The decision made a few days ago by the New York Knicks’ front office to put a temporary hold on Carmelo Anthony trade talks was certain to cause a stir, particularly with so many people around the league whispering that a trade was ever so close to completion.

Chief among the irritated parties is Melo himself, who had already embraced a trade to the Rockets as inevitable. Unfortunately for the veteran forward, there’s a new player at MSG in general manager Scott Perry. And this dude has some wild ideas, per Ian Begley:

With Perry's hiring from Sacramento and the promotion of Mills to president, the Knicks have paused those trade discussions, in part because New York has been unhappy with the recent proposed returns on an Anthony deal, league sources said. As Perry starts to shape the front office and impact policy, another realization has washed over the organization: Months of organizational harping on Anthony, driven largely by deposed president of basketball operations Jackson, has dramatically lowered Anthony's trade value.

Can’t you just imagine Perry storming into MSG headquarters on Day 1 and exclaiming, “You know, fellas, maybe we don’t have to trade Melo for garbage,” followed by a collective gasp from the rest of the staff? It’s that kind of outside-the-box thinking that’s earning him the big bucks!

Melo might be feeling a bit uncomfortable at this point—honestly, it’s hard to blame him—but the fact is that there are some new players in this drama. Phil Jackson was desperate to trade Melo for anything because he had a dumb, petty agenda that the new regime (I pray) doesn’t share.

Another interesting tidbit from Begley’s article: The Trail Blazers, who seemed to be an ideal partner for Houston and New York in any three-team deal, aren’t interested in getting in on some of this action unless they themselves receive Melo. Damn you, Blazers...just take Ryan Anderson like you’re supposed to!

I hope Melo ends up happy and the Knicks get lots of cool stuff for him. Make it happen somehow, Mr. Perry.