Walsh: Great deal for Nuggets' Ujiri
GREENBURGH, N.Y. - After days of hearing rumblings that the Knicks gave up too much to get him, Carmelo Anthony was flattered to hear that Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri thought Denver "got killed" in the deal.
"I've been hearing it: New York gave up a lot just to get me and Chauncey," the Knicks' new star said Thursday after his first practice with the team. " . . . So for Masai to step up and say that they took a huge hit, that meant a lot to me."
During an interview with AOL Fanhouse Wednesday, Ujiri said, "We feel we got killed in the trade because we lost a couple of pretty good players. Obviously, Carmelo Anthony. I feel sad for the city of Denver. I feel bad that this was done on my watch . . . And also Chauncey [Billups]. But I think we had to do it."
However, Knicks president Donnie Walsh believes the Nuggets made out pretty well.
"I think he got a great deal, I really do," Walsh said of Ujiri. "I'm sure George [Karl, the Nuggets' coach] is happy, too. I'm happy with what we got. I think Denver's going to be very happy with what they got."
Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov were expected to be in uniform for last night's game against Boston.
Nuggets president Josh Kroenke also publicly apologized Tuesday to the city of Denver and to Billups' family.
Billups was touched. "Josh and I became friends over those couple of years," he said. "But the thing about it is you've got to kind of take personal relationships out of it when you're making business decisions, and that's kind of what happened.
"That was a great gesture. My family appreciated that."
