NEW YORK — Amidst a playoff-like atmosphere, Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony combined for 61 points on the Madison Square Garden floor Sunday afternoon, leaving Knick fans fantasizing about what their team might look like with both superstars in orange and blue.
That fantasy moved closer to reality Sunday when Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com, quoting a source, reported that Anthony will not sign the three-year, $65 million extension Denver has on the table unless he is traded to the Knicks.
“Whatever decision that I make, that [an extension] is going to be the first thing that gets done,” said Anthony, who was born in Brooklyn and is thought to prefer landing with the Knicks.
Stoudemire reached the 30-point plateau for the eighth consecutive game and the Knicks won their eighth straight and 13th in 14 outings, 129-125, despite a game-high 31 points from Anthony, the object of the Knicks’ desire.
Asked if the Knicks (16-9) were “one player away” from becoming an elite team, Anthony said: “When we played them in Denver the first time, they look like a totally different team right now. They got a rhythm going out there. They seem like everybody’s on the same page. Everybody’s doing their part out there and they rolling right now.”
Anthony, who sat out the previous two games with knee soreness, also gave the latest cryptic comments about his cloudy future.
He said he doesn’t think he’ll land somewhere he doesn’t want to go.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t think that will happen. I don’t want to talk about that right now.”
Anthony could be dealt before the Feb. 24 trading deadline for a package of young players and draft picks to a team like the Nets, or the Nuggets (14-9) could wait and let him become a free agent, hoping he’ll resign with them after a successful season.
Even though the Nets will land in Brooklyn in two years, they are struggling and a long way from a playoff team.
Anthony’s latest comments seem to indicate he believes he won’t end up there.
Of course, with a lockout looming, Anthony could stand to lose $15-20 million under the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement if he waits and doesn’t sign an extension under the current one.
Anthony will earn $17.14 million this season and holds a player option for $18.52 million in 2011-12. He could become an unrestricted free agent after this season if he exercises his termination option.
The Knicks lack a first-round draft pick to send to Denver as part of a potential trade, but could deal someone like Anthony Randolph (who is out of the rotation) for a pick that would, in turn, be shipped to Denver along with some combination of Eddy Curry’s expiring contract and players like Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Landry Fields.
Ironically, it was Gallinari who made the key play in the game, drawing a charge on Anthony as he drove to the basket with the Knicks up 125-122. Denver fouled Raymond Felton (19 points, 17 assists) and he hit two foul shots to push the lead to 127-122.
“I like playing against him,” Anthony said of Gallinari. “He played hard. Tonight he gave me a hard foul [in the first half]. I don’t take things like that personally. He’s out there trying. He’s knocking down shots. The whole team is playing extremely well right now.”
Anthony was showered with applause by the Garden faithful when he was introduced before the game.
In recent days, he heard fans around the city shout, “We need you in New York.”
“Of course that feels good when you know somebody out there wants you to come and represent that team, represent that city,” said Anthony, whose wife, Lala is also from Brooklyn.
Anthony gave Stoudemire a pep talk when the team was recently out in Denver, and he said he’s pleased how well his friend is playing. Stoudemire broke the Knicks’ record for consecutive 30-point games with his eighth straight.
“I’ve seen Amar’e for a long time playing like this,” Anthony said. “I’m happy for him. I’m happy he came here. I’m happy he’s playing at the level that he’s playing at right now.”
Stoudemire was asked about the possibility of Anthony joining him as the Knicks’ second superstar.
“That’s not my concern,” he said. “We’re playing well and I want to keep it going.”
**For more on the game, read my NBA.com notebook with notes and quotes here.
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