New York Knicks Agree to Trade Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Carmelo Anthony is ready to take Oklahoma by (thunder)storm…

The New York Knicks have agreed to trade the 33-year-old half-Puerto Rican NBA star, a 10-time All-Star forward, to the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to ESPN.

The Thunder will send center Enes Kanter, forward Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick (via the Chicago Bulls) to New York, league sources said.

Anthony, 33, will waive his no-trade clause and his $8.1 million trade kicker to accommodate the deal, league sources told ESPN.

A trade call is scheduled for Monday to finalize the deal with the league office, sources said. Anthony is planning to arrive on Monday afternoon in Oklahoma City to take a physical and be available to practice Tuesday at the opening of the Thunder’s training camp, according to league sources.

Anthony would only waive his no-trade clause for the Thunder, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources said. His no-trade clause will go with him to Oklahoma City.

Anthony joins the league’s reigning MVP, Russell Westbrook, and All-Star forward Paul George on a reshaped and formidable Western Conference contender. Westbrook and George — who could become free agents in the summer of 2018 — played a significant role in recruiting Anthony to waive his no-trade clause for Oklahoma City, league sources said.

The Thunder made a huge commitment with the Anthony deal, incurring $27.8 million in luxury tax for the 2017-18 season. The Thunder payroll will rise to $134 million this season. Anthony has two years, $54 million left on his contract, including a player option for $27.9 million in 2018-19.

Anthony Leads Team USA to Third Straight Olympic Gold in Men’s Basketball

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Carmelo Anthony is basketball’s golden boy…

The 32-year-old half-Puerto Rican basketball star helped lead Team USA to a 96-66 win over Serbia at the 2016 Rio Games, to give the United States the gold medal in Men’s Basketball.

It’s Anthony, who has won his third gold medal in four tries, says he’s done with international competition.

The New York Knicks star first represented the United States at the 2004 Athens Games when Team USA won bronze under Larry Brown.

“I knew this is the end,” Anthony told Ros Gold-Onwude on NBC moments after the team’s big win. “This is it for me. I committed to something …” Anthony then paused for 21 seconds, soaking in the cheers from the crowd. “I committed to this in ’04. I’ve seen the worst and I’ve seen the best. And I stuck with it. And we stuck with it. And I’m here today, three gold medals later. I’m just, I’m excited for me but also for the other guys who never experienced anything like this.”

It’s the most emotional Anthony has ever been publicly, and it’s understandable.

Throughout his 13 years in the NBA, he has received all sorts of criticism for his teams being unable to win big. While he has been a terrific playoff performer, he has only been to the conference finals once.

On the international stage, though, Anthony has been more successful than just about anybody.

Anthony is the only male basketball player to win three Olympic gold medals. He is Team USA’s all-time leader in points, games played and rebounds at the Olympics. He can retire from the national team knowing that his dedication to USA Basketball can never be questioned.

That is unless Anthony isn’t convinced to do it all over again at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

LeBron James is around the same age as Anthony, and he has intentionally left the door open to participate, as he would like to play for new Team USA coach Gregg Popovich. Also read: Do you have a friend, kid or relative that you are looking to surprise with a basketball related gift? Well, I understand it’s a confusing and tedious process. Lucky for you I have put together a hand-picked list of the best basketball gifts for players and fans. Roadtoreno helps you to choose best gift. Chances are that they will love whichever product you will choose.

Anthony Named to USA Basketball’s Team for 2016 Olympic Games

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

It’s official… Carmelo Anthony is headed to his fourth Olympics.

USA Basketball‘s 12-man roster has been announced for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, with the 32-year-old half-Puerto Rican basketball star making the grade.

While a few of the game’s best won’t be in action this summer, plenty of superstar talent will make the trip in head coach Mike Krzyzewski‘s push for a third and final Olympic gold medal.

The New York Knicks star is the only Latino player named to the team.

Here’s a look at the players who will be donning the red, white and blue.

Carmelo Anthony
Team: New York Knicks
Position: Forward
Age: 32
Olympics appearance: 4th
Team USA experience: Olympics (2012-Gold, 2008-Gold, 2004-Bronze); FIBA World Championship (2006-Bronze), FIBA Americas (2007-Gold); Named a member of the 2014-16 USA Men’s National Team on Jan. 23, 2014.

Kevin Durant
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Position: Forward
Age: 27
Olympics appearance: 2nd
Team USA experience: Olympics (2012-Gold), FIBA World Championship (2010-Gold); Named a member of the 2014-16 USA Men’s National Team on Jan. 23, 2014.

