Melo's First New York Commercial Is Awesome

Just a great commercial from the people at Madison Square Garden.  It immediately pumped me up for tonight's game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks. The Bucks have a great 8-1 record against the Knickerbockers in the last nine games so hopefully they can keep it up. Another hope of mine is that I am watching the first game Michael Redd plays so I can go... MY GOD THAT'S MICHAEL REDD'S MUSIC!!!!!

(Props to the guys at NY Barstool for the vid.)

-Charlie.

Breaking Down The Melo Trade From All Angles

The New York Knicks knew they had to get this done. The fans worried that the Knicks will screw this up like they usually do, but that didn't happen. Finally, the Knicks have Melo. I am glad because this story will be dead by Friday and we can move on to beating a dead horse on another issue, joy.  If you need the details, here they are.

I like the deal for the Knicks.  Any time there is a player who is arguably one of the 10 best players in the NBA and is available, you have to find a way to pull the trigger.  Melo will work very nice with Amar'e Stoudemire, and honestly, I still think this is Amar'e's team, not Melo's. But it will be interesting to see if there is any conflict in the first month. The Knicks can spread out the court like Mike D'Antoni wants to, but they aren't as much of a run and gun team. Chauncey Billups will slow up what they really wanted to do with their offense, but I think D'Antoni is a good enough coach to make adjustments to his system.  I like Billups because I know he will not try to be the first or second scorer rather a guy who passes/penetrates to find guys like STAT and Melo.  

People are so worried about the Knicks bench, and that is puzzling to me because it's well-known that D'Antoni doesn't keep a deep bench. Unlike a lot of systems, the Knicks really do not need to have a bench. Maybe they will pick up somebody if they can figure out the salaries but I am okay with having Toney Douglas as their sixth man. He is a great energy player off the bench  Additionally, they have guys that have been valuable contributors for other teams in NBA such as Kelenna Aziubuke and Roger Mason Jr. 

As for the Nuggets, they are clearly in a rebuilding stage of their franchise. George Karl will probably retire after this season, Melo is now gone, and I have a feeling they aren't done dealing this deadline. Kenyon Martin has a big expiring contract at 16.5 million, and if the Miami Heat could figure out a way to get him, it would be over.  When I loaded up the ESPN Trade Machine, it would have to be a three-teamer but the Heat could use a physical guy like Martin off their bench. J.R. Smith will be dealt without question and I think New Orleans Hornets is his destination because they asked the Milwaukee Bucks about Corey Maggette for scoring purposes. The Nuggets need to find a player who will want be a career player for Denver and not head back east like Melo did to them. This will be a transition period for the Nuggets, but I expect them back in a couple of years.

It's like the Timberwolves were the nerds of this deal,  They wanted to feel cool and popular, therefore General Manager David KAAAAAAAAAAAHN decided to get involved.  He did lure a huge expiring contract and man in Eddy Curry, but traded away a young player with potential in Corey Brewer who in my opinion is getting slept on in this deal.  Also Kevin Love has to deal with Curry, Anthony Randolph, Michael Beasley, and Darko Milicic. That is more dysfunctional locker room than any season of Bad Girls Club. I wish K-Love luck.

I will be shocked if the Knicks are higher than a five seed come April. I do think they push Atlanta out of the five spot, but I do not think this team is better than the big four of Orlando, Chicago, Miami, and Boston. It will be good to have Madison Square Garden rocking during the playoffs, and who knows maybe the Knicks get to the second round where they will try to take out one of the big dogs. Only a matter of time before they become one unless Jimbo Dolan screws it up. Knicks fan will ignore that last sentence for now at least.

-Charlie.

The National Carmelo Nightmare Is Over

Carmelo Anthony finally got traded.  We will give you the details tonight, and someone will have their overall thoughts on the trade for all parties involved come tomorrow. If you want to be a part of the post tomorrow, feel free and leave a comment on what you think of the first NBA blockbuster of the deadline seasons.

