The “news” — as rumored and suspected as it had already been — hit ESPN last night: The Denver Nuggets and Carmelo Anthony have hit a definitive impasse, and it’s now looking extremely likely that the team and its star player will divorce, perhaps sooner than later. Maybe even as soon as “before the season.” Which means … yes, it’s time for another Carmelo-to-the-Knicks discussion.
First off, for serious, Ric Bucher says Carmelo totally means it this time, and caps it off with a rather hilarious, previously unreported anecdote from Anthony’s wedding in NYC:
A series of toasts at the wedding reception, initiated by New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul, suggested Anthony leave Denver for the New York Knicks. Paul suggested it playfully, one source said, but subsequent guests — including Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire and Anthony’s brother, Robert — made the point more forcefully.
Then [Nuggets owner Stan] Kroenke stood up to give a toast and the room was filled with an awkward silence, one wedding guest said. Kroenke tried to make light of the situation by suggesting Paul could come to Denver but that elicited no response.
Aw, not only is he going to lose his franchise player, but he actually bombed in his wedding toast. Trust us, it’s painful to watch that happen.
So, anyway: Sorry, Stan, but how does this affect the Knicks? Well, it’s starting to look like Carmelo would like to be out of Denver before the season even starts, and the Nuggets certainly would rather get some return for him now, rather than watching him wave good-bye later. The major bidders for Carmelo would probably be Houston and, of course, the Knicks.
The advantage Houston has is in trade chips, potentially sending Kevin Martin and some draft picks (or possibly Yao Ming’s expiring contract), more than the Knicks could possibly offer. (It seems the best the Knicks could do would be Eddy Curry’s contract, Anthony Randolph, and Kelenna Azubuike.) But the Knicks have the massive advantage of being the team that Carmelo apparently wants to play for. As LeBron James and Co. showed earlier this summer, that’s the majority of what counts. If Carmelo wants to get here, he’s likely to find himself a way. So stay tuned. This could turn, fast.