There’s No Fool Like An Old Fool ………. And There’s Now One Born Every Minute ……
Well it now appears as the Los Angeles Lakers’ —- season has been somewhat derailed by their uneven play there’s rumblings in ‘ La-La Land’ that the Lakers are prepared to trigger a deal that would bring the Denver Nuggets’ — Carmelo Anthony to the Lakers in exchange for Andrew Bynum and either Lamar Odom or Ron Artest that would bring the prized All Star to the “City of Angels” . There are already preliminary talks that have taken place as was being reported by ESPN’s —- Chris Broussard the station’s widely respected NBA analyst.
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Slide show for your perusal .
As we all know the New York Knicks and in particular GM Donnie Walsh , owner James Dolan and coach Mike DAntoni have expressed a desire to bring the Anthony to his native New York. The player himself has made it his desire to go to New York but herein lies the problem the Knicks aren’t any closer to being a contender in their present guise . And if anything the Knicks and the pieces that they would have on offer to the Nuggets would not be in any way as desirable as Lakers’ GM Mitch Kupchak would be able to offer the Denver Nuggets. Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri has to do what’s best for the organization and clearly he’s now caught between a rock and hard place.
Courtesy of ESPN Los Angeles
Andrew Bynum dismisses trade talk
By Dave McMenamin
All The Pros and Cons of Melo in LA ….
Boston — The basketball world might have been set aflame overnight considering a scenario where the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers would acquire four-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets for center Andrew Bynum, but you wouldn’t know it from looking in on Lakers practice Wednesday.
As the team made its way off the practice court at Emerson College, Bynum joked with Lamar Odom, and Kobe Bryant bristled when asked if he had to comfort Bynum.
“If he can’t deal with that, forget about a Game 7,” Bryant said of the trade talk that was first reported by ESPN the Magazine’s Chris Broussard on Tuesday. “I don’t need to talk to him about that. He’s a big boy, he can handle himself.”
Coach Phil Jackson barely batted an eyelash as he was approached by a throng of media that included reporters from national news outlets.
“I haven’t given it a second thought,” Jackson said. “I haven’t really entertained it.”
If Jackson hasn’t given it a second thought, then what was his first thought about the Lakers moving their 7-foot, 285-pound big man to pick up a wing player in Anthony?
“My first thought was, ‘Why are these people interrupting my life with these kind of rumors?’ ” Jackson said.
Bynum said his agent, David Lee , called him at 4 p.m. Tuesday to tell him about the report. It was a familiar refrain for Bynum, whose name has popped up in rumors linked to a laundry list of players — Jason Kidd , Jermaine O’Neal , Kevin Garnett , Chris Paul and Pau Gasol among them — in his six-year career.
“It’s just another rumor as far as I’m concerned,” a nonchalant Bynum said Wednesday. “I was caught up in [Chris] Bosh and Pau [trade speculation], so it’s nothing new to me. I’m just going to keep playing basketball.
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The NBA trade deadline is on the 24th February and there’s bound to be a flurry of trades around the league as a number of teams will look to bolster their rosters in order to make a playoff push. And it goes without saying that Carmelo Anthony is the most prized asset of the lucrative restricted and unrestricted free agents that are about to come on the market.
Los Angeles Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson clearly sees that there’s a flaw in his team and the way in which they’ve been playing recently . Statistically the load being carried on this team is being done predominantly as always by Kobe Bryant , who at times is being ably assisted by Pau Gasol when he’s completely free of injury. And it has been clear for all to see that this Lakers’ team has systematically limped along the way to their current position in the standings. The team’s 35-16 mark places places them third in the Western Conference Standings behind the conference leading San Antonio Spurs (42-8) and the Dallas Mavericks .
Now it’d be a surprise to many to see the Spurs be so dominant in the NBA this season but those who’d taken note of the Spurs’ team would have realized that this has been a collective effort , and not totally reliant on the team’s triumvirate of stars Tim Duncan , Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker . And one ought to take into account also that in Gregg Popovich the Spurs might possess the best coach in the NBA outside of the Lakers ‘ Phil Jackson .
