Since the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets finally came to terms on a trade involving Carmelo Anthony Monday night, many have argued whether the Knicks surrendered too many important pieces of their team in exchange for Melo's services.
Unquestionably, the Knicks shipped away many quality players in order to make this happen, but when all the factors are weighed, this deal was really a no-brainer for them to accept, even with the late additions to the trade that they had to throw in.
Was Waiting to Sign Carmelo As a Free Agent a Better Option?
Any Knicks fan will say that they would have much rather waited until after the season to sign Anthony as a free agent, and originally, that was the best plan. I even agreed with that sentiment in late December. But as time moved on, the Nets became much more of a factor, and the prospect of Carmelo signing the extension to stay in Denver equally forced the Knicks' hand to make a play.
Perhaps the chances of those other two options playing out were slim, but no one knew that for sure. After many months of certainty that the all-star would eventually don the blue and orange, and all the hype that came with it, it would have been a catastrophic failure for New York to play chicken with the Nuggets only to watch their chance at landing Melo fall off a cliff.
Superstars in any sport are few and far between, so unless you're talking about a championship contending team (which the Knicks are not), if you have the chance to get one, you make it happen.
The Cost of Signing Melo
The major criticism from New York's pundits in its acquisition of Anthony is what they gave up. Draft picks and Eddy Curry's expiring contract aside, it was generally the Knicks' parting ways with Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Timofey Mozgof that left a bad taste in the mouths of their critics.
But before the season, just a few short months ago, all of them were question marks in regards to their ability on the court. New York started hot which made a lasting first impression amongst fans of the new squad, while in the meantime generating buzz around Madison Square Garden. However, that only lasted a couple of months before the team started to slow down, likely showing their true colors, which is somewhere in the vicinity of a .500-caliber team.
With the exception of that two-month stretch, those four aforementioned players never showed anything to make anybody think that they were better than above average, let alone good. Of course, they're all still young, but you can usually tell pretty early if a guy his "it" or not in the NBA. Although they are all nice players to have, none of them, even collectively, are a deal breaker when trying to obtain a rare superstar.
No player personifies this stance more than Gallinari. Before this season, any true Knicks fan would explain the frustration of watching New York's sixth overall pick from 2008 attempt to mature as a player, probably even throwing around the word "bust". At the same time, Gallo resonated with many New Yorkers because of his Italian heritage, so it's no wonder that when he finally began to show flashes of life that they overrated him because they were dying to cheer for him all along.
And before we go any further, let's stop pretending he is, or even has the capability of being the next Dirk Nowitzki. Gallinari himself doesn't even believe he has that in him, according to this ESPN article.
What Carmelo Anthony Brings to the Knicks
What many of the critics are forgetting is that they're getting the best player in the deal, which is basically what you have to do to win an NBA trade. In this case, Carmelo Anthony is not just the best player, but one of, if not, the most brilliant scorers (especially in crunch time) in the entire league.
The moment he steps on the Garden floor and begins draining baskets with ease, fans will realize why getting this guy in a Knicks jersey was so important. Paired with Amare Stoudemire and under coach Mike D'Antoni's offensive scheme, there's no telling how easily Melo will be able to score points and help New York win games.
The addition of Anthony now makes New York an even more desirable destination for players than it was before, especially for athletes such as Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and perhaps Dwight Howard, all of whom become free agents in a year and a half. While it's true that a new collective bargaining agreement will likely be in place after the year and teams will have less money to spend, winning and playing on the grandest stage supersedes extra dollars for some players, especially when that lost money can be earned back in endorsements from playing in a big time environment.
Even if they can't afford to sign one more major name, the team is still more attractive than ever for the best role players that want to win.
Don't Forget About Chauncey Billups
One of the biggest travesties of this trade is how easily people are brushing over Chauncey Billups as if he is just a "throw in" for this deal. As mentioned above, teams that win trades usually get the best player in the deal. Not only are the Knicks getting the best player, they're also getting the second best as well.
Billups usually doesn't come to mind when the top point guards are listed, but consider this: he's been selected to five all-star games (including five straight before this year), has been to eight conference finals, has been in the NBA finals twice, has won a ring once, and was named Most Valuable Player of the series. Seriously, don't sell Chauncey Billups and his ability to win games short.
At age 34, Billups might not be what he once was, but still offers a lot both on and off the court. With him comes a championship pedigree, league-renowned leadership abilities, and a world of experience (literally... add gold medalist for the USA national team at the FIBA world championships last year to his resume).
How This Trade Plays Out For the Knicks
Just because New York now possessed two top flight players doesn't mean they're ready to win a championship yet, but it likely sets them up to be no worse than they already were, and certainly in better shape for the future.
The team that the Knicks had was fun to watch for a couple of months, but the reality is that that team was never going to win a championship or even come close. It takes superstars to win in this league with the way the NBA is formatted, so when you get a chance to add a second one, and thus employing arguably two of the top ten league talents, you get it done and worry about the rest later. Role players are always going to be available. Superstars are not.
Sean Spurge - I am interested in anything that invokes critical thinking and requires people to wrap their brain around a certain topic. Aside from ...
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