by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni
According to the latest media reports, things seem to have reached the point of no return between the Denver Nuggets and their franchise player, Carmelo Anthony. It now appears almost definite that a split is inevitable.
While Nuggets fans (and the team) would be devastated should this occur, would a break up be such a bad thing?
The Denver Post tries to argue that Melo and the Nuggets going their separate way may be best for both parties (though it will certainly not be an easy task):
While Team USA headed to the world basketball championships in Turkey, Anthony has set his sights on China to film a movie. The task of receiving anywhere near market value for Anthony in trade only figures to be more difficult with a growing perception the 6-foot-8 Denver forward is more interested in winning an Oscar than an NBA title.
As a league executive told me: Anthony used to bleed basketball. But if you opened him up now and looked inside, what could be found closest to the player’s heart? A love of the game? Or the desire to be a Hollywood star?
As soon as Masai Ujiri settles in his chair as the team’s new general manager, it will be a hot seat. How many pressure-packed chores can one man handle? Within 12 months, the Nuggets as we know could well be unrecognizable … Virtually every key figure of a team that advanced to the Western Conference finals in 2009 will no longer be around when the dust settles from a major shakeup of the Nuggets, predicted a league executive who has kept close tabs on the increasingly volatile situation in Denver. It’s beginning to look as if rebuilding the team could be a far bigger, messier task than finding a trade partner to take Anthony. This might be a scrape-off project.
Wait, how is any of the above supposed to be “good” for the Nuggets again?
Should they blow the team up — starting with a trade of Carmelo Anthony for a bunch of smaller pieces — they’ll be back in rebuilding mode, and become almost completely irrelevant in the NBA. We could be headed towards very bad times in Denver.
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Dude has steadily improved his game since his rookie year, particularly as far as getting in shape.
I’m not a Melo fan, but I don’t get the impression that dude is “Hollywood.” That’s a pretty insulting accusation.
This is his last year. He has refused to sign an extension. The Nuggets are concerned he may leave at the end of the year and they will get nothing. They have discussed trading them. He’s said “If you trade me, you need to trade me to one of these places, or I will refuse to sign an extension with my new team which will scuttle any trade plans.”
Some of you clearly have not bothered to educate yourselves on the situation.
Melo is not making demands, or being unreasonable. He’s saying that it’s not in his best interest to sign an extension now, so he’s not going to sign it.
Ownership and the media figures they feed information to have so twisted the situation that some of y’all actually think this is Melo’s “fault.”
It’s really sad.
Bulls Anyone else? New York traded away all their draft picks for the next 25 years.. Nets can give a lot of draft picks and a few quality players Bulls can probably give, Luol deng, taj gibson and a few picks I kinda wanna see him go to the knicks though, itd be a hell of a team
Baron Davis deserves the “Hollywood charge.”
Devean George had some issues dealing with the limelight.
And player who clearly has not put in the work to improve as a player, and does not give maximum effort deserves to have their dedication to basketball questioned.
That doesn’t work for Melo.
I can’t think of as many teams who would talk themselves into a one-year rental of Melo as I could for Lebron, simply because as you stated, Melo isn’t on the same level.
However, one plus that teams know that Melo wants a new deal before the next collective bargaining agreement kicks in, so he has more incentive to re-up immediately, which could make it easier to talk themselves into a trade that could wind up a one year rental.
No team would trade for Melo knowing without a doubt that he was going to bolt at the end of the year because Denver is likely going to request quite a bit for him.
However, teams like the Nets, Rockets and Bulls (just random names I”m throwing out) would feel comfortable that he would want to re-up with them given their roster strength and organization.
I like Melo in Jersey with Devin Harris and Lopez, or in chicago with Rose, Boozer and Noah.
If the Bulls could convince the Nuggets to take Deng, Gibson and some draft choices, that would be an outstanding move. They wouldn’t be as good as Miami on paper, but it would be close.
How is Melo forcing a trade?
HE HAS JUST REFUSED TO SIGN AN EXTENSION, HIS RIGHT AS AN EMPLOYEE UNDER THE COLLECTIVE BARAGAINING AGREEMENT.
The Nuggets have decided trading him is a good idea. I don’t understand how people are missing this very salient fact.
That’s not an article, it’s a column.
Written based on anonmyous sources, who given the slant of the article, are clearly sympathetic to the Nuggets.
Let’s consider the facts we all know.
