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Tag: Carmelo Anthony

  • Chicago Bulls Rumors: Boozer Gone to Free Salary Cap

    With the excitement of the World Cup finally dwindling down after Germany’s thrilling extra-time win against Argentina, the world can now spend its time obsessing over the latest NBA moves. Of course, we all know that LeBron James has decided to return home and take his talents back to Cleveland, the place where he was born and raised. However, there are several other teams that are making big-time moves to better their rosters for the upcoming 2014-15 NBA season. Coming off of a successful, yet still slightly disappointing, season last year, the Chicago Bulls are one such team looking to reinvigorate its roster with some new acquisitions.

    The latest news from the Bulls’s camp is the signing of two key, low-post players: Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic.

    Gasol comes to the Bulls via the Lakers, where he won back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. Despite still playing with All-Star potential, averaging 17.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, Gasol found himself on the outside-looking-in on a Lakers team that is trying to rebuild itself around Kobe Bryant through newer, fresher faces than injury-plagued and aging Gasol.

    Mirotic was first acquired by the Bulls in the 2011 draft, but the organization has selected to keep the stretch-four player in Spain for the past three seasons, allowing the 6’10’ forward – and arguably the best basketball player in Europe – to develop his game to NBA level.

    With the acquisition of two new big men, though, comes the loss of someone currently in the Bulls organization – Carlos Boozer. While nothing has yet been confirmed, most sources agree that the Bulls are going to use the amnesty clause of the collective bargaining agreement to waive Boozer and his $16.8 million contract for his final year in order to clear more space under the salary cap. The amnesty clause means that the Bulls will still have to guarantee Boozer his contracted money, but that Boozer’s salary will not count against the Bulls’s overall salary cap.

    The acquisitions of both Gasol and Mirotic will take up most of the room created by the release of Boozer. There will be some room still left under the salary cap, though, leaving many to wonder who the Bulls will go after next. Much speculation has been made about the Bulls pursuing Carmelo Anthony. However, with the latest news reporting that Anthony has agreed to stay in New York for $120+ million, the odds are not in the Bulls favor.

    Which leaves one, big name left on the table – Dwayne Wade. The Miami Heat guard has never played for a team besides the Heat throughout his entire NBA career, but with the loss of James and potentially Bosh (both to their respective home town teams), the prospect of taking his talents to Chicago may be more tempting now than never – despite the fact that a person close to Wade has said he shows no interest in returning:

    With the return of Derrick Rose, though, and the addition of a great passing center in Gasol and a stretch-four in Mirotic, the Bulls may have no room for Wade in a theoretically stacked roster. And, with the Bulls already sporting an injury-prone roster (Rose, Gasol, and Noah), Wade may not be the right fit anyways.

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  • Miami Heat Rumors: LeBron Still in No Man’s Land

    On Wednesday, LeBron James met with President of the Miami Heat, Pat Riley. And at the end of said meeting, nothing was accomplished – a scary thought for fans of the Miami Heat.

    In case you have been living under a rock for the past month (or just too caught up in all the World Cup fervor), Miami Heat star LeBron James is now a free agent and on the market, looking for the best NBA team at which to win his fourth championship. Not only did James opt to become a free agent, but his two compadres, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, did as well. While Wade is expected to sign with the Miami Heat again regardless of James’s decision, Bosh has been rumored to want to wait until LeBron decides where he wants to go before making a decision.

    What that decision from James will be is anyone’s guess. Before Wednesday’s meeting, most Heat fans would have guessed that LeBron was staying with the Heat due to the recent acquisitions of Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger – two pieces Riley and the Heat acquired in order to rebuild the team around LeBron.

    However, with LeBron leaving his hour-long meeting with Riley on Wednesday without a commitment, Heat fans should be worried as to what is to come.

    Especially with the recent moves from the Cleveland Cavaliers. If you remember (And who couldn’t?), LeBron played for the Cavs for seven years before snubbing them to go to the free agency market and eventually signing with the Heat. After his “betrayal”, the city of Cleveland and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert effectively disowned James, calling him a coward and attempting to strike his name from the history books.

    Now that the Cavs have the opportunity to woo LeBron back, though, all is seemingly forgiven.

