Breaking Down the Melo Trade

It's been all over the news now. Carmelo Anthony finally got his wish, return home to the Big Apple. But there are mixed reactions as to whether the Knicks gave up too much for a no-defense "superstar," but they did end up with the big fish. In any trade, landing the true star in the entire trade makes it a good start. Lets evaluate each team involved in this blockbuster trade.






New York Knicks

They gave a bunch, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, 2014 first round draft pick, Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph, two second round draft pick they acquired from GSW, and $3 million.

They recieved Carmelo Anthony, Chuncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman, and Anthony Carter from Denver; and Corey Brewer from Minnesota.

There is no question about Melo, as he is the best player in the deal, but will he and STAT coexist? That what they said when LeBron James came to Miami.  Regarding Billups, he is a proven winner. While he is not as quick as he was back in Detroit, but his basketball IQ has increased and be able to find a way to be effective. Chauncey can still ball, and he and Amar'e will be the locker room leader the Knicks can benefit highly off.

The good thing about the Knicks is they are able to hold on to Landry Fields. Corey Brewer could make up with the loss of Gallo and Chandler somewhat.

Now that they have Melo, are they instant contender? I think not, but they way better than they were before. Before the trade, they are .500 team. Donnie Walsh cannot just settle for 6th seed team, they want a championship caliber team. What they broke up was not a championship team. It is a good team but not great. The Knicks may not be finish dealing as they need a stud PG to eventually replace the 34-year-old Billuips (CP3 or D-Will?), and a solid center. In a league where superstars win championship, its good to have Amare's Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony as building blocks.

Denver Nuggets

After months of speculations and rumors, the day Nuggets fans dreaded, and expected, came trading away their franchise player.

As stated above, the Nuggets get Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, two second-round draft picks previously belonging to the Golden State Warriors, and $3 million in cash.

With the infatuation the Nuggets have with Ty Lawson, Raymond Felton may not want to unpack his bags yet without finding his spot in the roster. Danilo Gallinari will take up the spot vacated by Melo. I know he's not the player Melo is, but he has a great upside and he is young and has gotten better progressively during his tenure in New York. Wilson Chandler is in his contract year and is looking for a big pay day next season, he'll probably out next season but if Denver do sign him, he'll fill the void of JR Smith who is most probably out by summer. With the rumors that Denver is shopping Nene, Mosgov could help Birdman down low.

But I am most certain with this trade, the Nuggets bubbling out of the playoff picture as this is a rebuilding mode for them now. Expect JR Smith, Nene, Al Harrington, even K-Mart to be dealt right before the trade deadline.

Minnesota Timberwolves

They received Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry.

The Wolves gave up Corey Brewer who is in a log jam in Minny at the SG/SF position. Brewer could be serviceable in New York with his defensive capabilities and could crack up in the rotation with D'Antoni. But why the hell Minnesota get involved in this trade? Eddy Curry is scrub and i expect them to waive him. Its Anthony Randolph they are targeting. His athleticism and rebounding would compliment Kevin Love. Great potential with an upside, they will be evaluating him for a couple of seasons and see if he can prove he can stay in with them until he hit free agency. I think this is good for the Wolves gets a player that could potentially crack into their rotation and gave up someone that is not and vise versa with the Knicks, so win-win both.

I cannot grade the trade now, as we still have to see how this play out, but at least we got over with all the drama that haunted the league for months now. Now, they can concentrate with the new CBA.

There's one more question, what number will Melo wear in NY?