One cannot even begin to comprehend the excitement in New York right now, basketball’s Mecca, craven for some form of hope for over a decade. The Knicks may not be better today, but they got their man, and around Melo and Stoudemire they can fill their roster over the coming years. After all, the hardest part is landing the stars, and few teams can boast a 1-2 punch as impressive as Stoudemire and Anthony. We scoffed at Walsh’s plan, but he did it: the New York Knicks now have two max-level centerpieces upon whom to build.
Denver learned from the mistakes of its forebears, hoarding young talent where Cleveland and the Raptors returned home with nothing. Gallinari, Chandler, and Felton are legitimate pieces and will help smooth entrance into an inevitable era of depression; we’ve learned too well that it always hurts to lose a star.
For the Rockets, the search continues. Reports last night were that they had been rebuffed in their efforts to land Nuggets center Nene and that a deal with Boston [for Shane Battier] would not be fruitful. The Chronicle reported this morning upon the likeliness of a deal: the group practicing today most probably will not be identical come Thursday. Whoever it is, some change must be made – the status quo is not acceptable. The team lacks immediate hope for relevance, but even worse, is spare on parts that could make that dream come true in the future. Nothing in basketball is worse than mediocrity and Houston is embroiled within its clench.
Via the Chronicle, Terrence Williams expressed his frustration over the lack of playing time, implying that he would be fine with a trade if it meant a chance to show his worth. While it’s hard to find fault with the sentiment, one wonders if it would have been so difficult for the mercurial forward to stay mum for a mere two more days.