    Yesterday, Cleveland composed a three-team deal which would drop $9.5 million from their salary cap, leaving the team $21.7 million under the cap overall. All of this wiggle room not only allows Cleveland to sign LeBron, but also makes their pursuit of LeBron’s friends and teammates (such as Ray Allen and Mike Miller) all the more plausible.

    With LeBron voicing his opinion that he most certainly wants a max contract (putting him at $20.7 next year), the odds are looking in Cleveland’s favor right now.

    That is, unless Chris Bosh goes to the Houston Rockets, clearing enough space for the Heat to land Carmelo Anthony. Or, perhaps LeBron will sign with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, or LA Lakers – all teams his agents has visited.

    In the end, one thing is certain – LeBron James will be making much, much, much more money than you, I, or anyone else we know next year. And in LeBron’s world, that seems to be what matters.

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  • Carmelo Anthony Caught Between Los Angeles Lakers And New York Knicks

    Carmelo Anthony has had a lot of sweet deals from a lot of teams. But now the player has a choice to make: go to Los Angeles or stay in New York. However, it’s not Anthony sweating over the stakes, but the owners and coaches of the teams who are waiting desperately for an answer.

    Yahoo Sports reported that the Los Angeles Lakers met on Friday to offer Anthony a deal to move west. 97 million dollars to play for them for four years. Not only that, but Kobe Bryant has been in constant contact with Anthony. They’re giving him the hard sell.

    The New York Knicks have their own hard sell to make. They want Anthony back for five years. This time, they’ll pay 129 million dollars. According to ESPN, both teams are anxiously waiting for Carmelo Anthony to make a decision.

    Anthony has proven to be a star player for the New York Knicks. In January, the the Knicks faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in Madison Square Garden. Carmelo Anthony scored 62 points in one game, and 35 points in another. Both contributions launched the Knicks to victory.

    So if Anthony left, it would be a big blow to the New York Knicks, especially their president, Phil Jackson. Back in March, Jackson had stressed he planned to keep Anthony in New York. “I have no problems with committing to saying Carmelo is in the future plans,” the former coach explained. Now, it’s looking like Anthony is making different plans, in spite of Jackson.

    Jackson had already asked Anthony to stay, but it’s up to Anthony whether or not Jackson’s offer is good enough. The Knicks had to fight off a lot of other offers from teams around the country, and it looks like the only one left standing in their way is the Lakers.

    Image via NBA, YouTube.

  • Carmelo Anthony: Will He Leave New York?

    Carmelo Anthony: Will He Leave New York?

    Carmelo Anthony decided to use the opt-out clause in his contract with the New York Knicks. A league source said that Anthony will be a free agent starting on July 1. The source revealed the news in anonymity, as he is not authorized to talk about the situation.

    New York Knicks President Phil Jackson said that he asked Anthony to continue playing with the team, which will be under new management for the final year of his contract.

    Opting out of his contract does not mean that Anthony can no longer play for the New York Knicks. He can still re-sign with the team if he chooses.

    However, now that Anthony is a free agent, he is expected to have offers from the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, and New York Knicks. Sources say that NBA teams can start talking to their free agent prospects on July 1, but official contracts cannot be signed until July 10.

    Anthony, 30, now has to make the biggest decision of his NBA career. Reports say that other teams will offer him as much as $96 million and a four-year contract, while the New York Knicks will offer him a five-year contract along with $130 million. No doubt, the compensation he is offered will be a big factor in his decision. He will, however, also need to decide on which team will give him the best chance of winning an NBA championship.

    Anthony has not been a free agent since he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2003. He played with the Nuggets until 2011, until they traded him to the New York Knicks.

    The Knicks haven’t advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals in Anthony’s more than three seasons in New York. With Derek Fisher as the new Knicks coach, the team is hoping to improve their play. Anthony now needs to decide if he will stick with his former team under new management, or if he will transfer to another team to seek other opportunities.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • New York Knicks: Will Carmelo Anthony Stay Put?

    If you’re a New York Knicks’ fan then you certainly know about heartache, that’s one thing for sure.

    And another thing you probably know is that very few things have made sense with the organization, in regards to some of the bad trades they’ve made, and some of the coaches they’ve selected throughout the years, because let’s face it, getting Carmelo Anthony a few years back was probably the team’s only smart decision in the last 15 years or so.

