Nene just resigned with the Nuggets. Dallas just got rid of more salary while adding Odom and they still haven't used their amnesty thus positioning themselves to potentially acquire 2 stars, if possible, as FAs in 2012. And Brick Slopez and 2 trash picks will simply not be enough to entice Otis Smith to trade him to the Nets. Never has and never will be. Even Stevie Wonder can see where this is heading: The Nets are going to have to trade Deron Williams this year.

Is Deron to the Knicks for Melo desirable or even feasible assuming the Nets are amenable to such a trade? I say Melo assuming that Amare would be undesirable to Billy King. I know. We thought we put another year of angst-ridden trade speculation behind us by acquiring Tyson Chandler. Count me among the 98 percent of toasters that were looking forward to serenity now. Unfortunately, due to Pokhorov's overplaying his hand(for the second straight year) with Nene and Dwight negotiations, the painful inevitability that the Nets face is that they will absolutely suck in comparison with the other Eastern Powers, including the Knicks, no matter what they do between now and next summer, thus forcing them to field offers for free-agent in waiting Deron Williams.

Consider the possibility that perhaps the Toney or Iman experiment doesnt work? I think it will. But lets say it wont. We do know that 1)Deron would be amenable to the trade for obvious reasons 2)The nets will have to make a move and ironically getting the same Brooklyn-born star they lost out to the Knicks in March may be ideal for them under the circumstances 3)Knicks have a more than adequate SF in Landry to replace Melo in case he gets traded.

I absolutely do not want to trade either Melo or Amare. But if the current Knicks lineup fails to produce sufficient wins because of a lack of chemistry by midseason is it acceptable to entertain the foresaid possibility?