Carmelo Anthony has been spoken for at length in recent months.  To quote numerous media sources, Melo has been “on the brink” of being sent East on the trade winds since early August. But none among those purportedly in-the-know have anything better than unnamed sources to back up their claims.

Well, Carmelo finally had his say on Wednesday…

To be sure, the Summer of 2010 took a turn for the worse in Nuggetsland after Lebron James announced his defection from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Melo was keeping his contract extension in the back of a drawer, the Lebron/Bosh/Stoudemire Sweepstakes had wound down, and baseball had turned to a pitcher-dominated steroid-free snoozer.  With the Carmelo-LaLa wedding rising on the horizon, the craven sports media gravitated zombie-like towards the Next Big Story.

For his part, Carmelo Anthony played it all in character; cool as ice.

Even when anxious guests pressed the issue at the Melo-LaLa wedding reception, Anthony just laughed it off.  He assured interviewers that he was a Denver Nugget, that he was looking forward to training camp, that he didn’t want to be traded.

So, as the Great Media Monster pressed on with speculation, NBA fans were left to wonder what was true and what was so much blown smoke.

Carmelo Himself shed some light on the situation in his first direct response to the trade rumors.  In his comments we can see Anthony in a clear light, especially by comparison to the murky details rendered from imagined sources “close to the situation”.

“If they come to me and say they want to trade me to a team we’ll discuss it at that time. Right now they haven’t come to me and said that.”  Anthony went on, “What they’re doing in the front office is letting me go through training camp and not worry about that type of stuff.”

I know, sounds like Melo has one foot out the door right?

“I’m going to work hard regardless, whether there’s a deal on the table or the deal’s not on the table… I’m here, man. This ain’t offseason. The season has started. I’m not a free agent yet. If it comes down to it at the end of the season and I haven’t signed the extension, then we’ll sit down.”

After months of anonymous sources cooked up a half-dozen “just a matter of time” exit plans for Carmelo Anthony, we see a different tone in the man’s own words.

We see a player who very much wants to take his Nuggets into the 2010-2011 NBA Season.  We see a guy who is torn between starting from scratch on one of basketball’s biggest stages, and hunkering down in a market that thrives almost exclusively on his name.  We see everything that ESPN’s guesswork didn’t care to.

In short, we see a man carefully making a decision.

And THAT may be the mainstream media’s biggest miss in its assessment of Carmelo Anthony’s basketball future.  It is so much easier to write about a player who has made up his mind, as Lebron James likely did weeks or months before he took his (overrated) talents to South Beach.  But Melo has played it cool.  And where Lebron took his cues from “Worldwide Wes” and a host of other confidants, Carmelo has taken the decision entirely upon himself.

“My wife is rolling with me… She’s leaving the decision up to me. I’m the one out here shooting jump shots, running up and down the court. She understands what’s going on. Of course there’s pressure for her because she don’t really know what’s going on right now, a lot of speculation and rumors.

“She’s the star, she’s in Hollywood, she’s acting, she’s got her own show, that’s what she does. She’s been doing that before she even met me. She’s with me.”

So with the support of his long-time love and recent wife behind him, Carmelo has deftly navigated the Summer Seas and still come out with a decision to make.

No pressure.  Just a choice.

And how cool is Melo?  Really?

So cool that he is willing to wait to see what kind of team the 2010-2011 Nuggets are with a healthy George Karl at the helm and Big Al Harrington manning the opposite post. Carmelo is willing to risk losing out on the big payday provided by the current (and expiring) Collective Bargaining Agreement just to better inform his decision.

After a summer of being compared to the egocentric circus that was once Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony has proven himself less than a mirror.  Instead, Melo waiting out the storm and then stood above it all to tell the world that he hadn’t made up his mind yet, that he loves where he plays basketball, and that the decision is his alone.

Said Anthony, “I think everybody has a little bit of an opinion of what happened in Miami, some good, some bad… I think it definitely had a little bit of an impact… It had a little bit of an impact on how people think.”

Props to Melo for being his own man even under the reflected lights of Lebrongate.

And as unlikely as it still is, here’s hoping that Denver is Carmelo’s basketball home for many more years to come.  What did Melo have to say about that?

“My options will be open.”

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When ESPN’s Ric Bucher published a short article guessing that Carmelo Anthony would leave the Nuggets, he was not engaging in any sort of responsible journalism.

