Carmelo Anthony Rumors Spoils NBA All-Star Party

LOS ANGELES—Not often that a party for the NBA shines in downtown Los Angeles for an entire weekend, unless of course the Lakers are celebrate a championship with another glorified victory parade. Other than that, there's rarely a moment when the devoted big city host a party so exciting like this one.

Los Angeles is at a cultural standpoint for embracing the sport if nothing else; Staples Center has been the origin to host the NBA All-Star festivities in a city of mural arts in which many tourists flock to visit famous landmarks in Hollywood.

The NBA All-Star game has stolen the landscape this weekend, well to some extent, but nonetheless not as much as anticipated. If no one realizes what has been taken place of late, weary of hearing the insanity with the Carmelo Anthony rumors swirling around the league faster than a buzzer-beater dropping through the net, the buzz has reached a point of silliness as the NBA season has advanced near the midway point and it seems the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets are undecided to exercise in proposed deals.

It's a no-brainer to grasp that such a glamorous event, almost coincidentally, is veiling amidst the facades of the melodrama and endless rumors of the Melo trade talks. Even more so, it's also a notion that the Knicks are leaning towards the realm of his availability, earnest to acquire Anthony and truly are ready to break away from the mediocrity and revamp the promising franchise around Amar'e Stoudemire.

So now, waiting calmly to see where he lands before the trade deadline comes to a close, we are brainwashed by the chatter. It's said that he'll join the Knicks, once a mortal franchise, by the end of this weekend. With any luck on a new team, it would be no surprise to see Anthony in a Knicks uniform, affiliated with a wealthy organization surrounded by gifted stars. It's obvious, for sure, now justified as prime contenders in the league, that the Knicks are aiming for Anthony to form a fearsome tandem, one of the best in the Eastern Conference.

When it comes to drama of potential transitions in the NBA, it features Anthony and the Nets, even if the Knicks always have been a perfect suitor for the coveted forward. The fuss has drawn much controversy lately, and now, he is clearly the one player discussed in the news. All along, he has desired to play for the Knicks, but from the scheme of things, it seems as if he's on his way to the New Jersey Nets when the Denver Nuggets reached a tentative agreement on Friday to send Anthony to the Nets.

Evidently, as he has the leverage in this delirium, he'd be pressured to agree to sign a $65 million contract extension with the Nets. Over the weekend, hopefully a sense of relief to tone down the volume a bit, he is expected to meet with Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov here in Los Angeles during the All-Star weekend. Keep in mind, there's another team anxious to bring aboard Carmelo. And once before, if you can recall, he has shown much passion in joining the Knicks, no longer a receded franchise owned by the billionaire Dolan, optimistic he could rejuvenate life inside the Madison Square Garden.

The most respected venue in the world craves for thrills and infinite zeal from potentially the Knicks talented stars, but much of the talent must be dealt in exchange for the top superstar on the market possibly. The fact of the matter is that, particularly at the point when the Knicks have excelled with the likes of Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and even Landry Fields, the team fears losing out on tremendous star power for one player and has been unsuccessful in constructing a deal.

With such magical endowment, the Knicks aren't sabotaged finally and their personality illustrates they are in contention in which a well-known celebrity by the name of Spike Lee owns courtside seats, elated for the resurrection of his favorite ball team in the NBA. Besides a trade in the next 24 hours, if it ever does happen, it's hard to believe anything. Rumor has it, this is nothing but a draining rumor, exhaustion that has lasted eternally to peeve our minds, having us wonder what team he'll eventually call home for the rest of the season.

This is a topic that everyone has blabbered about, guessing repeatedly on where he'll wind up, again if he is ever placed on the market. The Nets are clearly in the Melo sweepstakes and appear to be the frontrunners, desperately wanted in New Jersey, not only to transform the identity but to improve the Nets and inflate ticket sells with the attraction of a superstar capable of epically putting on a display. The behind-the-scene business is hazy for this All-Star weekend, and all of us are sick and tired of hearing the rumors, the nonsense and the absurdity.

As a writer, it's difficult for any reporter to turn down useful specifics, but believing all things has caused a national disturbance in the NBA, and Anthony owns the limelight this weekend. Pretty soon, if the Knicks or Nets are quick in putting together a reasonable deal for Anthony, the obnoxious storyline will fade out of the equation by Feb. 24. The theory is, every team interested is unsure about the potential acquisition, but the Knicks essentially begs for Anthony in the middle of negotiations allegedly.

This is a city still mourning the sadness of losing on LeBron James last summer when he became a free agent and bailed on Cleveland to take his talents to South Beach. This is a city that has witnessed a gloomy era, worthless of woeful troubles and had been painfully disrespected for years, but so were the Nets after returning from a disillusioned season a year ago, suddenly rebuilt with a phenomenal nucleus. It's even better that he can play with Brook Lopez, the seven-footer on the Nets roster and work as a cohesive group under first-year head coach Avery Johnson.

The framework of a blockbuster package for Anthony is close to getting done, a deal that sends him, Chauncey Billups, Melvin Ely, Renaldo Balkman and Shelden Williams to the Nets for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Troy Murphy, Ben Uzoh and four first-round draft picks, according to sources. For whatever reason, the Eastern Conference GM believes honestly the Nuggets might as well hold on to Anthony instead of accepting a below-value offer.

