| 17 August 2010
Just when the Chris Paul rumors were about dead,
a new rumor involving Carmelo Anthony springs up.
Gary C. Caskey/Newscom/PicApp
The big story in the NBA -- not having to do with LeBron James at least -- is reports coming out of Denver that Carmelo Anthony feels he does not have future in the Mile High City. This split is more like the Chris Bosh-Toronto split than the Cleveland-LeBron split. There are no secrets (well, there are) and there is total frankness.
Anthony apparently wants to escape to a bigger market where he can get the notoriety that James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh should get in Miami. And Denver has vowed not be held hostage by Anthony's impending free agency like James held Cleveland hostage. Anthony has been linked to New York for much of the summer.
But a new name has surfaced and, you guessed it, Orlando is apparently a hotbed for trade rumors.
Ken Berger of CBS Sports reports the Magic are near the top of Anthony's list if the Nuggets are going to make a deal involving him. Carmelo is hoping to get a deal done before the season begins and is willing to sign an extension and commit to whatever team he is traded to.
So Magic fans, start your freaking out and obsessing over every word written about Anthony right...now.
The Chris Paul rumors from earlier this summer drove Orlando fans nuts even though Otis Smith said very little and they turned out to be nothing. But this is a much different rumor. Unlike Paul, who, while an All Star and one of the league's superstars, re-enforces a strength the Magic already had, Anthony would fill a need Orlando has had for a long time.
Anthony, and his 28.2 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game and 54.8% True Shooting Percentage, would give the Magic the big-time perimeter scorer they have not had since Tracy McGrady left. And it would be pretty easy to insert him into a lineup alongside Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Quentin Richardson. Take this moment to stop salivating and come back to your senses a little.
It is tough to say at this stage how serious these rumors are. Otis Smith said Orlando has not had any contact with Denver concerning Anthony. But with Smith, that could mean he just got off the phone with Leon Rose (Anthony's agent) or the Nuggets.
There is still a month and a half before training camp opens, and this could be the realistic and (very) splashy move Orlando fans have wanted the team to make to match Miami's acquisitions. We will see in the coming weeks how much momentum this picks up.
And just think, I was going to write about the Magic potentially trying to re-acquire Courtney Lee.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
