Carmelo Anthony spoke openly about his wish for the Knicks to acquire Chris Paul, who will be a free agent in 2012.

"If it works out and he comes here and they allow him to come here, you'll see a smile from ear to ear," Anthony said during an appearance in Greenwich Village. "It's not just me. It's everybody [in New York]. If he decides to leave New Orleans and goes somewhere else, they'll be feeling the same way I'm feeling."

The Knicks could have enough cap space to sign him depending on what happens with the NBA's new salary cap.

Anthony has grown closer to Paul this summer and have played together during exhibition games.

Anthony acknowledged Paul has spent a lot of time in New York during the lockout, and not just because he's one of the negotiating committee members.

"He spent a lot of time here last year too but people weren't hearing about it because there was a lot of [other stuff] going on," Anthony said. "But we don't talk about [the Knicks]. . . . I'm not one to blow smoke up your [butt]. If I was talking to Chris about coming to New York, I'd tell you. It's a sensitive situation for him. I stay away from it and we have fun."

David West, an unrestricted free agent, has been given a full doctor's clearance to return from his ACL surgery.

West's agent Lance Young confirmed the news.

West has played his entire career with the Hornets.

The Hornets and Pacers will likely be the leading candidates to sign West.

Several of the NBA's biggest stars are planning an overseas world tour.

From October 30th to November 9th, players will tour Puerto Rico, London, Macau and Australia.

Players will be paid up to $1 million and some of the money will also go to charity.

Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Blake Griffin, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Paul and Carlos Boozer are expected to appear.

Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett may also appear in the tour.

If the NBA is able to reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement, then the tour will be canceled.

The Hornets have continued negotiations on a sale amid the NBA's continuing lockout.

Jac Sperling, chairman and governor of the Hornets, spoke with the Times-Picayune about the situation.

"Actually, we’ve started having conversations with potential owners already," said Sperling. "The number of potential owners has grown. I think the commissioner mentioned there were four or five, and I think the number has increased a little bit. There are some potential owners who live in New Orleans and some who live outside of New Orleans. But all of them understand that they would be buying a team that would have a long-term lease here. And that’s the goal — to extend the lease to a long-term arrangement with the state as part of finding a new owner."

When a new owner takes possession of the Hornets, Sperling says there won't be out clauses that would allow him to relocate the team.

"The lease will have a term and the team will be required to stay here through that term. Our goal is to get to that point quickly."

Chris Paul hosted his first charity pickup game at Winston-Salem State that included LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony.

“I hope the fans are enjoying this, but I guarantee nobody is enjoying it more than us,’’ Paul said. “These guys flew in here on their own time. People say this and that about NBA players and professional athletes, but these guys are doing this out of the goodness of their heart.’’

Durant, who scored 66 points in a game at Rucker Park in August, had 48 to lead Paul’s white team to a 175-146 victory against James’ and Wade’s black team. Paul scored 39 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had eight assists. Wade had 32 and James had 30 with several coming on explosive dunks.