Posted by Royce Young

Ron Artest is promoting the Lakers upcoming exhibition schedule by making the rounds to nearby cities, one of them being San Diego. And while there, he had an idea for a trade. But it didn't involve any players. Via the OC Register:

“Maybe we can swap, the Chargers for the Clippers. No disrespect to the Clippers. You can have them back. I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way. I really like the Clippers, but I feel they deserve their own fan base because in L.A. they’re overshadowed. The Clippers deserve a shot at having their own identity.”

Some might take that as a dig at the Clippers, but it's nothing but truth. The Clippers are basically a team without a city. They're stuck somewhere where they're perpetually playing second fiddle to the Lakers. For instance, when I write "Staples Center" who do you think of?

It's a simple (unrealistic) thought, but it makes loads of sense. Los Angeles wants a football team. The Clippers want a fanbase. Ron Artest: a man with solutions. He should run for Congress or something.

Posted by Royce Young

With the Carmelo Anthony situation, any news is new news, even if it's somewhat old news. If that makes sense.

Ken Berger reported last week that Melo still wanted out, no deal appeared to be coming and even clued us in as to what teams might be players in this rapidly-turning-into-ridiculous situation.

While trade offers have likely been part of internal discussions about Melo weeks ago, now Sam Amick of FanHouse reports the Nuggets are fielding actual offers for Anthony. "Send it in," Amick reports league executives are saying. ESPN's Marc Stein and Ric Bucher also report Denver has softened on its trade stance and is willing to hear offers.

What are the Nuggets looking for? Young assets and talent, Amick says.

Denver is after top-tier young players, future first-round picks, young assets and options to save on salary cap savings. You know what deal fits into that realm? The one Ken Berger mentioned being discussed last week involving Andre Iguodala and Derrick Favors.

Other teams that fit the criteria Amick listed and have been linked to the Carmelo Sweepstakes? The Clippers, the Nets, the Bulls and the Timberwolves (hey, they have the assets). The Knicks have some of it, but are lacking in draft picks. The Rockets have the assets but not the top tier young player. The Magic are in the same boat.

The Nuggets see the writing on the wall. Chauncey Billups is older and in a contract year. Kenyon Martin the same. J.R. Smith is reportedly being shopped. The Denver Nuggets as we know them will be gone soon, and it's looking like it will start by blowing up the top. So Denver's taking the approach to accept the situation and instead of trying to remain at the top with an equal parts trade, the Nuggets are willing to take back picks, assets and young talent. In other words, they're prepared to rebuild.

This means progress for a trade. And with training coming in, oh, a week, it looks like Masai Ujiri is trying to get serious about trading his star. So if you've got a deal, give the Nuggets a call. Serious offers only, please.

Posted by Royce Young

Fall is here, hear the yell, back to school, ring the bell ... The NBA season is right around the corner, and NBA training camp starts in just a few short weeks. To get you ready for the NBA season, we've put together 25 pop quizzes. Pencils ready? We continue our Pop Quizzes with this question...

Who is winning Rookie of the Year? John Wall, Blake Griffin or someone else?

There's the Madden Curse, the Curse of the Billy Goat and the the Curse of the Sacred Buffalo. And for the past couple years, there's been the Curse of the No. 1 Overall Pick.

Of course there's Greg Oden who missed his entire 2007-08 rookie season because of microfracture surgery on his knee. Derrick Rose escaped and had a nice 2008-09 rookie campaign, but then Blake Griffin fractured his patella and sat out all of 2009-10.

Maybe it's a trend. Or maybe like the other "curses," it's just a combination of coincidence and bad luck.

But not often do you have a season with two No. 1 overall picks playing their rookie seasons together. John Wall and Blake Griffin are the last two top picks in the NBA and they are both entering their official rookie seasons. Griffin was the clear-cut favorite for Rookie of the Year last season before he got hurt, but his injury opened the door for Tyreke Evans to snatch the award. But with how electric Evans was last season, who knows, he might've won the award anyway.

