The passing of the trade deadline in the NBA has dramatically shifted the landscape of the entire league.
First let me — as a Knicks fan — bask in the Melo’ness of the moment. Alright, now that’s out of the way, lets get down to the significance of this trade deadline.
Obviously the Carmelo deal was the highlight of the entire ordeal. In fact, the Carmelo talk has dominated the NBA scene since last summer when the ink was still fresh on the Amar’e Stoudemire contract.
This was the deal that most people knew would happen, the only question was when. I watched a ton of Knicks’ games this year and I really think that if the Carmelo trade talk wasn’t hovering over them, the Knicks would have a much better record than 28-26.
That being said, I am thrilled that Carmelo is a Knick. I keep hearing people say the Knicks gave up way too much in this deal but is that really the caseEssentially the Knicks gave up the expiring contract of Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov and a 2014 first round pick.
They then swapped Danilo Gallinari for Carmelo Anthony, and Raymond Felton for Chauncy Billups.
My point is that the Knicks gave up Chandler, Mozgov and a draft pick for the right to swap point guards and small forwards. Not a bad deal for New York.
To say that the Knicks gave up too much is absolutely absurd. They were able to retain promising rookie Landry Fields and in return got a veteran, championship point guard in Chauncy Billups and Carmelo Anthony.
I have come to believe that the only reason journalists are saying this is a bad deal for the Knicks is because they want to get people to read their columns. I seriously question the credibility of those who say this was a bad deal for the Knicks.
Amar’e made the Knicks relevant when he signed but Carmelo makes the Knicks — well, the Knicks. By that I mean they are the relevant, appealing, exciting team that they used to be. Madison Square Garden is now once again Madison Square Garden; the Mecca of basketball is once again the Mecca.
That is why this deal needed to happen for Knicks fans. As New Yorkers, we now turn on the Knicks expecting something spectacular, something incredible. It has been a decade-long drought of embarrassment and frustration that seemed like it would last forever.
To screw up such a proud franchise so spectacularly takes a mind-blowing remedy to fix it. Carmelo is that remedy. The Knicks are back, maybe not as a title contender just yet, but they are back nonetheless.
Oh yeah, the Nets got Deron Williams too, teaming up with Brook Lopez, Anthony Morrow, Kris Humphries and Damion James. Now that is the start of a dynasty.
And speaking of insanity: Boston, what are you thinking trading the rock of your interior for a decent wingman in Jeff Green? Your front line is now composed of Nenad Kristic, Jermaine O’Neal and Shaq. The chances of them staying healthy currently rest at .001 percent. The Celtics just opened up the conference completely and I am stunned.
The big picture is that we are witnessing a fundamental change in the landscape of the NBA. In the MLB, small market teams struggle for a lack of revenue to pay their best players. In the NBA, small market teams have the money but lose players anyway. The question is why?
We will examine that question next week and look toward the future of the NBA.
