http://ken-berger.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/27258216 The Carmelo Anthony trade talks have gone underground since Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov pulled the plug on his team's pursuit of the three-time All-Star last week. But that doesn't mean they've stopped completely. While Nuggets officials continue to weigh their options, a person familiar with the team's strategy told CBSSports.com Wednesday that there are indications Denver could be warming to the idea of trading Melo to the Knicks. One component of such a trade, the source said, would be Anthony Randolph, with Denver officials apparently coming around in their opinion about the 21-year-old big man. Earlier in the process, Nuggets executives were not high on Randolph, viewing him as mistake-prone and too much of a project. But that was when the Nets had 2010 No. 3 pick Derrick Favors on the table as the centerpiece of a package that far exceeded what the Knicks could offer. With New Jersey out of the mix, at least for now, the Nuggets have begun to internally re-examine the Knicks' young players. Randolph was thought to be heading to Minnesota in exchange for a first-round pick the Knicks would then be able to use to sweeten their bid for Anthony. However, those talks have stalled -- and among the reasons is the Nuggets' renewed interest in considering Randolph as at least a peripheral piece of a trade with New York. No final decisions have been made, and it appears more likely than ever that the Anthony talks will continue to evolve all the way to the Feb. 24 deadline. Denver's dilemma is that they much preferred dealing with the Nets as opposed to the Knicks due to their affinity for Favors and New Jersey's ability to deliver the other two commodities the Nuggets want -- cost savings and lottery picks. But once Anthony balked at making a firm commitment to a meeting with Prokhorov and Nets management last week, the Knicks became the only team in the hunt for Melo that could give Denver young players in addition to cap relief. Teams like Houston (yes) and Dallas (maybe) that are positioned to acquire Anthony in a rental deal -- i.e. without a contract extension -- would only be willing to offer cap relief in such a scenario. The Nuggets, according to sources, continue to believe that the Nets will come back to the table despite Prokhorov unequivocally ending his team's pursuit last week. This would be in the best interests of the Nuggets, who still want what New Jersey has to offer. It would be in the best interests of the Nets, who need a star to open their new Brooklyn arena in 2012, and also would aid Anthony's representatives at Creative Artists Agency, who would benefit from an expanded market for their client. Whether it would be in Anthony's best interests is an open question. Sources have long indicated Anthony's insistence on signing a contract extension via a trade only if he were sent to the Knicks, but he has repeatedly sent mixed messages both privately and publicly. Speaking with the Denver Post Tuesday, Anthony again expressed concern about the risk of losing out on the three-year, $65 million extension that has been on the table for months. “There are a lot of things that come into play when you look at this situation," Anthony said. "The fact that they can send you wherever they want to. The fact that, wherever they send me, would I sign the extension there? It’s a lot of stuff I think about through all of this.”
Well that would pretty much be the worst-case scenario for the Rockets.....which leads me to believe that this is exactly what is going to happen.
All I got from that article is that there is STILL a damn good chance that Anthony winds up with the Nets.
What did we ever do to piss God off? How come nothing ever seems to work? You need a little luck to succeed in anything. Where is our luck?
Translation - Nuggets got freaked when Nets walked away from their demanding table, and they're hoping that talking to the Knicks again will draw back NJ. I wish nothing but the worst for Denver after the way they got so ridiculously greedy in trade talks.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
I don't see how they would trade Anthony to the Knicks and not trade him to the rockets..!! we have way better players, expiring contracts and that's exactly what they need, IMO this article is full of ****.
Randolph is just another Hill with more years onto him. He flashes every now and then but is never consistent. At least with Hill and Favors they are pretty much inexperienced. I'm not sure that excuse can be made for Randolph anymore.
Actually, I think this is an even better translation. Translation: Donnie Walsh has leaked this story to try and convince teams around the league(maybe even Minnesota) that Randolph is worth a lotto pick so he can get that lotto pick he has long been promising. Let's face it, Walsh said over a month ago he could get a lotto pick for Randolph if he needed one to complete the deal. Melo wants to go to the Knicks, Denver wants lotto picks and in the absence of any other firm offer, what is Walsh waiting for? Could it be he really doesn't have teams lined up to offer a lotto pick for a late lotto guy 3 years ago who still looks raw in his 3rd year in the NBA?
randolph is trash and has way too much hype here! he doesnt get pt in newyork, c'mon!!ppat will be a more solid player when all is said and done!!!!
I'm sure the Nuggets were being a little greedy, but I can't blame them, their about to lose the face of the franchise. It looks to me as if the deal with the Nets was sunk when Carmello decided not to meet with the Nets. So, I blame carmello for jerking everyone around.
I think everyone in the league now knows Nuggets officials are a joke. If too much greedy is not their fatal fault, the timing mistake is. They are going to lose Melo for nothing! Just be patient, Melo can hold 2 more weeks, then he can join any team he wants.
Calling Prokhorov's bluff, eh? Same deal or involving Detroit with Favors, Billups, Hamilton, etc. all involved or something different?
I thought that was a BRILLIANT move by Proky. Let's look at it logically -- the Nugs had most of the advantages in this. They knew the Nets want Melo bad. They knew Melo wanted the money bad. They had the upper hand. The one thing the Nets could do was walk away. Proky's a brilliant businessman, he knew that he had to do something to change the odds -- otherwise the Nets were going to end up on the wrong end of a lopsided deal. Hence the walk away. But they still want Melo badly. We still want young players (Favors) and picks. It's a match made in heaven. Plus, it sounds like the Nugs are still working on deals involving Devin Harris. Hate to say it, but the main person who I was getting updates from is no longer in the front office as of last November. Which sucks for many reasons, but mainly because he was very good at his job. My guess is yes though from things that I'm hearing from other people.