KNICKS GET:
SF Carmelo Anthony, PG Chauncey Billups, SG Anthony Carter, C Shelden Williams SF Renaldo Balkman SF Corey Brewer

NUGGETS GET:
SF Danillo Gallinari, PG Raymond Felton, SF Wilson Chandler, C Timofey Mozgov, 2014 first round pick, two second round picks, and 3 million in cash.

T-WOLVES GET:
SF Anthony Randolph, PF Eddy Curry

-Charlie.

James Dolan Forgets What Got Them There

In the past couple months, I avoided the Carmelo Anthony trade talk like I have avoided discussing politics on Facebook. Of course, I have an opinion, but there have been probably 10,000 articles regarding what Melo is going to do so why give you another one? Frankly, I am sick of hearing about it every day on SportsCenter. But there is a disturbing thing that is happening right now during all of this, the rebirth of Isiah Thomas.  

Many people around the internet such as Yahoo!, New York Times and the New Yorker to name a few have said Knicks' General Manager Donnie Walsh has lost control of the management process. I would probably be consistently drinking if I were a Knicks fan because it's clear to me that Dolan will be the owner/general manager of the Knicks in the coming year. That is downright scary.  Let's add Thomas to the equation who will be a special advisor to Dolan. Scariest thing for New York sports in a long time.  

The NBA version of The Roommate, that horrible movie which paired hot girls together with one obsessed with the other, is Dolan and Zeke.  Dolan is obsessed with Thomas and I cannot figure out why. Thomas brought in the likes of Penny Hardaway, Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Tim Thomas, Jerome James, and Jared Jeffries. Don't think I would forget the worst transaction of them all... Eddy Curry. These were all Isiah Thomas moves, and not a single one of them worked out for the Knicks.   

The Knicks looked like they were on the road to redemption with Donnie Walsh, Mike D'Antoni, and Amar'e Stoudemire. They started drafting better, signing key role players, and making the smart trades. Even if they didn't get LeBron James, people thought the Knicks were on the right track. Now, it appears the running joke of the mid-00s will be back in again in no time.  James Dolan is the Daniel Synder of NBA owners, and there is nothing Knick fans can do to get rid of him.  

-Charlie.

The Summer Is Heating Up

This is by far going to be the biggest summer of free agency that we seen since 1996 and to me its bigger then that summer. With LeBron, Bosh and D-Wade being talked about so much we for get about the other and the fact that not only will there be free agents signing to different team but there will be trades and "sign and trade" this summer as well. Now there seems to be some player that we all thought would be with their team to the day they retire like Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitziki. Now both are opting out there final year of their contracts. I feel like they both are doing it to free up money for their franchises. Pierce who is going to be 33 years old at the start of the season will be a second or third options to most of these teams out here trying to get LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Johnson, Stoudemire and some others. Lets face it Pierce is one of the oldest free agents this summer and teams are not going to throw $20 million at him to come play for them when they can throw that at one of the player I just mentioned who are younger then him. The same thing goes for Dirk he will be some teams second or third option when it comes to signing. Both Pierce and Dirk can still hoop so if they do leave who ever get them will have a very good addition to franchise. We all know Chris Bosh is just about 100% not going to return to the Raptors. The Raptors know that and they don't want to just let Bosh walk and get nothing at all in return for him. So they are very interested in a sign and trade. This right here would be a great deal for the Miami Heat who are trying to trade Michael Beasley so they can get 3 max players. This way the Raptors can get a player in return and if Beasley doesn't work out they can choose not to resign him after this season and free up cap room for there team. So this will make the likelihood of seeing what LeBron James called "Dream Team" more then a dream but a reality. If this trade happens which I truly believe it will then the Heat will find a way to bring LeBron to Miami.
Speaking of trading the Denver Nuggets are now listening to offer for their All-Star Carmelo Anthony who will be a free agent next summer. Now the Nuggets offered Anthony a contract extension for 3 years worth $65 million. I think they expected Carmelo to sign it but as of today he has not signed. Last I heard he was going over it with his team to make sure everything was good enough for him. Now I guess the Nuggets feel like their All-Star Small Forward may want to test the market next summer. If Anthony doesn't sign the extension that means at the end of next summer the Nuggets could be without Anthony and nothing in return , so they are shopping him now. I cant say I blame them I mean the offer is on the table and if Anthony not going to sign it why not trade him and get a player or two or future draft picks. Right now it seems like Anthony will be a free agent next year so the movement we see these teams doing right now may not just be for this summer but for next summer as well. The last thing ill talk about today will be Dwight Howard "List". I've heard that there's a few players that Howard would like the Magic GM, Otis Smith, to try and get this summer. First its Chris Paul which name keeps popping up in trade rumors and second is free agent Carlos Boozer. To mean it would make more sense to get Paul then Boozer. Paul because he can run the offense and make the game a lot easier for Howard. The reason I say no to Boozer is because the Magic are trying to make Howard that low post player so why crowd the low post with 2 players. I mean it could work because Boozer has a nice 10 to 15 foot jumper so he doesn't have to be in the post all the time. I just think Paul would be a better fit just because he has the ability to break down a defense and take some focus off Howard. If I was was Howard I would ask for some better shooter who he can pass the ball out to if and when he gets double teamed to knock down some shots

