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.

5 Biggest Winners And Losers In Summer 2010

5 Biggest Winners

1. Miami Heat

No surprise here. When you land LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Mike Miller to go along with Dwyane Wade then you're doing a pretty good job. I'm not ready to crown them king of the NBA (or even the Eastern Conference) quite yet but it's hard to deny that their front office got it done this offseason. The one and only problem is that they now have literally no money to spend. They're going to need to fill out their roster signing guys to the veteran's minimum. That won't be a problem if guys want to go to the Heat but so far that hasn't been the case. As a matter of fact, Matt Barnes and Tracy McGrady both rejected Miami because they would rather beat them.

2. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls struck out on the big 3 of Wade, Bosh, and James but the package of Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, CJ Watson, and Kurt Thomas is a pretty good consolation prize. In my opinion missing out on Wade and James was a blessing in disguise because they would have without a doubt stunted the growth of emerging superstar Derrick Rose. The Bulls are going to make some serious noise this season because now Rose actually has someone to kick the ball out to. Not to mention now they have a legitimate post threat. With their offseason the Bulls catapulted themselves into the top 4 of the Eastern Conference, maybe even top 3.

3. Golden State Warriors

Signing David Lee was a huge move for the Warriors. Putting an inside presence with Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis can only be a good thing. With this signing the Warriors have the potential to contend for the 8th playoff spot but I'd still be shocked if they got it.

4. New York Knicks

Signing Amar'e Stoudemire was a solid move from the Knicks but I think they would have been better off keeping David Lee and trying to get a guard. Stoudemire is better in a fast paced offense and the Knicks don't run a fast paced offense. Signing Stoudemire was a desperation move from the Knicks front office because they missed out on the big 3. Expectations were so high in New York (I don't know why) and striking out in the offseason would have caused a riot outside of Madison Square Garden.

5. Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have plateaued. They overachieved one year and made it to the finals and I don't expect them to go back there anytime soon. The front office grabbed Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson in the offseason but that's really not going to make much of a difference.

5 Biggest Losers

1. New Jersey Nets

It's a really bad time to be a Nets fan right now. To the surprise of nobody they struck out on literally everybody in the offseason. They went hard after the big 3 but I have a hard time believing they had any shot at even one of them, They are no better then they were last season but hopefully Brook Lopez keeps developing into a star center.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers

First off I just want to say that I applaud Dan Gilbert (Cavs' Owner) for calling LeBron out on all of the things I've been complaining about for the last two years. The highlight of Gilbert's angry rant was when he characterized LeBron's leaving Cleveland as "Cowardly betrayel." Anyway, losing LeBron James makes the Cavaliers the second biggest loser of this year's free agency. The LeBron James era is the only bright spot in Cavaliers history and now that it's over, there is little doubt that the franchise is in for another long dark period.

3. Los Angeles Clippers

Much like the Nets, the Clippers missed out on everybody. However the Nets are judged as more of a loser because they cleared out their entire roster in anticipation for this summer. The Clippers were just sort of sitting there hoping someone fell into their lap.

4. New Orleans Hornets

The last thing the Hornets needed this offseason was to have uncertainty surrounding their star player Chris Paul. Why would any free agent come in now, knowing that Chris Paul could be gone at the drop of a hat?

5, Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks absolutely screwed themselves signing Joe Johnson to a max contract. Johnson has two more quality years left at best. That contract is going to haunt them for the next decade unless they're somehow able to trade it. Those 16.4 million dollars (that number will rise by about 1 mil every year) will sit on their books and make every transaction they try to a very complex situation.

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.

This Is How It Looks Right Now

Free agency has been crazier than anyone ever expected. Right now this is how things seem. Wade and Bosh to Chicago or Miami, LeBron's probably staying in Cleveland, Boozer to Chicago if no Bosh, Amar'e Stoudemire to the Knicks, and contrary to my last report Joe Johnson is still in play.

Up until Friday nobody thought there was even a chance that Dwyane Wade was leaving Miami, not a chance in hell. But after Wade met for the second time in two days with the Chicago Bulls people's eyes were opened. Now it seems that Wade is actually favoring the Bulls over the Miami Heat, the only organization he's ever known. In a video from TMZ Wade is seen with his agent and Chris Bosh outside a Chicago restaurant. Wade's asked a question on how he would help the Chicago Bulls, he doesn't answer the question, but he does give a suggestive smile to the camera. To support the theory of Wade going to the Bulls, a recent twitter update was made by Jason Goff bodes well for the Bulls to say the least, "Sources are telling me Wade-Bosh package imminent in Chicago." Goff is a radio show host in Chicago and many suspect that his sources are deep rooted in the Bulls' organization. Chris Bosh, obviously based on the quote, is also heavily rumored to the Bulls. The general thought is that Wade and Bosh are going together to either the Bulls or the Heat. As a Bulls fan I'm trying to be as unbiased as possible when I say that going to Chicago makes much more sense for both players. For Wade, Chicago features family ties, a chance to have a good relationship with his two sons, a realistic chance to win a championship, and a chance to play for his hometown team. By staying in Miami Wade proves his loyalty and gets to rot with Michael Beasley for the next 6 years. Even if Bosh goes with him to Miami I still think they're not the favorites to win the East next year because the rest of the roster would be full of the Anthony Roberson's of the world. Do you even know who he is? I highly doubt it.

