No 'Carmelo Rule' Gives Too Much Power to NBA Stars

There were a lot of debatable proposals by the owners in recent NBA labor talks, but the Carmelo Rule shouldn't have been debatable at all.

When Carmelo Anthony was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks last season, the Knicks were able to then sign him before he hit free agency after the season ended.

In essence, this allows players like Anthony to force their current teams to trade them to the team they prefer, with the other option being to lose them to free agency and get nothing in return.

This is why owners wanted to eliminate such situations with the Carmelo Rule, which wouldn't have allowed free-agents-to-be Dwight Howard and Chris Paul to do the same thing Anthony did last season.

While it's relieving to finally hear the NBA season could start soon (expected to start on Christmas), this is one issue that really was worth fighting for on the owners' behalf. The Anthony situation hurts basketball in the long run because it not only gives the stars exclusive rights to do whatever they want, it potentially distances them from the fans, adding to the perception that superstars have bloated egos.

What does this mean?

It means that you can bet on Howard and Paul forcing their teams to trade them before the deadline this season and land wherever they so choose.

For basketball purists, it's a nightmare. You thought stars rarely stay on the same team now? Imagine the domino effect from the Anthony trade. Those dominoes may as well be basketball purists falling down with each inevitable trade.

Players had many problems with the owners' stance in the latest labor talks, many with which I agreed on, but this was one issue that should have gone to the owners.

Now, if a team even mildly disappoints its star, he can scamper off, leaving his adoring fans in his wake.

We'll be given a nice present on Christmas, but after that it may as well be Halloween, where owners tremble at their superstars' every move.