by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni
Try and think of the incessant Carmelo Anthony trade rumors as going to the dentist’s office for a root canal. Nobody enjoys the procedure, but it must be endured.
The latest in the exasperatingly never-ending story is that representatives from both the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets are reportedly set to meet the ‘Melo man over All-Star weekend, in an effort to sell him on where his new basketball home should be.
According to the NY Daily News, both James Dolan and Mikhail Prokhorov — though the Russian continues to deny any change of heart — will have an audience with the Nuggets star in Los Angeles:
According to a source, Anthony’s representatives are responsible for setting up individual meetings with the owners of the metropolitan area’s two basketball clubs. It is an arrangement similar to one that CAA, the firm that represents both Anthony and LeBron James, came up with in July when six teams were granted an audience in Cleveland with James, who was the league’s most sought-after free agent last summer.
Dolan, Prokhorov and Anthony will all be in Los Angeles Friday, the first official day of All-Star Weekend. Dolan is attending the technology summit and will also be in attendance with Prokhorov for the Board of Governors meetings in downtown L.A. The clandestine meetings with Anthony will likely take place either Friday or Saturday.
It is unclear why Anthony, who has made it known that playing for the Knicks is his top choice, would need to meet with Dolan. One league executive believes that Anthony, like James, simply wants to hear straight from Dolan what the future holds for the Knicks.
I highly doubt that we’ll have a resolution to this madness by weekend’s end. We’ll all likely still be in the proverbial dentist’s chair right up until the Feb.24 trade deadline.
UPDATE: The Bergen Record is reporting the Nets and Nuggets have agreed on a deal, but no word yet on whether or not Anthony would agree to ink an extension with New Jersey, which would be needed the complete the deal.
