BY JAMIE HOROWITZ
For the majority of last year’s NBA season, the disgruntled Carmelo Anthony wanted out of Denver. Anthony’s contract was due for a renewal at the end of the season, and it was clear he was not going to re-sign with the Nuggets. Ownership had no other choice but to listen to trade offers and ultimately give up the star for the best deal offered. At the same time, the revamped Knicks, with newly acquired Amar’e Stoudemire from free agency, were starting to give New York some acceptable play. Knicks owner James Dolan saw a deal to send Carmelo to join Stoudemire and create a championship team for years to come.
On Feb. 21, 2011 during the All-Star break, Carmelo Anthony was traded in a three team deal to the New York Knicks for Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari,Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, three draft picks and three million dollars in cash. Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry went to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In addition to Anthony, the Knicks received Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman and Corey Brewer. This blockbuster deal shocked the basketball world, and gave the Knicks one of the best players in the NBA. Looking at this trade close to a year later, was this a good deal for the Knicks?
Most people, especially Knicks fans, would be quick to argue that the trade was a great one for the Knicks. However, looking closer into the situation, there is an argument to be made that the Nuggets got a very good deal. Raymond Felton was turning into one of the premier point guards in the first half of the year. In New York, he was averaging 17 points and nine assists per game. His stats were similar in Denver when he averaged 16 points and eight assists. He left the Denver Nuggets during the off season to join the Portland Trail Blazers, but he had a solid second half of the season last year with the Nuggets and gave the young team the leadership they needed to make it to the playoffs.
Galinari, six feet 10 inches tall, has always been one of the best shooters in the league. He reached a new standard when his scoring numbers increased last year and he averaged 16 PPG. This year, he is averaging 17 PPG and is scoring almost two more assists per game. He is becoming a well-rounded player, and at the young age of 23, he is only at the brink of stardom.
The Nuggets also received Chandler, age 24, and Mosgov, age 25, along with draft picks that could dramatically change the Nuggets’ organization. One thing that goes unnoticed in many minds is that the trade allowed the Nuggets to have the cap room to renew Nene’s contract. Since the trade, the Nuggets are 28-17, while the Knicks are only 22-25 with Carmelo.
Even with all the positive players the Nuggets got from the Knicks, Anthony has flourished in New York, and there are great things to come for the Knicks. The 2011-2012 NBA season is still far from over, and the best is yet to come.
