It was only customary that reporters covering last night’s Nets/Nuggets game would ask Carmelo Anthony what was up during the trade negotiations – did he openly reject meeting with Mikhail Prokhorov or signing an extension with the Nets? Anthony clears the air on one of those questions, but remains non-committed on the other, more critical question:
“I would have took that meeting,” Anthony said after he scored 37 points in the Nets’ 115-99 victory over the Nuggets in Newark. “That meeting was going to take place. I can agree to that. As far as anything else, I can’t really speak of that.”
Anthony also addressed all the talk of him not wanting to sign with the Nets.
“I really don’t know where it came from, as far as if I was to come here, the extension wasn’t going to get signed,” he said.
Anthony can’t legally say certain things, but this idea that he wouldn’t sign with the Nets certainly have enough of a fever pitch behind it that even if it didn’t come from him directly, it likely came from one of his handlers.
The thing is, as satisfying as last night’s win was, the inevitable ‘Melo talk that would be brought up again was equally as frustrating. Since the Prokhorov press conference, this whole thing has truly felt “done” despite people thinking it’s a negotiating ploy. It’s been satisfying as a fan to watch a group of players and know these are your players, for better or worse. I’m hoping last night was just an inevitable blip in the road.
