Tag Archives: Carmelo Anthony

New York Knicks Looking to Trade Kristaps Porzingis?

Sports News & Picks, , , , , ,

The New York Knicks could be open to trading cornerstone star player Kristaps Porzingis, per reports. GM Phil Jackson has long wanted to unload star forward Carmelo Anthony to expedite New York’s rebuilding process, but new rumors suggest Jackson is more than open to completely blowing his current roster up and that could include dealing the team’s most tantalizing asset:

Knicks Moving Zinger?

Moving Kristaps Porzingis at this point makes very little sense for a rebuilding Knicks franchise. Phil Jackson inexplicably loaded up New York’s roster with expensive veterans like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah last year, but now seems set to let Rose walk in free agency, with hopes of dealing Melo and possibly also Noah.

Perhaps the motivation to potentially move Porzingis comes from a Zinger tweet earlier this year that suggested the star forward’s interest in playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. The Kristaps Porzingis Clippers rumors spread like wildfire from there, while it has also been pointed out in the past that through two seasons of losing, the Latvian star has realized he doesn’t want to be stuck on a losing team for much longer.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Could Zinger’s disinterest in a bad New York team and New York’s plight to quickly rebuild spark a trade that arguably should never happen? Perhaps, but one has to imagine the Knicks would get quite the haul in return. Porzingis displayed superstar potential in his second NBA season, averaging 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. At just 21 years of age, Porzingis has the talent and upside to carry the Knicks down the road. The question is if New York actually sees him as a franchise cornerstone or if he’s also willing to wait for New York’s situation to improve.

The Knicks probably have to get worse before they can get better. Rose should walk in free agency, the Knicks should ship Noah out of town for whatever they can get and Melo should be traded, as well. Getting rid of Porzingis isn’t guaranteed to bring them back an equally strong prospect, while ditching a potential superstar for assets doesn’t make sense on this current roster, either.

If a deal does come to fruition, though, where could the talented big man be heading? Porzingis’ own interest in the Clippers obviously makes them an interesting (and obvious candidate), as well as that “other” L.A.-based squad. If the bright lights of Los Angeles really do intrigue Zinger, then maybe one of those two franchises would be willing to hand the Knicks the package they want to land one of the NBA’s top young talents.

Teams that could make a play for one of the best young big men in the game include the Dallas Mavericks (getting their Dirk Nowitzki replacement) and the Boston Celtics (landing the star big man they covet), among others.

New York’s Future

There are two sides to this rumor; Zinger wanting to win and the Knicks rebuilding the best way possible. Despite the old Porzingis to L.A. rumors, Porzingis and his camp have suggested the big man does prefer to stay in New York. The idea, however, is that if the Knicks don’t make the right moves to turn into a title contender and also help Porzingis in his development, they could lose their best asset when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2020.

If Phil Jackson is thinking that far down the road, that could sprout some indecision on New York’s part. That, or the Knicks see a clear path to a quick rebuild that we don’t; one that may not include Porzingis and one that could actually be expedited if Porzingis is dangled in trade talks. This isn’t necessarily about unloading Zinger, though. Jackson is simply keeping all of his options open, it seems.

Jackson doesn’t really have many options, though. He has moves that need to be made and then he has the 8th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. What needs to be done is the Knicks have to shed unwanted salary, they can’t make anymore bad signings, they need to draft the best prospect available and they should try harder to make their best player feel wanted and appeased.

The buzz around Porzingis can be damning or it can be flattering. Knicks fans will hope it ends up being the latter and that Phil Jackson isn’t again set to make a decision that could set this franchise even further back. Ditching Melo and shedding Rose and Noah is a three-step process the Knicks need to figure out. Keeping Porzingis happy and under contract is a detailed plan, all on it’s own.

New York faces long odds to merely be competitive next season and understandably carry woeful +10000 2018 NBA Finals odds at Bovada. They’re not really improving those odds by trading away their best player, but they could give themselves a real shot in another 1-2 years if they keep Porzingis and add the right pieces around him. France’s Frank Ntikilina looks like a great start on June 22nd.

If the Knicks can land their point guard of the future, that kills the Derrick Rose return hype. Then New York can look at a solid young core of Porzingis, Ntikilina and center Willy Hernangomez. Trading Carmelo Anthony (if it’s to the Clippers) could bring back two-way guard Austin Rivers and maybe a few draft picks to use down the road. The rebuilding process is already underway in the Big Apple. Jackson needs to be careful not to disrupt it – or worse – accidentally hit the reset button.