    Which leads one to ask why the Knicks seem to be so dysfunctional season after season?

    Up until the team’s press conference to announce Phil Jackson becoming president a few days ago, it was hard to understand why the Knicks weren’t making any progress. But now it’s clear to see that owner Jim Dolan was making a lot of the day-to-day decisions with the team, which isn’t so unusual, but Dolan admitted that he isn’t a hoops expert.

    “I am by no means an expert in basketball,” he said at the press conference. “A fan, but my expertise lies in managing companies and businesses. So I think I’m a little out of my element when it comes to the team. I found myself in a position where I needed to be more part of the decision making for a while.”

    And as far as the team’s future, Jackson says everything begins and ends with Anthony staying in New York, since he’ll be a free agent at the end of this season, and Jackson isn’t sure what he’ll do with coach Mike Woodson, he says.

    “I have no problems with committing to saying Carmelo is in the future plans,” said the legendary coach.

    And Jackson said he wouldn’t have taken the president’s job if he wasn’t able to commit fully, which is why he packed his things and moved to the East Coast.

    “I said if I want to make this change and I think I can make the change, I have to jump in with both feet,” said Jackson. “I’ve got to move to New York and I’ve got to do this job the right way.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Phil Jackson Reportedly Headed Back to the Knicks

    Phil Jackson left the NBA in 2011. Since that time numerous teams have tried to entice the 11-time coaching champion out of his retirement home in Montana and back to the game of basketball. Now, it appears that the New York Knicks have succeeded in netting the 68-year-old.

    Several reports are circulating that the Knicks and Jackson have reached a deal in principle that will bring Jackson into the front office. Although an official announcement is not expected until the end of the week, a source has confirmed the agreement. “Everything is pretty much done. There are just some little things here and there that need to be worked out, but the Knicks are very confident that this is essentially done.”

    Neither Jackson or the Knicks has commented on the speculation. But if the deal goes through as expected, then it will be a reunion for Jackson and the organization where he got his start. In fact, Jackson played on the last Knicks’ championship team way back in 1973.

    Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, who will become a free agent after this season, spoke of the front office move, “Have I heard? Yeah, I’ve heard that he will be coming on board. It’s not official yet. You can always use Phil Jackson’s insight on whatever … his philosophy, his mindset, his resume, what he brings to the game, what he brings to a team or organization. That goes without even saying, so we’ll see how that plays out.”

    It doesn’t appear that Jackson’s signing will have a big impact on Anthony’s free agency plans. “It wasn’t something that was do-or-die based on my decision. Them guys was going to make that decision regardless of what I said.” He added, “I don’t think it’ll have any effect on me, just as far as what I’m thinking or my decision or anything like that.”

    After a promising 54 wins last season, the Knicks thought that they could be championship-bound this year. However, they are currently 25-40. But even with the abysmal record, the team is only 3.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final eighth playoff spot.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Joakim Noah’s Performance Helps The Bulls Dominate The NY Knicks

    On a team that has had its ups and downs over the course of the 2013-2014 season, Joakim Noah continues to deliver with big time performances. The New York Knicks have now lost now lost six games in a row after being crushed by the Bulls.

    As a center for the Chicago Bulls, he was elected to the 2014 NBA All-Star Game, and on a team where he was joined by stars such as Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, Carmelo Anthony and others, Joakim Noah was able to execute one of the best performances on the court.

    The Knicks continue to struggle, and a bit of a surprise came from the Chicago Bulls who have also had troubles following the season-ending injury to their star guard Derrick Rose. The Bulls defeated the Knicks on Sunday afternoon with a final score of 109-90.

    Noah’s performance was one of the best by anyone all season, achieving a triple-double with a tally of 13 points, 12 rebounds, and a stunningly high number of assists-14. He also had two blocks and two steals. However, he wasn’t the only one with a big game, and in fact, Chicago had seven different players score in double figures yesterday.

    However, it is not all about the main star, and Noah humbly said “It’s really all my teammates. It’s really all my teammates.” While the stats of All-Star Joakim Noah are often talked about in terms of scoring and rebounds, he also worked well with his teammates in yesterday’s game, and helped others in on the action such as Kirk Hinrich, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson.