Should the Lakers pull off this deal then clearly it would place them amongst the mainstay within the conference and even though they are the reigning NBA champions . This team was meant was built with the intent of making a successful defense and based upon the changes made by Jackson and Kupchak over the last season it’s very clear that the Lakers have fallen short of those desires . Ron Artest has been increasingly inconsistent and it’s clear that the likes of Odom , Bynum , Shannon Brown , Steve Blake and the Lakers’ bench haven’t met the expectations of the coaching staff or the fans in attendance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. aren’t gense
Carmelo Anthony for his part gets to play on a team alongside a perennial All Star in Kobe Bryant and that can’t at all be bad for a player whose desire to win an NBA title at this stage of his career the desire is to win. The Nuggets aren’t any closer to doing that and their window of opportunity has already come to a close . They’re still a very good regular season team and that is in spite of last season’s playoff performances and the heroics by the team. Unfortunately with the illness of coach George Karl even with the experience shown by Adrian Dantley as he took over from Karl while he underwent chemotherapy and then the long drawn out process of recuperation . The problems for Nuggets stem from the fact that they contend in the always competitive and cuthroat atmosphere of the Western Conference .
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Picture gallery for your perusal.
A chance to see Carmel Anthony in the Lakers’ purple and gold could be the biggest thing to hit LA since the arrival of Shaquille O’Neal and from there the team’s unprecedented success of a trio of NBA titles under Phil Jackson . At this juncture when there’s more entertainment to be had from watching the Lakers’ co-resident at the Staples Center , the Los Angeles Clippers then you simply know that things aren’t all right with this Lakers’ team. It’s now gotten to the stage where Blake Griffin is now getting collectively more exposure on both ABC/ESPN and TNT than the reigning NBA champions. And when that happens then clearly one could surmise that all isn’t right in the basketball world and the fact that basketball gods are now said to be smiling.
The New York Knicks could well be on the outside looking in as the ones left out. The fans at Madison Square Gardens aren’t entirely happy that as of late that their team has suddenly been slipping and their recent displays can be best described as being erratic. With the excellent play of Amar’e Stoudemire , Landry Fields , Raymond Felton it has been the Knicks’ bench that has continued to let them down in the most untimely of situation when they’ve had games within their grasp. There’s no denying that the addition of Carmelo Anthony would be a tremendous boost to the organization from a number of standpoints not the least from a financial standpoint of the league’s most valuable NBA franchise. The most recent estimates have the Knicks valued at approximately $655 million with the league average being $370 million .
The cat and mouse games will now begin as quite possibly Donnie Walsh and James Dolan may well look to make a last ditch attempt to bring Carmelo to New York. You have the glamor of Hollywood being thrown up against the 24 hour none stop mayhem that we know to be the “The Big Apple” and it will all come down to which organization can use its wiles to lure the Nuggets’ player to be a part of their immediate and long term future. As of now either these two organizations could start to play a very interesting game of chicken with the loser quite possibly end up looking the fool. And as of now there’s no clear indicator as to who that might be.
What thoughts if any do you have with regard to the potential trade of Carmelo Anthony to the Los Angeles Lakers rather than quite possibly ending up with the New York Knicks ? Chime on in with a comment as to your thoughts on this topic or any other as it relates to the NBA. Thanks as always for the continued support !
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Picture and slide show details below
(1) Denver , Co,. : Carmelo Anthony (15) of the Denver Nuggets looks on during a break in the action against the New York Knicks at the Pepsi Center on November 16, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. According to reports, the Denver Nuggets are in preliminary talks with the Los Angeles Lakers for a trade that would send Anthony to the Lakers for a package built around Andrew Bynum . Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images …….
(2) Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom goes to the hoop in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 7, 2011, against the Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis, Tenn. Odom scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds to lead the Lakers to a 93-84 win. AP Photo/Alan Spearman ……….
(3) Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) handles the ball away from the Memphis Grizzlies defenders in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 7, 2011, in Memphis, Tenn. AP Photo/Alan Spearman ……….
(4) Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) defends Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, left, of Spain, in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 7, 2011, in Memphis, Tenn. AP Photo/Alan Spearman …………………..