So coming into 2010-11, we have two obvious favorites. But will one of them win it? If so, which one? Or if not, who else could slip in and grab the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy? Here are the favorites and then two sleepers:

THE FAVORITES
Blake Griffin, Clippers - It's easy to forget what a freak of nature Griffin is. It's easy to forget his non-stop motor, his talent, his ridiculous ability and his awesome athleticism. He sat out last season so it's easy to forget that he was pretty much a consistent 20-20 threat at the University of Oklahoma and that he averaged almost 30 points and 15 rebounds in the NCAA tournament. It's easy to forget that he was the most dominant college big man since Tim Duncan.

But he's healthy and he's hungry. Those are two very, very scary things for those that dare challenge him head-to-head. Griffin has an other-worldly work ethic and he's spent the last 15 months waiting to get a crack at the NBA. He's ready to go and the Clippers need his services. He'll get big minutes and he'll likely put up big numbers.

John Wall, Wizards - In terms of pure flash, skill and NBA talent, it's hard to top John Wall. He just has some sort of allure to him that makes him must-see. And that sort of thing goes a long way in determining Rookie of the Year. Wall has "it," whatever "it" is.

He's going to struggle some though, especially early on. He's being put in charge of a fairly bad Wizards team from the get-go. He's going to have to manage being a scorer and a distributor, something really good point guards don't figure out most times until their third year. He will struggle at times. He'll turn the ball over. He'll miss open shots. And he'll likely get frustrated. But Wall will have flashy games, good numbers and most of all, that Derrick Rose like draw that just makes him fun to watch.

DeMarcus Cousins, Kings - A lot of really smart analysts agreed in June, DeMarcus Cousins was the most talented overall player in the draft. He's the most NBA ready player and most capable of stepping on the floor and contributing this second.

But for Cousins, it was a between-the-ears thing.

Assuming his head is on straight and he's focused, Cousins is an absolute force on the post. In the first three games of Vegas summer league, he was nearly unguardable. He was a walking double-double. But then he got tired, lost interest and his numbers dipped severely. If we see the good Cousins consistently, he's a legit contender. If he wavers, he might not even make an All-Rookie team.

Evan Turner, 76ers - During summer league, Turner looked lost. He looked confused. He looked as if he wasn't sure of himself, his abilities or how he was supposed to fit in.

But remember, summer league.

Turner nearly averaged a triple-double at Ohio State last season. His issue will be something he doesn't really control. New 76ers coach Doug Collins will have to figure out where he's supposed to play. Is it point? At the 2? At the 3? Once that gets settled and Turner fits into his role, he should be a guy that finishes with quality numbers on a team that likely won't be very good.

Greg Monroe, Pistons - Maybe Monroe would be better suited in the "sleeper" category. He was drafted seventh overall and isn't set up to garner a ton of attention or playing time early on in Detroit.

But Monroe's skills are unignorable. He passing beautifully out of the post, has terrific footwork and rebounds better than people give him credit for. Right now, he's a little low on the depth chart, but the Pistons are likely planning on moving some pieces around. So Monroe will probably get plenty of playing time in a rebuilding situation.

TWO DARK HORSES
Patrick Patterson, Rockets - Daryl Morey traded Carl Landry away to Sacramento last season at the deadline. And he replaced him with, basically another Carl Landry.

Patterson is a machine on the post. He never stops working, never stops fighting. He's pretty much a perfect Houston Rocket at this point. The traditional box score may say he's not great, the measurables may say he's not super talented, but he just gets it done. Given the chance, he might slip in and average quality numbers playing in a bench role for Houston. And if so, he might also slip into the ROY discussion.

James Anderson, Spurs - With the oft-injured and aging Manu Ginobili playing in front of him, James Anderson might be called upon at some point to step up in a big way for the Spurs. And since he plays for San Antonio, obviously Anderson will be up to the task, because that's the just the way the Spurs work.

