Carmelo Anthony

Newsday points out that there are alternatives to LeBron next year. If King James ultimately decides to stay in Cleveland, the Knicks have a number of fallback options to target in the next few summers.

In 2011, guys like Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant are expected to hit the free agent market.

If Anthony and Durant don't move to New York, then Chris Paul and Deron Williams could become options in the summer of 2012.

It's a valid point, but lets not forget that the class of 2010 is STACKED with big time free agents beyond the King - Joe Johnson, T-Mac, Carlos Boozer, Marcus Camby, Manu Ginobli, Steve Nash and Ray Allen to name a few (that's without even mentioning players who have early termination options next summer and can become free agents). Losing out on Jason Kidd and Grant Hill is not reason to sound the 2010 alarm just yet. Patience, we've waited this long, lets wait and see what happens in 346 days.

On his Knicks Knation Blog, Frank Isola says:
Carmelo Anthony will one day become a Knick.

How do I know this? It's simple. By process of elimination.

Let's assume that LeBron James remains in Cleveland which I know sounds crazy to most rationale people but LeBron is from the state of Ohio. If he were from Texas or Washington or South Dakota I'm guessing he would leave Cleveland tomorrow for New York.

But the Cavs have built a contending team and with the threat of a lockout looming in 2011, LeBron has to option to sign an extension this summer with Cleveland.

Dwyane Wade would be second on the Knicks wish list but if you were a betting man you'd probably wager that Wade, who has already won a title in Miami, will remain with the Heat and go down as the greatest player in the history of the franchise. I just don't see a guy from Chicago leaving Miami to live in New York in the winter time.

That leaves Carmelo as the next player on our list. I believe he's well ahead of Chris Bosh, who has gone from under-appreciated to over-rated in a short amount of time. Again, if he's so good why is his team so bloody awful?

Amar'e Stoudemire is a good option but I think Mike D'Antoni would only take Stoudemire if he could also have Steve Nash in his prime and the chances are the Knicks are going to end up with Nash on his last legs.

Which brings us back to Melo, the future Knick. He is more of a Knick than any of the current superstars. Think about it; Like Patrick Ewing, he's from the Big East and won an NCAA title. Like Latrell Sprewell, he comes with baggage and cornrows. Like Bernard King he was born in Brooklyn. Like Earl Monroe he grew up in Baltimore.