Carmelo Anthony Comes Back Home

By Yeisa Martinez

Bronx Journal Staff Writer

After weeks of speculation and a media frenzy reminiscent of the Lebron James saga of last year, Carmelo Anthony is finally a New York Knick. The 26-year-old basketball star first joined the league after he was chosen by the Denver Nuggets as the third overall draft pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Over the last seven seasons he has averaged 24.6 ppg, 6.3 rebounds and has been a four-time NBA All Star.

The 12-player, three-team trade that included the Knicks, Nuggets, and Timberwolves went down February 21. Lets look at what each team got out of this deal.

Knicks: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter Renaldo Balkman and Corey Brewer

Nuggets: Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov. A 2014 first-round draft, 2012 and 2013 second round pick and $3 million in cash.

Timberwolves: Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph

With Anthony now gone, Denver coach George Karls expressed sadness about the trade, but he says he is already looking towards the future. “I think everybody handled it as classy as you can handle it. There’s some sadness to it, there always will be. It’s time to move on, reinvent.”

The Knicks now must also reinvent within their own team. With Carmelo Anthony joining Amare Stoudemire, the core of the team has gotten stronger, yet the overall composition of the team has been weakened. They have gained a veteran in point guard Chauncey Billups, yet they gave up players that are going to be missed like Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. Billups has averaged 16.5 ppg and 5.2 assists this year, yet he is 34 and some in the league show question whether he will be a good fit with Mike D’Antoni’s running regimen.

Even though the Knicks have lost young talent, draft picks and money in this deal, they have gained something more important than just the addition of Carmelo Anthony, they have reinforced hope as well. With Carmelo now just days from donning a Knicks uniform, fans are now excited about the future of this franchise whose days of glory have been long overdue.

“We keep getting closer and closer,“ Stoudemire said. “When I signed it was the first step, Carmelo was the second step and now it’s a matter of playing smart basketball.”

Originally born in Brooklyn, Carmelo is proud to be back in the state that he hails from. He knows that he can be a valuable asset to the Knicks as an offensive force. He can post, he can drive and he shoots well beyond the arc as well. He’s dreamed of being a New York Knick since the age of six. “That’s like the ultimate dream at the end of the day,” Carmelo said. “Who wouldn’t want to go back home to play.”

Carmelo will hopefully be on the court this February 23 as the Knicks take on the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden.

“My journey has just begun,” he said.