Carmelo Anthony to the Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: A Quick Reaction

The Nuggets are apparently considering shipping out 'Melo—and to a conference rival, nonetheless.

The deal discussed looks pretty much like an Anthony for Andrew Bynum swap. For the Nuggets, they get a 23-year-old potential franchise center...even if he usually misses a third of the season. For the Lakers, they sacrifice one of their 7-footers to add a scoring machine who can replace the corpse of Ron Artest. Sources differ on whether Artest or Lamar Odom would be included in the deal.

The core portion of the deal doesn't look like an improvement over the Knicks' offer—currently looking like a No. 1 pick (trading Anthony Randolph to the Timberwolves for the lottery protected first round picks of either the Grizzlies or the Jazz), Eddy Curry's expiring mega-deal and Wilson Chandler.

The Nuggets balked based on a recent report the Chandler's surgically repaired ankle is bothering him, but I'm not sure how Bynum is a safer option. They also want to have Landry Fields and/or Danilo Gallinari included.

For the Knicks, including Fields or Gallinari made sense when they were contending with the Nets blockbuster offer of two first round picks, a potential building block in Derrick Favors, and slew of other assets.

When it was clear 'Melo didn't want to throw away more of his career playing with subpar teammates, the Knicks seemed to be in great position: he publicly stated he only wanted to play for the Knicks so they could just wait until the summer to sign him for much less under the new collective bargaining agreement, without having to give up any assets.

Unfortunately for them, there is interest from other teams. Unlike the Mavs and the Rockets, who were discussed because they wouldn't require 'Melo to sign an extension before the trade, the Lakers appear to be an acceptable place to settle for the long haul.

They're a winning franchise with a shot at the title this season; they play in...

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