Hours before his first game as a Knick, Carmelo Anthony said playing for New York is a "dream come true."
"And I'm ready to rock," said Anthony, who traded in his No. 15 Nuggets jersey for No. 7 with the Knicks.
The Knicks' future starts tonight, when a very different looking team hosts the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden.
Early Tuesday it wasn't even clear whether Anthony, Chauncey Billups and the other new players would suit up.
Typically, just-traded players must pass a physical before they can suit up. If the new faces hadn't been able to play, the Knicks would have had just nine bodies available for tonight's game. Instead, it is, as they say, go time.
Anthony, who passed his physical and signed a three-year contract extension, will be on the court for the tip off.
But the Brooklyn native won't be wearing No. 15, which he sported during his seven-year career in Denver. He'll be No. 7.
Knicks tickets have gone through the roof since the Anthony trade.
Ticket site StubHub.com reports that they've been the top-selling ticket on the site. Before the trade was announced, listings started at $60, and afterward, skyrocketed to $250. Courtside seats are now thousands of dollars.
It's likely there may be a premium on tickets for the rest of the season, regardless of how well the team plays.
It's New York, 'Melo is a super star, and he provides Knicks fans something they haven't had in ages: hope. And while New York fans aren't a patient lot, there will still be a honeymoon period.
