Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov spoke with the press before the Nets' game against Utah tonight. A comment on the Carmelo Anthony negotiations was expected -- the tone of his comment was not. Prokhorov told the assembled media:

I am not happy with the way this deal has gone until now. It has taken too long. It has played out in public. And uncertainy has taken a toll on the players, and I believe it has cost us several games... The management of the team did a great job, but there comes a time when the price is simply too expensive. I am instructing our team to walk away from the deal, and the meeting, which was supposed to be held by our management tomorrow in Denver with Carmelo is hereby canceled.

Didn't see THAT coming, did you?

There are two ways to interpret this. Either Denver general manager Masai Ujiri over-played his hand -- believed the Nets were desperate to sign a big name, and that he'd be able to bully Billy King into taking on another bad contract or giving up another young talent. Or, it became clear to the Nets that Anthony has no intention of signing an extension with them, and they backed out of the talks to save face.

Today's rumor that Anthony's representatives are trying to draw the Bulls back into the discussion gives the latter theory a little extra weight.

• Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors

Harlem Globetrotters Herb Lang and Andrew Lofton - better known as "Flight Time" and "Big Easy," respectively - will be competing in the next edition of The Amazing Race.

The 'Trotters are one of eleven teams that will be returning to the reality show, which is bringing back popular teams from previous seasons for Amazing Race: Unfinished Business, which will premiere on Sunday, February 20th on CBS.

NBA fans that are also Amazing Race fans will want to set their DVRs for that one... the show will air opposite the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.

Carmelo Anthony's representatives are trying to get the Chicago Bulls involved in trade talks with Denver, Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting.

The Bulls were considered a potential suitor back when this process started, but it's hard to imagine what they could offer that would interest the Nuggets. Chicago would love to turn Luol Deng into 'Melo... but Deng's contract has three years and $40 million remaining on his deal. Also worth noting: the Bulls are a top-three team in the East right now, despite the fact that both Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah have missed substantial chunks of the season due to injury.

The Nuggets did express interest in Noah at one point, but got a polite-but-firm "thanks, but no thanks" in response.

Talks between the Nets and Nuggets seem to be at a stalemate, as Denver continues to ask the Nets to take on more of their bad contracts, and get another promising young player in return. The Knicks seem to be lying in wait, hoping the Nets/Nuggets discussions collapse completely and force Ujiri to accept their deal.

The Knicks' likeliest offer would include Eddy Curry's expiring contract, Danilo Gallinari, Landry Fields and a pick or two. The Nuggets are wary of accepting Wilson Chandler in a trade because Chandler will be a restricted free agent after this season.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh told reporters this week that he has the option of acquiring multiple first-round picks, should he decide to do so. It's easy enough to figure how he'd get one... several teams are reportedly interested in little-used-but-promising forward Anthony Randolph, including the Pacers and T-Wolves.

But most of Walsh's other trade-able assets - the expiring contracts of Eddy Curry and Kelenna Azubuike, for example - are either too valuable to deal for a pick or not valuable enough to bring one back. So how does he plan to get multiple picks -- picks he might need to convince Denver to part with Carmelo Anthony?

It seems the wily Walsh has found a loophole in NBA rules prohibiting trades of first-rounders in successive years.

First, a little background. As most fans following the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors are well aware, the Knicks don't have a first-round draft pick to include in a trade until 2014. They own first-rounders in 2011 and 2013, but their 2012 pick is the property of the Houston Rockets, as part of last year's Tracy McGrady trade, and the so-called "Ted Stepien Rule" prohibits teams from dealing their first-rounder in two straight years.

But here's the thing... if Walsh can acquire a 2012 first-round pick, he re-gains the option of including his 2011 or 2013 picks in a deal. Many thought the 2011 wouldn't be an option because the Knicks had no first-rounder in 2010, but the Stepien Rule doesn't apply to drafts that have already occurred.

And that's the loophole.

Suddenly, the Knicks' chances of putting together a Carmelo Anthony trade proposal comparable to the Nets' seem a whole lot more plausible.

The Ted Stepien rule rule was put in place after Stepien - owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1980-83 - made a habit of dealing future first-round picks for marginal veteran players. Some of the picks Stepien traded away turned into stars like James Worthy, Derek Harper, Detlef Schrempf and Dennis Rodman.

• What is the Ted Stepien Rule?
• Carmelo Anthony Trade Talk