Trade rumors have been swirling that the Denver Nuggets will trade Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks.
According to the New York Daily News, Knicks fans are really hoping that this trade will happen, and they have been voicing their opinions for all to hear in Madison Square Garden with spirited "we want Melo" chants.
At first, it wasn't such a big deal. But now, it's starting to wear on the team, and Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni wants them to stop with the Melo pleas.
"It's not good," D'Antoni said. "There's no doubt about it. It affects some of the players without a doubt."
The uncertainty of which player (or players) could be traded in a deal for Anthony has led to unrest in the locker room, and it comes at a bad time for the struggling Knicks, who have lost 11 of their last 19 games.
"It's a fear, but it's also part of the business," D'Antoni said. "It is a fear as anything, and you try to avoid things as well as you can or just talk to them. They have to harden up and harden their skin up and know that 'I've got to play well.' That's your job and again, a certain part of you hates it for the players. But at the same time, that's part of the business."
Raymond Felton is one player who understands that trades and chants from fans come with the territory.
"Stuff like that don't bother me," Felton said. "I don't worry about that. The fans, they chant everything. All the chanting and stuff don't bother me. Stuff has been said about Melo since Day 1. It's just one thing [that] goes in one ear and out the other."
The chants and rumors do bother some players though, including Wilson Chandler, who has been mentioned in trade rumors, and Danilo Gallinari.
Anthony Randolph has also had his name tossed around in potential trade rumors, but he hasn't let the chants bother him.
"It doesn't bother me, I've got no reaction to it," he said. "I really don't pay attention to what the crowd is chanting and stuff. I'm trying to focus on the game. … We leave that up to management to take care of that."
With just under two weeks remaining until the NBA trade deadline, it remains to be seen whether or not an agreement will be reached, but when the Knicks host the Lakers tonight, it will be up to the fans to respect D'Antoni and players like Chandler and Gallinari who are bothered by their Melo chants.