He was an elite scorer in college that was questioned at the next level because he's not overly athletic and doesn't score at the rim. But does it matter when you can just plain score? He shoots an open 3 beautifully, he gets to the free throw line and he's not a bad defender. If he gets opportunities, he could potentially average double-digits and play a big role in keeping the Spurs going. And that might be enough to at least get him in the conversation.

THE PICK
This is a weird year. On one hand, there are the obvious favorites as in, two No. 1 overall picks. But on the other, it's a wide open race because there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding those guys. Can Wall settle in with Washington? Is Griffin completely healthy? How good is DeMarcus Cousins and can he jump other candidates?

After Blake Griffin's injury last season, the ROY race opened up completely. Basically everyone had a shot. This season, it's pretty much a two-man showdown, with a couple dark horses hanging around. Writers are just waiting to hand the award to either Wall or Griffin, so in order for someone else to get into the conversation, they'll have to have a big time year.

So it comes down to the two No. 1s. Griffin has the advantage of going through an NBA season already, even if he didn't play. He's had a year of practices, a year of meetings, a year of travel. And most importantly, a year away from home in a big city with a lot of money in his pocket. He knows how to handle it. Wall on the other hand, is coming in like a traditional rookie - fresh.

Basically in my mind, it comes down to Griffin's health. If he doesn't sustain anymore injuries and is able to play the bulk of the season, he's going to have seriously good numbers. Probably something in the 17-10 range or maybe even better. He's a statistical machine. Wall will have a nice year no doubt, but Griffin will likely put up numbers that can be ignored. And that's why, in his second rookie year, Blake Griffin gets the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy.

Posted by Royce Young

Fall is here, hear the yell, back to school, ring the bell ... The NBA season is right around the corner, and NBA training camp starts in just a few short weeks. To get you ready for the NBA season, we've put together 25 pop quizzes. Pencils ready? We continue our Pop Quizzes with this question...

When does Carmelo Anthony get traded?

First, a different question: Does Carmelo Anthony get traded? Based on multiple reports from Ken Berger, Ric Bucher and Adrian Wojnarowski, all signs point to yes. New Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri is trying to convince Anthony to stay, but unless he plans on using some Jedi mind tricks, it sounds like Melo is taking off. Chauncey Billups plans on having a conversation with Anthony once he returns from Turkey, but it's not likely to work.

So we're going on the assumption he does get moved. The Nuggets need to trade Anthony, otherwise they're facing the same situation the Raptors and Cavaliers faced this past offseason. They don't want their superstar to walk without getting anything in return. And the longer they wait, they less they can get in return. So the Nuggets have the most leverage now.

I don't know if you realize this, but training camp starts in about three weeks. So if the Nuggets are going to get Anthony traded, they've got to get moving. There really isn't a pro to waiting until the trade deadline to deal Anthony, other than hopefully during that time you can convince him to sign that three-year extension. Other than that, there's nothing that is to be gained. Other teams know the Nuggets hand is being forced, so they know they can offer less and get more. If Denver trades Anthony sooner than later, there's more potential for a better return.

As Ken Berger said, the Nuggets are likely set to unravel, with or without Melo. The window is closing on Denver, so getting something done to try and look ahead to the future is pretty necessary.

So when does Carmelo get traded, since I think we've settled on the fact he will be? If you have an office pool going, I'm not going to give you a specific date, but here are the odds for four different time periods.

Before the season (2/1)
Nothing makes more sense for both parties involved. The sooner Denver trades him, the more they get. But I think I've been over that. Probably like 15 times. And Carmelo would be wise to push for a deal sooner than later. A big hangup could be the looming CBA coming next summer, so Anthony wants to get into his new digs and get started hammering out a new contract extension before that hits.

