By Joe Pantorno, Assistant Sports Editor
Well, it's finally over. Carmelo is a New York Knick and all this drama is over. As a Knicks fan there is reason for excitement and though the Knicks may have lost a lot, this is still a fantastic move for the MSG faithful.
First of all, the Knicks finally got their second superstar. We thought the acquisition Amar'e Stoudemire would be able to lure LeBron James to New York, but we know how that ended up. Though it is not James and Stoudemire, Anthony and Stoudemire is still a pretty lethal duo.
Secondly, there have been complaints that the Knicks gave up too much in Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry and draft picks. Honestly, this is no reason for complaining. The players dealt by the Knicks can be replaced, but what they gained is the type of athlete that comes around twice or three times in a generation.
Carmelo did not come alone. The Knicks also acquired Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman from the Nuggets and Corey Brewer from the Timberwolves. Billups is a veteran point guard that has postseason experience, Williams can add some defensive help, Carter can provide scrap minutes off the bench, Balkman has played in New York before and is a gritty player and Brewer is a forward that can provide points off the bench.
So the Knicks' projected starting lineup would be Billups, Landry Fields, Anthony, Stoudemire and Ronny Turiaf. This is definitely a playoff roster, it is just a question of depth and how the bench can perform.
I will say one thing, this is not a championship team yet. This can be a first or second round team but the Knicks cannot compete yet with the Eastern Conference's elite teams. Depending on how the Knicks draft and how they fill their bench, we can see in a year or two if this team is actually legitimate. For now, this deal is just part one of a championship foundation and Knicks fans should be very happy about their newest hero.
One more thing though before we're done: Billups is not the spritely young point guard he was, and depending on how the Knicks feel Toney Douglas is progressing, they may draft a guard in this year's upcoming draft. Charles Jenkins anyone?