Thanks again for reading and make sure you check in daily for a new post and make sure to follow me on twitter @Agent_EJohnson ............Let's Talk Basketball.

Denver Nuggets Top LA Lakers in Game 4

Denver Nuggets played an inspired Game 4 at Pepsi Center on Monday, beating LA Lakers 120-101 to even the series 2-2. Nuggets won the Game 4 despite Carmelo Anthony's sprained ankle and stomachache. Anthony finished with 15 points. J.R. Smith and Chauncey Billups led Denver with 24 points each, and Kenyon Martin and Nene added a combined 27 points.

Showtime for LA Lakers and Denver Nuggets

Los Angeles Lakers won the semifinal series against the Houston Rockets, and now Lakers had to prepare for the Western Conference finals against Denver Nuggets. Kobe Bryant and his team-mates will be trying to get back to the NBA finals for the second straight year while the Nuggets will be trying to get there for the first time.

Cruel Irony

So I said to Chauncey, our next game is on "Earth" Day. LOL

Ha.

Carmelo and Chauncey Come Back to Earth

Space was really cool LOL but we want to talk about the Playoffs. Right Chauncey?

Word.

The End of Carmelo Anthony's Space Adventure Letters?

Sup, Earthlings. It's me, Carmelo Anthony.

As you're well aware, me and my buddy Chauncey Billups have been travelling all around Space, doing Space things. We've seen some crazy stuff. Stuff that you can't see on Earth. Like for instance, we saw Earth. The whole thing. You can see little pieces when you're on Earth but to see it all, you have to go to Space.

And we went to Space. As I said before. Here's the proof.

That's me and Chaunce in deep dark space, posing. Giving cold looks. LOL We had a great time. Ain't that right Chauncey?

Yessir.

But we were up in Space the other day, and Chauncey throws Independence Day in the DVD player. That's one of his favorite Fresh Prince movies. But we're watching it in Space, which makes it even more relevant. Chauncey looks at me and says, "fossil fuels." And I knew what he meant.

We been using so much fossil fuels being up here it's ridiculous. And we like the environment, so we decided to come back and go green. So that's basically it. We're back from Space to save the environment with going green. Probably won't here much about our trip until the book comes out, which is supposed to be summer of 2009. It's going to be otherworldly good. LOL

Peace for now, everybody.

Keep it real,

Melo

Even More Carmelo Anthony's Space Adventure Letters

Yo Earth, it's Melo.

We're doing alright up here. Actually, I'm chillin'. Cause it's cold in the darkness of Space. LOL.

It's all good though. Me and Chauncey have been pretty busy doing experiments and stuff. We brought some gear because we figure it'd probably get bored since it's just me and Chauncey. Thankfully Chauncey brought all his Space movies or else we'd be bored. Right, Chaunce?

Word.

Lately, we've been watching Tyra Banks-era Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I guess because she's out of this world pretty. LOL. I guess that's the reason, cause I don't really see anything else Space-related but Chauncey told me he wanted to do Space travel because he only watched Space movies.