Paul George
Team: Indiana Pacers
Position: Forward
Age: 26
Olympics appearance: 1st
Team USA experience: Named a member of the 2014-16 USA Men’s National Team on Jan. 23, 2014 (injured leg during scrimmage ahead of 2014 FIBA World Cup)

Draymond Green
Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: Forward
Age: 26
Olympics appearance: 1st
Team USA experience: Named to the 2015-16 USA Basketball National Team on Aug. 6, 2015.

Klay Thompson
Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: Guard
Age: 26
Olympics appearance: 1st
Team USA experience: FIBA World Cup (2014-Gold); FIBA U19 World Championship (2009-Gold); Named a member of the 2014-16 USA Men’s National Team on Jan. 23, 2014.

Kyrie Irving
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Position: Guard
Age: 24
Olympics appearance: 1st
Team USA experience: FIBA World Cup (2014-Gold); FIBA Americas U18 Championship (2010-Gold); Named a member of the 2014-16 USA Men’s National Team on Jan. 23, 2014.

Jimmy Butler
Team: Chicago Bulls
Position: Guard
Age: 26
Olympics appearance: 1st
Team USA experience: Named to the 2015-16 USA Basketball National Team on Aug. 6, 2015.

DeMarcus Cousins
Team: Sacramento Kings
Position: Center
Age: 25
Olympics appearance: 1st
Team USA experience: FIBA World Cup (2014-Gold); Named a member of the 2014-16 USA Men’s National Team on Jan. 23, 2014.

DeAndre Jordan
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Center
Age: 27
Olympics appearance: 1st
Team USA experience: FIBA U19 World Championship (2007-Silver); Named to the 2015-16 USA Basketball National Team on Aug. 6, 2015.

Kyle Lowry
Team: Toronto Raptors
Position: Guard
Age: 30
Olympics appearance: 1st
Team USA experience: None

DeMar DeRozan
Team: Toronto Raptors
Position: Guard
Age: 26
Olympics appearance: 1st
Team USA experience: FIBA World Cup (2014-Gold); Named a member of the 2014-16 USA Men’s National Team on July 14, 2014.

Harrison Barnes
Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: Forward
Age: 24
Olympics appearance: 1st
Team USA experience: Named to the 2015-16 USA Basketball National Team on Aug. 6, 2015.

Anthony Committed to Representing the U.S. at the 2016 Summer Games

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Carmelo Anthony is ready to play (Olympic) ball…

The United States men’s Olympic basketball team is taking shape, with the 32-year-old half-Puerto Rican basketball star among the players committed to representing the U.S. at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Anthony has been a member of the United States Olympic men’s national team three times, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. In 2012, Anthony set the USA men’s Olympic team record for most points in a single game when he scored 37 points against Nigeria.

In addition to Anthony, DeAndre Jordan, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson and Toronto Raptors teammates Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have committed to representing the U.S.

Meanwhile, LeBron James confirmed Thursday that he won’t be a part of it.

Anthony has a chance to become the first men’s basketball player to win three Olympic gold medals.

USA Basketball will officially announce its 12-man roster for Rio next week.

Anthony said last month that he was unsure whether he’d play, in part because of concerns over the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness affecting Brazil. Other Olympics athletes have expressed concern over the virus.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff will hold a four-day training camp in Las Vegas from July 18 to July 21, and then the team will play five exhibition games, starting July 22 against Argentina and ending August 1 against Nigeria.

The Olympic basketball tournament will take place Aug. 6-21 in Rio de Janeiro.

Anthony Earns Webby Awards Nomination for His Online Video Series “Stay Melo”

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Carmelo Anthony is a web master…

Nominations for the 20th annual Webby Awards have been announced, with the 31-year-old half-Puerto Rican New York Knicks star making the list of nominees.

Anthony earned a nod in the Best Web Personality/Host (Online Film & Video) for his online video series, “Stay Melo” (also known as #StayMe7o).

Anthony’s competing in that category against YouTube star Tyler Oakley, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” host Jerry Seinfeld, “Kid President” Robby Novak and “The Slow Mo Guys,” who create science-themed videos in slow motion.

But Anthony isn’t the only Latino athlete to earn a nomination…

Neymar Jr. is nominated in the Virtual Reality: Gaming, Interactive or Real-Time (Online Film & Video) category.

The 24-year-old Brazilian soccer star, who plays for FC Barcelona, is nominated for The Neymar Jr. Effect. It’s a mobile game that allows you to move your phone around to take the pitch as Brazil’s #10.

The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS) is celebrating the 20th annual Webby Awards this year, recognizing noteworthy trends and advancements on the web.

