What's the Fuss?

When Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James entered the NBA together in 2003, many were calling them the next Bird and Magic. As Michael Jordan declared a third and final end to his career, these two captivating young future stars were expected to return the NBA to its 1980's glory days.

But despite the ESPN hyped rivalry between Melo and LeDouche, nothing has really come of it. They never met in the Finals, and have thus been relegated to the mandatory two games per season, plus All-Star Games.

And aside from arguably being two of the least intelligent showcased "stars", their careers bear little resemblance to each other.

LeDouche has become the singularly most despised figure in sports. He is also a force on the basketball court, combining dominant physical gifts with uncanny instincts. LeDouche bulldozed the Cavs to the 2007 Finals, and has captured the last two league MVP's.

In contrast, Melo has shown himself to be little more than a highly efficient scorer. He has never taken the Nuggets to the Finals. And he has never finished higher than sixth in MVP voting.

As Melo stands in the middle of the NBA's worst kept trade rumor, there is something important worth noting - Melo isn't that good.

Call him the "Slumdog Millionaire" of the NBA. Ever since he lead Syracuse to a National Championship, Melo has been thought of as a marquee player who will one day lead a team to the Finals.

This has yet to happen, and with the New Jersey Nets seemingly willing to cripple their already crippled franchise for years to come by trading a great prospect in Derrick Favors, along with Devin Harris, future draft picks, and some moving parts for Melo and his equally moronic wife, LaLa.

By all accounts, Melo's career is eerily similar to a former Nugget who could light up the scoreboard - Alex English. Neither Melo, nor English showed a knack for doing much else aside from putting the ball in the basket. The biggest difference between the two is that English did this much more efficiently, albeit to much less fanfare.

Offhand, I can name no less than 15 players who I would rather have on my team than Melo. So placing him on a Nets team that boasts a weaker supporting cast than the one Melo currently has in Denver, will result in little more than some early round playoff exits.

All along, Melo's desired landing spot has been rumored to be the Knicks. As evidenced by Amar'e Stoudemire's ascension to a god-like figure in The Garden, Melo would not only become a giant celebrilete on the Knicks, he would also position himself to be on a team that could legitimately contend for a title.

The caveat here is that unless the Knicks can work out a trade for Melo before the trade deadline (stupid for the Knicks considering the players they'd lose in Wilson Chandler, and Landry Fields or Danilo Galinari would hurt the team more than Melo would help), Melo would be best served by playing out his expiring contract with the Nuggets.

The other option is to accept a trade to New Jersey without signing a contract extension (very possible given how desperate the Nets have been to acquire Melo), then turning around and signing with the Knicks over the summer.

The Nets seem to be in the mindset that once in Jersey, Melo will fall in love with the place and decide to sign the extension. But even with their impending move to Brooklyn, and their billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov, Melo would be setting himself up for failure in...New Jersey (former New York Gov. David Patterson voice)!!!

New York is the best landing spot for Melo because he will get to showcase his offensive prowess in coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo offense, while deferring half the pressure to Amar'e. Melo will also be able to continue hiding the fact that he's not nearly as great as most people have made him out to be. It's a win-win.

And maybe we'll finally see the Melo/LeDouche rivalry materialize.