Melo vows no Manhattan visit this trip
Carmelo Anthony looks on during the first half against the New Orleans Hornets, Jan. 9, 2011, in Denver. Credit: AP
PHILADELPHIA - The Nuggets had a night off in Cleveland on Thursday, and Carmelo Anthony used the down time to catch the end of the Knicks-Heat game.
"I watched a little bit. There was a lot of intensity in that game,'' Anthony said Sunday. "It looked like it was a lot of fun for those guys."
The question that remains is whether Anthony someday will get to be a part of that fun.
Anthony, the only real plum of next summer's free-agent class, has made it pretty clear that he would like to move out of the Mountain Time zone, preferably into Manhattan.
But after his team had a four-game winning streak snapped by the 76ers, 110-99, Sunday, Anthony said he isn't closing the door on playing for anyone, including the Nets, who have seen two potential blockbuster trades for Anthony fall apart.
"All my options are open," he said. "I've been saying that all year."
Anthony scored only 12 points against the 76ers. Denver coach George Karl praised his players before the game for not letting all the trade speculation get to them. After the game, however, he seemed a little frustrated about the way the team, and Anthony, played.
"We just couldn't get him involved," Karl said.
Anthony has said the "Melo drama" sometimes wears on him. That very well could be the case Monday night when Denver concludes its road trip at New Jersey. Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov abruptly called off trade talks with Denver on Jan. 19.
"As of right now, I don't think the Nets are [interested]," Anthony said. "Nobody is going to come out and have a press conference like that and go back on their word . . . I take my hat off to him."
Anthony can opt out of the final year of his contract, which is worth $18.5 million, this summer. Denver has a three-year, $65-million extension offer on the table.
The Nuggets haven't been interested in what the Knicks have to offer, but both Denver and Anthony have a great deal of interest in getting something done before the Feb. 24 trading deadline. The Nuggets don't want to end up with nothing the way the Cavaliers did last summer when LeBron James left for Miami. And Anthony is said to be concerned about dire forecasts that the league's maximum salaries will be reduced when the NBA's collective-bargaining agreement ends June 30.
Not a day goes by when there isn't some kind of news linking Anthony to the Knicks. One published report Sunday said the Knicks are on the verge of hiring former Nuggets general manger Mark Warkentien as a high-level consultant. Anthony, who has a relationship with Warkentien, said Sunday: "Did they really? Is that surprising? Yeah. It's a great addition to the organization, but you just really caught me off guard with that one."
As much as Anthony says he loves New York, he said he does not plan to visit on this trip. "I'm not stepping foot in New York this time,'' he said. "I'm not going across that bridge or into that tunnel."
