Anthony and Nuggets teammates growing used to trade-talk drama

WASHINGTON - The same questions accompany the Denver Nuggets as they travel from city to city, each new town digging up a tired old story centering on superstar Carmelo Anthony.

As the marquee player in a threadbare NBA free-agent class, Anthony has drawn his share of attention from teams and the media alike.

Philadelphia will be the next stop for the 'Melo drama when the Nuggets visit the Sixers in Sunday's 6 p.m. matchup at the Wells Fargo Center.

The daily speculation on Anthony's destination has had a draining effect on the Nuggets, although it's difficult to tell by the team's record. The Nuggets are 28-18 and winners of eight of their last 10 games.

"It's not fun to play when you are distracted, I can tell you that," Anthony said after Tuesday's 120-109 win over the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center that began a five-game road trip.

Most observers feel the tedium of this situation will likely continue right up to the NBA's trade deadline on Feb. 24.

For those who haven't followed the daily proceedings, here is a summary:

Anthony can opt out of the final year of his contract, worth $18.5 million, next season. Denver has offered him a three-year, $65 million extension.

Since the NBA's collective bargaining agreement ends on June 30, there are dire forecasts that maximum salaries will be reduced. So if Anthony plays out the season and becomes a free agent, he could be giving up millions of dollars.

A proposed three-team trade among the New Jersey Nets, the Nuggets, and the Detroit Pistons had gained plenty of steam. But Anthony wouldn't talk to the Nets, who won't make a deal without getting him to sign an extension.

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov announced last week that his team was pulling out of the trade talks. Few believed the Russian billionaire, then or now. It should be a media circus when the Nuggets visit New Jersey on Monday.

Anthony has indicated all along that his preference is to play for the New York Knicks. He was born in Brooklyn, and he lived there the first nine years of his life before moving to Baltimore.

Anthony told the Denver Post's Ben Hochman that he would consider signing an extension with four teams - New Jersey, Chicago, New York, and yes, Denver.

Then again, a team such as Dallas might trade for him and make a run at a title this year without signing him to an immediate extension.

Nobody knows for sure how this saga will end, but it hasn't stopped the constant speculation.

What's been remarkable is how the Nuggets have handled the situation. The players are used to answering the same questions at home and on the road. That hasn't been easy, but they are at least adjusting to the daily gossip.

"Whatever happens will happen," said guard Chauncey Billups, who was reportedly involved in the deal to New Jersey along with Anthony. "The first week, maybe, was tough, but I'm at peace now and I just want to play ball."

Anthony has been taken aback by all the attention his situation has attracted. "I never thought it would get like this, honestly," he said.

Anthony doesn't seem to show any outward signs of strain. Maybe it's because he recently went through leaving the team for five games last month after the death of his sister Michelle. He acknowledged feeling her presence in Washington.

"I knew she was there in spirit, watching me play," he said, the only time his cheerful disposition turned somber.

Denver coach George Karl, who missed the end of the regular season and the 2010 playoffs while battling throat cancer, has given his team a high grade for coping with the daily distractions that Anthony's situation has presented.

"I think there have been moments when it has gotten to all of us at times and gotten a little weary and tiresome at times," Karl said. "We could have given into the negative frustration and the negative drama, and the team has refused to do that in a very positive way."

For now, about the only time that Anthony gets a reprieve from this madness is during the games.

"When I am in the building, and the only thing I got to focus on is playing basketball, then everything else doesn't even matter," Anthony said.

And once the game ends, the questions, the speculation, resume.

Nobody seems to know how this situation will turn out, but everybody in the Nuggets' organization, including Anthony, is looking to the day when this long-running soap opera finally ends.