Some would argue that the story of the first half of the NBA season has not been Kobe’s quest to match Jordan, the Miami Heat experiment or the Boston Celtics’ hope for a final run. Instead, much of the average NBA fan’s attention has been focused on the swirling trade rumors involving Denver Nuggets’ star forward Carmelo Anthony.
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Months of speculation over the potential trade has taken over the media wire, taking away much of the attention from what’s actually happening on the court. Rumors involving talks of contract extensions, buyouts for other players and third teams involved in a deal that has Melo on his way out of Denver, seem to occur every day.
The news of Nets’ owner Mikhail Prokhorov ending his pursuit of Anthony has done nothing but add fuel to the fire of trade rumors. Now in addition to the Knicks’ pursuit of Anthony, reports of several other teams looking to acquire Melo have been running wild. With the latest rumor having Lakers acquiring the superstar in exchange for Andrew Bynum.
With that being said, the Lakers’ 107-97 victory at Denver on Jan. 21 may have been the last time the Lakers play against Carmelo in a Nuggets uniform. Of course, Lakers’ fans know what the Nuggets are going through, as it was not too long ago that similar trade rumors were surrounding our franchise cornerstone, Kobe Bryant. Oh, how three consecutive Finals appearances and back-to-back championships can make us forget?
Next: Kobe’s similar situation
