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Carmelo Anthony just wants it over, without saying where he hopes it will end.
The seasonlong trade speculation involving Denver's All-Star forward is nearing completion, with the deadline for deals arriving Thursday afternoon. Anthony would love a quicker answer.
"My mind's boggled right now about this whole situation," Anthony said Friday. "I wish I could get this thing over with right now and I wish there was just something that was just on the table that the Nuggets could just say, 'OK, let's get it done.'"
There were reports it was ready to happen, as the Nuggets tried for the third time this season to complete a deal with New Jersey.
The Record of Hackensack, N.J., reported Friday that the Nets and the Nuggets had agreed on a deal, pending Anthony's agreement to signing an extension. In the deal, the Nets would acquire Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Melvin Ely and Renaldo Balkman in a package built around Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and four first-round draft picks.
Anthony said he had no idea of the deal, but, like the rest of the NBA, he wanted closure.
"The Nuggets have to weigh their options," he said. "If there's a deal with somebody else that's legit, then we all have to sit down and hash that out and talk about it. But time is ticking, man, and time is money."
There were also reports that Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov was hoping to meet with Anthony sometime this weekend, but Anthony insisted there was "no meeting at all."
And he didn't know what he would say if one was scheduled.
"If I was to meet with that guy, to be honest I really don't know what I would say," Anthony said.
Cousins, Wall lead Sophomores to win
Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins had 33 points and 14 rebounds, Washington's John Wall racked up 22 assists to win the MVP award, and the rookies rallied to beat the sophomores 148-140 Friday night in the NBA All-Star weekend's Rookie Challenge.
Led by the Kentucky connection of former college teammates Cousins and Wall, the newcomers won the lighthearted contest between the NBA's best rookies and second-year players for the second straight year.
To the accompaniment of supersonic screams from thousands of children crammed into Staples Center's lower bowl, both teams went through the usual array of alley-oops, breakaway jams and matador defense before the rookies pulled away in the final minutes. No. 1 draft pick Wall scored 12 points while surpassing Chris Paul's 2007 Rookie Challenge record of 17 assists, repeatedly setting up his fellow rookies for acrobatic dunks and wide-open jumpers.
The erstwhile Wildcats switched roles for the rookies' final basket with 12.8 seconds left, with Cousins lofting a pass off the backboard for an electric two-handed dunk by Wall, who hung on the rim for emphasis.
"Coach told us to run a couple of plays, but we knew our team was going to push the ball, and I know [Cousins] can finish," Wall said.
All-Star Blake Griffin bounced back from an elbow to the nose to score 14 points for the rookies, but the Clippers' high-flying dunk machine watched his team's late surge from the bench despite thousands of children chanting, "We want Blake!"
Los Angeles native James Harden scored 30 points for the sophomores, and San Antonio's DeJuan Blair had 28 points and 15 rebounds.