Carmelo Anthony played in front of what could be considered the closest thing he has to a “hometown” NBA crowd last night, when he dropped 23 points in the Nuggets’ win over the Washington Wizards. About 20 friends and family made the trip to D.C. for the game from Baltimore, the city with which Anthony is most closely associated, the city where he opened the Melo Center youth development complex on Fayette Street.
But as ‘Melo has said before, “I was born in Brooklyn, manufactured in Baltimore.” So while the Wizards have never once surfaced on the list of teams ‘Melo is considering for his next NBA home, his “other” hometown squad(s) still makes the cut.
Asked before last night’s game if his options in this ongoing trade/free agency scenario are limited to the Knicks, Nets, Bulls and Nuggets, ‘Melo was quoted in the Denver Post: “Yeah. But I really can’t say it’s just those, because I don’t really know (what could happen).”
“At this point, I really don’t know,” Anthony said. “New Jersey took that deal off the table. In order for me to consider them, I’d have to agree to the meeting. Now it’s washed under the table.”
‘Melo also said “a lot of stuff has died down” regarding what he knows about future trades — at least via what he’s heard from Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri.
Ever since the proposed three-team deal involving Detroit that would have sent ‘Melo to New Jersey fell apart, the trade rumors have significantly slowed down. Dallas and Houston have been mentioned, though Anthony’s apparently unwillingness to sign a contract extension with those two makes a half-season rental seem less and less appealing as more games pass. Anthony has said he still thinks he’ll be traded before the Feb. 24 deadline.
Do you think ‘Melo will play the rest of the season with Denver?