According to several sources, Carlos Boozer is on board if the Bulls want him. Logically thinking, the Bulls are probably waiting to see what happens with Chris Bosh before committing to Boozer. That makes the most sense. If they do miss out on Bosh, Wade, and LeBron, Boozer isn't a bad consolation prize. Especially because he'd likely be joined by Joe Johnson who's refrained from committing to the Hawks because he's still interested in the Bulls and Knicks.

The Knicks are reportedly closing in on a five year deal with Amar'e Stoudemire but in my opinion that has absolutely no effect on anything in free agency or in the East next season. With Stoudemire the Knicks are probably playoff bound but still don't have a legitimate shot at the Eastern Conference crown.

It seems like no matter how these scenarios play out we're headed for a Bulls vs. Heat Eastern Conference Finals next season.

As of right now the water is still, but the big splashes could come any minute.

LeBron James to Honor Jordan by Giving Up #23, as Well as a Quick Look at Next Summer's Possibilities

Immediately following Thursday's win in Miami, LeBron James made the announcement that he was changing his number from 23 to 6 in honor of Michael Jordan.

“Jordan can’t get the logo, and if he can’t, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I’m starting a petition, and I’ve got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I’m not going to wear number 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it.”

Why though? Why change it this late in his career?

It's because James has realized that no matter what he does, 23 will always be Jordan's number. This is an attempt to try to break out of the Jordan shadow and make his own legacy with no ties to anyone else's. If LeBron wants to give up 23 then that's fine but to say that there should be a league wide ban on it is taking it too far. As far as I know the only number in sports which is completely off limits is number 42 in Major League Baseball. When someone breaks down racial barriers, universally retiring their number is justified, but just being the greatest player isn't enough.

In a way, I think LeBron is just creating a diversion from all of the free agent talk that he has been going through in the early weeks of the season. It makes sense, having to hear your best player rumored to every organization under the sun can't be good for team chemistry.

What LeBron doesn't realize is that by saying he's changing from 23 the, "LeBron to Chicago", whispers are going amplify themselves. People are going use their faulted logic and think that he's only changing from 23 because he knows he can't have it in Chicago. This will cause a bigger distraction because Chicago is actually a very possible destination for James (rather than the Knicks, Nets, or Heat). The Bulls have a lot of money to spend, a big market, and with James a team that will seriously contend for a title.

All of these rumors about James to Miami or New York are pipe dreams. If LeBron goes to the Knicks then it should be very obvious to everyone that he wants nothing but money and winning is not a top priority for him which I highly doubt.

As for the Heat, in theory putting James and Wade together sounds like a good idea but on the floor it will be a different story. Both of their styles demand having the ball for the majority of the game and as far as I know only one person can have the ball at a time. A combination of Wade and James would be the biggest disappointment since Steve Francis.

As this season drags on, James' free agent rumors are going to start taking a toll on the Cavs. Don't be surprised to see a schism in the Cavaliers' locker room. If I were LeBron, I would be as silent as humanly possible with the media in the coming weeks.

It Must Have Been the Booze Talking

Much to the surprise of Carlos Boozer, he is still a member of the Utah Jazz heading into training camp.

"Management brought me back so I'm here in town, I'm ready and looking forward to playing."

I would be too, the Jazz have a solid team in place and have the potential to make a postseason run. Also, if Boozer plays well this year and stays healthy his stock will go up like a launching space shuttle. There are many teams in the NBA who would love to have a guy like Boozer, they include Chicago, Miami, Detroit, New York, New Jersey, Denver, Indiana, Charlotte, Sacramento, and the Lakers. With so many possibilities Boozer is bound to get big money from one of them.

Boozer really should have chosen his words more carefully over the summer, now he is probably going to be hearing some unhappy fans in Utah on opening night. By calling Miami his, "Paradise," he is pretty much saying, "Send me to the Heat". That's not going to go over well with the fans in Salt Lake City.

Even with all the distractions Boozer will still have a good season if he can stay healthy. He has great scoring and rebounding abilities and he will re-establish himself as a force in the low post this season.

Lee and Robinson to Sign with Knicks

After all the speculation of trades and holdouts David Lee's agent is reporting that the Knicks have a deal in place to retain their marquis PF. The exact conditions of the deal are not released but the deal is believed to be worth one year, seven million dollars.

Personally I believe that this is all part of a sign and trade. All summer the Knicks have been refusing to pay Lee over five million for one year and now they're willing to jump to seven? No way, Lee will most likely be dealt for a bunch of expiring contracts because the Knicks are known to be one of the front runners in the LeBron James sweepstakes next summer.

Nate Robinson, the NBA's most intriguing dunker has also reached an agreement to a one year, 2.9 million dollar deal. Robinson is a good bench player who will contribute on a nightly basis. Unlike Lee, Robsinson will most likely be staying in New York for the immediate future.

Jason Williams Signs with Orlando

Jason Williams, who did not play last season, signed today with the Orlando Magic. In Jason Williams the Magic add championship experience as well as depth at the guard position.

The New York Knicks had the opportunity to sign the veteran point guard after claiming him off wavers. The Knicks and Williams entered into contract talks but no deal materialized when the two sides could not reach an agreement. 

Magic general manager Otis Smith had this to say about the acquisition, "Jason provides depth and leadership to our backcourt, he is a veteran point guard that knows what it takes to help us reach our ultimate goal. We are excited to add him to our team."