IADAS members will select the winners, which will be announced April 26 and presented at May 16 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

The public has a chance to cast their votes for their pick of the best of the Internet. Voting for the Webby People’s Voice Awards is open from now until Thursday, April 21, 2016 at 11:59 PM (PT).

Here are the categories featuring Latino/Latino-themed content:

Best Web Personality/Host (Online Film & Video)

Tyler Oakley
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
The Slow Mo Guys
Kid President
Carmelo Anthony

Events (Social)

Coders vs. Cancer
#RugbyBattle
Instaconcert
The 69th Annual Tony Awards: An Integrated Digital Experience
The 16th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards – Social Media Celebration

Virtual Reality: Gaming, Interactive or Real-Time (Online Film & Video)

Cardboard Crash VR for Google Cardboard
Insidious Chapter 3: Into the Further
House on Hallow Hill
William Hill: Get in the Race
The Neymar Jr. Effect

Gasol & the Memphis Grizzlies Agree to Five-Year Max Deal Worth $110 million

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Marc Gasol will keep walking (and dribbling) in Memphis…

The 30-year-old Spanish professional basketball player and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a five-year max contract worth an estimated $110 million, according to ESPN sources.

The deal includes a player option that would allow Gasol to opt out and become a free agent after the fourth year of the contract, according to sources.

The exact monetary value of the deal, which was agreed to Monday, will be determined by the league’s salary cap.

Gasol, as previously reported by ESPN, shunned the opportunity to let interested teams court him in free agency, signaling to the rest of the league ‎that he essentially was unavailable to everyone except Memphis.

‎Teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers‎, New York Knicks ‎and Milwaukee Bucks‎ — all of whom had designs on making a run at the Spaniard in free agency — abandoned all plans to pitch Gasol before free agency began.

Players and teams can come to verbal agreements on deals, but no contracts can be formally signed until Thursday, when a leaguewide moratorium on roster business is lifted.

Gasol was selected with the 48th overall pick by the Lakers in the 2007 draft. In the 2008 deal that brought his brother Pau Gasol to the Lakers, Marc Gasol’s rights were sent to the Grizzlies.

In seven seasons with Memphis, Gasol has developed into one of the league’s premier big men, winning NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. He was selected as first-team All-NBA last season, second-team All-NBA in 2014, and he has twice been named an All-Star (2012, ’15).

Gasol has averaged double-figure scoring in all seven of his NBA seasons, with a career-high 17.6 points per game last season in 81 games, all starts. He was regarded as the anchor of one of the league’s best defensive teams despite not being an elite rim protector (1.6 blocks per game last season).

Gasol was an integral piece to the Grizzlies’ rise, leading them to 55 wins last season and a first-round playoff victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. The Grizzlies have appeared in five consecutive postseasons and made it to the Western Conference finals in 2013 before bowing out in four games to the San Antonio Spurs.

In 2011, Gasol signed a four-year, $58 million deal with the Grizzlies.

Lopez ThisClose to Signing with the New York Knicks

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Robin Lopez is in a New York state of mind…

The 27-year-old half-Cuban American professional basketball player, a free-agent center, will sign with the New York Knicks as long as DeAndre Jordan, as expected, chooses the Los Angeles Clippers or Dallas Mavericks and not the Knicks, according to ESPN sources.

Lopez has picked the Knicks over the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal reportedly valued at $12 million a year.

If he ends up in New York, he’ll be the second free agent picked up by Phil Jackson and the Knicks in the 2015 offseason. Earlier Thursday, New York agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract with Arron Afflalo.

Lopez is known as a strong defender and rebounder, two areas in which the 17-win Knicks struggled last season. The 7-foot center averaged 8.7 rebounds per 36 minutes last season, including 4.2 on the offensive end.

New York now awaits Jordan’s decision with the insurance of a Lopez agreement in hand. The terms of Lopez’s agreement are not yet known.

Lopez played the past two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. He was selected 15th overall by the Phoenix Suns in 2008, playing his first four seasons there. The New Orleans Pelicans acquired him via sign-and-trade in 2012, with Lopez starting all 82 games that season. The Blazers acquired him in a three-team trade before the 2013-14 season.

He recorded 29 double-doubles and set a franchise record for offensive rebounds in his first season with the Blazers. He missed 23 games last season due to a broken hand suffered in December but still averaged 9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, anchoring Portland’s interior defense.

A seven-year veteran, Lopez holds career averages of 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 465 games.

