Not exactly the title of that 1970s sitcom, then again it is 2008 and the NBA is way different than it was in the 1970s. The shorts are longer and so are the odds someone will trade for Carmelo Anthony.

So I guess the headline of the blog today isn't entirely accurate considering Carmelo never actually went anywhere so the "Welcome Back" part of it might as well be "Welcome To Stay".

On the subject of trade rumors, the thought initially was that if the Nuggets wanted to even consider dealing Carmelo, they would have to get an offer so attractive and impressive, that they would more or less be forced to listen.

As we have come to see, it looks like it could have been possibly the other way around. Not only were the Nuggets, according to a report, shopping Carmelo, they were having premilinary talks with the Nets that in my opinion, wasn't going to offer that much in return. The Nets were looking at sending Richard Jefferson, Marcus Williams, Keith Van Horn, and a high lottery pick (both teams hoped) to the Nuggets for Carmelo and Marcus Camby. Last night, when the Nets got the 10th overall pick in the NBA Draft, the deal most likely fell apart.

The Nuggets needed or at least were hoping that the Nets could buck the odds and land a top three or at worst, a top five selection. That would allow them to draft a player that could possibly replace Anthony, as well as acquire Williams to play point guard, a position they have had issues filling since trading Andre Miller in December 2006. That would allow Allen Iverson to switch back to the shooting guard spot (if he does not opt out of his current deal), and try to contend that way. In my opinion, if the deal had gone down, the Nets would have gotten the edge. Carmelo is a proven player in the NBA and one of the best talents to arrive on the scene in recent memory. Marcus Camby struggled in the NBA Playoffs but is still a great defender, a trait any team could use.

The draft pick falling into place was the key. When that didn't occur, neither did continuing possible trade talks. Is it over? Not entirely, I guess, but the guess here is that George Karl and Carmelo are back with one another again in Denver-----instead of Carmelo and Kiki reuniting in New Jersey. Stay tuned, however, we still need to see what Allen Iverson will do.

Have a nice Wednesday, everybody.

-"z"