The Trade Carousel Keeps Going and Going and...

  There were some many trades this weekend that any sportswriter could write 10 pages on the trades themselves but we're going to skip the fancy introduction this week and jump right into digesting this week of crazy trades.

 Carmelo Anthony. The first domino that fell causing a multitude of trades to form after his departure from Denver. Over All-Star weekend, rumors were flying about Melodrama: "is he meeting with Jay-Z and that weird Russian dude," "is he going to actually stay in Denver," "are the Knicks giving up?" There were so many false reports that I eventually tuned out and enjoy the defenseless game on screen (am I the only one who thought Blake Griffin shouldn't have won, dunking two balls at once is way more impressive). Anyways, Melo is a Knick as I thought he would be all along and I think the East distances itself from the West significantly in terms of contenders. What the Lakers, Spurs, and Maverick are doing is impressive but who else is there after that? The Thunder? Yeah we all are infatuated with Durantula and Westbrook but they are still a very young team that needs another year to develop. Where in the East, Melo adds to the Knicks' philosophy of scoring as many points as possible while hoping their defense won't give up too many points. They have become the Indianapolis Colts of basketball. What's going to be so interesting to watch is exactly how Anthony will fit into this puzzle considering how run and gun Mike D'Antoni's offense seems to operate. Carmelo functions best in the paint and mid range jump shots so he gives the Knicks a guy who can create his own shot, something nonexistent in New York for so long, so it will be interesting to see what role Mike D'Antoni fits Anthony into. That being said, they instantly become a contender with Melo and finally can compete with the gauntlet atop the East, all I can say its going to be a fun playoffs this year.

Well he certainly looks happy.

  The other "superstar" trade this week was Deron Williams and I'm still trying to digest this move. At first, it struck me as a desperation move by the New Jersey Nets after being unable to conclude the Melo trade but after some thought I realized its not. A team like the Nets that has acquired a decent amount of young talent but no superstar needs someone who can facilitate the ball and push the team. Well now they fill both roles by trading for Williams because now they have a superstar and a one of the top three points guards in the league right now. This trade may not seem as interesting as the Melo trade because it doesn't equal any instant success but the long term improvement of this team is what makes it such a necessary and great trade.

  One more trade that is going to have a huge impact on the league for the rest of this season is the Celtics-Thunder trade. Sending Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to the Thunder in exchange for Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, and a 1st round pick is questionable to say the least. Doc Rivers will try to sell this claiming that when they won the NBA Finals, they played small with Posey at the 4 position at times, but even he can't sell this one to any Celtics fan. The truth is they're doing it because they realize their team is getting old and they want to rebuild and not have to endure a significant drop off. Its smart but it poses what I consider the ultimate GM question in any sports franchise: compete for the title now or be patient and put the franchise in a position to win championships down the road. It was obvious that the one advantage they had over the top teams in the league was their size advantage but unless Shaq goes all Kazaam for the Celtics, the East is completely wide open for anyone to seize.

Kendrick Perkins' reaction to getting traded

  There were more trades in the league but those were the most significant ones and will have noticeable impact on the league for the rest of the season. All that being said, the game everyone should watch this weekend? The New York Knicks at the Miami Heat this Sunday at 8pm on ESPN. Let's see if Carmelo Anthony was worth it.

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