Since the lengthy ordeal came to an end, Denver has gone 9-4, with two of those losses coming on buzzer-beaters at Orlando and Portland, and a third being a close game in Miami. As a result, they've consolidated their hold on a Western Conference playoff spot, now sitting in fifth and looking like a real threat for a first-round upset.
More importantly, the Nuggets now have a huge supply of pieces to build with in the future and a firm basketball identity — a run and gun team with a dominant big man in Nene — and the fans at the Pepsi Center have come back to life.
Then, there are the Knicks, who were 28-26 before the trade, and have been 7-8 after — not exactly a leap forward, considering the emergence of their own "big three." They've lost twice to Cleveland, twice to Indiana and to the Pistons and Bucks in that stretch.
Anthony has tried to calm things down in the midst of the team's losing streak, saying that the team is a work in progress, and while there is definite truth in that, there is still reason to worry.
When Anthony and Chauncey Billups first went to New York, and the Knicks knocked off the Heat dramatically in South Beach, many hailed them as an Eastern Conference contender. Now, that notion has completely gone by the wayside, and they've mortgaged much of their future in the process. Billups isn't a long-term solution at point guard, and in giving away picks, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton and Corey Brewer, they've lost a solid core of young players that could be pieces in a championship squad.
Instead, they'll have Anthony and Amare Stoudamire, two stars who don't defend, and a restricted capacity to bring in role players. So, are the Knicks better or worse off with Melo?
Has Carmelo Anthony made the Knicks worse? Leave your thoughts below.
March 20: What's wrong with Rajon Rondo?