    The Knicks seem to be getting worse, and Carmelo Anthony examines his place on the team, the Bulls have won 9 of their last 10 games.After another crushing loss, it has hard to know where the Knicks will go from here, and what the future will hold for Carmelo Anthony, who is essentially running the team at this point.

    In a a desperate attempt to somehow improve, the Knicks picked up two free agents for 10-day contracts recently with Shannon Brown and Earl Clark.

    Joakim Noah continues to be a dominant force in the Eastern Conference, and as a member of the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are now 33-26, which puts them at fourth place in the Eastern Conference, behind the Pacers, Heat, and Raptors.

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  • New York Knicks Set To Add Two Free Agents To Roster

    It is no surprise that the New York Knicks are shaking up the roster as they go through yet another disappointing season. They recently waived two players, and are working on acquiring two more to replace them.

    In the past few days, the Knicks have waived Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih, two players who have not done much for the franchise recently. They are aiming to pick up a forward and guard to replace them, and reports say that the team is looking to get Earl Clark and Shannon Brown.

    Both Clark and Brown have been in the league for a handful of years, but have never been able to become stars for any of the teams that they have played for. The New York Knicks are in need of some help at almost every part of the game, but especially a big man, a part of the game where Earl Clark would come in.

    The New York Knicks are desperate, and will do just about anything at this point in order to obtain different players on their roster, with the hopes that somehow they will be able to improve. Despite having Carmelo Anthony, who is one of the best players in the NBA, who performed better than most at the 2014 NBA All-Star Game, the team continues to struggle.

    Anthony has continued to show his disgust with the team’s losing, and although he continues to perform at a high level, without the help of others, it is not enough to win. After Monday’s last second loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Knicks star said “You kind of ask yourself, ‘Is it worth it?’ I’m not going to stop what I’m doing. This was a tough one. We fought. We gave all our effort, man. … We did everything besides win the basketball game.”

    Brown has been in the league for seven years, while Clark has played for five seasons, although he has bounced around between four different teams in that time. Both players are set to receive 10-day contracts, and it will be officially announced by the team on Thursday, which will give both players the opportunity to be under contract for seven games.

    Shannon Brown had played 10 games with the San Antonio Spurs this season, but was released after the second of two 10-day contracts. However, last season was much better for him, and he averaged 10.5 points and pulled down 2.5 rebounds in 59 games for the Phoenix Suns. Meanwhile, Earl Clark averaged 5.2 points with the Cleveland Cavaliers before being traded, and subsequently waived.

    The New York Knicks currently have a record of 21-36, which places them at 11th in the conference. Could adding a couple veteran players help the team at all? After several years of struggling, it seems that they will need all the help that they can get.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Carmelo Anthony Scores 35 After 62-Point Game

    It was East versus West in Madison Square Garden yesterday, when the New York Knicks faced the Los Angeles Lakers.

    Carmello Anthony had a total of 35 points, which was a far cry from his 62-point game this past Friday, but it was still good enough to secure a victory over the Lakers 110-103.

    Although most would probably assume that Knicks’ coach, Mike Woodson, would love for Anthony to duplicate his Friday night performance every night, he said that he much rather have his entire team be equal contributors, which is necessary in order to keep other teams guessing

    “Last year we had five guys that averaged in double figures and I’ve always wanted a team where you just didn’t know where it was going to come from,” said Woodson. “And we know Melo’s going to get his, but we need everybody to be a part of the offense and touch the ball and feel good about themselves.”

    Apparently, Raymond Felton felt good about himself, scoring 18 points, and Tim Hardaway Jr. and J.R. Smith seemed to feel good too, as they put in 18 and 16 points respectively.

    Lakers’ Coach, Mike D’Antoni said, Anthony wasn’t the team’s biggest concern, it was the other Knick players, and if the Lakers’ could shutdown everybody else they would be victorious, but that obviously wasn’t the case.

    Plus, D’Antoni said that he wasn’t worried about Anthony going on another scoring spree like he did on Friday night, because it’s really hard to stop that. “Melo is going to do that against anyone,” he said. “That’s what he does. Where they killed us was Hardaway was 4 for 5 for 3s and Felton didn’t miss his shots. We made some mistakes on guys on rotations and stuff.”

