Nuggets give up on Melo; Nets and Clippers possibilities

According to several reports, after a Sunday meeting the Denver Nuggets have given up on trying to retain Carmelo Anthony. The Nuggets are now looking to deal Melo and they're looking for very young talent and draft picks. That being the case, the Nets and Clippers have emerged as frontrunners to land the prolific scorer.

Anthony would be on board with a deal to the Clippers because his wife, Lala Vazquez, is in the entertainment industry and it would be an easy transition for his family. On the negative side, it is the Clippers. There is literally nothing good in the entire history of LA's JV team. If I was Carmelo I think I would rather go play for a crazy Russian guy who could buy a small country. I'm guessing he would be on board going to New Jersey because he would be a short car ride away from his hometown. I'm just not sure that Melo would want to be a part of a rebuilding process at this point in career.

Either way, it's looking like Melo could be taking a little hiatus from the playoffs. That's sometimes a side effect of demanding a trade.

Reports: Anthony almost certain to leave Nuggets

Carmelo Anthony has had a 3 year, 65 million dollar extension with the Nuggets sitting on his desk for the last 5 months. Whether he signs it or not is still in question, but it has become pretty clear that Melo has no intention on spending the rest of his career in Denver.

It is believed that he's going to refuse to sign it which will force the Nuggets into trading him. If he does end up signing it, it will only be because his future team wants him to.

Not much is known about possible future destinations other than New York but I'm sure other rumors will pop up as time goes by.

We don't know where he's going to go, but all signs indicate that his days in Denver are numbered. As of right now nothing is imminent, but really it's just a matter of time.

Chris Paul Wants Out Of New Orleans

Chris Paul has notified the New Orleans Hornets that he wants to be traded...to the New York Knicks. According to a source said to be close to Paul, the list is as follows, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, and Portland Trailblazers in that order.

This is not a rumor, this is coming directly from Chris Paul himself. I previously reported that Paul made a toast during Carmelo Anthony's wedding dedicated to the Knicks new big 3, himself, Melo, and Amar'e Stoudemire. And this is directly related to that.

According to the source who leaked Paul's list of desired locations, this big 3 believes they are good enough to overcome the big 3 that is currently formed in Miami.

There is one big problem in this new big 3 scenario. The Denver Nuggets have been consistent in their standing that they will not trade Carmelo Anthony. I imagine that it would take for Melo to demand a trade in order for him to be dealt. That's the only way I see this working because there's no way the Nuggets are going to trade their best player for anyone (who's available) on the Knicks, Magic, Mavs, or Blazers.

CP3 To New York?

Chris Paul has stated in the last few weeks that he will demand a trade from the New Orleans Hornets if they don't make major roster upgrades very soon. That in itself was enough to scare Hornets fans and this next piece of information won't make them feel any better. According to a trusted source Chris Paul intends to leave the Hornets for the New York Knicks.

According to the source, Paul made a toast at Carmelo Anthony's wedding to the Knicks future big 3 of Paul, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony. This would be extremely difficult for the Knicks to pull off this offseason, most likely next summer is when this plan could be carried out. Another possibility is if the Knicks can pull off a sign and trade for Melo now, and then try to get Paul at the trade deadline, but I have a hard time seeing that happen.

The Forgotten Superstar

Carmelo Anthony is third in the league in scoring (28.2 PPG) and is carrying his team on his back.

Last night Melo poured in 42 points in capturing game one of the Nuggets' first round playoff series against the Utah Jazz. If this was LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, or Kobe Bryant it would be front page news on ESPN.com. However for some reason Anthony seems to be snubbed in the news consistently.

Right now there are young players making a name for themselves as rising superstars in this league. Kevin Durant is the main name that comes to mind, the reigning scoring champion enjoyed a break out season this year and propelled himself into the "Best player in the league discussion," although I still think he's a ways away from that distinction. My question is, why is Durant in the discussion but not Anthony? Because Durant averages 2 more points per game? That makes no sense. Anthony is the star player on one of the best teams in the league and his team looks poised to make a deep run into the playoffs. In fact, the Nuggets are my pick to emerge from the insanely competitive western conference.

To me a superstar is someone who carries his team and who can take over in crunch time. The accepted superstars in todays game are LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Deron Williams Chris Paul (although his stock is dropping fast), and Kevin Durant, with Derrick Rose starting to make a bid for his place on that list.

For some reason Melo seems to be snubbed in this conversation every time.

Make no mistake about it, Carmelo Anthony is a superstar in this league. He makes big shots and he commands the attention of every defense the Nuggets go up against. I would take Melo over Durant, Kobe (given his recent shooting struggles), Paul, Williams, and Wade. All without hesitation. If you think I'm crazy then pay attention. Anthony put up 42 last night and this is no rare occurance. What happens when Melo goes up against another premier player? He wins.

When the Nuggets went into Cleveland on February 18th the Cavs were riding a 13 game winning streak Melo went off for 40 and out-dueled LeBron James in overtime for the victory. That's what a superstar does and that's who Carmelo Anthony is. That's just one example. Watch the Nuggets closely in the playoffs and I'm sure you'll come to agree too.