Carmelo Anthony Traded to Milwaukee Bucks

Ok. Melo wasn’t actually traded to the Bucks. This is the type of news about Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony that has gotten out of hand recently. Initial reporting that Melo wanted out of Denver appears to be speculation fueled by “sources close to the situation”. What does that even mean? Melo once told one of his friends in Baltimore that he liked Madison Square Garden? Does that really warrant weeks worth of speculation?

For Melo’s part, he has only said and done the right things this summer. It seems fairly plausible that Melo for Nuggets brass to iron out its general manager situation before signing a three-year, $65 million dollar contract extension. Fans should not throw in the proverbial towel just yet concerning the All-Star forward. In fact, thee are significant reasons why making a long-term commitment to the Denver organization would be in his best interests.

Reason #1: Melo won’t be able to make as much money if he moves to another team as a free agent next summer. The players and owners are having ongoing discussions about the new collective bargaining agreement that would presumably pay players significantly less if new contracts are signed starting in July . Perhaps Anthony is not all about the Benjamins, but this could certainly entice Melo to sign now. That being said, Melo could make up for the lost dough with increased endorsement opportunities in a larger market like New York City. He could also sign the extension and still be traded in order bypass his worries about the player/owner talks. This brings me to my next reason…

Reason #2: The Nuggets will not trade Melo if they can’t get something legitimate in return as ample compensation for Melo’s talents. Teams with high interest in obtaining Carmelo do not appear to have the pieces in place to gain Denver’s interests. New York reportedly offered Eddy Curry, Danilo Gallinari, and a draft pick, an offer the Nuggets would scoff at. Minnesota traded its franchise player in Kevin Garnett for seven guys a few years ago; the Nuggets would need similar returns for one of the best players in the league. The New Jersey Nets seem to have the best to offer, but only if they were willing to part with center Brook Lopez, a prospect that seems fairly unlikely.

Reason #3: The Nuggets are a good team, and can win with the players they have now. It might even be hard for Nuggets fans to believe after last season’s first round playoff exit, but Denver is still stacked with talent that could match the likes of Western Conference foes like the Lakers. With the addition of Al Harrington, the Nuggets will have no problems scoring and will not have to rely solely on Melo and Chauncey Billups to shoulder the scoring load. Nuggets big men Nene, Kenyon Martin, and Birdman Andersen are a formidable frontcourt, but there appears to be a drop-off after those players that contributed to their playoff demise. Although there seem to be issues in that department, the Nuggets made it within two games of the NBA Finals with the same cast only two seasons ago, and still finished with over 50 wins and a division crown last season. Melo will probably not have similar security in many of the teams he could move to.

A recent report has shown that the Nuggets may have J.R. Smith on the trading block. With a plethora of offensive weapons, Denver could possibly acquire another big man and not have to worry about a decrease in scoring or Smith’s ongoing attitude problems. While Melo is friends with “Young Rich”, I think he is smart enough to see that Smith’s inconsistencies and ego problems being traded for more rebounding and defensive presence could possibly be a good thing (Smith could still be a great benefit to the Nuggets if kept). All of these factors are reasons to believe the Nuggets might keep Melo (or the other way around) for years to come.