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NBA All-Star Game gives Carmelo Anthony chance to recruit All-Stars

By Nick Ziegler

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The NBA All-Star Game is coming to New York, and New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is excited to be hosting the event.

The timing is good for the Knicks and Anthony, with this being such an important offseason upcoming for the Knicks, Anthony will have the opportunity to sell All-Stars on coming to New York to join forces with him. Last year Anthony was the highly-coveted free agent, but this year he’ll be the one doing some recruiting.

“That was kind of the talk of All-Star Weekend last year,” Anthony said. “I’ve had that experience maybe twice now, last year and then the one in L.A. a couple of years back right before I got to New York. Now it’s my turn. Now it’s my turn to extend the favor.”

With the moves that Phil Jackson has made the Knicks are looking at a lot of cap space to play with, and can certainly add one of the big fish. Three of the biggest impending free agents will be in New York for the All-Star Game, as Marc Gasol, Paul Millsap, and LaMarcus Aldridge will all be in there. Adding any of those three players next season would instantly be a huge improvement to the Knicks’ frontcourt that has been starting Jason Smith and Louis Amundson.

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Luckily for Anthony he hopes the Knicks and the atmosphere in Madison Square Garden will sell itself.

“For the most part, guys pretty much know New York. Especially veteran guys who have been in the league for a long time,” Anthony said. “People come here in the summertime, in the offseason, they spend time here. When they come to play, they spend time being out and about and just experiencing different things. I am pretty sure people already know New York. It is just a matter of kind of knowing and learning the Knicks organization at that point.”

“The Garden will be lit up, it will be bright, there will be a lot of people in there, it will be loud and it will be exciting. So for other players to see that, I am pretty sure that will be impressive,” Anthony said.

This season has not been a fun one for Anthony or the Knicks, as Anthony’s knee could very well lead to him shutting it down soon after the All-Star Game. The Knicks are one of the worst teams in the NBA, and have nothing but developing some young players to play for.

Next: Who Were the Top 25 Athletes in New York Last Year?

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