1/20 Quickie: Melo and More

Good for the Nets. You can mock them for being suckers in all this, but it was obvious from the beginning -- and throughout -- that Carmelo Anthony had NO interest in playing for them.

The Nets' pursuit of him was pathetic, given that he wouldn't -- and would never -- reciprocate. (And even if he did sign an extension with them, is there any doubt he'd bolt in three years as soon as the deal was up?)

The Nets are better off without him -- and instead focusing on getting players who WANT to be there. Or drafting good young talent and being entertaining, if not winning. I think fans can live with entertaining basketball; only 3-4 teams a year have a legit shot at the title.

As for the Nuggets, good luck getting any more than dimes on the dollar for Carmelo, who almost surely seems destined for New York. Fine -- especially if NY can get Chris Paul or Deron Williams in the summer of 2012.

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NFL Conference Championships: Everyone wants to talk about Rex Ryan and the Jets -- with good reason -- but I love this Packers-Bears game in Chicago. After what Green Bay did to the Falcons, I find it hard to believe they won't keep rolling through the Bears all the way to the SB.

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Charles Barkley being part of the NCAA Tournament broadcast is the best thing to happen to the Tournament on TV since they created the "on-demand" service that lets you watch any game you want online for free. The more Charles the better; they cannot have him on-air enough.

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This Tom Jackson thing won't go away: He picked the Pats to win by a lot, then back-tracked to say that he only did it to motivate the Jets. This is ludicrous. All Jackson has is the trust of fans that he is offering up an honest opinion. I don't expect him to be right; I expect him to be earnest. And now I'll never believe a prediction from him again. (To the extent that pre-game picks EVER matter, given that there is zero accountability for being wrong.)

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Yikes, it is a slow sports day. Last night's frenzy over Carmelo was worth it though. Did you check out Quickish's coverage? Finding that Quickish is super-helpful to keep up or catch up on those big stories in the hour or two after they break.

-- D.S.