Plus, the market is broader the earlier you trade. A team that might not be a contender to re-sign Anthony could have a shot at using this season to convince him their franchise is the right fit. Maybe he's lukewarm on Sacramento and the Kings makes a deal to get him. Not only do they have a fun 2010-11 campaign, but potentially this is an audition to get him inked long term. More than likely Carmelo goes somewhere he is ready to sign, but the point is, the earlier the trade, the wider the opportunity.

By Christmas (4/1)
Waiting two months and then dealing Anthony? Not the best choice, but it's better than waiting any longer. Maybe Denver waits in order to try and convince Carmelo to stay. It's a little risky, but other teams might want to wait to see if not only Anthony would fit in well with whatever kind of push they're making, but also to try and give up less to get the Nuggets' star.

At the deadline (10/1)
What's the pro to waiting until the deadline? Well, I guess Denver might be able to get half a season of winning in their pocket and with the trade, still try and make the playoffs. But this scenario is just unlikely. If Denver is going to deal Anthony, trading at the February deadline probably makes the least amount of sense. You get less, you don't get a full season with Anthony and you limit your trade market to only the teams that know they can get Anthony re-signed.

After the season via sign-and-trade (25/1)
For Denver, this makes more sense than waiting until the deadline simply because you just bought yourself 82 more games with Carmelo (and maybe more than that). Plus, you get a season to try and win Anthony back, and then a little bit of the offseason to bring in new players with the cap room the Nuggets will have to hammer the point home.

But this is the highest risk scenario. If you don't convince Anthony to re-sign, you're faced with the LeBron/Bosh situation. Your star is leaving and all you're getting back is a second-round pick and maybe a trade exception. You get the least in return because your hand has been forced. In some ways, I see this as the most likely situation because things tend to play out this way, but in another, the Nuggets just watched an offseason where the Raptors and Cavs got burned. They don't want to be the next victim.

And just for fun, let's rank the teams he might be headed to. So far, about half the league has been tossed out as a potential landing zone. We've heard the Timberwolves, the Kings, the Warriors, the Clippers, the Knicks, the Magic, the Rockets and the Nets. Here are my top five contenders:

1. Houston Rockets
The Rockets are the favorite in my mind, because it makes the most sense all the way around. Houston is a contender with Anthony, something he wants. Houston is still a large TV market, something he wants. The Rockets can trade back quality pieces to Denver, something the Nuggets want. And Daryl Morey gets the star bedrock piece, something he desperately wants.

Anthony likely wants bigger lights for him and his celebrity wife to head to, but a lot of it comes down to what Denver can get back. I'm sure Anthony prefers New York or Los Angeles to anywhere else, but it's about finding a proper trade partner for the Nuggets. And the Rockets can give a quality return while Anthony gets a good city and good franchise.

2. New Jersey Nets
Carmelo was birthed in Brooklyn. The Nets are moving to Brooklyn. Hey, I'm just putting it all together here.

Of course there's the Jay-Z connection which seems to be a draw to pretty much every young star player. But not only that, new owner Mikhail Prokhorov has a stupid amount of money and toys that could entice Anthony. The Nets have a new arena coming, new ownership and potentially even a new name on the way. Anthony could be The Face of the rebuilt New Jersey franchise, which has to be intriguing. Plus, he would basically be in New York, somewhere that he wants to be.

The Nets have the necessary assets to reel in the Nuggets. Brook Lopez is probably out of the question, but there's Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Terrence Williams and Troy Murphy. All of those could be something that Denver would want to pull the trigger on.

3. New York  Knicks
It's not just that Carmelo wants to be in the Big Apple, it's that he wants to be the face of basketball in the basketball holy land. Save the Knicks, save basketball in New York and you're hoops royalty. What player would want to do that? Well, other than LeBron James I guess.