NBA Hot Debate: Why Blake Griffin is Better Than Carmelo Anthony

Sports News & Picks, , , , , , ,

A hot NBA debate was sparked on Thursday, when First Take analysts Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman were discussing what players they would prefer if they were going into the NBA playoffs. When Kellerman voiced that he’d prefer Los Angeles Clippers big man Blake Griffin over New York Knicks superstar forward Carmelo Anthony, Smith absolutely went bananas:

The big question here is whether or not Smith was right to lose it so quickly. The even bigger question is if Kellerman might actually be right. This, like most NBA debates, can take on several forms. It can go through paradigms you never imagined and on our way to the finish line, we might lose the reason that ever set us forth on this journey.

To avoid that, we’ll make it simple: Stephen A. Smith always loses it. About anything and everything. Ever.

So, it’s not shocking he loses his mind and doesn’t know how to respond when a player he loves – Melo – is slammed a bit by Kellerman. Is it called for? Probably not, but it’s a fairly close NBA debate and Smith doesn’t get paid to be controlled and predictable on television. He gets paid to be a borderline lunatic who screams and blabbers whatever his point is.

Make of that what you will, but we’d say he overreacted and instead of actually providing any kind of argument against Kellerman’s choice, he simply didn’t provide much of anything and looked disgusted. To each their own.

Blake Griffin vs. Carmelo Anthony

But what about the argument on hand? If you’re an NBA team and you need one superstar to ride into the playoffs with and your two choices are Melo or Blake Griffin, who is the pick?

We’d have to agree it has to be Griffin. That probably rings true now and it has to ring true always. Unlike Melo, Griffin has constantly evolved his game, he elevates his teammates, he’s gotten better on a yearly basis and he’s been successful in a tougher conference.

In Melo’s early years with the Denver Nuggets, he could never muster a single playoff series win. He was constantly one and done and ultimately forced his way out of Colorado. Once in New York, nothing really changed, as the Knicks were bounced in the first round during Melo’s first two years in town. In year three, Melo helped the Knicks get to round two, but again got bounced, never to return to the playoffs again.

Carmelo Anthony isn’t the athlete or versatile talent Blake Griffin has been and continues to be. He’s a scorer, plain and simple.

Melo’s scoring often was looked at as selfish during his career and while you could argue he often didn’t have the help he needed to succeed at a high level, there is something to be said for how you help the rest of your team perform. Anthony is a guy who constantly has had the ball in his hands throughout his career. Even in his rookie season he launched nearly 18 shots per game, and ever since then, he’s topped 20 shot attempts per game five different times, while never dropping below 16 attempts per game (that even only happened once).

The simple fact is, Melo shot the ball a ton and yes, he scored the ball a ton. However, despite providing major value as a pure scorer (20+ points per game every single year in the league) he was never a major factor as a playmaker (under 3 assists per game five different years) and actually topped four assists per game for the first time ever just last year.

The numbers don’t lie. Melo didn’t trust his teammates enough to get them more involved for the majority of his career, and instead took more shots. That led to points and it still undoubtedly helped his teams win when they did, but it also didn’t exactly help his teams improve.

Blake Griffin, on the other hand, has posted 3+ dimes per game every year he’s been in the league and his play-making ability has only improved as time has gone on. With his skill-set improving and the Clippers giving him more responsibility, he’s been able to average 5.3 and 4.9 assists per game in each of the last two seasons.

Melo still has five years on Griffin, yet the Clippers star forward has already proven to be the more versatile talent, better play-maker and really has provided a similar impact in scoring (21+ points per game in 5 of 6 NBA seasons).

Griffin has found a way to enjoy about as much success in the NBA playoffs as Melo during a much shorter career, as well. Despite being drafted by a horrendous franchise, Griffin helped build what is known as Lob City and has helped the Clippers get to the playoffs each year, except for his official rookie season in 2010. In those seasons, Griffin and the Clippers reached the second round of the NBA playoffs three years in a row and last year bowed out in round one due to a slew of injuries.

Melo might be the bigger name that has been around longer. Perhaps more was initially expected of him. You could say he might be the better natural shooter and better pure scorer. I would agree with all of those things. But assuming he’s the better overall player is dangerous and it absolutely has been proven that Griffin has been more crucial to his team’s success.

If you take Melo away, what are his teams missing out on? Not getting to the playoffs? Still getting to the playoffs and losing right away?

Oh, wait, we already know the answer to Melo’s true impact. Once traded out of Denver, the Nuggets kept things together long enough to reach the playoffs in four straight seasons. Just like when Melo was there, they got bounced in round one every single time.

The reality is Melo’s presence didn’t make much of a difference in the end and his main skill-set can be divided up throughout a team.

This isn’t to say Melo is’t good (or even great). It’s not to say he’s not an elite scorer (he most certainly is) or that he hasn’t been somewhat successful.

But Blake Griffin is the better overall player, he’s had more success and quite honestly, he’s just scratching the surface of what he actually is capable of. That’s hard for Melo defenders to swallow, but it’s the truth.