Amar'e Stoudemire #1 of the New York Knicks stands with...

Amar'e Stoudemire #1 of the New York Knicks stands with Carmelo Anthony #15 of the Denver Nuggets. (Feb. 20, 2011) Credit: Getty Images

 All-Star weekend was spent focusing on the player who wants to be a Knick, while the player who already is a Knick went somewhat overlooked. 

Amar'e Stoudemire put up 29 points and 28:04 for the East in a 148-143 loss to MVP Kobe Bryant and the West in Sunday night's All-Star Game at Staples Center. Stoudemire was 11 for 20 from the field, blocked a shot and even dished out two assists.

His performance was second only to LeBron James' triple double of 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in 32:20.

But afterward, of course, all anyone wanted to talk about was Carmelo, who had an extremely quiet game with eight points and seven rebounds in 22:44. With rumors swirling throughout the game that a trade to the Knicks appeared to be close, there were jokes within the media that the NBA should just have Anthony come out in the second half wearing an East jersey. Melo was apparently being ragged mercilessly by the other all-star players in the locker room before the game. During it, however, they protected him. When TNT's Craig Sager tried to do an in-game interview with Carmelo on the bench, Bryant interupted it and chased Sager away. 

As we reported here yesterday, the Knicks made a final offer to the Nuggets on Sunday that included Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton going to Denver, with Anthony and Chauncey Billups as the main pieces coming to New York. We reported in today's Newsday that the Nuggets countered by saying rookie center Timofey Mozgov has to be in the deal and the Knicks were mulling their options.

Stoudemire, who has privately followed the situation closely, said after the game that the situation is "pretty much in Denver's hands. So we're just waiting on them."

Anthony once again answered questions about his future after the game. Though he said he hadn't heard anything from Denver so expected to be in a Nuggets uniform on Tuesday night against the Grizzlies, he did, at least, have a sense that the ordeal was coming to a close.

"The deadline is Thursday," he said. "Something has to happen . . . The end is here."

 

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