    But the biggest drawback for the Lakers is not having Kobe Bryant, as he’s still out with a severe knee injury, and most likely won’t be back before the all-star break. But once he returns and is able to get himself into game-shape, and other key Laker scorers return as well, the team should be able to compete way better, and they’ll need to if they even have a chance of making the playoffs.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Knicks’ J.R. Smith Back In For Saturday’s Win

    J.R. Smith, New York’s star shooting guard, finally saw some game-time Saturday in the Knicks’ win over Philadelphia, the first since he had been benched for both Thursday night’s entire game, and the first quarter of Saturday’s for “pretending to untie someone’s shoes.” The penalty was given out Wednesday, when New York met the Miami Heat.

    Smith’s New York coach, Mike Woodsen, publicly called his player out on a radio show early Thursday, deeming Smith “unprofessional,” and his actions Wednesday night “unacceptable.” Smith never apologized for the incident publicly, besides doing so via social media, but he apparently met with his coaches on Friday morning to discuss the situation for the first time, according to NorthJersey.com.

    Along with his 1.25-game suspension, Smith was targeted by his team’s officials as being a possible contender for a trading, and was also faced with league-imposed fines.

    Smith managed to redeem himself Saturday night against the Sixers, however, when he entered the game after sitting through the entire first quarter, something he says, is “the worst feeling in the world.” After Woodsen put Smith in, though, the guard scored his team 14 points and maneuvered six assists throughout the remaining three quarters.

    Asked any lessons he had learned from the experience, Smith says, “Be serious. Be professional.” J.R. Smith later elaborated that he should “not take his career for granted. but is “still trying to find” himself.

    Smith and the Knicks meet the Suns next, at 7:30 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.

    Main image courtesy Kevin Allison/Flickr via Wikimedia Commons.

  • J.R. Smith: He’s Not the Only Knucklehead in the NBA

    Now that Knicks’ guard J.R. Smith has returned from suspension, after the whole shoelace scandal, we decided to list other NBA players who went the knucklehead route and got in trouble. And while Smith’s actions got him in a mess with the league and not the police, these other players weren’t so lucky.

    Charles Barkley– If you watch TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” then you already know that Charles Barkley loves to be extra critical of the players, especially the younger ones. Which is why some thought it was ironic that he was pulled over for drunk driving on his way to visit a prostitute. “I was going to drive around the corner and get [a sex act],” he said, when asked what he was doing at the moment. Maybe Barkley who obviously lives in a glass house should give up throwing stones once and for all.

    Carmelo Anthony– When Anthony was playing for the Denver Nuggets he was pulled over by police for drunk driving while in town for a home game. After failing a few sobriety tests, he was arrested and ultimately suspended for two games. Fortunately for Anthony, he avoided jail time and received probation instead.

    Kyle Lowry– Who says arguments between player and referee happen during serious competition, because Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry lost his cool during a charity game in Las Vegas. In a heated exchange, Lowry cursed-out the ref and through something at her, which scored him some community service and anger management classes.

    Jason Kidd– In July of 2012 the former basketball player, who’s now a coach for the Brooklyn Nets, crashed his car into a telephone poll after having one too many. As a result, he was arrested and suspended for two games. The arrest was somewhat out of character for Kidd, as he usually showed so much discipline on the court. But as those on this list have showed us, sometimes there’s an infinite sized divide between a player’s on-court actions and what he does off the court.

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  • Rajon Rondo Could Be Joining The Knicks

    After the Boston Celtics continue to struggle, and continue to work on rebuilding the team, it looks like Rajon Rondo may be switching teams after this season. Rondo has been injured for part of the season, preventing him from contributing to the team and having a presence as the star player that he is.

    Both the Celtics and the Knicks, along with most of the Eastern Conference have had trouble winning games this season. Recently, Carmelo Anthony has been in talks with Rajon Rondo in order to recruit him as a member of the New York Knicks starting in 2015.

    Rajon Rondo will be forced to undergo ACL surgery, and his return to the court as of right now is unknown. However, Rondo has been injured before, and is one of the tougher players in the NBA, especially for his size. Whether he will remain in Boston will is to be determined in the future, but his contract is set to expire after the 2014-2015 season, making him a free agent during that season.

