Why Carmelo Anthony Should Demand A Trade Now
1. The premiere player in next yearโs free agency derby is Carmelo Anthony. Meloโ is the only marquee name in next yearโs free agency crop. This would be great for Carmelo during any normal year but next year is anything but normal.
The NBA is on the verge of having a lockout for the 2011 season and contracts will likely get smallerย with a new CBA. Carmelo should leverage his power now to force a trade where he can get a max deal before the old CBA expires.
2. The Nuggets appear to have peaked and are not getting any younger. Kenyon Martin, Chauncey Billups, and Chris Andersen are all well over the age of 30. The Nuggets window appears to have closed at the end of the 2008 season.
The Nuggets roster is old and adding 30 year old Al Harrington isnโt going to make them any younger.
3. Carmelo has given the City of Denver seven great seasons and doesnโt owe them anymore. Just as LeBron James and Chris Bosh left their original teams, Carmelo should do the same.
He is going into his eighth NBA season and on the verge of entering his prime. Carmelo should spend his best years chasing championship rings and not getting bounced by the Lakers for the next two to three years.
4. Carmelo needs to play in a basketball market. LeBron James is a NBA superstar in any city that he plays in. LeBronโs star would shine bright in Toronto, Memphis, or Portland. Carmeloโs talents are not fully appreciated in Denver because it is a football town.
If Carmelo played in Chicago, New York or Los Angeles, he would be mentioned with the likes of Dwayne Wade. Meloโ is a top five player in the NBA and the second best small forward in the league behind LeBron James.
Meloโ averaged 28 PPG and nearly seven REB last year and stepped his averages up to 30.7 PPG and 8.5 REB in the playoffs. His stellar play went unnoticed because the Nuggets were bounced after six games.
What do you think? Should Meloโ stay in Denver?