Melo is under contract for this year, and has a player option for next year.
The Nuggets want him to sign a $65 million extension.
He has not signed it.
A few questions to consider
1. Where did the idea of a trade come from, Melo or the Nuggets? Read the old articles, THE NUGGETS apparently raised the idea of a trade because Kroenke didn’t want to get “Lebroned.”
2. How can Melo “force” a trade when he’s under contract to play another year? Why would he even be worried about getting traded since he can sign with whatever team he wants next year? The only argument is the collective bargaining argument, and the owners have said that even current deals might not be safe under the new plan.
3. “Bullying tone” and “dismissive disposition” translates into “We have the power, and we don’t have to pretend otherwise now that you’ve floated trade rumors through the media.”
I say go back and read how this whole mess began. Melo didn’t sign an extension, the Nuggets didn’t like that, and they started saying they’d rather trade him then let him walk. Only they don’t want to labeled as the idiot team taht traded a superstar (the common label attached to writers specializing in hindsight) so they are now making it seem like Melo is disgruntled and unreasonable.
I mean, look at the actual facts on the table, not the words used by a columnist with a clear point of view and no quotes from Melo’s camp.
The groups is saying that if the Nuggets decide to trade Melo to a team he does not prefer, he will not sign an extension with that team, and I’d imagine that he’ll let the team know in advance he won’t sign an extension with them.
Which means they won’t make the trade with Denver, or they’ll wind up like the Milwaukee Bucks with Gary Payton.
So, CAA told the Nuggets that if you want us to agree to an extension with a new team, here are the teams we want you to trade with.
The Nuggets have a choice. Make a deal with those teams, let Melo play out his deal, or try to convince some sucka team to trade for Melo as a one-year rental that destroys their core.
That’s not “bullying” that’s using leverage. Apparently it’s unacceptable when players use the only leverage they have in negotiations. It’s only acceptable when teams use leverage.
Got it.
Wow. This league executive apparently doesn’t watch basketball. Carmelo is one of the best offensive players I’ve ever seen…and he’s getting trashed by a faceless exec?! I’ll cosign Allenp on this one…but I’ll also say that whenever I hear the name WorldWide Wes, I picture a leach, or a snake. He clouds the picture. I think it’s why there’s some Carmelo hate here: people remember his meddling, unneccesary role in LeBron’s FUBAR PR summer and are assuming the same thing in this case.
Melo always had a player option on his last year with the team.
And he NEVER said anything about not coming back to the Nuggets.
This story burst on the national scene when a journalist noted that Melo had not signed an extension, had a player option, and speculated that he might be pulling a Lebron and walking on his current team at the end of the year.
The media then floated the story that the Nuggets would not let Melo walk for nothing, basing it on Kroenke’s comments.
That’s what happened, but don’t let the actual facts of the situation get in the way of forming an opinion.
http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/07/carmelo-anthony-to-take-nuggets-3-year-extension/
All you have to do is do a search for Carmelo and you can see how the tenor of the discussions changed. Do the search.
http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/06/carmelo-anthony-is-weighing-his-options/
http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/06/carmelo-anthony-looking-for-a-contract-extension/
The Denver Post then has a story saying that Kroenke will never let Melo walk for nothing.
http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/08/reports-melo-nuggets-parting-ways/
Have you seen me write “Free Melo!”
Have you seen me write that Melo has been shafted by the Nuggets?
Where did you see me write that Rudy was not within his rights to leave the Trailblazers? Although, since Rudy is still under contract, technically he can’t play basketball for anyone else int he world, legally. So, he’s asking for the Trailblazers to give him a special dispensation to play in Europe, while Melo is doing not of the sort.
So, it would appear that you are the one who lack reading comprehension and logic, since the situation are not the same, and I have not treated either player differently.
The crux of my argument was that Rudy was not taken advantage of by the Blazers, nor was he some superstar in the making who just struggled because of a lack of playing time. He was a J.R. Smith clone who wasn’t playing for a coach desperate enough to give him big minutes.
I spent very little time, if any commenting on whether it was right for him to leave the team. I do think he’s a whiner for complaining because he CAN’T EARN PLAYING TIME DESPITE REPEATED CHANCES. That’s quite different from Melo’s situation.
But, I guess that nuance escaped you in your rush to find a way to justify Rudy’s actions and your misguided belief that he’s some sort of superstar.
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