New York Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh couldn't be in a better position as far as the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes is concerned.
According to Yahoo Sports, Anthony's agent, Leon Rose, has informed teams that 'Melo will only sign an extension with the Knicks, functionally allowing Walsh to keep all of his assets and wait until the summer to sign Anthony.
"If you’re New York, you just sit and wait until the offseason," one general manager said. "That’s where it’s likely to go. Why give up assets to get him now when you can wait and get him next season?"
"If ’Melo is telling the world he wants to go [to New York], why fight so hard to get him? [Knicks president] Donnie Walsh knows this," said another source.
Rose's assertion has drastically weakened the Nuggets' bargaining position, not just with New York, but also with Houston and Dallas, both of which were considering "renting" Anthony and hoping that they could convince him to stay in the summer.
As a result, Denver may have to trade Anthony for cents on the dollar before the deadline or get nothing for their star come summer.
"Don’t blame 'Melo. He’s been up front about wanting to go to New York since the summer," one source close to the talks said. "They better trade him to New York or end up with nothing."