    Steve Smith, who coached both Carmelo Anthony and Rajon Rondo at Oak Hill Academy, said of the situation, “Whether he stays in Boston or not who knows. I know, talking to Melo, he’s recruiting Rajon to come to New York. Melo thinks he’ll come too. You never know about that stuff though. I think either way, Rajon will be fine.”

    After 18 games, the Knicks are only 5-13, and could certainly use some improvement on their roster. The 2014-2015 season may be a rebuilding year, since only five players on the roster have been signed for the next season.

    In addition to the idea of recruiting Rajon Rondo to join the team, Carmelo Anthony’s contract will also be coming up soon, and after 10 years in the league without playing for a national championship, Anthony wants to make sure he is in the right place.

    He came into the league at the same time as Dwayne Wade and Lebron James, and everyone knows the success that they have had. Due to their success, Anthony has received a lot of criticism about not being able to win in the playoffs. After next season, there is no doubt that the rumors will resurface and with New York’s available salary cap space, Rondo could be the best option to turn to.

    Bringing Rajon Rondo into the Knicks roster may be a healthy addition for the team, and Anthony’s shot at a national championship. It certainly couldn’t hurt, considering the success that Rondo has had with Boston, and his experience winning a championship already.

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  • Charles Barkley Takes Shots at Melo and LeBron

    These days, one can find Charles Barkley nestled comfortably between the likes of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal on the set of TNT’s Inside the NBA. Once upon a time, though, Barkley was an elite NBA forward, finishing in the top 8 in player efficiency ratings for 14 consecutive years and earning the ridiculous moniker, “The Round Mound of Rebound.” (Poking fun at Barkley’s portly stature.) Due to his experience both as a player and as an analyst, one can make the argument that Barkley’s opinions on basketball are perhaps more legitimate than others’. Thus, when Barkley criticizes Carmelo Anthony for wanting to explore the free-agency market and leaves LeBron out of his top 5 NBA players of all time, people take notice.

    In a statement to the New York Observer, Anthony stated, “I want to be a free agent. I think everybody in the NBA dreams to be a free agent at least one time in their career. It’s like you have an evaluation period, you know. It’s like if I’m in the gym and I have all the coaches, all the owners, all the GMs come into the gym and just evaluate everything I do. So yes, I want that experience.”

    Carmelo’s statement of wanting to explore the waters of free-agency blew up when commentators from Inside the NBA heard wind. Charles Barkley took special offense at the utterance: “He owns the city, he should be trying to get guys to come here and not like `I’ll stay here a couple of years – I forced my way here, No. 1, I got here, now I want to leave.’ That’s just not cool at all to be honest with you.”

    Barkley’s partner-in-crime, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, agreed with his analysis: “What happened to the law of attraction? Like, you’re good enough where you can attract guys that want to play with you. And that’s what’s missing, I think from the Knicks, and I think what’s missing from Carmelo, is just the law of attraction. Like, there aren’t a lot of guys saying they want to come to New York and play here with this guy.”

    Smith would go on to add that “What he should say is, `The Knicks have to, they’re going to give me the max. I’m going to be in New York.’” Many people believe that Anthony’s decision to test free-agency is linked to obtaining the largest contract he possibly can, which makes sense. If the Knicks really want to keep Carmelo around, then they would be forced to cough up more money due to bids coming from other teams. This factor seemingly doesn’t matter to Barkley, who is “ticked off” that Anthony is seeking free-agency when he practically begged to come to New York.

    Barkley’s barbs did not end with Carmelo Anthony, though. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Barkley stated that LeBron James would not be included in his Top 5 NBA players of all-time. When asked if LeBron was a Top 10 all-time player, Barkley responded:

    I have him there. But he can’t get any higher than where he is. I have Michael [Jordan] at No. 1. Oscar [Robertson] at No. 2. Then Wilt [Chamberlain], Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and [Bill] Russell. I have Kobe [Bryant], LeBron, Tim Duncan, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor after that. Those are my top 10. Those second five fluctuate, but who do I take off my top five? LeBron can get to No. 6 on my list, but here’s the thing that bothers me about the whole LeBron debate: I want to know why y’all killed Kobe Bryant! Y’all don’t even compare him to LeBron anymore. You are skipping him for LeBron and going right to Michael. I’m still going to take five [titles] over two.

