The labor agreement, that still must be ratified by the players, does not include the so-called “Melo Rule,” which would have prohibited players from signing Bird rights extensions with teams that acquired them via trade after July 1 and in advance of their final season under contract. For example, if the rule had been in place last season, Anthony would not have been allowed to sign a Bird rights extension with the Knicks upon being traded by the Denver Nuggets. During a personal appearance last month in Manhattan, Anthony laughed when he heard about the proposed “Melo Rule.” “I’m just glad I can be part of something,” Anthony said. “When I’m dead and gone, the Melo Rule will still be here. I’m just excited that they named a rule after me.” Instead, the Melo Rule is dead and gone, which was one of the concessions by owners. The elimination of the Melo Rule is beneficial to the Knicks who have targeted Paul for nearly two years. It was at Carmelo Anthony’s wedding in July 2010 when Paul made a toast that he, Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire would “form our own Big 3” in New York. That was seven months prior to Anthony forcing his way out of Denver and onto the Knicks roster. Coincidentally, it was LeBron James, fresh off of leaving Cleveland in order to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, who put the idea in Paul’s head. James, who is also close to the young point guard, told Paul that his best chance to compete for an NBA title would be to partner with Anthony and Stoudemire. As strange as it may seem, LeBron is turning out to be a strong ally for the Knicks. He was responsible for picking the teams for the South Florida All-Star Classic last month, and as fate would have it, he made sure that Paul, Anthony and Stoudemire were on the same roster. “Do you think Knick fans liked that?” Anthony said at the time. “I’m sure they did. I liked it.”