Bucher cited “league sources” as claiming that Anthony was on his way out of Denver, that it was just a matter of time until Carmelo found his way to New York City.  Whether by sign-and-trade or free agent departure, Melo’s days in Denver were sadly numbered.

Of course, “league sources” could mean almost anyone with ties to the NBA.

Ric could have been chatting up a towel boy or waxing philosophical with a front office paper-pusher from any NBA club.  He could then cite that blatantly non-expert opinion as a “league source” with “special knowledge” of the situation.  Even though “special knowledge” could mean anybody with half a brain who has kept up with Carmelo’s offseason refusal to sign a lucrative 3-year extension with the Nuggets.

“…he’s going to make it real clear that he’s not coming back,” said one of Bucher’s league sources.

A nebulous quote that says nothing in particular, but which harkens back to Lebron’s definitive decision to “take my talents to South Beach.” The perfect line to kick off ESPN’s inevitable three-week coverage marathon on The Decision II: Melo’s Dilemma.

I won’t go so far as to say that ESPN’s editors put all of their NBA writers’ names in a hat and drew for who got to “break” this invented story, but it is unlikely that Ric Bucher made it up all by himself.

ESPN needed another juicy headline to fill out the front page until the US Ryder Cup team is selected in September (because nobody is sick of reading about Tiger Woods yet… somehow.)  And Carmelo left an opening when he failed to downplay toasts made by several guests at his wedding reception insisting that he take his talents to the Big Apple ASAP.

Shake, stir, add a dash of hearsay and a heaping spoonful of conjecture… BAM!  Headline news.

One Wedding & a Funeral

It was July 11^th, the day after Carmelo Anthony finally tied the knot with long-time girlfriend/fiancé La La Vasquez.

A host of high-profile guests included some prolific representatives of Melo’s NBA clique.  Lamar Odom was there.  Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin both attended.  Lebron James may have been somewhere nearby.  But it was Chris Paul of New Orleans Hornets fame who stirred the pot by offering a half-joking toast to Carmelo and his future with the New York Knicks.  (Paul is also rumored to be looking for a road that leads to the NYC.)

Stoudemire who signed with New York this summer kept the pressure on, and Carmelo’s brother Robert added more fuel to the fire.  The whole unseemly interruption into an otherwise civil celebration got ugly when Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke stood up and offered a toast to Anthony’s future in the Mile High City.  (cue crickets)

The end result was a world of speculation as to why Carmelo would not interrupt his own wedding reception to discuss in-depth his plans for the latter half of his NBA career.  (cue ESPN speculators)

It is unclear as to whether the reception will appear alongside the wedding ceremony on the VH1’s La La & Carmelo Reality Show this September 19^th.  However, with Melo’s decision still entirely up in the air, an offer from the Nuggets still on the table, and The Man himself unwilling to give up any potential plot twists, we have to figure out the dirty details ourselves for now.

Or we could let Ric Bucher and his towel boy figure it out for us.  According to Bucher’s source, Melo’s silence during the reception says it all:

“There were other people saying, ‘We’re going to get you guys together,’ but it doesn’t become a runaway train if Melo says something,” said one source. “Maybe he didn’t perpetuate it, but tell people to stop or say, ‘Stan, I’m sorry.’ He didn’t do any of that.”

Suffice to say that Carmelo’s wedding reception may have been a funeral for his career as a Denver Nugget.

The Real Story

In reality, Bucher was just writing what most of America was thinking.

Nobody expects Carmelo to stay in a small market like Denver with the bright lights of New York awaiting him.  And while Anthony can make more money staying in Denver than by testing the free agent market next summer or forcing a trade this fall, there is an option that would be beneficial to both parties.

A sign-and-trade to the Knicks would at least give Nuggets fans a reason not to despise Melo throughout the inevitable rebuilding process that would follow his departure.  If Denver could garner a player and a couple of first round draft picks after signing Anthony to a max deal this offseason and trading him to the wayward Knicks, it would make Melo look like a saint compared to Benedict James in Miami.

While it is no foregone conclusion, the sign-and-trade seems like the only way for the Nuggets to approach break-even on this deal.  If Carmelo plays the entire 2010-2011 season in Denver without a new contract, I would be utterly shocked.  Nobody in this town wants to see Carmelo Anthony on prime time television announcing that he’s leaving while the Nuggets get approximately squat in return.