The issue with the Knicks is having the pieces to get a deal done. Whatever New York offers, it won't be as good as what New Jersey, Houston or a number of other teams can do. And the Nuggets aren't going to be in the thinking to do Anthony a favor and just trade him somewhere he wants. They want pieces or at least assets back, two things the Knicks don't have a lot of. But if Carmelo wants to be there bad enough and the Knicks know it, Donnie Walsh would have to put together some kind of package to get it done, even if that means he has to part with some of his prime young players.

4. Los Angeles Clippers
There isn't a team in the running that has available trade pieces that can compete with the Clippers. Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, Baron Davis, Al Farouq-Aminu - any combination there would be almost impossible to turn away. Now Griffin is likely not going to be part of any trade, but Kaman, Aminu and Gordon would make for a fairly equal trade. So of Anthony's potential suitors, I would bet Denver prefers to talk to the Clippers first.

Obviously Melo would like to be in L.A., but he probably wants to be part of the other Los Angeles franchise. Playing for owner Donald Sterling and the hapless Clipper franchise isn't something basketball players dream of. But at the same time, going to the Clippers, building that franchise into a winner and competing for L.A. against the purple and gold would be something a real competitor would relish.

5. Denver Nuggets
They might be a major sleeper, but don't rule out the Nuggets. Most agree Anthony has already mentally left Denver, but people change their minds. Chris Paul already did it after Dell Demps sold him on a plan. Maybe Ujiri can do the same. Or maybe the Nuggets can't find a good trade buddy early on and in the first two months, Denver is winning and Carmelo is having a great time. Now that three-year extension doesn't look so bad anymore. You know how it goes, everybody can change.

Posted by Royce Young

• Kevin Ding of the O.C. Register writes that Byron Scott will one day coach the Lakers: "When you consider just how deeply and openly Scott is tied to the Lakers, not waiting and seeing makes little sense – until you understand that's exactly why he isn't waiting: Scott knows the Lakers so well that he trusts this isn't his only opportunity. And he's right. Scott will still be the Lakers' head coach someday, just not next year."

• Right now, Melo isn't even on the market.

• Matt Moore asked if the Knicks could make the playoffs yesterday and Toney Douglas says he'll be the man to lead them there: "Definitely," Douglas told The NY Post yesterday at Hayground School in Bridgehampton. "I feel like have a lot of talent. We just all have to be on one page and make sure everybody is totally on it. I feel we are a playoff team."

• The Grizzlies are trying to let their fans knows they're serious: "The Grizzlies want fans to know that this season -- their 10th in Memphis -- is the one to really believe in. And the franchise is sending the message with a full-court billboard campaign. More than 80 billboards featuring Griz players were unveiled Wednesday in the Mid-South as the team attempts to generate more enthusiasm for the upcoming season."

• Andre Iguodala, writing for the Philadelphia Daily News, says he's a little homesick: "(Yesterday) was really the first time I've thought about being away from home as long as I have. The reason is because they have been treating us so well ever since we left. We have a chef from Detroit who makes us some great stuff, we have a Nike suite that we all hang out in after games. All the guys on the team have gotten along really well so it doesn't seem so much like we're so far away from home, it's more like a long road trip in the NBA. There really can be no complaints. In Greece, the food was just OK, but in Spain we found restaurants that we liked and all is cool here."

• Doc Rivers says losing should hurt you for the rest of your life.

• Ben Polk of A Wolf Among Wolves hits the nail on the head: "Love tends to draw the kind of praise that we’ve come to understand as racially coded cliches. In the Worlds, Fran Fraschilla (who I should say right out front is a terrific analyst who understands the hell out of international basketball) busted out the full complement: Love is “your perfect teammate,” he is “smart” and “hardworking” and “unselfish”. These make him sound just like an unathletic, Big Ten white dude and I confess that they are part of the reason that I was a little disappointed when the Wolves picked him up. I mean, weren’t you just sick to death of hearing about how great an outlet passer this guy was?"

