More Melo: Nets G.M. Mikhail Prokhorov is an Evil Genius

A new report has just come out saying that if the previously reported New York deal with Denver goes through, that the New Jersey Nets will make a side trade with Denver that would involve the Nets sending two first-round draft picks to Denver for two of the traded Knicks players. Now this is an incredible idea. One that has serious ramifications, and one that puts Prokhorov at near-James Bond levels of villainy. And as a Knicks fan, it’s really pretty great.

First off, a little more detail on what is right now a very hazy report. The Nuggets clearly prefer the Nets’ offer of four first round picks, rookie Derrick Favors, and some other pieces for Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, and some filler over the Knicks’ offer highlighted by Danilo Gallinari, Ray Felton, and Wilson Chandler. But as has always been the case, Carmelo doesn’t seem to have much interest in signing a three year extension with the Nets, making their offer futile.

So then there is this. A way for everyone to get a little bit of what they want. For Denver, this means a clearer shot of a post-Melo future, based around potential stars of the future. For the Knicks, they finally get New Jersey to back off and get their deal for Melo done. And perhaps just as importantly, the Knicks get a shot at one of the more interesting rivalries in the NBA.

That’s of course what the Nets are largely setting out to do here. If they take on (reportedly) either Gallo, Felton, or Chandler plus Timofey Mozgov (who may or may not be involved in the final Knicks offer for Melo), then the Nets are taking a serious shot at making a play for some disillusioned Knicks fans. And they set up a potentially amazing rivalry by nabbing some former-Knicks with a grudge. Prokhorov is doing everything he can to make sure that that rivalry is well in place by the time his team moves to Brooklyn after next season.

Not to mention, the Nets roster wouldn’t look all to bad at all if this goes down. It would be a clear improvement over what they have right now, and unlike the offer for Melo, it would still leave the Nets with Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, and a couple of first round picks. Yeah, Brook Lopez is no match for Amar’e Stoudemire, but with this trade the Nets would get a kind of bizzaro, new order Knicks team. And with the potential ability to get more talent over summer, it would be a pretty amazing feat.

Of course everything here is contingent on the Knicks-Nugget trade working out. But at this point, with the Nets seeming to back off, there’s no reason for it not to. But man, there is something really exciting about this. At the very least, potentially keeping Danilo Gallinari in New York would make a lot of people happy – most notably Gallo himself. And there’s nothing like a good rivalry. And with this in addition to the Knicks seemingly locked once again in a playoff fight against the Chicago Bulls, there’s plenty of ‘em to go around.

As with before, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this as it unfolds. The next 24-hours look to be key, especially as Denver clearly wants to get some more trades in before the deadline hits. Not to mention, plenty of other NBA teams who are waiting on Denver to make its next move.

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