Where You Going Melo?

With  NBA all-star weekend a week away and the trade deadline a little less than two weeks away, besides the Cavaliers' undeserved losing streak, which just ended and Jerry Sloan's sudden resignation, the biggest news around the league is still the question of where Carmelo Anthony will be playing during the second half of the season. As we near the 24th of February, there will be plenty of rumors of where he may go and possibly more and more teams will put their names in the sweepstakes for the 2nd best pure scorer in the league. Recently it's been the Knicks and Lakers getting the attention, next week it might be the Rockets or Mavs, or maybe the Nets may get back in discussions. You never know. Whatever happens, let's break down the top 5 teams in the running.

1) New York Knicks: This is the team with the best chance at getting Carmelo and in my opinion, they hold the most leverage. There really is no pressure for the Knicks to make a move because they won't win a title this year with or without Melo. So why give up Landry Fields, Wilson Chandler or Danilo Gallinari and draft picks when they can be patient and sign Melo in the offseason? Even if the Knicks were to lose out on Carmelo in the free agency this offseason, they would then look towards 2012 and signing Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, or Deron Williams instead. The only reason the Knicks would make a strong push and up their offer of Wilson Chandler, a 1st round pick via T-Wolves and Corey Brewer is if they really believe Carmelo is considering an extension with the Nuggets and they succumb to their fans' demands. I don't buy any of it and I believe Carmelo considering an "extension" with the Nuggets is a bluff for the Knicks to make a deal. If the Knicks work out a deal, that'd be great, but I don't think they should give up any talent to acquire a player they can end up signing in the summer. Good things come to those who wait... then again LeBron took his talents to South Beach instead of New York...

2) Los Angeles Lakers: I think for any NBA fan, the rumor of Andrew Bynum for Carmelo Anthony is the most intriguing. As a fan of basketball and amazing talent, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant on each wing and Pau Gasol on the block is scary. The two best scorers in the NBA playing together? That is just unfathomable. How do you defend that?? Now as a realist and a hater of super teams, this trade would be absolutely stupid if the Lakers do it, which they won't. The one thing that is so difficult to find in the league today is a 7-foot franchise center. Ask the Blazers about that. Scorers and wing-players that can average 20 a game come in the draft almost every year, but a franchise center? Once every 5 years at least. Besides the fact that Bynum is injury-prone, he's still only 23, and to me, he is still the biggest x-factor to this current Laker dynasty. I've said it many times on this blog before that if Gasol and Bynum are healthy and on the floor together during the Playoffs, they're a problem for any team offensively and defensively. Put Melo on this team and give Gasol foul trouble and who plays center? Lamar Odom (too small)? Theo Ratliff (too buff)? Joe Smith? Size is undervalued in this league and the Lakers do not need to be involved in these trade rumors. Jim Buss won't allow this trade to go down and Mitch Kupchak's only concern should be getting rid of some guy named Artest and aquiring a guy named Iguodala instead.

 3) New Jersey ("Brooklyn") Nets: This was actually the perfect place for the Nuggets to send Carmelo Anthony, and probably the second best destination for Carmelo's preferences, especially with the team's planned move to his hometown of Brooklyn in a couple years. The Nuggets could have acquired Devin Harris, a promising Derrick Favors, and good draft picks, but it was not enough for the Nuggets who also wanted to unload Al Harrington's contract (they just signed him this offseason), and now they're left with the proposed deal mentioned above. As for the Nets, they could have had Melo, Chauncey Billups, and Rip Hamilton, and perhaps a chance to be a contender in the East this season. With that though, Melo was unwilling to commit to an extension and Nets' owner Mikhail Prokhorov was offended and unwilling to meet with Melo and talk it through. This deal should have been made, but too many egos were involved, too much indecisiveness, too many demands, and the Nets and Nuggets both got screwed in the end.

4) Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs are one of those half-year rental teams that can become serious title contenders if they acquire Melo by the deadline, but they're also a darkhorse that can steal Melo for the long-run. Mark Cuban may be a crazy personality, but he is the ultimate players' owner. A couple months of luxury and a deep run with the Mavericks in the Playoffs can definitely convince Melo to sign an extension with the Mavs. The only problem? What do the Mavs have to offer to the Nuggets and with what cap space do they have to re-sign Melo? They have too many veterans with large contracts and not enough prospects to pull a deal off unless they pull a third or forth team into the deal. If Melo somehow lands in Dallas I'm very tempted to say they will win the West and I'll be bold enough to say they'll win the whole damn thing.

 5) Houston Rockets:  Here's another Texas team that is looking at Melo's services for half a season and hoping to be able to convince him to extend when the season is over. The Rockets have a ton of enticing trade pieces (draft picks, Kevin Martin, Yao Ming's expiring contract/possible retirement, etc.). However is the roster that remains after a trade good enough to satisfy Melo? Not even close, especially if Kevin Martin is a part of a potential deal. Along with that, the Rockets don't really have any title aspirations this season, and getting Melo would only be for a playoff push for bottom seeding. The Nuggets would benefit from a trade with the Rockets and they wouldn't have to worry about the Rockets wanting a commitment from Melo so that alone makes the Rockets a possible destination.

* Denver Nuggets: As for the team Carmelo Anthony currently plays for, look at how happy the guys (above) are celebrating a game-winner without him. Even though Melo has recently said he'll consider resigning with the Nuggets, the reality is that Melo needs to go, and the franchise needs to move on without him. Melo has handled the situation professionally all season long and he still plays his heart out night in and night out, but it's been a distraction to his teammates all season. The team has no chemistry, and for a team that could be the second best team in the West, they're currently sixth. Along with trying to satisfy Carmelo's needs, there's uncertainty for the future of the rest of the roster as well. Chauncey Billups and Nene can both opt out at season's end, Aaron Afflalo will be a restricted free agent, and J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin will be unrestricted free agents. I'm positive Melo won't re-sign with the Nuggets and the Nuggets need to get as much value as they can for him before losing him to free agency even if it meant only acquiring a mediocre player like Sasha Vujacic.

In the end, I actually believe Carmelo won't be moved by the deadline. The Nuggets' asking price is too high and a lot of the teams who want Melo don't feel the pressure to offer much. I can only see him being traded to the Knicks if he is traded, but all signs point to a playoff push by the Nuggets with Melo instead of rebuilding 50 games into this season. The Nuggets aren't that stupid to get little or nothing in return and will most likely take their chances on re-signing or sign-and-trading Melo this offseason. Best of luck to the Nuggets.