    Barkley’s argument is a fair one. At this point in James’s career, could one legitimately make the claim that he is better than Jordan, Oscar Robertson (who averaged a triple-double), Wilt “The Stilt”, Kareem, or Bill “11-Time NBA Champion” Russell? I think the short answer is no.

    Barkley’s ranking of Kobe above LeBron makes sense as well. When one compares their achievements side-by-side (Kobe left, LeBron right), it’s easy to see that Kobe is more deserving of the 6th spot on Barkley’s list than LeBron:

    (image)

    Barkley is not the only former NBA player to leave LeBron off of an all-time starting five. When asked to name his all-time starters, Jason Kidd also snubbed LeBron James in favor of Scottie Pippen, a move that was seconded by Karl Malone. However, Malone perhaps proved himself to be even more insane than Barkley by leaving Michael Jordan off his own list.

    While one can make the legitimate argument to leave LeBron off of an all-time NBA top 5 list (He is still playing and has room to improve his standings), anyone who tries to argue that Michael Jordan is not one of the greatest of all time is simply delusional. It appears that after all these years, Karl Malone is still bitter about the 1998 NBA Championship.

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  • Mike D’antoni Resigns As New York Knicks Coach

    A little less than a month ago, Jeremy Lin was taking New York City–and the world–by storm, bringing Linsanity to the people. The trend was so popular, as was the Knicks’ minor winning streak, some speculated Lin’s play was in the process of saving head coach Mike D’antoni’s job. Fast forward to March, and, well, things are different.

    Reports are Linsanity is dying–extended losing streaks have a way of doing that–and now, the once-saved Mike D’antoni is now out of a job, having resigned his position as head coach of the New York Knickerbockers.

    Naturally, Twitter is blowing up about D’antoni’s decision, but before that, some speculation. While Lin was credited with giving D’antoni a stay of execution, Carmelo Anthony is taking the heat as the one responsible for the failure the Knicks have been exhibiting. Furthermore, there were rumors of Anthony not wanting to play for D’antoni anymore, something he denied.

    On Twitter, of course.

    (image)@carmeloanthony
    Carmelo Anthony    Alright, enough with all this trade talk. It’s making me sick to my stomach to hear that I wanna leave NY.(image) 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    While denying the trade talks is well and good, Anthony didn’t necessarily step up for his now ex-coach, either. As for the Twitter explosion, as of this writing, the phrase “Mike D” was the top Twitter trend, and no, it wasn’t talking about the Beastie Boys MC, either. There’s even a fake Mike D’antoni Twitter account, and it, too, got in on the fun:

    (image)@Coach_D_Antoni
    Coach D’Antoni    The Knicks and I have mutually agreed to part. Dolan agreed to keep Melo and make me play him and I agreed to tell him to go fuck himself.(image) 45 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Coach_D_Antoni
    Coach D’Antoni    The good news is Phil Jackson will replace me and his starting lineup will be Lebron, Durant, MJ, Magic and Bird. #keepdreamingassholes(image) 38 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Sounds like a pleasant dream to have, but this final gem is aimed directly at Knicks fans who want to turn back the clock:

    (image)@Coach_D_Antoni
    Coach D’Antoni    Anyone calling for Jeff Van Gundy probably needs someone to cut their food for them. #fuckwits(image) 31 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    More reaction:

    (image)@KySportsRadio
    Matt Jones    Mike D’antoni has resigned from the Knicks…Calipari to the Knicks rumors will now begin(image) 42 minutes ago via Echofon ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Um, not everyone idolizes Calipari like you do, Matt.

    (image)@PeytonsHead
    Peyton’s Head    Mike D’Antoni has resigned as coach of the Knicks. #unLINployed(image) 53 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Note the hashtag.

    (image)@pareene
    Alex Pareene    Mike D’Antoni announces plans to write much-emailed Times op-ed(image) 55 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    It’s funny because it’s relevant.

    (image)@_RidingOnCruise
    Marreo R.    Mike D’antoni out of a head coaching job……#YESSSS(image) 50 seconds ago via Echofon ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Danny_Is_Like
    danny    Carmelo got Mike D fired,. That’s a cold deal(image) 1 minute ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    These last two do a great job of demonstrating the line between “Yay, he’s gone” and “They fired D’antoni? WTH?” Which side of the coin are you on?