In fact, I just got the latest from a janitor at the NBA League Offices on 5^th Avenue in NYC:

According to an unnamed league source, “Carmelo and his max deal for Danilo Gallinari and two first round draft picks.  My buddy at the copy center heard some suit from accounting talking about it.  Good as done.”

It’s been swell Carmelo.  Enjoy the bright lights.

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Brandon Marshall has signed a $2.5 million restricted free agent tender with the Denver Broncos.

The tender offer by the Broncos and Marshall’s acceptance were the result of a phone call between Marshall & Denver head coach Josh McDaniels.  The two spoke today regarding Marshall’s future with the team, a conversation that no doubt included input from the Broncos’ front office and Brandon Marshall’s agent Kennard McGuire.

While this move may seem like an indicator that Brandon Marshall will stay with the team, it is more likely designed to ease the Broncos’ negotiating position with teams interested in the 6’4″ wide receiver.  Marshall caught 101 passes for 1,120 yards last year despite missing the team’s final game versus Kansas City.

Denver is rumored to be shopping Marshall to the Seattle Seahawks, and the $2.5 million restricted free agent tender will make any potential move much easier.  Previous to Marshall signing the Broncos’ tender offer, Brandon would have needed to sign off on any potential trade.  Now Brandon Marshall is under contract with Denver through the 2010 season as a restricted free agent, and the Broncos can make any trade move that suits the organization.

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The free-agent storyline in the AFC-West has been decidedly two-sided in the early stages.

The Denver Broncos & Kansas City Chiefs have gone out and gotten solid role players at key positions of weakness.  Meanwhile, the San Diego Chargers have hemorrhaged Free Agents at an alarming pace & the Oakland Raiders have ranged from passive to confused.

The Broncos have strengthened their defensive line with the additions of Justin Bannan, Jarvis Green & burly Nose Tackle Jamal Williams (a former Pro-Bowler with the Chargers.)  Free Agent DB Nathan Jones also signed with the Broncos.

Denver made several deals to keep a few McDaniels favorites from the ’08-’09 campaign.  RB JJ Arrington, OL Russ Hochstein, WR Brandon Lloyd & K Matt Prater will all be back next season.  The Broncos also placed a high 1^st & 3^rd Round tender on Restricted Free Agent Elvis Dumervil, indicating that they have no intention of parting with the powerful young Defensive End.

The Chiefs made a sizeable splash when they signed stout veteran running back Thomas Jones, who ran roughshod over the AFC with the New York Jets last season.  Kansas City also grabbed Cincinnati Free Agent DT Shaun Smith.

Like Denver, the Chiefs made a commitment to last year’s offense by re-signing RB  Jackie Battle, as well as WR’s Terrance Cooper & Chris Chambers.

San Diego has taken the opposite approach, cutting loose old ties (Jamal Williams, Ladanian Tomlinson & Antonio Cromartie) and taking on only former Washington Redskins RB Marcus Mason off waivers.  The Chargers had hoped to win Jamal back at a lower rate after cutting him, but Williams opted to shop around, setting in with the rival Broncos days later.

Oakland has decided to continue wallowing in its self-made mire by remaining almost completely inactive through these first tumultuous days of free agency.  The only change to the Oakland roster has been the loss of tough, slashing RB Justin Fargas.  My opinion is that Fargas was the best back on the Raiders’ roster, and by letting him go they will lose any semblance of a rushing attack they had left.  Darren McFadden is an average NFL back, and Michael Bush, though quick & versatile, doesn’t have the breakaway speed necessary to be a big-play change of pace back.

Fargas may end up across the bay in San Francisco, a brilliant match for his skills.  Justin is the perfect back to shoulder some of starter Frank Gore’s hefty load, and both sides will work to make a deal happen.

The Raiders and Chargers may get more active as time passes, but the majority of the top Free Agents are locked up with new teams.  That leaves Oakland and San Diego to dabble in a Restricted Free Agent market laden with high draft pick price tags.  Not an admirable position, but we all know how meddling Raiders Owner Al Davis & dimwitted Chargers GM AJ Smith are experts at keeping a good team down.  (Or in Davis’ case, driving a good team slowly, methodically & completely into the ground.)  In fact, San Diego’s official website took the time to play the part of AJ’s apologist.

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It reads like a TMZ report – Brandon Marshall (in rumor) is linked to every team in the league right now, including the team who currently holds him under contract. A quick survey of the news shows rumors that Marshall could be headed to the Seahawks, the Ravens, the Browns, the Bears, the Redskins… need I go on?

