There's no place like home... or is it?

As the February 24 NBA trade deadline nears, Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony remains untraded, but at the top of most team’s wish list. The deal to the New Jersey Nets seemed all but done a month ago, but Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov decided that he was not going to continue to let the inmates run the asylum, so he pulled the plug on the potential deal. My beloved Chicago Bulls were even in the hunt this summer, a move that would have surely solidified our spot in the Eastern Conference finals at the very least, but the Denver Nuggets were asking the Bulls to mortgage their entire future for a rental player, no dice. The most recent rumors have the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks as the two front runners, although the Knicks have been the undercurrent driving this deal all season long.

While Anthony has not said much publicly during this mini saga, he still remains the leading character in “As the Melo Turns.” Sometimes silence and diplomacy can be deadlier than the obnoxious loud mouth… at least you can see him coming. Anthony has not publicly stated he wants out of Denver, but his refusal to sign a three-year $65 million extension with the Nuggets speaks volumes… must be nice.

Word on the street has it that Anthony wants to play for the Knicks because he is from New York. I guess the idea of playing for New Jersey was not close enough to home, even though they are supposed to move to Brooklyn N.Y. within the next season. Where Anthony lands makes no difference to me, although I think he would look sweet in a Bulls uniform. They have the third best record in the East and an MVP candidate in Derek Rose… but I digress. The point I want to make is, sometimes going home ain’t all what it’s cracked up to be. You have to go where your opportunities lead you. Look at the last NBA star who eagerly wanted to go back to play in his home city, which also happened to be New York; this fool ended up buried on the bench and then was found crying and eating Vaseline on YouTube. Now he’s playing ball in China… I guess I can't knock him too hard, he still has a job. And not to say that Anthony will suffer the same fate as “Starbury,” but then again, who saw that coming?

The NBA will be entering into a new collective bargaining agreement this summer. There is a strong likelihood that Anthony will not be able to make as much money under the new agreement should he opt out of his current contract to become a free agent to sign with the Knicks. One thing is for sure, Denver is not going to get burned ala Cleveland and Toronto. They plan to get something in return for the super star other than memories. I think we can expect Anthony to get traded to a team without signing an extension and Denver will have to come down on their asking price. Once in a new environment, perhaps the team will be able to woo him, and perhaps Anthony will realize $22 million a year isn't so bad for a black man in the United States.