Fanshots

So, the deal finally looks like it’s done. Carmelo Anthony is set to become a member of the New York Knicks.

This is what people have been talking about and waiting for all season long. Common sense told us that ‘Melo wasn’t going to stay in Denver. He would have had an extension signed by now if that was the case. They would have worked something out and started bringing in the pieces that they wanted around him moving forward. When that didn’t happen it became very clear that he was going to leave the Nuggets. And the last thing the Nuggets wanted to do was become the next Cleveland or Toronto in the coming offseason.

That’s when the rumors started that New Jersey was going to land the former Syracuse stand-out in a mega-deal that would help put the new Russian billionaire owner on the NBA map. It didn’t take long though to see that Anthony didn’t want to have anything to do with NJ. He wanted the bright lights of New York City and Madison Square Garden. It was just a question of how the deal was going to come together.

And then Monday night it seems that it all finally came together. I don’t know what the sticking point was. I don’t know if the Knicks and Nuggets were waiting to find a 3rd team (Minnesota) to help make some of the finances work. But whatever was in the way has been moved.

At first glance people are looking at the Knicks as winners because they have Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to add to the starting line-up with Amare Stoudemire. But they gave up a lot! This is a trade that will revitalize the Denver Nuggets organization. They now have a lot of young, manageable, affordable talent that can compete in the West.

I believe that this is a trade that we are going to look at long term as 1 that the Nuggets won. I don’t think that the Knicks are better than the Celtics, Heat or Bulls with the changes that they made. And that means that they’ve overpaid for a risky chance at a run in the playoffs every season.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see… but I think it’s clear.

Here’s how the 3-way transaction goes down.

Knicks
Carmelo Anthony (Den)
Chauncey Billups (Den)
Sheldon Williams (Den)
Anthony Carter (Den)
Renaldo Balkman (Den)
Corey Brewer (Minn)

Nuggets
Wilson Chandler (NYC)
Raymond Felton (NYC)
Danilo Gallinari (NYC)
Timofey Mozgov (NYC)
2014 First Round Pick (NYC)
*additional picks and cash

Timberwolves
Anthony Randolph (NYC)
Eddy Curry (NYC)
$3 Million Cash (NYC)