Archive for February 22nd, 2011

WATERCOOLER CHAT: CARMELO TO KNICKS, AROD AND DIAZ

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, after weeks and weeks of rumors and proposals, the Carmelo Anthony drama is finally over.  There was speculation that he would go to the New Jersey Nets and some rumors were swirling that he might head to Los Angeles to play with Kobe.  And of course he could just stay put in Denver and close out his career as Nugget.  But, Carmelo has made his decision.  He is headed back home to New York and will become a Knick.  To be clear, this is where the stories started (i.e. Carmelo wants to play at MSG), and it’s where they ended.

So, what was the deal?  Well, it was a monster.  The Nuggets will send Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Carter, Chauncey Billups, and Renaldo Balkman to the Knicks in exchange for Wilson Chandler, rising-star Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton (who was coming on strong) Timofey Mozgov, and 4 draft picks over the next couple years.  The deal also ships Eddie Curry and Anthony Randolph out of New York (they’re headed to Minnesota) and send Corey Brewer (a guy who had a lot of heat on him coming out of college) to New York.

This gives the Knicks a brand new look, and also makes them a competitor again in the East.  Suddenly, the East is packed with talent and we can expect an incredible 2nd Half of the season.  Having Carmelo gives New York another solid scorer.  The addition of Chauncey gives them a skilled, talented, and experienced point guard to run an offense that now has two all-stars (Amar’e and Carmelo).  Plus, the Knicks got to keep their 2nd round steal, rookie Landry Fields.   They have a fantastic foundation for at least the next 5 years.  So…. can they win a championship?  The Nuggets, on the other hand, are now in rebuilding mode and we shouldn’t expect to see much from them for at least a few seasons.

BASEBALL

And in baseball, Alex Rodriguez took the podium and tried to answer questions about his current ‘thing’ with actress Cameron Diaz.  A-Rod began the conference by saying, “Did anybody see the Super Bowl”.  This is in reference to the many shots of Cameron Diaz feeding popcorn to A-Rod.  It was laughably ostentatious and the gossip outlets wanted answers.  But A-Rod just laughed off the incident.  He actually looked pretty bubbly and playful and even said that a few years ago he would have issued a bogus formal apology to the media about it.  Now, he’s just laughing along with us.  Perhaps A-Rod has changed ever since being caught for steroid abuse.  He’s much more fun-loving and even somewhat likable again.

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