Carmelo Anthony is being booed by fans in Denver who for seven years have cheered and supported the star forward. The feeling is new for Anthony, who has exhibited nothing but hard work and dedication throughout his tenure as the Nuggets’ premier player, but surely he understands why the crowd has turned. Since the summer, when his friends LeBron James and Dwyane Wade teamed up in Miami, rumors have swirled regarding Anthony’s desire to depart Denver, who are mired in the middle of the NBA pack, for a team with the potential to contend, preferably a big market in which his wife LaLa could enhance her career as a television personality. At the couple’s wedding in August, New Orleans’ star point guard Chris Paul suggested in a toast that Anthony might join him and Amare Stoudemire in New York, which would please all sides except, of course, the Nuggets. As the season goes on and the Nuggets’ $65 million contract extension gets colder on the table in front of Carmelo, a trade becomes more likely, but in the tangled world of the NBA, nothing is certain.

Anthony, a 6’8 frontcourt player who scores at will, is set to become a free agent at season’s end which would give him the opportunity to chose his favourite destination, however, at this point a league lockout looms due to a collective bargaining dispute between the owners and the players’ union. The lockout and subsequent new CBA would almost certainly limit players’ salaries and Anthony could be in for a huge pay cut if he fails to sign an extension this year. The Nuggets have offered such an extension but Carmelo has declined to sign, holding out hope that a move to New York is in the works. The Knicks have had conversations with Denver but have been unable to come as close to a deal as their cross-river rivals, the New Jersey Nets have. The Nets have been rumored to be part of two separate multi-team deals this year, the latest of which is reported to land New Jersey, along with Anthony, the backcourt of the 2004 championship Detroit Pistons; Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton. New Jersey has the combination of draft picks and young players in guard Devin Harris and forward Derrick Favors to pry ‘Melo away from Denver but their constant leaks to the media have irked the Nuggets’ brass.

The Nets’ new owner, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov has stated clearly that he wants to put a winning team on the floor, especially in time for the team’s prospective move to Brooklyn for the 2011-12 season. That move to New York City is a selling point for Anthony to accept the trade to the Nets and sign an extension, especially if he is joined by his current teammate Billups and Hamilton, who has been an All-Star in seasons past. It appears as if Anthony is holding out hope to be traded to the Knicks, who would embrace the forward’s East Coast style of high post scoring, and the Nuggets might help him get there. After the most recent trade talks were leaked to the media this weekend, it has been suggested that Denver might trade Anthony to the Knicks out of spite for the Nets. On Sunday Anthony shot 3-11 from the field against Paul and the Hornets in a game on the NBA schedule in which the Nuggets looked disheartened and lazy. The Anthony rumors have deeply affected the team as they continue to slide down the NBA standings. After the game Anthony was asked if he believed he had just played his last game as a Nugget. The former Syracuse star replied: “No, not at all”. It might not have been his last, but the clock is ticking while the Big Apple holds its breath.

1) Carmelo Anthony

Anthony has told the Nuggets that he has no intention of re-signing with the team, and while that news hardly came as a surprise to Denver GM Masai Ujiri, it might help to accelerate the process of finding a suitable trade partner. While the New Jersey Nets have the most interesting package of young talent to offer the Nuggets, the New York Knicks figure to have a say in the talks given the fact that New York is Anthony’s most desired destination. There have been rumors of contending teams being prepared to acquire Melo as a rental player for a championship run, but that seems unlikely. A team such as Dallas could make such a move, but they would run the risk of disturbing a winning team for a player that may only play half a season for them. The Knicks could offer young forwards Wilson Chandler and Anthony Randolph with Eddy Curry’s huge expiring deal thrown in to make the money right, while the Nets have supposedly put rookie forward Derrick Favors and standout guard Devin Harris on the table. The Nets have more to offer Denver (and higher draft picks), while the Knicks have more to offer Anthony. As the Nuggets get deeper in the NBA schedule, the more talks will heat up.

2) Richard Hamilton

The Pistons and their star guard seem destined for a split now that Hamilton has plainly expressed his distaste for Coach Jon Kuester and the organization of what is now a sub-.500 team in the NBA standings. Hamilton is stuck competing for playing time with fellow guards Rodney Stuckey, Ben Gordon and Will Bynum and has struggled to find his way as the offense no longer runs through him. A natural suitor for Rip would be Utah, who has long coveted a scoring 2-guard. Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan would appreciate Hamilton’s work ethic, high basketball I.Q., terrific shooting and championship credo. Hamilton himself would naturally be inspired by a change of scenery, especially a move to a contender. Utah could offer a package of C.J. Miles and former Piston Mehmet Okur and the team also has over $5 million in trade exceptions.

3) Andray Blatche

The young power forward has admitted that the trade rumors have troubled his mind, which is to be expected of a player who has spent his entire career in one city. Blatche is currently putting up good numbers for a bad team and a big man who scores could certainly be used by a large percentage of the league. The fifth year Syracuse native also has a favorable contract at $5 million per year. Cleveland, searching for any kind of frontcourt scoring assistance, has expressed interest. The Cavs would most likely offer a combination involving backup point guard Ramon Sessions (who would immediately fill the void left by Gilbert Arenas as Washington’s third guard), a small forward and draft picks.

4) Baron Davis

Davis’ contract is one of the worst in the league, given the point guard’s poor performance in his hometown and his apparent disillusionment with the profession of playing basketball in general. Still, when on his game B. Diddy is one of the NBA’s best players, as proven by his surreal run with Golden State three years ago. In the right situation Baron could revert to his explosive self and help a squad make a deep run in the playoffs. Davis’ placement on the market has been pushed by the play of rookie guard Eric Bledsoe, so it appears as if the Clippers would be searching for young players and cap space as compensation. As it stands now, few teams would be interested in acquiring an albatross contract such as Davis’, despite the prodigious talent he has displayed in the past. Rumors have swirled detailing a possible return to Charlotte for Diddy, but the rift between the guard and current Bobcat coach Paul Silas might be irreparable – even for Michael Jordan himself. The Bobcats would likely offer a combination of Matt Carroll and DeSagana Diop, but those contracts run three and two more years; hardly a relief for the Clips. A more logical trade would be for the Atlanta Hawks to ship Marvin Williams and Mike Bibby to Los Angeles. Atlanta would instantly streamline into a fast and athletic unit, improving defensively, while L.A. would escape from the daunting $13 million per year Davis is owed while acquiring a decent young starter in Williams and a proven veteran presence in Bibby.

First things first…..I’d cancel Christmas if it meant this never happened:

Now, I know Vince Carter essentially stopped playing for the Raptors, and engineered his trade to New Jersey, for which the Raptors got virtually nothing. We wondered just how “injured” he was when things as small as a sprained finger made him fall to the ground like he was shot with a potato gun. But Carter thrives on being the villian, as proven by the video above, and the fact that he’s put up 29.5 points, 9.5 boards and 5.5 assists in two trips to the Air Canada Center this season. So maybe we should try cheering on Vinsanity when he hits the ACC next season (the Nets don’t come to Toronto again this year). At least we still have better NBA betting odds than Carter’s Nets.

I know: I can’t do it either. I’ll boo Vince at his funeral. But it was worth a thought. Then again, it should be just about time for this to happen: