National Basketball Association

Prokhorov won't meet with 'Melo in LA

Published Feb. 19, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has no plans to meet with Carmelo Anthony during the All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.

A spokeswoman for the Russian billionaire released an update Saturday saying that Prokhorov had not met with Anthony and has no plans to meet with the Denver Nuggets star.

"I told you that first," Anthony said after practice at the Los Angeles Convention Center. "I told you that first."

The announcement by Ellen Pinchuk casts doubt on whether the Nets will make a deal for Anthony with Thursday's NBA trading deadline fast approaching.

The Nets and Nuggets recently renewed trade talks for Anthony for the third time this season. However, Anthony, who can became a free agent after this season, insisted twice Friday that no meeting was planned with Prokhorov.

Pinchuk backed that up Saturday.

"Just to update you, Mikhail has not met with and has no plans to meet with Carmelo Anthony," she said. "He is looking forward to enjoying All Star Weekend. We will have nothing else to add on this ..."

Anthony wasn't sure why Prokhorov wouldn't seek a meeting, saying that maybe the owner was as tired as he was of the daily speculation. But Anthony said he would have agreed to sit down with him.

"Yeah, I would have broke bread with him, drunk some water with him," Anthony said.

Anthony wouldn't answer when asked about a New York Daily News report that he met with Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan on Thursday.

The Nuggets have looked into trading Anthony since he declined to sign a three-year contract extension worth nearly $65 million this season. The Nets were close to a deal twice, and the New York Knicks are considered the other favorite to land Anthony if Denver decides to move him.

The Prokhorov update seems to make the Knicks the favorite in the "Melo" sweepstakes. Anthony wants something to happen soon, but hasn't received any indication from Nuggets executive Josh Kroenke that it will.

"I believe that me and Josh have a good relationship. Since he became the owner, we've been talking a lot. The lines of communication have been open," Anthony said. "I do believe that if something was to break or happen, that he would call me or he would sit down with me and explain it."

Either team would have to give up a big portion of its roster to land Anthony. Yahoo! Sports reported Friday that the Knicks were willing to offer starters Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton.

"If anything was to happen with whatever team, of course, I would want a team to be able to compete with," Anthony said. "As far as all the players that's in the deal, that's supposed to be in the deal, yeah, that's a lot of players for one guy."

The Nuggets approached the Nets in the past week to see if they were still interested in acquiring the small forward, an NBA source close to Nets told The Associated Press on Thursday. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the team.

There were reports that the Nets and Nuggets discussed a deal that would have sent point guard Devin Harris, rookie forward Derrick Favors, the No. 3 pick in the draft, others and at least three of the Nets' five first-round draft picks over the next two seasons to Denver for Anthony, point guard Chauncey Billups and others.

The Nets were close to a deal for Anthony in training camp and there was a 10-day span in January when the Nets and Nuggets appeared on the verge of pulling off a blockbuster 15- or 16-player, three-team deal with Detroit that would have brought Anthony to New Jersey.

When the deal lingered without resolution, Prokhorov ended the speculation in dramatic fashion, saying the lingering talks were hurting his team. He also cited the high price the Nuggets were seeking and his frustration with the public nature of the talks.

On Thursday, Prokhorov's spokeswoman insisted that Prokhorov had not changed his mind with the impending NBA trading deadline approaching.

Knicks All-Star Amare Stoudemire denied a report that he was against the reported deal for Anthony.

"I don't know where you heard that from. You didn't hear it from me," he said. "It's always a touchy topic because you don't want to offend anyone . . . but Carmelo is obviously a friend. He's from New York, New York loves him."