Let's say you were at an auction. You see a piece of art that you want. You start at the minimum bid. Other people bid, but the auctioneer has already agreed to sell you the piece, no matter what. You can either get the art now, for a cheap price, or later, for free.
Instead of just standing pat, you begin raising your bid for no reason. You are betting against yourself, and you won't stop raising the price.
You would be pretty stupid, wouldn't you? Well that's almost exactly what the Knicks did.
Some people would argue that the Knicks were successful just because they got their piece of art (Carmelo Anthony.) I wouldn't go that far. These Knicks had all the chips in this arrangement, and they played like they were desperate. And let's be clear - the Knicks held all the power in these negotiations. Not Carmelo, not the Nuggets.
As soon as 'Melo demanded a trade, and announced he would not sign anywhere but New York, the power shifted directly into the Knickerbocker's corner.
Sure, Carmelo's agent, Leon Rose, tried the negotiating tactic of talking heavily with the New Jersey Nets, but the league's worst kept secret was already out - He was going to New York, whether it was this year, or next year. I'm not saying that the Knicks should have just ignored Anthony till next year. But they kept upping their offer until the trade actually occurred, for no reason at all.
Now they're left with a rapidly aging Chauncey Billups that hasn't hit a clutch shot in years, a legit chance of Kelenna Azubuike playing a pivotal role off the bench, and Shelden Williams being their top big man reserve. They won't be able to afford to add Paul or Williams for the max, especially after the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is signed.
The Knicks, in my mind, are no better than 5th in the East, and they've essentially maxed out with the roster they have at the present. They won't have a first round pick until 2016, so Knicks fans had better hope this Carmelo experiment works. Until then...'Ello to Melo.
