More »

Sometimes it’s so simple that we get caught up over-thinking, trying to find the complicated part.

According to rumors and reports far and wide, the New York Knicks have a chance to acquire Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups this week, and all it would cost them is a point guard who isn’t as good as Billups, a small forward who isn’t as good as ‘Melo, a borderline starter/backup swingman, and a draft pick that won’t be made for another three years. And maybe it will cost them a 7-foot rookie whose NBA highlights so far include destroying the Pistons one time and getting Blake Griffin‘s palm-print on the back of his head. And why hasn’t this happened yet? Read More »

I don’t care if Kobe Bryant had to play press secretary, or if Craig Sager decided to be a full-time reporter instead of a part-time pimp during All-Star Weekend in his efforts to get the scoop on Carmelo Anthony‘s future — I’m still refusing to stick the suffix “-gate” on the ongoing ‘Melo story line. Monday’s update: Read More »

Remember that TV show “Elimi-DATE”? In an average episode, you’d have a girl (or guy) set up in a blind date with four guys (or girls), and over the course of the day, eliminate them one-by-one until picking their favorite.

That show has been off the air for a while, but it looks like it’s coming back this weekend, with Carmelo Anthony as the star. According to the New York Daily News, ‘Melo is scheduled to meet with Knicks owner James Dolan and Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov in Los Angeles during All-Star Weekend. Read More »

Anybody who was paying attention to — or even trying to avoid — the ongoing Carmelo Anthony contract/trade/free agency saga this season probably expected ‘Melo to be playing for the Eastern Conference All-Stars come Feb. 20. And yet here it is, four days before the All-Star Game, and ‘Melo is still in the West, still with the Denver Nuggets.

But that doesn’t mean a ‘Melo trade isn’t right around the corner. According to Newsday, the New York Knicks are willing to give up Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler to get Carmelo, and aren’t opposed to giving up Ray Felton either if it means they’d get Chauncey Billups from Denver. Read More »

Of course it was the Clippers. Before you could look at the schedule and imagine a scenario where the Cavaliers never win another game until Jared Sullinger comes to save the day, you had to remember there is still one NBA franchise out there that can out-pathetic Cleveland. And don’t let the Blake Griffin hype overwhelm you — ultimately the Clippers are still the Clippers … The streak is over at 26. After the final buzzer sounded in overtime of the Cavs win over the Clips, the camera panned to Antawn Jamison, deep in another zone, staring ahead as confetti and chaos exploded around him. Read More »

NBA players aren’t the only ones who make circles on the calendar. For the writers and other media types who cover the League, we have our own list of big games. And if you’re covering the New York Knicks, the list going into the 2010-11 season was well-known: Lakers. Heat. Celtics. Future Knick Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets. Amar’e and D’Antoni‘s former mates from Phoenix. And … the Clippers?

Nobody had it penciled in before the season, but with rookie phenom Blake Griffin‘s exploits, the Clips have become one of the NBA’s top attractions. Read More »