Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: How Will Rumored 15-Player Megadeal Affect Denver

The Carmelo Anthony rumors continue to heat up with each passing day.

And the longer this saga drags out, the more it has a negative effect on the Denver Nuggets.

Think about it this way: If you were rumored to be involved in a trade that was close to being a done deal, how would you respond? Would you really go out and give everything you have for a team that is trying to move you? No, you wouldn't.

And that's where the problem lies with the Nuggets. The organization knows that it needs to move Anthony, but also knows that it's best not to rush the process and make a poor trade.

Anthony will be traded before the deadline, which is in February, but don't count on anything happening soon.

As bad as New Jersey wants Melo, they want to make sure that they're going to have him for the future and not just as a rental. There are a ton of factors in play when it comes to the Anthony negotiations.

What is getting talked about is how the rumors are affecting the team. Since the rumors have heated up, Chauncey Billups has turned in back-to-back lackluster performances and Melo's play is as disheartened as ever.

He knows that he's going to be traded eventually, that's why we haven't seen the same player as in the past. I'm not trying to excuse Melo's lethargic play at times this season, but it's obvious his head is elsewhere.

Whether that's dreaming of playing in Madison Square Garden or being the face of the Nets for years to come is anyone's guess.

Denver is a talented team that has plenty of pieces to win ball games. While there 21-16 record looks modest, given the circumstances, it just shows how much talent is on the roster.

The Nuggets don't play for one another and haven't shown heart on the basketball court all season.

It's clear this is a team that has no sense of camaraderie with each other. Last night, the Nuggets thrashed the Phoenix Suns 132-98, which is surprising considering the unstable environment that surrounds them. Instead of celebrating and talking about the big win over the Suns, the questions were all about the swirling trade rumors after the game.

The Nuggets don't have a chance to grow together because every player knows that at some point the team is going to experience a gigantic makeover. There is no certainty with the Nuggets' roster going into the future, so why would players invest into a season when at any given moment, its best player—along with half the team—could be shipped elsewhere?

Charles Barkley recently criticized Melo for not giving his all on the court and that's been a growing sentiment in the media; Melo refuted the claim and so did George Karl.

I do believe Melo is playing hard along with his teammates, but the fire, drive and overall determination to win isn't there because of the cloud of uncertainty that hangs over the team each day.

The players are going to continue to take heat from fans and the media for their play on the court, although the angst should be directed to Denver's front office for allowing the trade talks to go public along with dragging them along.

The ball is in the front office's court to make this go away, not the players.