Anyways, Will was getting all jiggy wit it on the show and me and Chauncey saw an air hockey table in the background and we were like, "YO LET'S PLAY AIR HOCKEY." But for two reasons we couldn't. One, there's no gravity here. Two, there's no air hockey table. We were bummed.

But then Chauncey reminded me that we brought gear with us, so we used our plastic maker to make some bumpers and a puck. And since Chauncey's a genius with refracted light he hooked us up with some lineage to have like a floating "table," if you will. The puck like floats in the Space air, so you have to go all over the place to make shots and it's AWESOME.

Since we're businessmen, we decided to start a company that sells Space hockey. We're still beta testing it, but when we get to Earth, we'll try to hook people up with this game. Here's our first promotion:

The tag line is going to be: "Space Hockey International -- It's Outta This World!" LOL.

I'll write again soon, and if there's anything you want to know, just tell me.

Chillin (from the Space cold),

Melo

More Carmelo Anthony's Space Adventure Letters

What up, Earth? We are. LOL.

It's me, Carmelo Kiyan Anthony. Just checkin' in from the deep, dark expanses of Space, wanted to let y'all know what me and Chauncey have been up to this week.

Main thing we've doing, like usual is watching Chauncey's movies. We ain't really know there wasn't going to be tons to do out here, but it's been cool. Like, we thought maybe we'd get a chance to grill out, but supposedly if you go outside the shuttle, you die instantly cause of no oxygen. Which also means the grill wouldn't work, but whatever.

So we stayed in and watched Chauncey's little DVD player. Chauncey, of course, brought Space movies because he loves Space. Right, Chaunce?

Word.

His main flick this week, which we watched like 12 times is Wild Wild West. I didn't really think that was too Space-y, but Chauncey says it is.

So after we've watched this probably 8 times, Chauncey goes to the back of the shuttle and about ten minutes later he comes back with this sketch:

Inspired by Dr. Arliss Loveless, Chauncey wants to build this huge Space spider in our bay. I'm like, "yeah, cool, there's nothing else to do." So we started building it and building it and like equipping it with weaponry because that's what Loveless did and Chauncey is mad dedicated to the source material.

After maybe 3 days of building we tried out the Space spider using our shuttle's holding arm. But like, something went wrong and we accidentally detonated the missle before it was unlatched? We're not sure, since we followed Chaunce's detailed blueprint.

So I guess the big story this week is we made a space explosion.

We're alright though. Actually, I feel out-of-this-world good.

HA.

Melo

P.S. If there's anything you want to know about Space or anything else, let me know. I'll hook you up.

Carmelo Anthony's Space Adventure Letters

What's up. I'm Carmelo Anthony. I like adventures. They're great. I've been on tons of adventures, because I'm very rich. Like multi-millionaire rich.

I've travelled across the Atlantic Ocean in the stomach of a blue whale. I've chartered a hot air balloon to visit the Canadian tundra. One time, I rode my bicycle down a very steep hill. So don't question my credentials when it comes to adventuring, because I'm legit. And rich.

But this is my biggest adventure yet. I'm in space.

Space is scary, son. It's all dark and cold and there's no way to get Blazin' Buffalo Ranch Doritos, but I figured that since I'm rich and adventurous I needed to go to space. Like Lance Bance but without the bejewed space suits.

I don't wanna get lonely, so I brought my main man Chauncey Billups with me.

Sup.

Chauncey for real loves space. He's watches space movies like Men in Black and Independence Day and Men in Black 2 and The Legend of Bagger Vance, so you know he really loves space a lot. He brought a portable DVD player with him and he's got the entire Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series, which we've been watching. I'm not too sure how space-y that is, but if Chauncey's watching it, it must be.

He don't like Kevin Spacey though. Probably because K-Pax was wack.

But I wanted you dudes on Earth to see how much fun we're having up here in the deep, dark void of space. Here's a postcard we had made in one of those photo booth things:

You can tell we're having a great time. I'll check back in soon.

Peace on Earth. LOL

Melo

Carmelo Anthony Top NBA Player