Absurdity about Linsanity: State of the New York Knicks Today

New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni resigned today. The fact that he eventually separated from the team is not really a surprise. Knicks management didn't really seem to have his back completely, as they didn't extended his contract (which was due to expire at the end of the season). There was definitely a "wait and see" approach and unfortunately what we've seen has not been good.

The Knicks have looked pretty bad lately and it has frustrated throngs of fans who was hopeful during the "Linsanity" period of the season. Jeremy Lin was an unexpected spark for the team when superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire suddenly were absent from the lineup. Lin plays with energy, passion and desire; attributes that are very much appreciated by New York fans. But while Linsanity took over the world, insanity has taken over a lot of fans. Jeremy Lin is a good second year player, he is not an all-pro. No one liked his story more than I did but too many fans believed the hype. Thankfully Lin didn't. He is one of the most grounded young players in the league which is definitely going to help his growth and longevity in the NBA.

Some fans are blaming Carmelo Anthony for the Knicks failures. On the surface, it may look that way. When Anthony was out, the Knicks were winning; since he has returned they have been losing. But it isn't that simple. Part of the Lin's success was due to the league not being familiar to his game. Adjustments have since been made. Drives, passes & shots have not come as easy as they once did (for Lin). Funny how the NBA works that way.

To suggest that Lin should be on the team and Anthony should not is absurd. Lin is NOT better for the Knicks than Anthony. With that being said, the Knicks will have to find the right mix of players on the floor. I happen to think that Baron Davis is a better fit as a starter and Lin would be great providing energy off the bench. With no training camp this year due to the NBA lockout and the Knicks trading half the team away for Anthony last season, this team needs more time to meld. Knicks fans are going to have to be a tad more patient and stop thinking with such absurdity.

Carmelo Anthony Goes To the Knicks

Finally! After a nauseating amount of reports over the last few weeks of where Carmelo Anthony may or may not go, the Denver Nuggets have sent him to the New York Knicks. As you probably already heard a "few" times,  it had been speculated that the New Jersey Nets and the Knicks where the top suitors for Anthony. The bottom line is Anthony wanted to become a Knick; he would have been a Net a long time ago if he didn't care about going to New Jersey. Since Anthony was in the last year of his current contract, he held a big bargaining chip in this deal because if he would have been traded to any team like the Nets he could just finish out the season and sign with the Knicks next season. No team in their right mind would have given up true value to the Nuggets unless they could have had Anthony sign a contract extension. With the trade deadline approaching this week, it was in the best interest of the Nuggets to trade Anthony so they would at least get something back in return. Otherwise, they just would have lost him to free agency in the off season.

The one thing that was working against the Nuggets was the apparent want of Anthony to only go to the Knicks. The Knicks of course knew of Anthony's desire to play at the Garden so they were willing to play the cat and mouse game hoping they wouldn't have to give up much or anything to get Anthony. But the Nuggets can thank the Nets for showing a strong interest in obtaining Anthony; the Knicks definitely didn't want to lose Anthony to another team, especially to their neighbors the Nets. So the Knicks themselves wound up parting with more players than I'm sure they would have liked. They reportedly have shipped Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov and some draft picks to the Nuggets for Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Shelden Williams, and Renaldo Balkman (who the Knicks originally drafted in 2006). The Minnesota Timberwolves were also part of this deal; they received Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph from the Knicks in exchange for Cory Brewer. It will be debated whether the Knicks gave up too much. I think that they did, considering they seemed to have leverage against the Nuggets. But getting a player of Anthony's caliber I think ultimately will be worth the price. The Knicks probably won't contend for a title this season but combining Anthony with Amare Stoudemire will make a solid foundation for what could be a championship team with a couple of more added pieces (the Knicks will have to get better on defense over time as well).

Now that the drama of this trade situation is over, I'm sure Anthony, the Knicks, the Nets and the Nuggets are relieved and everyone can get back to playing basketball. But there are still a couple of more days left before the NBA trade deadline. Could there possibly be another blockbuster trade on the horizon?