Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The New York Knicks are "stuck" with Carmelo Anthony as he has a no-trade clause in his contract.
There have been many doubts on how the Knicks, specifically Phil Jackson, feels about their superstar. They may not regret re-signing him as letting him walk would have been a bigger disaster, but including a no-trade clause may not seem so wise.
The clause will allow Carmelo to veto any trade that involves him. That takes away any leverage that the Knicks' management has on him.
However, it's not outside the realm of possibility that Melo would waive the trade, but he does have a strong affinity for New York, the city. That was a huge part of why he forced a trade from the Denver Nuggets. It was not entirely "basketball reasons."
Now, Carmelo is in danger of missing the playoffs for the third straight year, and trade rumors have identified a team for which Anthony could agree to be traded: the Los Angeles Clippers. This was mentioned in a report from Marc Berman of the NY Post.
"If there indeed is one team, the Clippers are it," Berman declares. "He owns a place in Los Angeles, where his wife, La La, spends a lot of time. The Clippers are a perennial playoff team and feature one of his best friends in point guard Chris Paul. And most importantly, the franchise has a legitimate potential trade chip in Blake Griffin, even if coach Doc Rivers declared recently he would not trade the younger balletic forward."
A trade between Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin was actually speculated, and it was often hypothesized that Griffin was the bigger asset. He is younger and stronger, but the Clippers actually thrived without him and that fact seemed to unravel questions about his fit with the team.
Anthony himself brushed off the rumors (as every player, coach or GM would do at this time of year).
"My name is always associated with L.A., whether it was earlier with the Lakers, now it's the Clippers,'' Anthony said. "I try not to pay attention to that. I laugh it off. People always try to make scenarios and situations. But nothing's happened.''
From the Clippers side, team site Clipperholics called the rumored trade "quite ridiculous." Aside from the age issue, site contributor Tom West noted other factors.
"From his vastly improved range, overall scoring ability, elite passing and rebounding, he brings far more than another high-volume shooter like Melo, who's currently shooting just 43.2 percent from the floor," West wrote. "To trade the two would give the Knicks an excellent frontcourt, but would leave the Clippers with the latter years of Melo's career to downgrade their roster."
The decision does not rest on fans' opinion, though, and if there are bigger problems with the Griffin situation, Doc Rivers may have to make a recruiting pitch to the former scoring champion on the Big Apple.
