YELLOW 'MELO

Carmelo Anthony needs to stand his ground. If it really is what he wants, then he needs to make it clear that it's Knicks or bust. It has been apparent from the start of the season that Anthony has been trying to avoid the same fallout Lebron had after the "Decision," but it's not working anymore. The team is struggling. The fans are starting to boo. Something must be done now.

Carmelo will be traded by the deadline. Both sides could only be considered idiots if this didn't happen. Some of the Nuggets front office came over from Toronto last year, and don't want a repeat of the Chris Bosh situation. (Bosh ultimately declined all trades and left as a free agent, giving Toronto nothing back in return.) It behooves Carmelo to have a deal done to guarantee himself money should the impending lockout make cut backs to things like the salary cap, or terms of player deals. Some say that Anthony would accept a trade to the Nets and sign an extension because its close to NY and the Knicks. They're wrong. It still is not the Knicks. Example: The Clippers and Lakers are so close to each other that play in the same building. You know what the difference between playing for the Clippers and playing for the Lakers is though? Everything. The Lakers stand for great players, tradition, champions, a worldwide fan base, etc. Same for the Nets in place of the Knicks argument. Different fans, different history, different sense of passion every time you hit the court. Plus he would be part of a team, not the entire team.

I suppose the real question here would be why is Carmelo Anthony even in this position? Why didn't he just take a three year extension with Denver that would have ran its course this past summer, than the four year deal he's currently stuck in? Did he want to be the center of attention and not have to take a back seat to James, Bosh, and Wade, and it just backfired? Or was his agent simply greedy and wanted more guaranteed money for himself? Had Carmelo signed a three year deal, the Knicks would have signed him last summer with all of the unused cap space that didn't go to Lebron, and he would already have his wish. Whatever happens, and hopefully it happens soon, I hope Carmelo stands pat and makes himself heard. It is his future and his legacy after all, so why not take control of it. Every time he is passive with the media, he sets himself up for the Lebron fall out he so desperately doesn't want. He may be a killer on the court, but the way things are playing out off it shines a new light. A bright yellow one.