Something might be amiss in the Los Angeles Clippers locker room for the trade to even be discussed.
ESPN is reporting that the New York Knicks have discussed proposing a trade with the Clippers that would send Carmelo Anthony to L.A. in exchange for Blake Griffin. The report added that the Clippers management has had internal talks about such a deal.
But ESPN goes on to report that the teams have not yet talked to each other about a potential trade, which makes the fact that both sides are having internal discussions about it somewhat puzzling.
The deal would make sense for the Knicks, who might lose Anthony to free agency next summer. New York is 10-22 this season and in jeopardy of missing the playoffs.
That the Clippers are considering the trade is more difficult to understand. They have been good but not great under first-year coach Doc Rivers, who was supposed to be the missing piece in getting them to the NBA Finals.
The 24-year-old Griffin, according to ESPN, is averaging 26 points and nearly 11 rebounds in his last 10 games. The 29-year-old Anthony is a scorer who's not known for his defense, which would seem to be in contrast to the type of player Rivers would covet.
But CBSSports.com reported that when Anthony got married in 2010, Paul was a guest and toasted to a future pairing with Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. It also reported that several media outlets indicated a rift existed last season between Paul and Griffin, although the issues apparently were resolved over the summer.
Paul separated his shoulder Friday night during the Clippers' 119-112 win over the Dallas Mavericks and is expected to miss three to five weeks.
CBSSports.com speculated that Paul's absence would make the Clippers more apprehensive, but Anthony, who is averaging 26.3 points per game this season, would seem to be a better candidate to pick up the scoring slack left by Paul's absence.
Blake likely will miss Paul's ability to set him up for shots he likes.
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