Carmelo Holding Out Hope That Lebron Will Come To The Knicks
NJ.com – Another New York team’s famous phrase is appropriate for Carmelo Anthony and what he reportedly hopes could happen this week: Ya gotta believe. That’s because Anthony, according to The Post’s Marc Berman, “has held out faint hope Knicks president Phil Jackson can pull a miracle and clear out the necessary salary-cap space to get it done, but he is running out of time. Anthony’s decision could come in the next couple of days.” Remember, on Tuesday, word was Anthony was kicking the tires on the idea of joining James in Miami or Los Angeles, explaining why it was taking longer than expected to make his decision. “He really wants LeBron to come to New York,’’ a source told Berman. “That’s his dream right now. Phil is trying to get it done.’’ But the idea of James and Anthony teaming up in New York? With all the cap woes the Knicks have? Here’s how Berman proposes it could get done:
1. Trade Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani. Both have expiring contracts, which means some team looking to get cap space next season would find them valuable. There was a report the Sixers were exploring a deal involving Stoudemire.
2. Iman Shumpert would have to be traded. The guard could entice a team to take on a contract like Stoudemire’s.
3. Jeremy Tyler’s rights would be renounced. The center played 41 games for the Knicks last season and averaged 3.6 points per game.
4. Perhaps the toughest requirement: James and Anthony would have to take less than the max in their deals.
Oh really, Melo? You holding out hope for Lebron? Ya don’t say. You know I’m holding out hope for Candace Swanepoel before my wedding day gets here. I’m holding out hope that WFAN decides I’m gonna be Mad Dog’s replacement with Francesa. The problem is that I live here, on the planet earth, in the realm of reality. Where Santa Claus isn’t real and you’re not actually gonna get a pony for your birthday and Lebron James is not coming to play for the New York Knicks.
Now all that being said, the fucking battered wife in me, the “New-York-Is-Still-The-Mecca-Of-Basketball-And-Everyone-Should-Want-To-Play-Here” in me, has the wheels spinning. I mean it seems impossible to move Amare and Bargnani AND get Melo and Lebron to agree to lesser contracts. But then again I quite literally would have put my life on the line that Phil Jackson would never be able to find someone to take Raymond Felton. Like if that fat gun toting donut eating waste of space can be moved, then seriously anything is possible. So while I realize this would all have to go down in a matter of a couple days most likely, I’m gonna allow myself to dream. The reality is Carmelo will sign here for the max and the Knicks will be in limbo for another several years before having to start all over…again. But at the same time I’m thinking there’s NO way Phil Jackson has any interest in that, and – while it might be impossible – he’s at least gonna bust his ass to try to do something major like this so he can win in the short term before he’s too old and broken down to do anything.
PS – I would give anything to be a fly on the wall in the Lebron Pat Riley meeting thats about to go down. Thats gonna be one of the most fascinating conversations in sports history. The LAST guy I’d wanna cross is Pat Riley. Dude is just intimidating as fuck. But if there’s a guy that knows about bailing on his team and jumping ship, its him. Lebron owes nothing more to Miami, dumb ass reports are saying theres a “90% chance” he returns to Cleveland. SO much in play here I would just love to see how that meeting plays out.