The Wait Is Over, Melo's a Knick

After nearly a year of speculation revolving a possible trade that would involve Nuggets Forward Carmello Anthony, Denver finally decided to part ways with the 4-time All-Star, sending him to the New York Knicks. In fear of losing their star player to free agency and getting nothing in return like the Cavs and Raptors did when both LeBron James and Chris Bosh ditched their teams for the sunny beaches of Miami, Denver realized their slim chances of re-signing Anthony and decided to pull the trigger. Headlining the blockbuster three-team, 14 player trade, Melo and Nuggets point-guard Chauncey Billups were packaged to the Knicks along with Renaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams and Anthony Carter in exchange for Timofey Mozgov, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, a 2014 first-round pick, two second-round picks and $3 Million.

Also in the mix were the Minnesota Timberwolves who sent Corey Brewer to the big apple and received Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph. The Knicks who haven't been relevant in the playoffs since Patrick Ewing graced the hardwood, are hoping Carmelo is the final piece to their puzzle. Though they may not be title contenders this year, talks of acquiring another marquee player via free agency this offseason have already begun, including the possibility of signing PG Chris Paul which could very well put them among the leagues best. However, I think addressing the need of a big man would be their biggest concern considering they depleted their young crop of talent in the process of landing Carmelo, leaving Ronny Turiaf to start at center.

Not to be forgotten in the trade, is the former NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups who's been somewhat overshadowed by the super stardom of Anthony. Less than 24 hours after news broke of the former Nuggets being shipped out east, Knicks tickets sales began to skyrocket, sending a craze throughout Gotham city. Fresh off the plane and into the conference room, Amar'e Stoudemire was the first to greet his new teammates before taking the floor. Carmelo, a Brooklyn native and Syracuse alum was introduced to a thunderous applause by the New York faithful inside of Madison Square Garden and lit up the court against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks in his Knicks debut, scoring 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds in route to a 114-108 victory. As for the other guy if you wanna call him that, Billups put up 21 points and 8 assists.

Having beat the mediocre Bucks, the Knicks (29-26) will face a true test on Feb. 27, when they head to south beach to take on D-Wade and the Heat. As for Denver, Melo's absence will most likely end any hopes of the Nuggets returning to their second Western Conference Finals in three years, however, chances are their current record of 34-25 will keep them in the playoff picture come mid-April.

Melo-Drama

With the long lived Carmelo Anthony to New York talks that date back to summer of last year slowly coming to a halt, another team enters the room as a possible destination for the 4-time All-Star. After posting a disappointing 5-5 record in their last 10-games before winning on the road in Memphis on Monday, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak publicly expressed his feelings about potentially making a trade. Though nothing was said about any player in particular, all signs pointed towards a possible deal involving Ron Artest, who has struggled this year to say the least, putting up career-low number on offense. But with very few teams willing to take on the remainder of Artest's five-year, $33 Million contract, another name surfaces.

Sources say if a deal involving both parties was to be made, 23 year old Laker Center Andrew Bynum would most likely be featured as the base of the trade. Although no one has ruled out the possibility of the two star players being traded straight up, a third party will likely be involved to help Denver shed even more of their salary. Since the addition of Pau Gasol in February of '08, size has been one of if not the biggest advantages for the Lakers, led by the two aforementioned 7-footers and Lamar Odom who mostly serves off the bench. When healthy, Bynum has shown a tremendous upside and has the potential to become one of the more dominant big men in the league, but his lack of consistency and fragile frame has been his weakness, resulting in numerous injuries.

Having struggled all season long against the top teams in the league, including recent losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics who each lead their respective conferences, there's no need for L.A. to push the panic button just yet. However, there is somewhat of a cause for concern given the Lakers have already lost more games at home this season than they did all of last year, and we're yet to reach the All-Star break. Despite currently being the third seed in the Western Conference behind San Antonio and their inner-state rivals the Dallas Mavericks, I still don't see either team beating the Lakers in a best-of Playoff series. But that doesn't mean I don't think a move needs to be made. After offseason additions of Matt Barnes, Steve Blake and Theo Ratliff to deepen the depth of the Lakers bench, it seemed as if the Lakers had the perfect formula to runaway in the standings. Instead they find themselves trailing.

Personally, I wouldn't hesitate one bit to trade Bynum to Denver in exchange for Carmelo, but only if we were able to sign him long term, as I don't see any reason in acquiring a player of his magnitude if he's only gonna serve as a rent-a-player for less than a season. Not to mention Bynum has another year left on his contract. My biggest concern if the deal for Melo did go through wouldn't be the loss in size, but rather how it would effect the role of Odom who has been L.A.'s MVP so far this season. Also, would he fit into Phil Jackson's system or would he pose as a speed bump in the Lakers' chances of three-peating? What surprises me more than anything, is that the Nuggets would even consider trading their All-Star talent within the conference.

As for the players themselves, neither Melo nor Laker captain Kobe Bryant were aware of the trade rumors, and downplayed the possibilities of it happening. And even though it would be nice to see both players playing alongside one another like they did in the 2008 Summer Olympics, let's face it, it probably won't happen.