Reports: Signs Pointing Carmelo Anthony to NYC
This story was written by CBSSports.com's Royce Young
The Knicks had their eye on the summer of 2010 for a few years. It was their chance to return to glory by shelling out big money to big name free agents. In the end, only one signed and New York was left waiting for the next shot at a star.
Well, signs might be pointing to a certain Denver Nuggets stud leaning towards New York. Besides Ken Berger's report that Carmelo Anthony wants to play in the Big Apple, Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post says there are some serious smoke signals that 'Melo prefers New York:
These are some of the dots: He's selling his Littleton estate; the constant reports of Anthony telling friends that he wants to play for the New York Knicks; his New York wedding; his East Coast upbringing; summer trade talk that has cropped up twice in his time in Denver, which hasn't always made him feel wanted; oh, and not signing a contract that averages around $21.6 million per year for the next three years, a sizable amount of money that he may not be able to earn with a new collective bargaining agreement.
Anthony has connected some dots of his own. Even if he was completely happy with the Nuggets now, in three years he may look around at a team that is a shell of the one that reached the Western Conference finals in 2009. It could be young and inexperienced. It could be filled with mediocre talent. His NBA biological clock would be ticking loudly because he would be in his 10th season. There's no way he wants to start over 10 seasons into his career.
It's definitely to the point for Anthony that it's not just wild speculation. The interest appears to be real and even with a $65 million extension on the table from Denver, Anthony has said he's taking his time and also invoked the "do what's best for me and my family" clause.
On the other hand, Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups is hopeful Anthony will stay in the Rockies. "I'm 100 percent hopeful," Billups told the New York Post . "It's between me and my guy. If y'all have a close personal friend and they're going through something and the media asks, you're not going to expose that. Y'all find out when he wants y'all to know."
No doubt Carmelo Anthony's free agency will likely be the major drama of next offseason. And much like New York's courtship of LeBron, there's some serious flirtation going on from both sides. But just The King's decision, we'll likely just have to wait until next year to get the final answer.