So of course the article that Daily News just posted is a little more nuanced that we Woodman relayed to us as to what Isola said on TV.
Is Dolan involved? Sure, he met with Melo. Typical, or at least not out of ordinary. Has he taken over discussions? Not mentioned at all in article, which is telling.
Does the title of the article at all match any of the details discussed in the article? Not at all. Is Dolan owner of Knicks and thereby have defacto over-riding or veto about any trade? Sure, but that has been there every day since he took ownership of team.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2011/02/18/2011-02-18_knicks_owner_james_dolan_now_in_control_of_carmelo_anthony_trade_with_nuggets.htmlCarmelo Anthony trade now exclusively in the hands of Knicks owner James Dolan: sources
Carmelo Anthony's future is now in James Dolan's hands.
Dolan, the chairman of Madison Square Garden, could decide as early as Saturday whether to agree to a blockbuster deal with the Denver Nuggets or risk losing the All-Star forward to the Nets.
The Daily News has learned that Dolan met with Anthony and Josh Kroenke, the Nuggets' president and son of team owner Stan Kroenke, on Thursday in Los Angeles. The meeting took place after the Nuggets and Nets had tentatively agreed in principle to a deal that would require Anthony to sign a three-year, $65 million extension with New Jersey.
The Knicks, however, are Anthony's preferred destination, and he requested the face-to-face meeting with Dolan to get a sense of where the Knicks stood. The News reported on Tuesday that the Knicks felt the Nuggets' request for three starters, including Raymond Felton, plus a first-round pick and Eddy Curry's expiring contract was too steep.
The Knicks have been reluctant to part with both Danilo Gallinari and rookie Landry Fields, but late Friday Yahoo! Sports reported that the club had included Gallinari in its latest proposal.
A source close to the negotiations remained hopeful that a deal would be agreed upon but added that "both sides refuse to budge," which indicates that Denver may want Fields or rookie center Timofey Mozgov included in the deal. The Knicks would also acquire point guard Chauncey Billups as well as other players, including Anthony Carter, to satisfy salary-cap guidelines.
Denver feels it has leverage because of its proposed deal with the Nets. In the nine-player trade, Anthony, Billups, Shelden Williams, Melvin Ely and Renaldo Balkman would go to the Nets. Denver would receive Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Troy Murphy, Ben Uzoh and four first-round picks.
Knicks president Donnie Walsh and head coach Mike D'Antoni are reportedly not in favor of making the trade with Denver. The News reported Thursday on its website that Dolan, Stan Kroenke, Walsh and Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri had had a conference call to discuss the deal. It was during that conversation that the Knicks agreed to trade Gallinari.
A Knicks source said Friday that with Dolan assuming control of the negotiations and being the lone Knicks official to meet with Anthony on Thursday, ultimately the decision to make the deal will be his.
"The Knicks are giving up a lot, but I can't imagine Jim's ego allowing himself not to do the deal," the source said. "Denver wanted to deal directly with Jim because they feel he'll be more willing to make the trade."
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov was expected to arrive in Los Angeles late Friday and is still hopeful of meeting privately with Anthony. Prokhorov, minority owner Jay-Z and GM Billy King would all be part of the meeting.
Anthony said Friday that there was no scheduled meeting with the Nets and that he was growing impatient with the process. He was supposed to meet with the Nets in January, before Prokhorov temporarily pulled the plug on negotiations.
According to one rival executive, it "looks like the Nets have been used for leverage."
As for Anthony: "I haven't got any sleep in a week. I want to get it done," he said. "Before I leave (Los Angeles), I would love to have something on the table. I would love to have a legit offer on the table where we can sit down and they can say, ' 'Melo, this is what we have, let's try to figure it out.'
"The Nuggets have to weigh their options," Anthony added. "If it's a deal with somebody else that's legit, then we all have to sit there and talk about it. But time is ticking and time is money."
Anthony said he'd have to "deeply consider" signing an extension with the Nets if he was presented with a trade. His good friend and former wedding guest, Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire, was skeptical.
"I'd be surprised," he said. "It's hard to picture him in a Nets jersey."
Barring a trade, Anthony is slated to become a free agent this summer, but the uncertainty of a new collective bargaining agreement is a major factor in his decision. If Anthony doesn't sign the extension with the Nets and enters free agency he could risk losing up to $20 million.
2/18/2011 10:45 PM