Carmelo Anthony to New York Knicks: Why Melo is Not LeBron James or Chris Bosh

First, Chris Bosh abandons the Toronto Raptors for the Miami Heat.

Then LeBron James follows suit, breaking the hearts of Cleveland Cavaliers fans to head to sunny South Beach.

And now Carmelo Anthony is planning his escape from the Denver Nuggets, his next destination most likely being the Knicks.

Is there no loyalty in the NBA anymore?

Of course there is. Kevin Durant is walking proof of this. He is married to the Oklahoma City.  

With this in mind though, it is clear that player loyalties to their respective organizations are faltering as of late.

Anthony is just the latest star to abandon the team that gave him his first home in the NBA.

Is abandon really the right word?

Absolutely not.

Superstar loyalty may not be at an all-time high in the NBA right now, but Anthony, just like Kevin Garnett was and just like LeBron partially was, is an exception to this.

Sometimes loyalty can come back to haunt you, as no one knows more than Kevin Garnett.  

He played his heart out for the Minnesota Timberwolves for over a decade, but the organization did nothing to build a championship contender around him.

Garnett had to leave the T-Wolves. Just like Anthony has to leave the Nuggets.

Anthony's case must be viewed in a different light than the situations of James and Bosh. Both James and Bosh abandoned their former teams, while Anthony—like Garnett—has done all he can.

I'm not hating on James. Though some hate to admit it, James left for the right reasons. He wanted to win a championship and learned from the Celtics that you need more than one star to do that.

The Cavaliers were unable to pair James with a second star that could have pushed them over the plateau and brought Cleveland an NBA title.  

If the Cavaliers had been able to trade for Amar'e Stoudemire before last season's trade deadline, I believe that James would still be a Cav.

But Cleveland couldn't pull it off. They were unable to get the second star James needed. And James realized the Cavaliers were not built to contend immediately or in the foreseeable future.

So he left.

Anthony is in a fairly similar situation. The Nuggets have not paired him with that second elite player to give Denver a legitimate shot at winning an NBA title.

So it is time for Anthony to move on.

Some may say Anthony has not given the Nuggets adequate time to show they are committed to win an NBA title, but this is not true.

If Denver were truly committed to contending for a championship in the immediate future, they would have been trying to entice Anthony to stay by attempting to bring in another star to pair him with.

But they haven't.

The fact is, from the moment Anthony refused to sign the three-year, $65 million extension Denver put on the table, they have shopped him around as opposed to trying to get him to stay.

Many believe that the Nuggets are privately hoping Anthony will have a change of heart. But how can he when Denver has done nothing to try and change it?

Nuggets officials can talk all they want about how much they want Anthony to remain in Denver, but actions speak louder than words.

And right now, Denver is silent.

This brings us to the difference between James and Anthony. James publicly stated last season he wanted to play for a contender and Cleveland tried to put themselves in that situation.

But the Cavs couldn't get that other star, and James walked. Without saying goodbye.

James should have personally alerted the Cavaliers organization that he was not returning. Instead, Cleveland found out via James' nationally televised decision.

Although James did let Cleveland know what it would take for him to stay, he abandoned them at the very end.

This is why Anthony is different. He has stayed in contact with the Nuggets every step of the way.

He has made it clear, especially by nixing the New Jersey trade, that if he is not going to stay in Denver, New York will be his next destination.

When and if Anthony leaves, there will be no shock on Denver's part. He will have kept in contact with the Nuggets organization up until the very end.

Furthermore, Anthony's situation is different in the sense that James' relationship with Cleveland isn't the same as Anthony's relationship with Denver.

When James left, he left his hometown team; thus making his decision a lot more personal.

Anthony is leaving Denver to return to his home. He grew up in Brooklyn and has publicly said that playing for the Knicks is his "ultimate dream."

Without a doubt, Anthony leaving Denver will result in feelings of bitterness. But he will not face the widespread hatred that James has.

Simply put, Anthony need not fear that he will be viewed the same way James is. Anthony is in an entirely different situation.

On that note, Chris Bosh's situation with the Toronto Raptors needs to be addressed. Bosh deserves the league-wide animosity that has surrounded James since this past summer more than James does.

Yes, James abandoned the Cavaliers without looking back, but what Bosh did to Toronto is worse.

Everyone pretty much knew that Bosh would leave Toronto this past summer, just like everyone knows Anthony's days as a Nugget are numbered.

But Anthony is different. He possesses a sense of loyalty to Denver, which is why this has been such a tough decision for him to make.

Unlike Bosh, Anthony has also shown some loyalty to his teammates. He expressed concern for Chauncey Billups when the point guard was mentioned in trade rumors.

Despite the publicity surrounding Anthony's status with Denver, he continues to lead his team and play hard each night.  

Bosh, on the other hand, was selfish. When last season ended, he never considered Toronto a viable option.  

Now, I'm not saying Bosh should have stayed in Toronto. He felt that he would not be able to contend for a championship with the Raptors so there is nothing wrong with searching for a better fit.

However, it was widely known Toronto was interested in working out a sign and trade for Bosh, which would have helped Bosh get more money in his contract. But Bosh blew the Raptors off.

Bosh didn't even give the Raptors the time of day. Not even when it would have benefited him.

Bosh even tweeted asking his followers which team he should sign with. It doesn't get much more disrespectful than that.

The way James left Cleveland was bad, but the way Bosh left the Raptors is worse.

And yet, James faces the league-wide animosity. People believe Anthony is reluctant to leave Denver because he doesn't want to be known as the next James.

If you ask me, Bosh should be the negative example. Anthony's fear of being compared to Bosh should trump the fear of being compared to James.

Anthony has nothing to worry about though. James and Bosh did not communicate with their former teams the way Anthony has.

Anthony has allowed his team the opportunity get some value in return for him. Bosh and James did nothing of the sort.

When Anthony leaves Denver, he should be able to sleep soundly knowing that he did everything he could to allow the Nuggets to salvage as much as they could out of the situation.

How James and Bosh get any sleep at night is beyond me.