(5) Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl hangs his head during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Monday, Feb. 7, 2011, in Denver. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey ………
(6) New York Knicks owner James Dolan (right) listens as newly hired president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh speaks during a news conference in New York, April 2, 2008. The organization are still said to be pursuing all venues possible to bring Carmelo Anthony to Madison Square Gardens home to the New York Knicks. But with the now rising interest of the Los Angeles Lakers the team will be matched in a battle of wits with the West Coast rival. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton
(7) ESPN’s NBA analyst Chris Broussard who first broke the story of the Lakers’ interest and pursuit of the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony. The two teams have met privately to discuss a possible deal looking to finalize it before the NBA’s trade deadline of the 24th February . AP Photo / Steve Pearson ……….
(8) Nuggets’ GM Masai Ujiri formerly a mid-level executive with the Toronto Raptors . Ujiri who reports directly to owner Stanley Kroenke and his son Josh Kroenke the President & COO of the Nuggets organization . It will be on their say so whether or not the player will be traded to either the Los Angeles Lakers or New York Knicks . AP Photo / Richard Todd ………..
(9) Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson (left ) left is seen here with the team’s GM Mitch Kupchak on a private jet discussing team business . The two obviously not happy with the current state of affairs concerning the team are said to be eagerly in pursuit of the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony in a trade that might possibly have the team’s center Andrew Bynum heading out of Los Angeles to Denver. NBAE/ Getty Images/ Andrew D Bernstein ……..
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Alan aka tophatal ………………
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Tophatal's Blog 
It’s an interesting trade indeed. I’m not sure if I was the Lakers I’d pull the trigger right away. I think they should see how they do with Boston, NY, and Orlando before they make a move this major…
If they do get Melo and Kobe together I hope they butt heads like Shaq and Kobe did, that would make my day..
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If I’m the Lakers, I don’t pull the trigger on this deal at all. Why would I trade for a guy who will likely hit free agency at season’s end anyway? Then there’s the problem of giving up a big that I’m going to need in the playoffs, for a scorer which I already have.
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JW
If ‘melo comes unto the market as a free agent there’ll only be one or two takers at best because of cap salary commitments . So it’s in the Nuggets’ best interest to trade the guy now rather than let him go as a free agent and get nothing back in return . It’s simply makes good business sense don’t you think ?
The Denver Nuggets aren’t going anywhere this season ………. they’ve no real depth on their bench and their only real players are ‘melo , Billups and J R Smith . Beyond that there isn’t really all that much so it’s best for them now to start to look towards the future . Their window of opportunity came and went last season in the playoffs where they got blown out ( 4-2) by the Jazz in the first round .
tophatal ……………
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JW
You obviously don’t understand the business side of sports as the Lakers can trade for the guy offer him a three year deal($65 million) and at the same time lay the foundations for the post Kobe era. There’s a contract on the table in Denver for ‘melo to sign which hasn’t done (three years $65 million) and that’s what has held up this whole caboodle .
‘melo’s agent is a dumb ass as is the player !
tophatal ………….
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chappy81
If Kupchak and Jackson can get ‘melo to commit to a long term or the three year deal then why not ? Kobe is almost at the end of his career and at best may no more than three years left in him. All that awaits ‘melo is him signing the deal (3 yr $65 million) that the Nuggets’ Ujiri has on the table to facilitate any trade . Once that’s done the Nuggets can ship him off to the team of their and his desire .
I doubt that Kobe and ‘melo will butt heads as they played together on the US Olympic team in Beijing. And as both of us know there’s nothing more that both players want to do more than win . It’s within both of their DNA’s .
How badly would this make the Knicks look especially Dolan and Walsh who’ve made it their wish to have the player there in New York ?
tophatal ………..
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chappy 81
With the way the Lakers are playing at present they’re now third in the conference behind both the Spurs and Mavericks . And it isn’t going to get any better for them. Gasol is having something of a down season and that’s primarily because he’s had niggling injuries . Bynum , Odom and Artest couldn’t catch an STD even if they’d ridden bareback with a room full of whores that’s how both their games are at present. Once again it’s down to Kobe to steer the team because no one else will step up to the plate !
Do you get the feeling the Buss, Kupchak and Jackson are a little miffed in not pissed at the moment ? Buss’ son , Jim wants Bynum to remain with the team but I look at this way Bynum isn’t as good as advertised ………. he’s on the way to making even Kwame Brown look good ! .