The reality is this: Marshall only gets traded if McDaniels gets what he wants from the deal. If McDaniels has made anything clear, it’s that he is in charge… and that if keeping Marshall around and putting him on the bench is what he deems best for the team, he’s not afraid to do it.

For most of the season, Marshall seemed to have had his “come to Jesus” moment. He even hugged McDaniels in the first quarter of the season when wins were plentiful. But as the season ended, we all know what transpired, at least in the public eye. Marshall sat for the final game, a coach’s decision based on “attitude”. Marshall not-so-quietly took his time standing in the corner, then played the Pro Bowl in Miami, possibly his last game as a Bronco. In his sideline interview, he claimed to “love the city of Denver”, and to want to finish his career where it started. Someone give a cookie to the PR staff that coached that little nugget out of him.

Complicating the whole matter is the current labor situation in the NFL… with an uncapped season coming, a restricted free agent of Marshall’s caliber is not quite as likely to get a cascade of offers, especially a team like Denver who, with Pat Bowlen writing the checks, is less likely to suffer from an uncapped season as some more cash-strapped teams. The only way Marshall leaves is by trade, and with Marshall being perceived as a “problem child”, it’s difficult to see a team opening up the trade-bait coffers to wrangle him in.

In an interview this weekend, Bowlen claimed to want Marshall to stay. If he were pressed, I think McDaniels would say the same thing. Everyone in the league is hoping they can be the ones to pry him away, and take advantage of some top-tier talent that can maybe be obtained on the cheap.

Someone is going to pay Marshall an amount commensurate for his services, and my suspicion is that he’ll be a happy employee of whichever owner is signing the massive checks, even if the name on the bottom line is Pat Bowlen. Which makes me ask the question – why not Denver? Why not pay the man his money (as Teddy KGB would say), and let him put up his monstrous numbers here?

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The typical view of a Rockies fan (or the average baseball fan, in general) is that a successful off-season is made up of big free-agent moves (see Cubs, Chicago, every year), or otherwise reworking their roster to put that team into contention. We all start 0-0, right?

Well, baseball more than any sport is a rich get richer sport, and when you have a team that works and isn’t prohibitively expensive, and is in a medium-sized market, you keep that team together. To me, the definition of a successful Rockies off-season is simply one that retains the pieces that work (most of them), and jettisons the pieces that are too expensive or under-performing.

So far, the Rockies have gone to great lengths to keep the core together, even signing the ancillary pieces like Giambi, while losing a minimal amount. Last year, the Holliday trade was fresh in our minds, hanging over our heads like a Monfort-shaped rain cloud. The season really hinged on that trade – now this year, would Colorado retain those pieces and add, or engage in another spring of salary dumping and money saving?

Clearly, the answer is the former. A quick look at who was lost speaks volume:

Lost Players

Garret Atkins (3B/1B) signed with the Orioles. We all knew this was coming. It’s tough anytime a key member of the magical 2007 squad leaves, but with Helton and all his parts intact, and Stewart penciled in to start, there’s just no way they spend that kind of money on a bench man.

Jason Marquis (SP) Not sad to see him go. I like the guy – I do. But as all the Cubs fans told me going into last year, you’re going to fall in love with him and he’s going to peter out in September. For once, the Cubs fans were right. Great first half arm, can’t endure the dog days.

Yorvit Torrealba (C) This one stings a bit. Couldn’t come to an agreement on terms – the money oddly enough wasn’t an issue, just how it was paid out. More about this when we get to the Olivo deal later.

Others to go – Jose Contreras, Joel Peralta, Matt Herges, Ryan Speier, Edwin Bellorin, Mike McCoy, Matt Murton – Nothing of note here, some unrealized potential guys, some older guys, some guys that just don’t fit. Odd note, Murton wasn’t just let go he was sold to a Japanese club. Weird.

Other free agents, haven’t signed anywhere yet – Joe Beimel, Josh Fogg, Alan Embree – Technically, Embree is gone (I like him because of his Vancouver Washington roots – go Vancouver USA!) because his club option was declined. Beimel and Fogg, while solid relievers, are hardly unreplaceable. Fogg brings up similar feelings as Atkins – his 2007 work makes me want to keep him based on warm fuzzies, but my brain tells me not to fret so much.

