Mannix on D&C: A Posey return 'possible'

Sports Illustrated NBA writer Chris Mannix joined the Dennis & Callahan show Tuesday morning to talk about the Carmelo Anthony trade to the Knicks and the possibility the Celtics may make a deal before Thursday's trade deadline.

Mannix felt that the Anthony trade -- which saw the Knicks give up Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov and a 2014 first-round draft pick -- was a "no-brainer" for New York. 

"You cannot hold up a deal of this magnitude because you think 24-year-old Timofey Mozgov is going to be a franchise center," Mannix said. "He is not a franchise change player the way Carmelo Anthony is. The only real assets I thought the Knicks gave up in this trade were Danilo Gallinari and a first-round pick. And when you break it down, Carmelo is essentially replacing Gallinari and that first-round pick is going to be somewhere in the late teens, early twenties by 2014."

Mannix does feel that the Knicks are now positioned to be a significant factor in the Eastern Conference in the coming years, but cautions those who believe that they will be a threat in 2011. 

"I think they are going to be -- at times -- a disaster" said Mannix. "Remember, they just gutted their team of three starters and now they are incorporating a ball-stopping small forward on a team that already has a ball-stopping power forward. Mike D'Antoni is going to have a nightmarish time for the rest of the year trying to incorporate those guys."

A recent ESPN report suggested that the Celtics were interested in a possible deal for Houston's Shane Battier, but Mannix quickly downplayed it.

"You just can't get him. It was almost comical when I read that," said Mannix of the Battier rumor. "Everybody knows that Shane Battier would be great, he comes off the bench and is unselfish. The guy is a brilliant, perfect fit for every contending team in the league. But the simple fact is that the Celtics have zero assets to get him. Even if they offered up Jermaine O'Neal, Avery Bradley and a first-round pick it wouldn't be enough to get Shane Battier … the second I checked in with people in Houston I was scoffed at."

As for who the Celtics might be able to land before Thursday's trade deadline, Mannix pointed to a key member of Boston's 2008 title team.

"No question that they need a back-up small forward, and if the Marquis Daniels injury is as bad as we think, and he's not going to be back this year -- which we still really don't know at this stage -- I would have a hard time seeing Boston winning a championship," Mannix said. "They need to have a quality backup in that spot, like they've had over the last few years … I think right now what Boston is looking at is what they have done the last couple of years, where they see what the buyout situation sort of looks like. And one name to keep an eye on is James Posey out in Indiana. The change to Frank Vogel as head coach out there has totally made Posey irrelevant. In the past, I was told Posey was not interested in securing a buyout. But that could change if he continues not to play. If they could work out a decent deal with James Posey it's possible that he could wind up back in Boston."

To hear the entire interview click on the Dennis and Callahan audio on demand page [1]. For more Celtics news visit the team page at weei.com/celtics [2].