Filtered By: Sports
Sports
NBA: Melo shrugs off trade speculation
DENVER â Carmelo Anthony keeps on preparing for the upcoming season unaware of, and ostensibly unfazed by, where that will be. Amid the latest report that he could be headed to the Big Appleâthis time, to the Knicks, not the NetsâAnthony said after practice Wednesday that he isnât affected by the renewed trade talk swirling around him. âIâm still able to wake up in the morning, smile, come here, laugh and joke with my teammates, play basketball and compete," the Denver Nuggetsâ star forward said. âThat stuff doesnât bother me." ESPN reported the New York Knicks got back into the bidding after Anthony let the Nuggets know he wasnât going to change his mind and sign a three-year, $65 million extension thatâs gone without his signature since June. Three weeks ago, a proposed four-team deal that would have sent Anthony to New Jersey fell apart when the Nuggets decided to seek a sweeter package of players and picks for the man whoâs taken them to the playoffs in each of his seven NBA seasons. âIâm too focused in on this season right now to let rumors or anything like that come in and take over," Anthony said. âIâm focusing on playing basketball and doing whatâs right for the team." And thatâs the Nuggets, at least for now. Coach George Karl said he, too, is leaving the trade talk to others. âItâs not my expertise, heâs on top of it," Karl said of general manager Masai Ujiri. âMy job basically is to coach the guys I have, coach them hard, get them ready and along the way, maybe convince Melo to stay." Itâs apparently a hard sell. Not only has Anthony declined to sign the extension that would keep him in Denver through 2014, but he put his Denver area mansion on the market this year. And at his elaborate, celebrity-filled New York wedding to TV personality LaLa Vazquez this summer, there was that now famous toast by New Orleans point guard Chris Paul about reuniting with Melo in Gotham to form a super-team along with Amare Stoudemire to counter the Miami Heatâs terrific trio of Dwyane Wade , LeBron James and Chris Bosh . James bolted Cleveland and Bosh left Toronto for South Beach this summer, leaving the embittered Cavaliers and Raptors, neither of whom received any compensation for their All-Stars. Thatâs a position the Nuggets donât want to find themselves in next summer, when Anthony would be the headliner of the 2011 free agent class. The Nuggets, then, have until the February trade deadline to deal him. The Knicks have had their sights on Anthony since failing to lure James and Bosh last summer. It was the Nets who thought they had him last month, though, when they teamed with Charlotte and Utah on a proposal that would have sent Derrick Favors , the No. 3 pick overall in the draft, to Denver and at least one first-round pick to the Nuggets for Anthony. However, the Nuggets nixed that notion after thinking it over, and the trade winds didnât pick up again until this week. Citing an unidentified source, ESPN reported that the Knicksâ proposal centers around packages including Anthony Randolph , the expiring contract of Eddy Curry and a first-round draft pick they would acquire from a third team. Before Wednesdayâs preseason game at Philadelphia, Knicks coach Mike DâAntoni sidestepped the report. âI canât talk about it. I wonât talk about it," DâAntoni said. âItâs an easy answer." Could the swirling speculation be a distraction? âYouâre in New York, so you put on a winter coat and letâs go," DâAntoni said. âYou want to be here, so you handle it, you be professional and they are." Amare Stoudemire dealt with trade rumors the past two seasons in Phoenix before signing with the Knicks in the summer. âI havenât really heard anything about it," Stoudemire said. âIâve been focused on playing basketball. But Carmelo is a great player, one of the tops in the league. Weâll see what happens." ESPN also said that the Chicago Bulls remain a potential landing spot for Anthony but Joakim Noahâs recent extension would preclude him from being involved in any deal. There havenât been any signs that the Nuggets want to deal Anthony before the season opener Oct. 27, although teams prefer to work in new players while the season is still young. âIâve got to figure them out. Theyâve got to figure us out. Theyâve got to figure each other out. So, thereâs a lot of figuring out going on if a trade would happen," Karl said. Karl insisted the trade talk isnât detracting from his teamâs preparation, though. âNo one writes that maybe it makes you stronger," he said. âPerseverance is a big part of coaching and success. Iâve been impressed with our guysâ mental toughness through this situation. And Melo has been a first-class pro. I think itâs better served for all of us not to worry about it that much." Anthony said none of his teammates have even brought up his situation. âWe really donât focus on that. Weâre just playing basketball," he said. âSince that first day, media day, nobody has even mentioned it as far as teammates. They havenât ever mentioned it, not once. And thatâs a good thing." â AP
More Videos
Most Popular