2011 NBA Trade Rumors: Carmelo Anthony To the L.A. Lakers Needs To Happen
With NBA trade rumors swirling around as we approach the 2011 Trade Deadline, it seems trades for Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony are quickly heating up. Again.
Now it seems Carmelo has a new possible destination, Los Angeles.
It could just be a great ploy by the Nuggets to entice the New York Knicks into giving up more or it could be a very serious deal about to go down.
Either way, here are the ten reasons Carmelo needs to be traded to the Lakers.
Ron Artest
1 of 10
The big reason here is the play of Ron Artest.
He hasn't been very good this season after having a really good 2009-2010 campaign.
His defense seems to have slacked off and not to mention he's averaging 8.2 points per game.
Adding Anthony would only strengthen the small forward position for the Lakers. While it might hurt them defensively, they're adding one of the top scorers in the league in Carmelo.
Artest is at that point where it just seems he is worn out and can't play to the best of his ability.
Anthony is averaging 24.6 ppg in Denver and averaging 7.8 rebounds per game. That's well above Ron Artest's three rebounds per game average.
Andrew Bynum Is Constantly Hurt
2 of 10
Yeah it's a matter of fact many Lakers fans know.
Bynum has a ton of potential, but he can't achieve that potential if he's got two torn up knees.
His knees always seem to be a problem and has recently missed a game due to sore knees. He's missed a lot of time due to his knee issues, so why not trade him for Carmelo?
Bynum has played in 27 games this season and started in 20 of them. So Bynum has played in just over half of the Lakers' games this season.
Seems like a good idea to me.
With Andrew Bynum Gone, Pau Gasol to Center and Odom to Power Forward
3 of 10
Without Bynum in the starting lineup, Pau Gasol can move to center and the Lakers can bring in Lamar Odom to play power forward.
Odom has played phenomenal this season despite only starting in 32 games.
He's averaging 15.3 ppg and 9.5 rpg in 33.6 minutes per game.
Gasol would be a great move to center and could bolster his already team-high 10.5 rpg and 1.9 blocks per game.
Having both Gasol and Odom out on the court starting the game, to me anyway, is a great thing to have. They are both really good players and it's shocking that Odom hasn't started in more games. His stats prove he should be out there.
Nuggets Need To Trade Anthony
4 of 10
Let's take a break from the Lakers for a second and focus on the team trading them an all-star.
The Nuggets need to deal Carmelo one way or another. They look at teams like Toronto, who lost Bosh, and Cleveland, who lost LeBron.
That alone should trigger them to at least get something for their top scorer.
It's a huge process that the Nuggets seem to have drawn out forever and ever.
The Nuggets would at least get something in return for Carmelo and might be able to avoid having their 2011-12 season looking like the Cavs of this season.
Nuggets Get a Center
5 of 10
Great reason right here. The Nuggets lose Nene come the end of the season to free agency anyway.
In return for trading Anthony, Bynum is definitely one of the parts that would have to come from Los Angeles.
They would get Andrew Bynum and be able to safely say they can walk away from Nene this offseason.
It's one less problem the Nuggets will have to face this offseason. And boy, will they have a lot of problems to face without Anthony.
Carmelo Takes Pressure Off Kobe
6 of 10
Look, Kobe is the best player in the NBA hands down. No question about it, Kobe is the best. But he has a lot of pressure on him.
His 25.4 ppg, is 6.7 points better then the next closest player (Gasol with 18.7).
Carmelo and Kobe played extremely well together on Team USA. Imagine them reigniting that chemistry in LA?
Man. Kobe would have a player that can finally help him out tremendously, scoring wise.
I still would give Kobe the last second shot in a game (obviously), but having Carmelo in there how do you even guard that?
Carmelo Anthony Gets His Big Stage
7 of 10
What a big stage it would be for Carmelo. As a Knicks fan even I will admit, there is nothing like playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Nothing.
He would be in a great position in Los Angeles, not to mention it could seriously help his wife's career. I mean after all, it's Los Angeles.
It's been a sticking point all season long in Carmelo deals. No matter what, he wanted to play on a huge stage. That stage was New York.
The Nuggets have held out for a long time because of Anthony's alleged trade demands. This is a big stage to play on and no doubt Anthony would love it.
He would be one of the centers of attention in LA? Got to be kidding me.
No More Long Losing Streaks
8 of 10
The Lakers have had a three and a four game losing streak this season.
It's safe to say with Carmelo, the max the Lakers would have is two. I might even go out on a limb and say only one but who knows. They could probably get to the single-season wins record. Especially if they can get the chemistry flowing in the second half of this season.
That's not very Laker-esque of them to have losing streaks like that.
The fan base knows winning all too well. The Lakers simply don't put out performances like that.
Bringing in Anthony would significantly help bolster their already high chances of repeating this season.
A Big Three To Battle Miami
9 of 10
This is a great thing. Someone would have the pieces in place to battle the Heat's Big Three.
You'd have Kobe, Carmelo and Gasol, versus Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
The Lakers would consistently be a top team in the West for years to come (Again, obviously, but Kobe's going to leave sometime).
Not to mention this Lakers team is deeper then Miami already anyway. Throw in Lamar Odom at power forward and Derek Fisher at the point and you've got yourself the best team.
Just think of that Big Three, Lakers fans. That's a really deadly combo. It would probably end up being better then Miami's Big Three.
Who knows? It's fun to speculate.
An End To the Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors
10 of 10
Finally no more Carmelo talk.
As much as I may want Carmelo, nothing has been more annoying then Carmelo trade rumors.
Nothing.
It could actually rival the annoyance of where LeBron James would play and whether or not Brett Favre is coming back.
The NBA world would finally be at peace and everybody can play basketball normally. That's without looking over their shoulder thinking they might be traded for Carmelo.
It would end all the rumors and we can finally focus on something else.
Of course that something else would be whether the team that lands him is a serious contender in their conference.
At least there's no more trade talks. That's a plus in my book.
