Carmelo Watch

All the media is piling onto the Miami HEAT right now, so I'm not going to. If you want HEAT info you can pretty much find it any and everywhere.

So onto Carmelo Anthony. From what I've seen he is relatively uninterested in playing for Denver. He is still scoring, 25.4 points per game, but he is taking less shots than last year and averaging 3 less points. This is significant because half the team is injured, you would think with guys out Carmelo would be more likely to take over the scoring load, but from what I've seen he's deferring, as in not being aggressive, until the fourth quarter. That tells me he isn't as into the game as he should be and the Nuggets are only 8-6. I think the only way the Nuggets actually keep Anthony is if come the all-star game they are one of the best team's in the league, and the only way that happens is if Anthony plays at a MVP type level. So Anthony wants to be traded and the only way that can happen is if he doesn't put his team in a position to compete for a title. Hmmmm, I wonder why he isn't going 100%? I still think he gets traded because he's made it pretty clear he isn't coming back to Denver no matter what. So here are some teams he could end up going to.

Nets-Derrick Favors, a lottery pick next year, and expirings or Devin Harris. That's a pretty good deal and Favors is probably the best prospect they will be able to get for Anthony. If the Nuggets wait until the deadline there is a good chance that the Nets will be out of the playoff picture which will only increase the likelihood that a deal will happen.

Bulls-Luol Deng (or expiring from another team), Taj Gibson, Omer Asik, the Bulls pick next year (in the 20s), and the Charlotte future lottery pick. This is only going to happen if 'Melo and his people put the pressure on the Nuggets. This is an OK deal for the Nuggets and might even be the second best deal available. But again, it's only happening if Anthony forces it to happen.

Rockets-Aaron Brooks, Jordan Hill, and lots of New York Knick picks as well as there own pick. The Rockets are one of the few teams that will trade for Anthony even without an extension in place. If the Nuggets believe Anthony won't be resigning this is a deal that could actually happen. It involves some young talent and lots of potentially high draft picks it's a win win for both teams, at least until Anthony goes to the Knicks

Mavs-Who knows, but you know Mark Cuban will try to get in on this. I have no idea what he can offer but he is going to try any and everything to pair Carmelo with Dirk Nowitzki.

Knicks-Eddy Curry expiring deal, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and a late first rounder from another team. This is the worst deal out there. I can't imagine the Nuggets accepting this under any circumstances. Even if Anthony demands to be traded to the Knicks or he'll walk I see the Nuggets holding onto him and trying to make a deep playoff run. The pieces the Knicks are offering aren't anything you can build around and don't help you this year or in the future, so why not just hold onto the guy that sells tickets for at least one more season?

Magic-I know they want to get involved in this as well, but I can't see them offering anything of value. They don't have any young talent and they are too good so their picks are going to be in the late 20s for the next few years. But again I know they are going to try.

I'm sure there are other teams as well, but these are the ones I have read about. If I had to guess, in order of what I think happens, I think he either gets traded to the Nets, the Nuggets ride it out, he demands a trade to the Bulls (which the Nuggets accept at the deadline), the Nuggets say screw it and accept a ton of picks from the Rockets, or he demands a trade to the Knicks and the Nuggets say no and he still rides it out. I don't think the Mavs or Magic have enough value to realistically get involved in this.

If the Bulls beat the Lakers tonight I'll break it down tomorrow, if not I won't, because I'll be sad, but not surprised.