While everyone was excited about where Carmelo Anthony would end up with during the NBA trade deadline last week, the move of another equally good player caught the attention of Yours Truly.
And if the New York Knicks make great strides in the coming seasons, they would look back at THAT trade which not only netted them Carmelo, but that equally good player as well.
Chauncey Billups.
Yours Truly has to admit that he does not follow the NBA really closely. But even though the Denver Nuggets ended up with some nice pieces like Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari and a couple of draft picks, on paper the Knicks ended up as the big winner in this lop-sided trade.
Everyone knows how good Carmelo is. Superstars like him do not become available very often, and the Knicks finally made the move to capture him. And in Billups, the Knicks also acquired a wily point guard who, if you remember, was the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 while with the Detroit Pistons.
Some may say that the Knicks have given up a lot of players with tremendous upside. The truth is, Chandler and Felton have been in the league for a few years and haven't actually done much. Gallinari may be a good shooting guard but still needs time to develop. For the draft picks, let's just say that they won't mean much unless they are the top-three picks in a very strong draft. The draft, people use to say, is just a crapshoot.
The departure of LeBron James has left the Cleveland Cavaliers in shambles. The Nuggets fare much better than the Cavs as they managed to salvage some valuable pieces in return. But their future, Yours Truly would say, look just as bleak, after losing not one, but two excellent players in a single trade.
No comments:
Post a Comment