Your Superstar Is My Botched Trade

Not only are the Knicks going to lose to their first-round opponent in this year's playoffs -- the Celtics -- but they'd lose to any of the eight Eastern Conference teams in the first round, including the Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers, who are the two seeded lower than them. This is all one needs to know to evaluate the ceaselessly hyped, midseason trade for All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony. Sure, the Knicks have returned to the playoffs for the first time in seven years, but they did so at the expense of locking themselves into slightly above average seasons of between 43 and 49 wins for the next five years.

Anthony, who was to be a free agent before the trade, had long ago strongly implied he would sign with the Knicks in the summer, which would've required that they jettison one of their top-five players. Instead, the Knicks decided to trade four of their best five players for Anthony. They have no starting center, an aging point guard, and a bench that's a remarkably strange amalgamation of players who, aside from one or two of them, wouldn't play such a significant role on any other playoff team. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets, Anthony's old team, have been on fire since trading him, mainly because the players the Knicks sent them have been so good (and they may also set the world record for the number of tattoos that any collection of 12 men could have).

The trade has smacked so obviously of one pushed for by the Knicks' megalomaniac owner, the heir to a local media conglomerate. Anthony is a star and a native New Yorker and he's boosted interest in the team, especially in the front-row seats. But his style makes no sense within the team. The coach likes to run up and down the court and run a motion offense, but Anthony likes to hold the ball in isolation plays. The team's other star, Amar'e Stoudemire (he of the rediscovered Jewish spirituality), likes to run the pick and roll, but Anthony doesn't. And Anthony usually requires 19 field goal attempts to score 24 points -- not a good ratio.

Before the trade, the Knicks weren't going to advance beyond the first round, but they were coalescing nicely around a star and a young supporting cast. Now, they're old, aren't going to advance beyond the first round, and have already reached their ceiling. And they would've signed Anthony anyway after the season finishes without sacrificing that core. Huh? Celtics in five.