New Carmelo Nets

There is a rumored four-team trade soon to be completed involving the New Jersey Nets, Charlotte Bobcats, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets. Carmelo Anthony is the key piece of the trade, and NJ would be acquiring him in this trade. Andrei Kirilenko from the Jazz, Derrick Favors from the Nets, and multiple 1st round draft picks would be heading to Denver. Utah would receive Boris Diaw from the Bobcats, and Charlotte would obtain Devin Harris from the Nets.

The big winner is Charlotte. Devin Harris has the talent to be a superstar point guard when playing at his best, and this could be Charlotte's year to leapfrog a few teams in the standings and advance past the 1st round of the playoffs. Harris would definitely help Michael Jordan's team. That is of course, if he plays his best. NJ did not see Harris' best last season and broke records of bad because of it.

The Jazz dump an oft-injured Kirilenko and obtain an inconsistent Diaw. Diaw has the ability to play like a Reggie Miller and nail daggers into team's hearts at the end of games. Problem is that his inconsistency makes him a non-factor in the clutch. Utah will clearly be rebuilding after losing Carlos Boozer and dumping Kirilenko is one step in the right direction. If they lose a 1st round pick in this deal though, the trade is pointless for them.

That leaves the main two teams of this deal. The Nets lost out on the LeBron James sweepstakes and their biggest move of the offseason has been acquiring Travis Outlaw. While having a cool name, Outlaw was not what the Nets' fans were expecting. The Nets wanted LeBron, but will definitely settle for Melo. They are paying a steep price for him though, giving up on Harris, who they traded Jason Kidd for (trade no longer looks good for NJ), and giving up on their 1st round pick of 2010, Favors, as well as future 1st round pick(s).

They absolutely need a Carmelo if they want to hang with the Celtics, Magic, Heat and Hawks. Losing their best point guard, and a beast in the paint, who would complement Brook Lopez perfectly, does not seem worth it. Can Jordan Farmar lead the offense for this team better than Harris can? Doubtful. Melo brings this team to the playoffs easily, but toppling the top four teams will be a vastly more difficult.

The Nuggets are stuck between a rock and last place. With Carmelo on the team, the Nuggets could be the team to take down the Lakers, without him the Nuggets can barely make the playoffs. Personally, I would be quite offended if I was Carmelo's teammates. Basically Carmelo is saying they are not talented enough to have him carry them to a NBA title, whether it be this year, his last under his current contract, or subsequent. The Nuggets are good, and Melo should have told the team, "Let's win this year." Decide where to go for free agency when the season is over.

I think I would like this trade more if the Nets received more than just Carmelo. Maybe throw in Kirilenko. I know I said earlier that he likes to spend his time in a suit instead of his uniform, but find me a player with a cooler nickname than Kirilenko. AK-47. I dare you.