The revolving drama in Denver involving Carmelo Anthony just never seems to end.
So is your head spinning yet as the "Melo-drama" continues to churn? Well, Carmelo Anthony threw another log on the fire recently.
There has been a contract extension on the table from the Denver Nuggets for $65 million over three seasons that Anthony has treated like a bad disease, avoiding it at all costs. Now, Anthony has said that he may consider signing it.
Hmmmm, I wonder what the motivation is regarding this latest statement from Melo? Is he trying to push the New York Knicks into making a better offer? There has already been chatter about Anthony possibly being traded to Los Angeles but as I said earlier, the rumours at this time of year will make you crazy if you listen to every single one.
Or is it maybe that looking at the landscape and the way the collective agreement might change?
Anthony is likely just saying to himself, "Let me sign on the dotted line, put this $65 million in my pocket and worry about where I'm going to play after I count my cash".
It was interesting to see the reaction of the Los Angeles Lakers at practice when asked about the Anthony rumours and whether thought Melo was Laker bound.
Speaking of the contract talks, it sure sounds like both sides are digging in for the long haul.
San Antonio Spurs player rep Matt Bonner chatted with my broadcast partner Eric Smith when the Spurs were in Toronto and said there were things that the players would "never" accept when it came to a new agreement. There are bargaining ploys and maybe this is one of them.
Remember, Bonner is a guy who does not live lavishly and will be running for the players' union vice-presidency, but also understands that when you give something up in a negotiation, it's sometimes really hard to get it back in the next agreement.
That said the players have to remember that the owners make their money in other ways and in different walks of life. The team is like their "boat" and if the water is rocky, the boat might just stay anchored to the dock for a while.
Keep your eyes and ears open to sift through the rhetoric and posturing that will be happening when the two sides chat next week during the all-star break.
There may be some history made in Boston as the Celtics and the Lakers renew their storied rivalry. Celtics guard Ray Allen is about to become the NBA's all-time leader in three-point field goals made as he needs two more to pass Reggie Miller. Here is an interesting take on Allen and I can attest to his pre-game routine.
My first experience with Allen came when he was in Milwaukee and I was a courtside reporter. I was to interview him before a game with the Raptors and someone remarked that I had better be at the gym early. What's the big deal I thought to myself? I'm usually at the gym two-and-a-half to three hours before the game? Well I went extra early that Sunday morning and there he was, in the lab working on his jumper at 10:00 a.m. for a 1:00 p.m. start, and being in a "full lather" so you know he hadn't just started. The TV lights weren't even on and it looked like he was literally, shooting in the dark.
Allen is an interesting player because when I get a chance to talk with him, and he's a regular when Toronto plays Boston, (or Seattle or Milwaukee in the past.) the conversations turn to all things but hoops after the "work" part of the chat is done. The discussions range from family members and societal current events, to what book your reading, to the impact of being a role model for people regardless of your chosen profession. His achievement just underscores the value of hard work and mental toughness.