Perhaps Phil can get the players to concentrate more by looking at large titties while he quotes Zen and Nietzsche to them ?
I’m sure that Bynum and Matt Barnes would be down with that ………… don’t you ?
tophatal ……………..
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It’s during trade rumors like these that make me wonder who has more power: the player or the owners?
Certainly, a player like Carmelo can dictate where he wants to play but ultimately, it’s still the owner that has to pull the trigger.
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Chris Humpherys
Both you and I know the power is with the players especially the faces of the league such as LeBron , D-Wade , Kobe and ‘melo ! Where else can you get such an instance where they dictate the length of a contract that’s to their benefit even if on paper it allegedly saves a team a great deal of money ? That could never happen in the NFL but it does happen in baseball and the NHL .
‘melo will go to the team that legitimately gives him the best chance to win now and in the future . Can you categorically state that’d be the Knicks and not the Lakers ? He’d be fool to take the Knicks over the Lakers at this juncture ! DAntoni can coach but he can’t take a team over the hump whereas Jackson can !
tophatal ………….
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I don’t know if I entirely agree with that, Al. While I agree that elite NBA players hold all the cards, would it surprise you one bit if ‘Melo stays in Denver for more money, considering the future uncertainty of the league?
That would not necessarily give him the best chance to win now.
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He wants to play for the Knicks. Once the Nuggets get bounced out of the playoffs in the first round, he will make that a lot more clear than he has been insinuating.
Meehan
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Ravenation LLC
He may well want to play for the Knicks but his ( ‘melo’s ) dumb ass simply doesn’t understand business. There’s a $65 million contract on the table from the Nuggets’ front office awaiting his signature and if he doesn’t sign it he can’t be traded. However if he becomes a free agent in the offseason there’s no reason to believe that the Knicks will up the ante for his services .
This is my bitch Lala and nobody sniffs the coochie but me ! He may well have had a great career at the ‘cuse but that was it as he was never that bright to begin with !
Whoever is giving ‘melo his advice needs to be castrated and then garotted for good measure . That’s not an agent but a buffoon ! It’s truly amazing how fu_king dumb some of these athletes and their agents are !
tophatal ………..
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Chris Humpherys
The players ultimately hold the power in the league (NBA) ! Simply look at what happened surrounding the departure of Sloan from the Jazz ? That didn’t happen by design but out of necessity . It wasn’t so much about him but more about the fact Deron Williams and he could no longer see eye to eye on a number of things . Not only that but with Williams becoming a free agent in the off-season this ultimately was about Sloan falling on his sword rather than the Jazz front office losing the player to free agency .
One way or another ‘melo will be leaving the Nuggets as their window of opportunity has past them by to win an NBA title . You buy into the fact that they’ve still got what it takes but look at how they were humiliated last season in the playoffs by the Jazz (4-2) ?
They’re no longer a big draw at the Pepsi Center and the team has to build for the future and the front office knows it.
tophatal ………
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i be fond reckoning it There’s nay Fool Like An instructed Fool ………. And There’s since One Born Every Minute …… « Tophatal's Blog now im your rss reader
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Bynum is Buss’ pick, and he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
I like Broussard most of the time, but sometimes I think he’s a bit of a firestarter.
Meehan
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Ravenation LLC
Bynum was Buss’s son’s (Jordan) pick . The only thing that Jerry Buss and Bynum have in common is their lust for ho’s and that’s it !
These are my bitches yo ! Dr Jerry Buss
And as of now I still believe the jury is still out on Bynum as a player ! . Even with the tutelage he’s received from Kareem I still find his ( Bynum’s) game mystifying and at times really poor !
This is how I gets my swerve on and when I gets ready I’s gonna dick ol’ Ri-ri like she ain’t been dicked before ! Cause I got it goin’ on like that better than Chris Brown and Matt Kemp .
Rihanna is now said to be on the prowl after Bynum ? Hasn’t she had enough of the lame ass athletes out in LA ?
tophatal …………….
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Ravenation LLC
Given the choice who’d you rather listen Broussard or Stephen A Smith ? I rest my case !
Who knows more than me ’bout the NBA ? Stephen A
I can be be succinct when I need to be but ESPN simply wants to me to kiss some ass like everyone else here !
tophatal ……….
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