Carmelo Anthony Rumors: Teams with the Most to Lose from Melo Staying in Denver
What will happen to Carmelo Anthony? It seems this is the most popular question in the NBA today, and really, no one knows for sure.
Does Carmelo want out of Denver or is it possible that he wants to stay?
One of the only certainties in this case is that Melo wants to, “Keep my options open” which could mean that he would consider staying with the Nuggets if they were to make some much needed moves.
But as Denver sits tight for now, not moving, JR Smith or anyone else for that matter in order to improve the team, it looks as if the Nuggets will not be Anthony’s home in the future.
Still, stranger things have happened and these are the teams that would miss out the most if he remains Mile High Melo.
LA Clippers
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Ah, the Clippers.
Long the laughing stock of the NBA, this team likely had not much more than a slim chance to land the superstar.
The Clippers may not be the Lakers, but like real estate, it’s all about location, location, location of the team.
Anthony’s wife La La Vasquez is all about the Hollywood lifestyle (yes I watched a couple episodes of her show “Full Court Wedding”) with her friends Kim Kardashian and Kelly Rowland and moving Melo to the Clips would be perfect for her to live out that dream.
Still, the Nuggets likely asked for Blake Griffin or Eric Gordon and first round picks in return for Anthony, possibly too steep a price for the second team in Los Angeles.
Utah Jazz
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This one might not seem like a no-brainer but follow the reasoning.
Firstly, the Jazz would have loved to have rid themselves of Andrei Kirilenko, the soft one-dimensional player who is owed far too much money ($17 million in 2010-11).
Next, the Jazz would have gotten Boris Diaw as part of the four-team trade that didn’t go through, and he would have fit in well with Utah as a tough defender.
Lastly, the Jazz would have rid themselves of one of the few superstars within the Northwest Division if Melo were to leave Denver, making it easier to win the division in the future.
But, alas it didn’t work out for Utah and they can only hope he will still leave the Nuggets soon.
Houston Rockets
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Besides New York and Chicago, Houston was one of the three destinations named that Carmelo wanted to go.
Maybe he wanted the chance to play with Aaron Brooks, the exceptional third-year point guard, or maybe Melo just loves Houston.
One thing is for sure, the Rockets have missed out on the superstar as of now.
While they were one of the frontrunners to land Anthony, at least in his mind, nothing has come out about what they would be willing to give up for Carmelo.
Guard Kevin Martin is a possibility, as is forward/center Luis Scola, but the Rockets would have to make the offer too good to refuse as the Nuggets front office is talking too much of the league currently.
New Jersey Nets
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The Nets have a lot of things going for them.
They have a new owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire that has high aspirations for his American basketball franchise.
They have a brand new arena, the Barclays Center, which will be finished and ready for basketball in Brooklyn in 2012.
They have superstar rapper and New York legend Jay-Z as part owner too.
What they don’t have is a superstar on the court.
Devin Harris and Brooke Lopez are good players, and No. 3 pick Derrick Favors may turn out to be great as well, but Anthony would have made this team a competitor.
But really, isn’t it like the Nets to be unable to lure big-name talent?
Still, rumors have it that the deal for Favors could be revisited, but at least one more team will have to become involved for it to happen.
New York Knicks
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Remember when New York put on their campaign to lure LeBron James to the Big Apple? That didn’t work out so hot, although they did land Amar’e Stoudemire.
The Knicks were and probably still are the favorite team for Carmelo Anthony to go to, since it’s close to home and he wants to team up with Amar’e, and New York would arguably lose the most if he stays in Denver.
The problem is that the Knicks don’t have anything to trade for Melo.
Eddy Curry isn’t great and is currently hurt, Danilo Gallinari may be a star but may also be a bust and Anthony Randolph is the best of the three but a toss up as well.
Amar’e and Melo are friends and think they would play well together but they wouldn’t. They would actually clash since both are best with the ball in their hands and Melo doesn’t know the pick and roll, Stoudemire’s strength.
Still, the Knicks would miss out if Melo stays in Denver from a fan perspective (season tickets are already sold out) but their on-court product would surely be better than without him.
Will He Stay or Will He Go?
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Overall, the team that has the most to gain from him staying in Denver is obviously the Nuggets. But if Melo doesn’t want to resign his extension, the Nuggets would basically be forced to trade him and avoid being LeBron’d.
According to the Denver Post, “The Nuggets' front office continues to talk to teams about trading Anthony, but no offer has been good enough to be seriously considered.”
And in the end, only one team will land the superstar for the future, so all but one or possibly every one of the teams on this list will miss out on Melo.
Rich Kurtzman is a Colorado State Alumnus and a freelance journalist. Along with being the CSU Rams and Fort Collins Beer Bars Examiner, Kurtzman is a Denver Broncos and the Denver Nuggets Featured Columnist for bleacherreport.com and the Colorado/Utah Regional Correspondent for stadiumjourney.com.
