Hmmmm....I think he is gone. The age of taking JUST the money, with Lebron and Bosh's move to Miami, could be over and this could be the new trend.
Carmelo Anthony unsure on extension
Updated: August 15, 2010, 10:00 AM ET
ESPN.com news services
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. -- Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony says he has no timetable on when he'll decide whether to sign the team's $65 million, three-year extension that's been on the table all summer.
During his annual basketball camp at ThunderRidge High School, Anthony said he's displayed his loyalty to Denver and the Nuggets over the last seven seasons, but "I'm just taking my time, figuring out if I want to take that extension or not."
The Nuggets are searching for a new general manager but Anthony said that person won't factor into his decision.
"I think my decision is my decision," Anthony said, according to The Denver Post. "I don't think it's based on who is in the front office or anything like that. I'm going to make my decision based on my feelings."
Anthony could become the headliner of the 2011 free agent class if he decides not to sign the extension or exercise the option on his current contract, which would pay him $18.5 million in 2011-12.
"I could wake up tomorrow and they could snatch it off the table," Anthony said, according to the Denver newspaper. "I don't know. I don't know what their mind-set is."
Anthony said his loyalty to the Nuggets' fanbase and organization has never wavered.
"I've shown that over my seven-year stint here," he said, according to The Denver Post. "I don't think anybody can question that. But at this point in time, I have to do what's best for me and my family. I'm just taking my time, figuring out if I want to take that extension or not."
Anthony has plenty of financial incentives to sign the deal because the league will have a new collective bargaining agreement after next season that is expected to be far less lucrative for players.
So by declining Denver's offer, Anthony could be leaving tens of millions of dollars on the table.
That's a major reason the Nuggets are confident that Anthony will sign their extension offer. Many executives around the league believe he will sign it as well. Under league rules, Anthony has until July 1, 2011 to accept the offer. The Nuggets official said Denver will not impose its own earlier deadline on Anthony.
If Anthony doesn't accept the offer, it would seemingly be a sign that he doesn't want to continue his career in Denver.
Denver Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony say he's undecided on contract extension - ESPN
