With a stack of $65 million staring at him from across the table, will Carmelo Anthony succumb to the temptation and accept a contract extension from the Nuggets?
Don’t do it, Melo.
Just say no.
Take the money now, Melo, and your wedding toasts can be poured from bottles of Dom Perignon. But you can kiss your best chance to win an NBA championship goodbye.
The Nuggets want Anthony to skip the opportunity to be a free agent in 2011. Denver has offered a very appealing 65 million reasons for Melo to stay loyal.
He would be a fool to say yes now.
By refusing to take the money, Anthony would have the opportunity to become the most powerful man in pro basketball, make teams beg and force the Nuggets to get truly serious about challenging the Los Angeles Lakers for NBA supremacy.
If he thinks the Nuggets have a chance to win, Anthony’s preference would be to stay in Denver. That’s refreshing.
But everybody, from Melo to coach George Karl to Rocky the Mountain Lion, knows that what the Nuggets have on the roster now is never, ever going to win a championship.
So long as Anthony holds off signing the contract extension being dangled by Denver, he can be more than a star forward who averaged 28 points per game.
Melo can become the de facto general manager of the team. Anthony could push for trades, recruit teammates or threaten to leave town if Nuggets ownership doesn’t play ball with him.
Or haven’t you noticed how LeBron James is yanking the chain of the league?
Despite the fact that James has shot 0-for-7 in his attempts to win a championship, grown men drool at the prospect of making him filthier rich.
The New York Knicks have explored the idea of hiring a celebrity chef to cook a meal fit for a king when James visits the Big Apple as a free agent.
On draft night, the Chicago Bulls traded Kirk Hinrich to Washington in a shameless attempt to clear enough salary cap space to not only afford James but also let him bring a buddy (Chris Bosh?) along with him to the Windy City.
When the impending free agency of James forces Cleveland to fire its coach, overshadows the NBA Finals and influences trades, then this game has an integrity problem commissioner David Stern would rather not talk about.
But, for all the complaints about how the Yankees or Red Sox buy World Series rings that teams such as the Rockies cannot afford, that’s nothing compared to the bullying done of late by the Lakers to acquire Pau Gasol or the Celtics to land Kevin Garnett in deals that virtually assured championship runs.
While Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke genuinely wants to win, he also steadfastly refuses to overspend in pursuit of a championship, even when the team obviously needs a big-ticket item like a big man to stand tall during the playoffs.
Here is Anthony’s chance to demand that Kroenke not only pays him but also spares no expense in a supporting cast of Nuggets.
Is it impossible for Denver to acquire a commodity as rare as a talented center, whether you’re talking Al Jefferson of Minnesota or Marc Gasol of Memphis? Not if Melo snaps his fingers and threatens to walk as a free agent unless the deal gets done.
The Nuggets push Anthony to sign now and avoid the messy labor strife that could cloud all basketball decisions 12 months down the road. But if a work stoppage darkens arenas during the 2011-12 season, teams like Denver will need Anthony to lure back fans when the bickering is done.
As perverse as it sounds, maybe the best way Melo can lead Denver to a championship is by threatening to leave town. Once James and other high-profile free agents sign this summer, Anthony can take over as the sport’s biggest power broker.
Sad to say, but when it comes to winning in today’s NBA, what’s loyalty got to do with it?
It’s all about leverage.
Do you really want a championship ring, Melo?
Then don’t sign that offer.
Accept the $65 million and you surrender the power.
Demand the Nuggets get you a legitimate center.
Tease teams from New York to Miami with the idea you could be a free agent in 2011.
Take a cue from King James.
Make ’em all squirm.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