La La Anthony to Star on A&E’s “Unforgettable”

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It could be an unforgettable year for La La Anthony…

The 35-year-old Puerto Rican actress and reality television star, whose real name Alani Nicole Anthony, has joined the cast of Unforgettable as a series regular.

The crime procedural, formerly appearing CBS and now running on A&E, is produced by Sony Television and has a 13-week order for its fourth season.

Anthony, also a fashion-and-cosmetics mogul and best-selling author of The Love Playbook (and the new The Power Playbook; her husband is New York Knicks power forward Carmelo Anthony, will play Delina Michaels, an up-and-coming medical examiner successful in everything but, alas, love. She becomes indispensable at the Major Crimes lab of the NYPD, as well as romantically challenged in her new job.

Anthony Signs Lucrative Five-Year Deal to Stay with the New York Knicks

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Carmelo Anthony has made a decision in the knick of time…

The 30-year-old half-Puerto Rican basketball star has signed a new five-year contract with the New York Knicks worth $124 million, $5 million less than the maximum, according to ESPN New York.

Anthony’s deal also includes a rare no-trade clause and has an early termination option after the fourth year, according to league sources.

He was eligible to sign a contract for a maximum of $129 million but agreed to a deal worth $5 million less to give the Knicks more financial flexibility to pursue free agents in future summers.

Anthony will make a maximum salary of $22.458 million in the first year of his contract.

League sources told ESPN New York that Anthony’s contract will increase “slightly” in the second year but less than the maximum increase of 7.5 percent.

This is pivotal for the Knicks because they hope to attract big-name free agents in the summer of 2015. Anthony’s taking less than the maximum in the second year of his contract will give them extra money to do so.

Anthony also has an early termination option after the fourth year of his contract, sources say. That will allow Anthony to test free agency in the summer of 2018 if he so chooses.

In addition, league sources confirmed Anthony has a no-trade clause in his contract, which is rare in the NBA.

Anthony first mentioned in February the possibility that he would accept a contract worth less than the maximum in free agency.

“Without a doubt,” Anthony said while in New Orleans for All-Star Weekend. “Any opportunity I have to build that up in New York, I’d do it. I told people all the time, always say, ‘If it takes me taking a pay cut, I’ll be the first one on [Knicks owner] Mr. [James] Dolan‘s steps saying take my money and let’s build something strong over here.'”

The Knicks hope to be able to attract top-level talent to New York in the summer of 2015, when players such as Rajon Rondo, Marc Gasol and Roy Hibbert may test the market.

Gasol Reportedly Inching Closer to Deal with the Chicago Bulls

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Pau Gasol may be dealing with plenty of bull in the near future…

The 34-year-old Spanish professional basketball player is reportedly thisclose to joining the Chicago Bulls, according to the Spanish newspaper Marca and other media reports.

The paper first reported late Friday that the Bulls are closing in on a deal with Gasol despite the absence of a sign-and-trade agreement with his most recent team, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com late Friday that a sign-and-trade arrangement had not been struck, with the Lakers still looking for draft compensation — as they received in Friday’s earlier trade with the Houston Rockets to take back the contract of Jeremy Lin — as the primary return for Gasol.

ESPN.com reported earlier Friday that the Bulls and San Antonio Spurs had emerged as the two leading candidates to land Gasol, with San Antonio poised to land the Spaniard if the Bulls and Lakers could not finalize a sign-and-trade deal.

Sources told ESPN.com late Friday that the Bulls were prioritizing their pursuit of Gasol even ahead of their long-running efforts to sign Carmelo Anthony, fearing that Anthony remains likely to stay with the New York Knicks.

The Lakers appear resigned to seeing Gasol exit after a successful six seasons together. Prior to Friday, the Lakers offered Gasol two deals: two years worth $23 million, and three years worth $29 million, a National Basketball League source told ESPNLosAngeles.com. Gasol turned down both offers, according to the source.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been pursuing Gasol as hard as anyone, but sources indicated Friday that the Spurs have joined the Bulls ahead of the Thunder in Gasol’s pecking order.

The Thunder had a $6.5 million trade exception that expired Friday night at 11:59 p.m. ET that they had hoped to use in their own sign-and-trade with L.A.

Making hard runs at free agents is not something seen often from the Thunder, but Gasol had been lobbied face to face by OKC stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as well as coach Scott Brooks and general manager Sam Presti since free agency began.

The Knicks, meanwhile, had been trying to trade Amar’e Stoudemire or Andrea Bargnani in hopes of clearing sufficient salary-cap space to convince Gasol to come to New York to play alongside a re-signed Anthony. But sources said Friday night that the Knicks, like the Lakers and Thunder, appeared to be out of contention.

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