The news on the Carmelo Anthony trade front is there is no new news on the Carmelo Anthony trade front. Regardless of what unsubstantiated rumors fly out of Houston fans’ Twitter account.
The Knicks and Rockets remain at a stalemate, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post — just as Anthony is about to do a number of public appearances.Tuesday night, Anthony will be in a place he cherishes. Not Houston, but Baltimore, where he will host The Basketball Tournament — a month-long event that is down to its final four...
A stalemate has ensued as sources indicate Anthony only wishes to waive his no-trade clause to go to the Rockets. Not even Cleveland, which is in turmoil, is good enough for Anthony as the Cavaliers are dealing with Kyrie Irving’s trade demand.
The Knicks’ management tandem of Steve Mills-Scott Perry claim it won’t trade Anthony to Houston unless it cobbles together a solid deal that makes sense for the Knicks’ future. Nothing has materialized.
Anthony is likely to speak to the media at one of these events. Maybe. Even if he does, the man is polished and will not say anything particularly inflammatory.
The Knicks need leverage in these negotiations, and their one threat is they will bring Anthony into training camp and start the season with him. They may not want to, but they must have that threat to force Houston to work harder to find a third team (or fourth, someone to take on Ryan Anderson’s contract), or to get Anthony to accept a trade to another team where a deal could get done. If Houston thinks Mills/Perry and the Knicks will eventually cave, they can wait out the summer. And that’s where we stand. Which is why the Knicks made a recent move:
The Knicks still want to make this trade, but they are wise not to do a deal just to get it done. They can and should be patient.