'Melo doesn't have his number

Carmelo Anthony has physically been in New York for less than a week's worth of days since the Feb. 22 trade, but he found instant comfort in a Knicks uniform.

"It's still surreal to me to wake up in the morning and see the New York Knicks uniform or my bag hanging on the door and see the blue and orange," he said last week. "It hasn't sunk in yet, but at the same time, once I'm on the court, I know who I'm playing for."

The No. 7 will still take some getting used to and, as Anthony mentioned when he first arrived, he preferred to wear his well-known No. 15, which he wore with the Nuggets and also at Syracuse. That number was twice retired by the Knicks - first in March 1986 for Earl Monroe, then in March 1992 for the late Dick McGuire.

Monroe said he thought Anthony should be allowed to wear the number, which may have opened the door for Anthony to make the switch next season. But the deadline to file for a number change was March 1 and Anthony did not follow through.

And it's good that he didn't pursue the issue any further than his initial comments after the trade. Though Monroe may have given his blessing, McGuire, who was such a cherished part of the franchise as a player, coach and scout for more than a half-century before he passed away Feb. 3, 2010, is not here to do the same.

It would have been disrespectful to the history of the franchise to allow Anthony to take the number down from the rafters. Plus, what would stop anyone in the future from demanding a retired number? Even Patrick Ewing Jr. decided against wearing No. 33, despite his father's blessing.

Besides, Anthony is sure to leave his own mark in franchise history. He'll have to do it wearing No. 7.

Mr. Big Shot is not shot

Here's the reason Chauncey Billups, a five-time all-star, went somewhat overlooked in the Anthony trade: because he is 34 and earlier this season was starting to look like he was running out of gas. The Nuggets also insisted he be included in any deal for Anthony so they could save from having to pay him $14.2 million next season (or $3.7 million if they waived him as part of their team option).

Billups' issues earlier in the season were twofold: 1. He was notably tired from playing with USA Basketball in the World Championships late in the summer and, 2. he had ligament injury on his shooting hand.

Before the thigh bruise suffered Tuesday in Orlando, Billups looked as strong as ever and, though it's been a small sample, offered the Knicks reason to consider an alternative approach to 2012.

Perhaps rather than use their salary-cap space to go after a younger point guard such as Chris Paul or Deron Williams, the Knicks might offer Billups a contract extension at a reasonable price and still have cap space to address other needs on the roster. Billups will be 36 at the start of the 2012-13 season, which is not exactly over the hill if you consider what Jason Kidd (who turns 38 on March 23) and Steve Nash (37) have been able to do in this league now dominated by younger point guards.

Plus, Williams might not be an option if he decides to sign an extension with the Nets and Paul, who will be 27 in 2012, is already showing physical wear and tear after five-plus seasons.

Carter hanging on

Anthony Carter asked Mike D'Antoni for a chance and he quickly earned his coach's trust with some gritty performances in his first few games as a Knick. The 35-year-old veteran was a throw-in among the 13 players in the Anthony trade and thought to be a likely buyout candidate. But Carter's career has always been about overcoming odds.

Carter dropped out of high school after his freshman year in 1991 and got lost in a drug-infested environment in his Atlanta neighborhood. As he told the Denver Post in 2007: "I wasn't even thinking about the NBA once I was out of high school. My dream was done." He said he became a street hustler, playing games for drug dealers who bet on him to win.

A call to a community college in Mission Viejo, Calif., got Carter back on the right path. He went to Saddleback CC, then transferred to Hawaii, then worked his way into the NBA, where Pat Riley gave him his first big break with the Miami Heat. Carter was on that Heat team the Knicks defeated in seven games in the 2000 Eastern Conference semifinals.

That was the last time the Knicks and Heat met in the playoffs. Eleven years later, Carter played a key role in slowing down Dwyane Wade in the Knicks' win last Sunday in Miami, perhaps one of the Knicks' biggest wins since their playoff run ended in 2001.

The Knicks may be his last NBA team, but Carter's career, now in its 12th season, has capped an amazing reclamation story.

Brew-tal decision?

Our e-mail inbox was bursting Monday when the news broke that the Knicks were planning to waive Corey Brewer, who was acquired from the Timberwolves in the three-team Anthony trade. Brewer was thought to be a nice get by the Knicks because he is young and only starting to develop a reputation as a good perimeter defender. So why did the Knicks dump him so quickly?

Mike D'Antoni refused to promise him immediate rotation minutes and with other teams interested in his services, Brewer and his agent, Happy Walters, asked for his freedom before the March 1 waiver deadline so he could be eligible for the playoffs. Brewer is a pending restricted free agent and therefore needed to raise his value. Sitting on D'Antoni's bench, especially after seeing what Anthony Randolph endured, would likely cost him money.

So the Knicks granted his request and Brewer last week signed a three-year, $7-million deal with the Mavericks, who needed to shore up their small-forward position with the injury loss of Caron Butler.

AROUND THE NBA

Kings' ransom?

David Stern has said contraction is likely to be a topic of conversation during collective bargaining, but what about a financially motivated franchise move? It is appearing more and more likely that the Kings will leave Sacramento for Anaheim.

Sacramento mayor and former NBA all-star guard Kevin Johnson admitted as much last week after a meeting with the Kings owners, Joe and Gavin Maloof. The team has been pushing for a new arena, preferably in downtown Sacramento, for years and are ready to give up on the capital city. The Honda Center (formerly Arrowhead Pond), home of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks, hosted some Los Angeles Clippers games in the 1990s and is more than willing to add a permanent NBA tenant.

The NBA's board of governors last week granted an extension to April 18 for the Kings to apply for a move. The Kings used to boast one of the best and loudest home crowds in the NBA, but antiquated Arco Arena, recently renamed Power Balance Pavilion, has in recent years drawn sparse crowds. This season, the team is averaging 13,578 tickets sold per game, which is among the lowest in the NBA. (BTW, the Kings have quite a track record, having moved from Rochester to Cincinnati to Kansas City-Omaha to Sacramento.)

Curry hopes for a call

Eddy Curry is officially out of the NBA and the question now is will he ever be back? The former Knicks center agreed to a buyout with the Timberwolves on Tuesday and was looking to join a playoff-bound team. One option was the Miami Heat, but the Sun-Sentinel reported that was an unlikely destination for the 320-pound center, who hasn't played in an NBA game since Dec. 17, 2009, and has played just 10 games since the 2007-08 season . . . The Celtics' curious trade of Kendrick Perkins was almost compounded by an injury to Glen Davis, who suffered a strained patella in his left knee. "It's really sore," Davis said, "but I'll be OK." . . . The Jazz have fallen on hard times since the departure of venerable coach Jerry Sloan and the stunning trade of all-star Deron Williams to the Nets. The Jazz is traditionally one of the best home teams in the league, but has lost seven straight home games and fell to 10th in the West and trailed the eighth-place Grizzlies by two games. The Knicks host the Jazz tomorrowMonday at the Garden.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

@D_Brown4 (Derrick Brown): All generalizations are false, including this one.