• D-League expansion team the Texas Legends had an expansion draft yesterday ... for only themselves.

• Blake Griffin for Carmelo Anthony... would you? D.J. Foster of Clipperblog says no way.

Posted by Royce Young

News about Carmelo Anthony's potential departure from Denver started coming out about a month ago. First it was Ken Berger's report saying Melo wanted to play in New York. Then Ric Bucher of ESPN informed the world that Melo was pretty much a lock to be moved. Everything cooled a bit, but then Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! came along to shake the tree once again.

All signs (and news) points to Anthony leaving Denver. But that doesn't mean that new general manager Masai Ujiri isn't going to try and pull a Dell Demps and salvage the relationship. Nuggets executive Josh Kroenke already had a meeting with Melo, but Wojnarowski reported it didn't go that great. Now Ujiri will meet with Anthony and try and convince him of the Nuggets plan. This goes against Wojnarowski's report that said Denver was basically finished talking to Anthony. But then again, it might just be a front by the Nuggets to put on the appearance that they're desperately trying to keep Melo.

"I love Melo," Ujiri told The Denver Post . "I grew up in this league with Melo, kind of. It was my first years in the league, and I watched him grow. The Denver Nuggets want to keep Melo, and that's our priority. Carmelo is the Denver Nuggets, he's the city of Denver. He's done so well on this team. So we're going to deal with the issue full force."

Ujiri will have to sell Anthony on the chance to win. He can't convince him that he can maximize marketing in Denver. He can't convince him that his profile will rise. He can't convince him that his wife will get to be closer to bright lights. He can't convince him of a lot of things. But he does have the ability to tell Anthony that the Nuggets are good enough to win now and that he has plan to     make them better. But Melo doesn't want to test free agency because he'll likely lose millions because of the new CBA and if he had interest in staying with Denver, he'd have signed that three-year extension weeks ago.

So it comes to down to Ujiri's pitch and if that doesn't work, then it's off to finding a suitor. Whether that's now or later, the Nuggets have the most leverage by making a move sooner than later. And one interesting thing to go with this: As John Hollinger of ESPN mentioned, if Denver trades Anthony, there's really no point in them hanging on to Chauncey Billups in his last year of a contract either. Which of course makes this whole thing so much more intriguing.

A lot of teams are popping up as destinations for Anthony, with some making a lot more sense than others. Sam Amico of NBA.com reports that three teams lead the pack for the Nuggets right now and that's the Timberwolves, Kings and Nets. But the biggest key in a deal for any team willing to give away assets to get Anthony is if he's willing to sign an immediate extension with his new team. And other than the Nets, those teams haven't really been a prime location for Anthony, if we're to believe the multiple reports out about where he prefers to sign.

Right now, the Rockets, Knicks, Magic, Hornets, Clippers, Bobcats, Timberwolves, Kings, Nets and Warriors have all been mentioned. In other words, basically one-third of the league. And of course, there's always the possibility that Anthony will stay with Denver. I think the serious contenders here are the Rockets, Magic, Knicks, Clippers and Nets. But that's just my own personal inclination.

While the Bobcats have the Jordan connection, the Warriors have nice assets to offer, the Wolves have picks, the Hornets have the draw of Chris Paul and the Kings have, well, I'm not really sure, I think you can eliminate them all. Anthony is going to go somewhere he's happy with and I can't see one of those destinations making sense for him, especially with all the hassle he's going through getting out of Denver.

Anthony is almost assuredly headed out of the Rockies. But that's not stopping Ujiri from trying to salvage the situation at the eleventh hour. It's unlikely he can convince Anthony to stay, but you definitely can't blame him for the effort.

More on Heisley's train wreck, Chinese investor deal falls through for the Cavs, the Heat defense, and Baron Davis' fat.
Posted by Matt Moore

Earlier in the week we told you about Michael Heisley's train wreck on Memphis radio . Now, Chris Herrington writing for the Memphis Flyer has gone through the interview quote by quote to outline just how off Heisley is in his logic and assertions. It's so bad that Herrington had to break it into two parts . That's a fairly impressive crash and burn for the owner of a major sports league franchise.

