NBA Trade Rumors: Why Carmelo Anthony Should Be Traded from Denver Nuggets ASAP
Carmelo Anthony has been the talk of the sports world in the last few months.
Will he remain in Denver as a member of the Nuggets, the only professional team he's ever played for?
Or will Melo fly the Mile High and head back to his original home, the East Coast?
There has been so much speculation about where Carmelo will be playing in 2010-11 and beyond that no one can say for sure where he will be and for what team he will be playing except him.
And while he hasn't personally come out and said that he wants to be traded, his not signing the three-year, $65 million contract extension is speaking volumes for itself.
If Melo doesn't want to be in Denver, it will devastate the Nuggets from a talent standpoint and it will be detrimental to the Nuggets fa base that has been built up over the last seven years with his talent.
But the front office has to come to grips with that reality that if he doesn't re-sign, they must trade him, and these are the reasons the Nuggets must trade Melo if it he isn't re-signed by January 1, 2011.
The Nuggets Don't Want To Get LeBron'd
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Sure, the Cavs got two first round picks from the Heat, but they also lost by far their best player in LeBron James.
The Nuggets, like every other team in this post-Decision NBA, don't want a similar situation to happen with Melo. Denver doesn't want to be hanging around next summer, waiting to see what Melo decides, only to get burned and end up with basically nothing in return. To lose Melo will be a big enough burden but to not receive multiple players and picks in return would be detrimental to Denver.
Plus, although most of the animosity from fans was directed towards LeBron, there was a backlash against the Cavs too, something the Nuggets must avoid.
Carmelo Isn't the End-All Be-All
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Coming out of college, Carmelo looked to be the guy. After all, he took Syracuse to the NCAA Championship and won it as a freshman.
And while he's grown remarkably in the NBA, he's still not the best player in the game, or even his division.
LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Durant are all better than Melo, and there are arguably more on the list as well.
Anthony can't swing the momentum of a game by blocking a shot, taking it coast to coast for a thunderous dunk that excites fans and scares opponents like James can.
Melo is a great shooter, but he can't completely take over a game from behind the arc and will his team to victory like Kobe can.
Melo has taken over games before, but not in the totally dominating way with the ability to affect games in a variety of ways like Wade can.
Basically, it will hurt the Nuggets if they lose Melo, but it doesn't mean they can't get good young players with lots of potential to take his place.
Melo Isn't a Leader
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Leading comes natural to some players.
Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets veteran point guard, is one. He's the unquestioned leader on the court in Denver, and before his arrival in 2008, there wasn't a player that took up the leadership role in Denver.
Melo's not vocal and he doesn't like to call out teammates when they falter, but maybe that's because he doesn't lead by example.
He refused to come out of a game once when George Karl wanted him to, and he is far too selfish a shot taker.
All in all, Melo is a great player, but he's in his own little world, worrying about his own shots and stats rather than leading his team to victories.
Melo Is More One-Dimensional Than All-Around Star
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The biggest knock on Melo throughout his career is that he's too one dimensional.
Melo can score with the best of them, as evidenced by him always being in the top five in points per game.
But, for being 6'8", Anthony is a soft rebounder. He should average at least eight boards per game, but instead he's at only six per.
Melo's passing has improved, but he's too concerned about shooting to pass with regularity.
And Melo's defensive game is, well, non-existent.
He looks lost on that end of the court, too easily letting opponents score.
The true greats get it done on both ends of the hardwood, and Melo does not at this point in his career.
The Nuggets Have Been Overspending for Years; The Time To Rebuild Is Now
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Kenyon Martin, Nene, Chris Andersen: They all have one thing in common.
No, it's not that they all play in the front court, but they are all overpaid.
While ex-GM Kiki Vandeweghe did well to bring in Martin and Nene, he gave the injury prone underachievers max deals, placing the Nuggets franchise between a rock (the huge contracts with untradeable players) and a hard place (winning the NBA championship).
It ultimately hindered Denver's ability to bring in other talent and to trade them away.
Martin will be 33 in December. He will miss time to start the season and is in the last year of his deal (owed $16.5 million this season). Nene is owed $11.4 million this season, and $11.6 million next year, although he can opt out of the deal at the end of this season. Chris "Birdman" Andersen also has an ailing knee (and underachieved last season), while J.R. Smith is also in his final year and currently on the trading block.
Anthony Carter is ancient, and Chauncey Billups is owed $14 million next season, but the Nuggets could save themselves lots of money by paying him a buyout of $3.7 million at season's end.
Lastly, George Karl is only under contract through next year as well, meaning the team is prime to be blown up realistically.
Ty Lawson is the point guard of the future, while Arron Afflalo may end up being his backcourt mate for years to come. (Afflalo is in the last year of his deal a well, but the Nuggets would be smart to re-sign him because of his large upside.) Both are young players that could be the beginning of a core of young talent. Plus, Al Harrington is under contract with Shelden Williams.
If Melo decides to leave, it actually couldn't come at a better time for Denver. They should take advantage and get some young players and picks in return for Melo while cutting/trading the older more expensive talent and go at the future with a revamped and rejuvenated squad.
Then, use the picks to select great college players to put around Lawson, Afflalo, Harrington, and whoever the Nuggets get in return for Melo.
Sure, the Nuggets will be worse, possibly much so in the short run, but if the front office (newly hired GM Masai Ujiri) handles things correctly, Denver may just be a better, more well-suited contender in the long run.
Rich Kurtzman is a Denver native, Colorado State University Alumnus and freelance journalist. Along with being the Denver Nuggets and Denver Broncos Featured Columnist for B/R, the CSU Rams and Fort Collins Beer Bars Examiner for examiner.com and the Colorado/Utah Regional Correspondent for stadiumjourney.com.
