Fan Poll: Would you still make the Carmelo Anthony trade?

Now that we have had a day to let the New York Knicks recent loss to the Denver Nuggets sink in, I thought it would be interesting to see how many of you would like go back in time and re-do things.

Yes, I am talking about the Carmelo Anthony trade.

Mar 27, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) shoots a free throw during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT

Now there are no mulligans in trades and Knicks fans know that all too well. But if you could go back and change history, would you?

Here are the particulars.

First the trade:

The Knicks shipped out Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry’s expiring pact, their 2014 first-round pick and $3 million. In exchange, they obtained Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Corey Brewer.

Only Anthony still remains in a Knicks uniform from that trade, while Chandler, Gallinari and Mozgov have all played decent roles for the Nuggets when healthy.

Thanks to the Knicks struggles this season, there’s a good chance the Nuggets could make the playoffs and still receive a lottery pick in next year’s draft which will further set them up nicely for the future.

The Knicks Side:

If you are pro-trade, it all comes down to the Knicks making the playoffs three consecutive years, which many fans will settle for.

They acquired one of the best players in the NBA and saw Anthony make All-Star Game’s and win the scoring title last year.

But the results haven’t been as rosey as most people would have hoped for. From the day the trade was made, the Knicks have compiled only a 114-97 record (including postseason). That’s only playing .540 basketball, which simply isn’t good enough.

In addition with Anthony in a Knicks uniform, they have only managed to go 7-14 in the postseason, dropping three of four series’.

Now some of that can be put on Melo’s shoulders, but not all of it.

When the trade was made, the Knicks didn’t expect Amar’e Stoudemire to completely break down and become a shell of his former self. They also didn’t plan, although maybe they should have, on their aging roster breaking down towards the end of last season. Injuries have also played a factor.

The Anthony trade butchered the Knicks plan to win. The idea was to build a super team that featured Melo, Stoudemire and likely Chris Paul or Deron Williams.

Instead they ended up with Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith. While I love what Chandler brings to the team, he isn’t a superstar. Neither is Smith. Throw in the fact that Stoudemire isn’t a superstar any longer and the Knicks eventually unloaded way too much to end up with a one-man team.

However at the end of the day, Anthony was brought to New York to win and he’s had a hard time doing that. You can make the case that this Knicks team is no closer to winning a championship than they were without him.

The Nuggets Side:

The Nuggets took the smart approach and basically raped the Knicks of talent for a player who was on their way out the door anyway.

They have been trying to win without a true superstar and have had more success without Anthony. Since the trade they have gone 128-78 (.621), which is far better than the Knicks have performed.

While they haven’t won a playoff series without Anthony, they didn’t win many with him either.

They play a good up-tempo game that doesn’t depend upon one player to lead them; they rely on the collective to buy into the system and run it to perfection.

While Anthony has averaged 26.1 points per game in a Knicks uniform, the four guys they brought in that are still with the team have combined to average 36.1 points, 15.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.

Throw in the fact that the Nuggets have some wiggle room to add talent in the future, something the Knicks won’t have until 2015, and you have to like the way the trade played out for the Nuggets. Also consider that Denver is able to add talent via the draft while the Knicks cannot and they are in a much better place.

Your Take:

Now it’s up to you. If you could go back and push the rewind button, would you still make the Anthony trade if you were the Knicks?

Vote on the poll and leave your comments below.