How good are the Heat going to be on defense? That's the question John Krolik walks us through on Pro Basketball Talk. Krolik asserts that Wade and James are not only terrific perimeter defenders, but their weaknesses should be covered by the other's strengths (ex. Wade's weak post-defense can be managed by James' strength there). The big questions, predictably, surround their low-post defense and it's likely going to be up to Bosh to step up for the Heat to be dominant defensively. Bosh is going to have to be the player he was treated as and paid to be in free agency, with a complete game to go alongside those pretty jumpers and rebounds.

Former NBA player Jay Vincent has been indicted in an internet scam fraud.

The deal to bring in Chinese investors to the Cavaliers fell apart months ago , via the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. The investment was partially targeted by Cavs ownership to help woo LeBron James. It represents just another in a long series of events that likely did not help the Cavs in retaining James, despite a feeling from most people that his relocation was planned out months or maybe even years ago. If there was any chance of him changing his mind, front-office moves and things like this deal falling apart likely didn't help instill confidence from him in the franchise or its future.

Danny Ferry has rejoined the Spurs and will oversee their D-League affiliate among other duties. The Spurs take the operation of their affiliate very seriously and Ferry is a prime candidate for this kind of job. It's likely a welcome relief to be working with players that want a job again after his recent experiences.

Long story short: fouling or not fouling when up three will pretty much net you the same win percentage. Go figure. No, seriously, go figure, because the math behind this stuff is fairly complicated.

Baron Davis refutes a report that he's gone tubbo. No word on if he's also going to refute the assertion that he's lazy, injury-prone and inefficient.

Scottie Pippen's getting his own statue , which is pretty neat for him. Of course the best pose of him won't make it: him standing over Patrick Ewing.

A Stern Warning reports that Patty Mills will remain a Blazer this season .

Some really great news for Mikhail Torrance, who suffered a heart attack in a work-out, collapsed, and slipped into a coma. He's breathing on his own again .

Posted by Royce Young

The storm on the Carmelo Anthony front has calmed for a bit. Nothing new has been dropping and no new rumors to report. Wait, there is one that surfaced late yesterday via Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post who said he's hearing the Clippers might be a possibility for Anthony. But other than THAT, not too much going on.

So this was probably a good time for the Nuggets to talk with Carmelo. And that's what executive Josh Kroenke did, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo. Kroenke attempted to sell Anthony on the Nuggets, Denver and the team's future while pushing for Carmelo to sign the three-year extension that's been on the table for months.

Wojnarowski also said the Rockets are the likely frontrunner for Anthony and that the Knicks have likely been overstated. One other interesting note is how this thing might go down.

Wojnarowski writes:

Anthony still believes he can get the maximum possible money from re-signing with the Nuggets now, sources said, with his sights on engineering a trade to a preferred destination later. For him to opt out of his contract at the end of next season would be an immense risk. With league owners determined to shorten the years and lessen the money on max contracts in the next collective bargaining agreement, Anthony and his representatives know they could cost themselves tens of millions of guaranteed dollars.

Anthony is looking at a sign-and-trade, which the Nuggets likely don't prefer. With a sign-and-trade, the team is a bit handcuffed because its leverage goes out the door. Instead of being able to get up from the table and say, "Fine, we won't trade him period," other teams negotiating know the Nuggets have to get the player moved. So with the sign-and-trade, Denver would probably get back less.

But there still is the possibility that no one seems to be considering and that's the option that the young Kroenke made an impression on Anthony, sold him on Denver's future and that Carmelo wants to stay with the Nuggets over uprooting and going somewhere new. From what we've heard lately, that's probably not happening, but it's obvious that the Nuggets haven't given up quite yet.