via Kroenke’s son tries to woo Anthony – NBA – Yahoo! Sports:
Anthony has hesitated to sign a three-year, $65 million extension and expressed intrigue with opting out of his contract next summer to become a free agent. Despite significant speculation the New York Knicks are the team that Anthony would most likely want to join, two sources close to him insisted the Knicks have been overstated as an object of his desire. Privately, Anthony has expressed more enthusiasm over joining the Houston Rockets than the Knicks, sources said.
Anthony still believes he can get the maximum possible money from re-signing with the Nuggets now, sources said, with his sights on engineering a trade to a preferred destination later. For him to opt out of his contract at the end of next season would be an immense risk.
I have to run but again, my immediate reaction is both of bewilderment and awe. First, I can’t quite understand what Carmelo could possibly see in the Rockets that is causing such desire. Our general manager is our greatest asset and, as he is still not quite a household name, one would wonder how a player not too often characterized as being intelligent could have knowledge of the matter. Given that, you have to feel some level of appreciation for Anthony; the forward has clearly matured if targeting Houston over far more glamorous, marketable options.
Having said all of that, there are perhaps other hidden market forces at play driving these surprising circumstances.
My opinion on the matter has already been delivered before the jury: while reluctant, I would endorse such a trade. I feel it would be far too foolish to pass upon such a talent as Anthony, especially given our management’s prowess in talent discovery. While several smart individuals whose opinion I trust have noted that Melo’s flaws are irredeemable can it not be argued that if placed in the right situation, those warts can be masked, augmenting the true abilities? After all, Allen Iverson took a far less talented Sixers team to the Finals.
An open question for the board: were the Rockets to achieve such a deal, sacrificing the assets that have come to be expected as requirement, would such an event be more favorable than had the team obtained Chris Bosh?