"I don't understand why Denver would take any offer from Knicks relative to just keeping him," the GM said. "The Nets deal at least gives them something. I think it's the Nets deal, or Denver keeps him."

What he'll bring to either team, quite simply, is symbolic goodness in a league that prefers a competitive nature of the sphere of pro basketball. Whether he was vilified after he had been too wishy-washy on his trade status, but now willing to leave the Nuggets. Whether it was his constant suggestions on where he'll like to finish out his career or play in the near future, he'll be welcomed immediately and be an asset of the inner city.

There is a certain belief, on the verge of another flashy generation for a league built on star power and the imagery of superstars, that Knicks president Donnie Walsh badly would like to trade for Anthony. That's how much experience he has in the league, rightfully so, in which he could coax Anthony to join the next generation in New York. Better yet, which perhaps has defined his legacy as a team executive, for years of course, he's been creative in pulling the trigger and owns a gratifying resume of maintenance and conservation, but deprived of an NBA championship. Maybe, probably, Carmelo is his guy.

Please let him be someone's guy.

Just so we can move on, trade for him already.

NBA Playoffs 2010: Can The Jazz Create a Competition Against L.A.?

The Utah Jazz made their point to the Denver Nuggets: we're not going to be intimidated. And they followed to that statement, beating Carmelo Anthony and Nuggets in six games to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

The Jazz have fallen close a lot for the past few years in the playoffs. It brings back memories to the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals as John Stockton and Karl Malone fell to Michael Jordan's heroics in those games.

The Jazz haven't made it to the Finals since.

Now the Jazz need to make things happen for this year with a new team. Deron Williams would be the John Stockton and Karl Malone would obviously be Carlos Boozer. The Jazz also have their other key players like Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko and Paul Millsap. The Jazz also still have their same coach from the 90's era: Jerry Sloan.

This is a new team with a new dream.

Second round of the playoffs. The Jazz will have to create a competition. Deron Williams will most likely be a game-time decision, but if he plays, he can create some havoc on Lakers' aging point guard in Derek Fisher.

But we don't need to worry about Williams if he struggles. He's ready.

"I'm all right," Williams said when asked about his elbow. "Ready to go."

Wesley Matthews versus Kobe Bryant looks to be interesting and I'd like to see or Kirilenko does versus Ron Artest if he is able to play. But even if Kirilenko doesn't play for Game One on Sunday at 3:30, he is ready for the other games.

"It feels great, feeling better and better," Kirilenko said. "Update on the game-wise—probably not Sunday, maybe Tuesday or pretty much sure Game 3."

Carlos Boozer looks to dominate on Pau Gasol but will have to guard him well. Gasol was very valuable in Game Six when LA took on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Kobe missed his game-winning jumper, which he usually makes. Gasol came up and battled for the rebound and tipped it back in.

Fesenko is going to have to put up a fight against Andrew Bynum. It's going to be interesting, though. Jazz really wish Mehmet Okur wasn't out for the season, huh? Jazz will also have to defend Lamar Odom, too.

But although these match-ups will seem entertaining to watch, who is going to stop this Los Angeles Lakers team? The last two years, nobody has been able to stop this advanced squad.

What the Jazz need to pay attention to is to stop Kobe and Bynum as much as possible. You never know if Gasol will do good or bad and Odom is a sixth man. Boozer can hold down Gasol but Bynum looks to dominate Fesenko.

But I think the Jazz can create a problem for this Lakers' team. Boozer will be productive but the key for the Jazz to get this done is if Kirilenko can show up strong and Deron Williams. Injuries will have to be at the very low minimium after Game One.

I believe this series willl indeed go to seven games, but who will come out on top? Don't underestimate the Jazz because they're at the fourth seed. They were underestimated a bit against the Nuggets and they showed up big there.

They could show up big here against L.A.

Oh well, I guess we'll see. Enjoy the series, folks.

NBA Playoffs 2010: 'Melo Is Seriously On Fire; Leading Denver To Finals

We on fire
Up in here, it's burning hot
We on fire
- Chorus, On Fire by Lloyd Banks


More like...Carmelo Anthony is on fire!

Anthony made a great showing against the Utah Jazz, dropping 40 points on them. He just makes it look easy. It was shot after shot, dribble after dribble; no matter what happened, he was simply just unstoppable.

Last year, the Nuggets felt a little too much of underdogs, especially against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
This season of the playoffs, it's totally different. Carmelo will stop for nothing.

This season is for George Karl, who is battling throat cancer. This is for the Nuggets, who need a championship. This is for the whole city of Denver, to make their sports team feel like greatness, since the Broncos have done nothing lately and other sports teams.

This season is something else. Anthony will take more control. Melo still has most of the same crew from last postseason, but they are better and more experienced.

It seemed that Denver would fail again when they had late regular season struggles. Against this Utah team, Melo will not be intimidated. Not against anyone this year.

So what if they have Boozer? So what if they have Deron? So what if they have Okur? So what? As of now, the numbers show it: Melo is on fire, and the Nuggets lead the series 1-0.

The score brought a word to the Jazz: watch out.

They certainly should.

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