Carmelo Anthony: If Traded To New York or Los Angeles, The NBA Wins
Carmelo Anthony's trade rumors hit an all-time high yesterday with reports that the Los Angeles Lakers were now in the mix. Rumors that excited the reigning NBA champions while worrying the up-and-coming New York Knicks.
The reports stated that Andrew Bynum was the centerpiece of the deal with the Lakers, and the Knicks had already been in talks of a three-team trade involving Wilson Chandler and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
However, if Anthony does in fact get traded to either coast, there is one clear winner: the NBA.
Here's five reasons why the NBA wins whether Carmelo is a Knick or a Laker by the start of next season.
Another NBA Trio
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In recent seasons, a trend has developed in building championship teams:
A trio of stars.
The Boston Celtics centered their 2008 championship around Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce; and the San Antonio Spurs have been a dominant force for years with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Then this summer, the Miami Heat might have put together the best trio of the all in Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.
However, if Carmelo is shipped to the Knicks or Lakers, another dominant trio will soon be formed.
For the Lakers, that trio is immediately born in Anthony, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
The Knicks would probably be a year or two off from their trio of Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and soon to be free agent Chris Paul.
Either trio would immediately become one of the best in the NBA.
Not everyone will agree, but having dominant trios on a select number of teams is a good thing for the NBA.
The Lakers Dynasty
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The word gets thrown around carelessly sometimes, but there's a decent case already for the Lakers to consider themselves a "dynasty".
They've participated in the past three NBA Finals, winning two, and they still have the greatest basketball player on the planet in Kobe Bryant.
However, if this season has shown us anything, it's that the Lakers have a few chinks in their armor.
Ron Artest looks old and ineffective, Kobe isn't getting any younger and Andrew Bynum has a little Greg Oden in his blood.
The Spurs have also gotten out to an incredible start (43-8), and it'll be tough for the Lakers to catch them for home court advantage.
I'm not saying the Lakers won't get to the Finals this season without Anthony, but he gives them a much better chance both this season and in the future.
Carmelo would give the Lakers a solid opportunity at establishing themselves as the next dynasty in NBA history, and those kind of historical markers are always good for the league.
The Knicks Revival
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First of all, let me get one thing straight: Madison Square Garden is the best place to play basketball on the planet. No questions asked.
That's just one of the reasons I was surprised that Lebron James chose Miami over New York this offseason. Why not ignite a revival in the mecca of the NBA?
Lebron aside, Carmelo could have the same type of affect for the Knicks.
New York is already in the process of a revival with Amar'e Stoudemire at the helm, and the NBA's second highest scoring team is only three wins shy of their 2009 total (29).
Anthony would be the next piece in inching them closer to the NBA Finals, and his arrival in New York would make the Knicks a very attractive option for Chris Paul in two summers.
Stoudemire, Anthony and Paul would give the Heat for the best trio in the Eastern Conference (Celtic's trio would be too old) and they'd certainly have the firepower to make a serious run at an NBA championship.
Hoisting a banner in Madison Square Garden would be a very good thing for the NBA.
Getting Carmelo Into a Big Market
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Carmelo might not be the NBA's best player, but he certainly ranks near the top in both ability and popularity.
While Denver is a fine NBA town, it pales in comparison to Los Angeles and New York, and that's where Anthony has been hiding his entire career.
In the most recent report, Anthony was No. 10 in jersey sales (just above Nate Robinson of the Celtics at No. 11).
Now, can you imagine if that jersey said "Lakers" or "Knicks" on the front instead of "Nuggets"?
Melo would vault to near top of the list, and you know what that means.
More money for both the team he goes to and the NBA.
Call me a realist, but more money, typically, is a good thing for the league.
Everyone Is Happy
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For Carmelo's sake, I hope the look on his face is that of exhaustion instead of a smile.
Either way, we'd be seeing a lot more of Carmelo smiling if he was traded to New York or Los Angeles.
It hasn't affected his play (he scored 50 points Monday night), but you can tell in his interviews, the rumors have bugged him and he wants them to go away.
I can only speak for myself, but I'd guess the fans feel the same way. It no doubt gets old hearing the same news about Anthony nearly every night, and a trade would finally put to rest all the talk and hearsay.
In the end, whether Carmelo is a Knick or a Laker, almost everyone is a winner. Only the team who doesn't get him is the loser in this deal.
Carmelo gets his new team in a big city. That team gets one of the game's premier scorers, and the NBA gets more money, happier fans, and the possible revival or strengthening of one of the two more popular teams.
