At the Denver Nuggets media day this afternoon, Carmelo Anthony explained to reporters, “I never said anything about getting traded. I never once said anything about trade talk.”
As Rumors Persist, Carmelo Anthony Remains A Nugget: But For How Long?
Of course he didn’t. According to NBA rules regarding player tampering, the mere mention of trade rumors would have gotten him fined. That includes today’s media session in Denver. Had Carmelo gone in front of reporters and demanded a trade, he would have left himself vulnerable to discipline from the league office. He spoke for a few minutes, and left.
So is it any wonder that today’s media day in Denver produced no new insights into Carmelo’s current situation with the Nuggets? I mean... What did people expect? For that, we go to people like Ken Berger at CBS. Could the Knicks be involved here? Berger writes:
As the Nets’ deal moved closer to completion Monday, one team sources say is more involved than commonly thought is the Knicks. After New York fell short in its pursuit of LeBron James and/or Dwyane Wade, it would be devastating for the Knicks to watch Anthony go to their cross-river rival--especially since that rival is moving into the city limits to Brooklyn in two years. While Knicks president Donnie Walsh has been in far from panic mode, he has been “working every angle” in an effort to get back in the game with Anthony, according to a rival executive familiar with Walsh’s approach.
“He’s the master,” the executive said. “I’ll put it this way: If there’s any way to get something done that he feels good about, he’ll get it done. He’ll leave no stone unturned.”
With all the balls in there at this point--four-team trades, agents talking through those fabled “back-channels”, coaches and players pretending that Carmelo wants to be there--this charade could end any number of ways. According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the 76ers have dangled Andre Iguodala:
And the Nets are still in it, according to Yahoo! Sports:
On Monday morning, dialogue on the four-way deal that would bring Anthony to the Nets picked up again among the teams. “There’s some momentum again,” one league executive told Yahoo! Sports. Talks had slowed down over the weekend, as the Nuggets gathered offers from around the league.
The Nuggets have made every player on their roster, except for point guards Chauncey Billups and Ty Lawson, available in the discussions, a league executive said. Along with the unloading of their franchise star, the Nuggets appear willing to overhaul their roster and send out players such as Kenyon Martin, Nene and J.R. Smith.
So where will he go? Well... The Nets still look like the leaders here, but they're also trying to pull of a four-team trade--which means getting four teams to agree on everything and four different sets of salaries to match up--and Melo has yet to commit to a long-term contract extension with New Jersey. Not exactly a sure thing there, and it's a window of opportunity that the Knicks, 76ers, or someone else might exploit.
One thing's for certain, though: there's nothing more awkward than Carmelo Anthony standing in Denver, having to tell people "there's never been any trade talk." It's insulting to Carmelo, the Nuggets, the fans, the media... We're headed into Def Con 5 awkwardness with this one. Will Carmelo be a Sixer, a Net, or a Knick? Still anyone's guess.
But whatever happens, how much longer can he keep this act up with the Nuggets?
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