Denver Nuggets 7th year small forward, Carmelo Anthony has been the focus of trade rumors for months. Evidently he is done with the Nuggets, and wants to move on. Trade rumors have involved such teams as the struggling New Jersey Nets and the resurging New York Knicks.

Anthony, with career averages of 24 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, and a scorers attitude, is quite the grab for any team looking for some help on the offensive side of the ball.

The long shot is, of course Carmelo staying with Denver, which I think would shock everyone, because if he can do anything about it, he isn’t going to remain there, that’s for sure. Even though, at this point, the Nuggets still own the contract.

So excluding Anthony’s current team, the 23-17 Denver Nuggets, lets take a closer look at the other two teams that seem to be courting the small forward from Colorado.

The New York Knicks. The Knicks obviously were part of the fiasco of last years free for all highly touted free agency class, and tried to woo LeBron James to come to the big apple. However, the Knicks did get 6-10 power forward, Amare Stoudemire from the Suns. A really nice pickup, who has been great this season thus far, putting up 26 pts and 9 boards, helping the Knicks off to a 22-18 start. Carmelo has been obvious; he wants to play in New York, being from New York, playing college ball in Syracuse, Anthony wants to be part of the state again.

With Stoudemire and PG Raymond Felton as foundations in New York, adding Anthony would be a great next step for Coach Mike D'Antoni and his Knickerbockers. The Knicks move the ball, scoring 108 a night, so it would be a familiar style of play there for him. And, as well, like the Nuggets, aren’t always fretful so much on defense, where both the Nuggets and the Knicks both sit in the bottom 10 in the league for points allowed.

Denver is in a much more competitive Northwest division in the Western conference, but is only 3.5 games out of first place. Going to New York he would be going to a team that has to contend with the Celtics, and are 9 games out of first, but overall, less competition in the Atlantic division than the Northwest.

Then there’s the Mikhail Prokhorov owned New Jersey Nets. Also in the Atlantic division, but sitting at 10-31 in the cellar, looking up. The Nets have looked much improved this season, than last, winning already 83% of last years total in the win column.

Hiring coach Avery Johnson, to get them playing quality ball has worked, but they still have a few steps to take in the north direction. Nets billionaire owner, Mikhail Prokhorov has no qualms about dropping the cash needed to lure Anthony to Jersey.

In addition, the Nets are looking to move to Brooklyn, which of course, would be a selling point for Anthony as well. In the rumored trade options to Jersey, would send previous Piston Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton to New Jersey too.

Going to Jersey, I think would be a great move. Granted, they are profoundly out of the playoff hunt, currently, but think of a starting lineup of conceivably Brook Lopez Devin Harris, Carmelo Anthony, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups, then put them in Brooklyn, to challenge for New York pride?

Sign me up - I’m captivated to see this unfold.
 

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