This much has always been clear — Carmelo Anthony wants to play in New York, to come back home to the city he grew up in. He echoed that again to ESPN Friday.
But back home to Brooklyn and the Nets (with a layover in Newark), or to Manhattan with the Knicks?
It seems the Nuggets, Nets and Pistons are closing in on a deal that at its core would send Anthony along with Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton to New Jersey; send Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Anthony Morrow, some other players and a couple first-round picks to Denver; and give Detroit Troy Murphy and Johan Petro as well as some second-round picks. That’s just the framework of a mammoth deal. In total, as many as 16 players could move. And if the Nuggets can find a sucker someone to come in and take on the contract of Al Harrington, the deal could expand further.
The Knicks are not giving up on their ultimate dream of Anthony along side Amar’e Stoudemire. In the next couple weeks they are going to trade Anthony Randolph for a first round pick, according to Chris Broussard at ESPN. While the Knicks say they are going to do that to facilitate other moves regardless of what happens with Anthony, he remains the first option. And the second. And third.
Anthony has the ultimate hammer — if he ignores the pressure from everyone and decides he won’t sign an extension with the Nets, that house of cards falls and he will end up a Knick one way or another. If he wants to be the man for the soon-to-be other New York team, the blockbuster goes through.
It just depends on really is his ultimate dream.
