Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: 10 Reasons Not to Sign Denver Nuggets Extension
As if the Carmelo Anthony trade talks weren't creating enough commotion around the NBA as of late, here is another twist added onto the drama-filled midseason trade talks.
One day after rumors began to spread about the possibility of Carmelo taking his talents to Los Angeles, Anthony has now said that he is willing to stay put and would consider signing the three-year, $65 million contract extension if he isn't dealt to another team by the trade deadline.
This whole story has gotten a little out of hand at this point, and with this news coming now, who knows what will happen with Anthony.
But as he ponders his decision of what to do, and as the Knicks, Lakers and whatever other organizations are in talks about trading for him, we have to ask; is signing this extension with the Nuggets really the best move for Anthony?
Let's break this down and look at 10 reasons why the NBA superstar forward should not sign this extension with Denver.
10. Carmelo Isn't the Only One Who Wants Out
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The Denver Nuggets are one of the most talented franchises in all of basketball from top to bottom. But for some reason, it seems like half the team wants out of Denver.
Anthony, J.R. Smith and Nene, three of the teams best players, have all been rumored to be potential trade pieces and get their wish to leave the Nuggets organization.
All signs point to this team being on a falling path rather than on the rise. If Carmelo were to sign this three-year extension, he might not have the talent that they have right now.
9. Teams Will Shy Away From You In the Future
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If Carmelo Anthony wants to get out of Denver and move on to a big city like New York or L.A., the time is now.
If he ends up signing the extension with the Nuggets, after all the trouble that some of these organizations, especially the Knicks, have gone through, these organizations will not want to go through anything like this again in the future.
Carmelo needs to be traded or picked up as a free agent, otherwise teams will not have the interest to deal with the Denver Nuggets in trade talks.
8. Why Create All This Media Attention and Then Just Resort Back To Option One?
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Carmelo Anthony is one of the best players in the NBA today, no questions asked. He is exciting to watch and has a huge fan base.
But if Anthony resorts back to just settling for signing this extension in Denver, this could very well be looked at as a "cop out move."
He came out and said he wanted out of Denver (although he claims to deny that). The guy clearly wants to play in new York, be in the big city, be the star of the biggest sports town in the country. So then why would he create this huge scene and then just resort back to option one, which he has said in the past that he doesn't want to do?
Can you sense that this is a little frustrating even to write about...
7. Denver Is Not Helping Your Current Situation
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Right now, teams are after Carmelo Anthony. One would have to believe that multiple teams have called the Nuggets front office about getting a deal done for Anthony.
Carmelo has made it clear that he wants to be traded and the Nuggets front office is aware of this. But yet, a deal can not be done.
If I'm looking at this entire situation and breaking it down, I would have to say that the Nuggets are the ones to blame here. They have multiple offers out on the table, but they appear to be too selfish to pull the trigger on any of them, which in return, is creating a huge media spectrum that everyone is getting pretty sick of to be quite honest.
The Denver Nuggets are the problem here, so why would Carmelo want to sign with a team that refuses to give him what he wants?
6. The Trend Is Having a Big-Three, and You Don't Have One In Denver
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It has become more than evident over the past couple of years, that the new trend in the NBA is to bring superstars together and create as many dominate tandems as possible. The good teams in the league are getting better, and the worst teams in the league are getting even worse.
So with that said, let's look at these potential big-three options for Carmelo.
New York- Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Raymond Felton
Los Angeles- Anthony, Kobe, Pau Gasol
Denver- Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Nene (who might be moved before the deadline)
It is pretty obvious here that Denver has the weakest of those three options. If Anthony wants to get with the trend and have his team compete, he should back away from the idea of signing that three-year extension with Denver.
5. Not The Big City Life
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Alicia Keys said it best "These streets will make you feel brand new, The lights will inspire you, Lets here it for New York, New York, New York."
This is the life that Carmelo Anthony wants to live, and that is not going to be the case if he signs this three-year extension with the Nuggets.
If not New York, then L.A., if not either of those two, then Carmelo Anthony isn't really going to be happy. Bottom line.
4. The Nuggets Do Not Have Much Youthful Talent
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If the Nuggets had a bright future ahead of them, signing that three-year extension with Denver might make a lot more sense.
But the Nuggets really don't have much youthful talent. In fact, they don't have any at all.
Ty Lawson and Arron Afflalo are the best, young players that the Nuggets have, and neither of them are going to lead the Denver Nuggets to an NBA Championship.
Signing the extension just doesn't make a lot of sense if your looking at the future of this franchise right now.
3. Everyone Will Dislike You Even More
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If I were a betting man, I put put some money down on the fact that Carmelo Anthony has lost some fan appeal throughout this whole process.
He has dominated the sports airwaves as of late, and after over a month of non-stop trade talk the result up to this point is absolutely nothing.
If after all this, a deal doesn't get done and he just results back to option No. 1, after telling people that he wants out of Denver, Melo will not have many fans left. In fact, it could be said that after all this, if he re-signs with Denver, Carmelo Anthony could turn into one of the most hated players in all of basketball.
2. You're So Close
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With all this talk about Carmelo being traded, one would have to believe that there is at least one deal that the Nuggets are seriously considering and are close to pulling the trigger on.
If you're Carmelo Anthony, you push your team to get a deal done, because in reality, you don't want to end up with the Denver Nuggets. This team has peaked two years ago and are only going to go down from here on out.
A deal has to be close to getting done. Don't back out now and agree to sign that extension. This has come too far for such a letdown like that.
1. You're Not Going To Win a Championship In Denver
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This is hands down the most important reason why Carmelo Anthony should not sign that extension and agree to be stuck in Denver for at least three more years.
The Nuggets made it to the NBA Finals two years ago, and since that time, the team has gotten worse, and other teams around the league have only gotten better.
This league is all about winning, and right now, the way the Nuggets roster is looking, they are not set to win an NBA Championship in the next three years.
Carmelo: If you want to win go to New York or Los Angeles, it will be well worth your time.
