More details emerge on New York Knicks‘ Carmelo Anthony being traded to the Boston Celtics while Pablo Prigioni weighs his coaching options.
The Boston Celtics are facing certain elimination against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers after two blowout losses to start the Eastern Conference Finals. One way for Boston to improve the odds for next season is by acquiring New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony.The New York Post‘s Marc Berman reported that Celtics’ coaches were interested in trading for Anthony at the deadline but general manager Danny Ainge squashed it. One month and a LeBron beatdown later, Berman says Ainge’s mind could be changing.
Some NBA executives at Chicago’s draft combine predicted the extent of Ainge’s offseason retooling hinged solely on whether his team was competitive with Cleveland and could take the Cavaliers to six hard-fought games.
So much for that. Boston got whooped by 44 points on Friday night and their best player, Isaiah Thomas, has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
The Knicks would need to get Phil Jackson favorite Jae Crowder back in the trade. As well as one of Boston’s many first-round draft picks.
There was a rare type of Knicks news this week. It was the kind that made the fans excited. Former point guard Pablo Prigioni could be returning to the franchise as an assistant coach.
Berman reports that the Knicks extended the invitation to Prigioni to talk about a coaching spot. The 40-year-old is currently deciding between coming to New York or beginning his coaching career in Spain.
It won’t be an easy decision for Prigioni, a native of Argentina; he played basketball in Spain for over 10 years.
Prigioni spent two-plus seasons in New York before being traded. He was noted for his unselfish play and hustle on both ends of the court. He’d be a welcome addition to this team.