Gained Players

Miguel Olivo (C) – Olivo is the new Torrealba. Now as a Mariners fan, I watched Olivo play there (where, coincidentally, he took over after the team got rid of Yorvit Torrealba), and at the time I wasn’t impressed. Word is he has improved in his time in KC. The idea here has a couple angles. First, Iannetta needs to live up to his rich new deal and take the reigns of this team as the permanent catcher. None of this streaky up and down crap – I think he has to prove himself now. Second, Torrealba is a streaky (albeit clutch) hitter, with a below average arm, who happens to be a great game caller and field general. He’ll be a manager someday, you can see it. Olivo brings a stronger arm to actually catch a runner at second every now and then, and comes with more consistent power than Yorvit. It remains to be seen if he can handle the staff with Yorvit’s level of skill. Third, Olivo is younger and his name is easier to say and spell. I find it sad that Yorvit has to go. I get the feeling he’s just a good guy with a good clubhouse influence. Purely by the numbers though, we’ll probably see a minor upgrade at the position.

Other Players To Watch

Most of these guys were signed to minor-league deals, with the hopes they’ll make the big show. None of them are extremely noteworthy, it’s a mix of guys that we’ve seen before and new faces – mostly pitchers, where the most turnover is taking place.

Paul Phillips, Paul LoDuca, Omar Quintanilla, Tim Redding, Juan Rincon, Justin Speier, Jimmy Gobble

Current Depth Chart

The Rockies depth chart right now looks remarkable similar to the 2009 roster. It will be interesting to see how Tracy uses the Fowler/Gonzales/EYJr/Smith/Spillborghs group. The only other huge question mark to me is whether Francis can bring enough control to what has to be a noodle-arm, and become a Maddux-style control pitcher.

PROJECTED 25-MAN ROSTER

Starting Lineup

1 LF Carlos Gonzalez

2 CF Dexter Fowler

3 1B Todd Helton

4 SS Troy Tulowitzki

5 RF Brad Hawpe

6 3B Ian Stewart

7 C Chris Iannetta

8 2B Clint Barmes

Bench

C Miguel Olivo

1B Jason Giambi (this signing was huge, in my opinion. Don’t make Hawpe think about 1B, let Todd know he can rest, and let this guy keep teaching the kids how to be a big-league hitter)

IF/OF Eric Young Jr.

OF Seth Smith (Seth could start on many big league teams, we might be at the end of the road with him as he’ll find greener pastures elsewhere before too long)

OF Ryan Spilborghs (another big signing – wheels, solid outfielder, power hitter… great bench player)

Starting Rotation

1 RHP Ubaldo Jimenez

2 RHP Aaron Cook

3 LHP Jorge De La Rosa

4 RHP Jason Hammel

5 LHP Jeff Francis

Bullpen

CL RHP Huston Street

SU LHP Franklin Morales

SU RHP Matt Daley

MID RHP Rafael Betancourt

MID RHP Manny Corpas

MID LHP Randy Flores

LR RHP Matt Belisle

25 Man Roster Analysis

The Rockies management went after the guys they like… that’s a loyalty thing that these dudes appreciate. Spillborghs, Betancourt, De la Rosa, Giambi, Street… they all got deals. Retaining Gonzo and Street from the Holliday trade is excellent, as is giving Betancourt and De la Rosa a bit of security. Like I said above, Spilly and Giambi were must-haves for this team to progress. The group listed above has a ton of potential options. Gonzo/Fowler/Hawpe looks to be the outfield, but any one of them slips and you have EYJ, Spilly, and Smith waiting to step in. Finally, word today from the DP is that the Rockies are in hot pursuit of Orlando Cabrera. I don’t see Cabrera as a season maker, but he’ll put the pressure on Barmes to hit the ball consistently. He brings solid defense and some wheels… Barmie is going to have to produce, which didn’t happen offensively last year. A better offensive infielder with a minimal drop-off on defense = great bench player for the Rockies.

All in all, it comes out the same as many years past – defensively, the team is solid. It comes down to hitting consistency and pitching consistency. Can Tulo, Hawpe, et al. stay out of the dramatic slumps that have plagued the last 2 years? You can expect some peaks and valleys, but not the dramatic ups and downs. Can Francis hit the zone and work the off-speed enough to keep hitters off balance? Can Ubaldo finally become the ace we all know he can be? Was De la Rosa’s success a fluke?

Either way, I can smell spring in the air. My Helton jersey that I just bought on eBay is on it’s way and I’m ready.

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