Carmelo Anthony Result Impacts NBA More Than Heat's LeBron, Wade and Bosh
It's time to do the unthinkable and put all of the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors aside.
Yes, I went there.
It's time to acknowledge the truth: Anthony will be either a member of the New York Knicks or the Denver Nuggets next season.
And now that this mindset has been achieved, consider how earth shattering the effects of any Anthony resolution will be for the NBA.
Regardless of where Anthony winds up, whether he stays in Denver or makes the move to New York, the NBA's world will be rocked even more so than when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh decided to team up in Miami.
How is this possible you ask?
Let's take a look.
When James, Wade and Bosh joined forces, a new era seemed to be on the brink of consuming the NBA. The Celtics got the ball rolling and the Heat kept it moving.
And the message was clear: Superstars were going to team up to win championships.
The buck didn't stop with James, Wade and Bosh either. At Anthony's wedding while giving a toast, New Orleans Hornets' star Chris Paul suggested that he and Anthony would join Amar'e Stoudemire in New York to form their own big three.
Here we are seven months later and nothing has changed.
Or has it?
Recent reports have Anthony seriously considering staying in Denver if they do not trade him, which contradicts what we have been hearing all along about his desire to leave.
Many believe that this just shows Anthony is unwilling to risk losing all the money that is on the table right now.
Those people are wrong.
If Anthony's top priority were money, then he would not have vetoed the deal the Nuggets had in place with the New Jersey Nets.
Anthony had the opportunity to sign his extension while leading the Nets into the New York, specifically the Brooklyn, market. He would have been the face of New Jersey's organization, thus resulting in even more millions of dollars from endorsements.
Anthony's reconsideration about signing the extension with Denver is not solely based on monetary reasons. Case closed.
Others believe that this is a ploy by Anthony to light a fire within the Knicks organization to obtain him sooner rather than later. And it very well could be.
But let's put that aside. Let's assume that the past eight years has meant something to Anthony and that a large part of him wants to continue his career as a Denver Nugget.
The media, specifically the Denver, New Jersey, and New York media, will paint a picture of Anthony as a dedicated athlete if he re-signs with the Nuggets. Denver will do this for obvious reasons and New York and New Jersey will do the same to justify not landing Anthony.
Either way, it makes the aforementioned assumption valid.
Let's face it: if the Nuggets don't trade Anthony, they won't be making any major splashes in the trade market. So if Anthony re-signs with Denver without the team making any major roster changes by the trading deadline, he is sending a message.
And the message is: The NBA is not entering a new era.
If Anthony remains a Nugget, he will be doing so by choice. And he will be choosing to do so without another superstar by his side, indicating he believes that an NBA title is within reach if he has a solid supporting cast.
This contradicts what the Celtics and Heat are doing. Both teams have three or more all-stars on their roster. And over the summer, it seemed as if other superstars and other teams were going to follow suit.
But maybe not.
Kevin Durant already contradicted the Celtics and Heat methods by signing an extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Anthony may just be the missing link to pushing the era of the "big three" to the back-burner.
Furthermore, should Anthony re-sign with Denver, potential 2012 free agents may not be as apt to forming superstar powerhouses as everyone may think.
Deron Williams, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul lead the 2012 free-agent class and if Anthony remains a Nugget, you'd better believe this affects their approach.
Howard, Paul and Williams will see Durant and Anthony have made a commitment to their respective teams and may wind up doing the same.
Anthony can be the straw that breaks the "big three's" back. His decision has the potential to reverse everything that James and the Miami Heat stand for.
On the flip side though, Anthony's decision also has the potential to further facilitate the implementation of a new era within the NBA.
Should Anthony decide to become a Knick, he will increase New York's hunger for a third all-star to join him and Stoudemire.
Each team will be faced with some tough decisions to make as the uncertainty in regards the status of their superstars lingers over all of next season.
Will they stay?
Will they go?
Should they be traded?
These are all questions that the Hornets, Jazz and Magic will be forced to ask themselves.
If Anthony joins Stoudemire, the new era of superstar powerhouses becomes official.
It will have met some resistance from Durant, but not enough.
Anthony's decision will be the reason why Howard, Paul and Williams are all on the trading block next season.
The Hornets, Jazz and Magic will scour the league looking for adequate value in return for their franchise players.
The Magic will desperately attempt to put together a package for Paul or Williams in order to make sure Howard remains in Orlando.
A league-wide frenzy will ensue.
But only if Anthony leaves Denver for the bright lights of New York.
It will be the complete opposite should he remain with the Nuggets. A sense of calm and relief may come over many of the organizations.
Teams will be able to breathe knowing superstar powerhouses are not becoming a trend.
This is why Anthony's decision impacts the NBA more so than when LeBron, Wade and Bosh joined the Heat.
Miami's current powerhouse made the new era of the NBA a virtual certainty.
But Anthony has the power to make the new era a reality.
He also has the power to ensure it stays a rarity.
Anthony is the deciding factor between superstar powerhouses and single-star built franchises.
Which will he choose?
