Anthony's delay in signing extension puts Denver in pickle

Recently hitched Carmelo Anthony is busy frolicking somewhere on a beach in Costa Rica right now enjoying his honeymoon. And, speaking of which, you wonder if that's over in Denver.

There's a $22 million-a-season contract extension sitting by his locker and starting to brown, money that plenty of players would've taken yesterday. Except Carmelo is in no hurry to reaffirm his vows to the only team he's ever known.

Usually when this happens, there's a seed of doubt. Here in these uncertain economic times, which might get downright rocky next summer when NBA owners and the players' union slug it out, it makes fiscal sense to grab the good money while you can. That's what happened this summer, with Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, Richard Jefferson and others opting out so they could cash in. Who knows what restraints might be in place when the dust clears from the labor scuffle?

By dragging his feet, though, Anthony gives the impression he isn't sold on whether the Nuggets are his best option in the future. Financial option, perhaps. But winning? Not so perhaps.

Put yourself in Melo's high tops. Would you commit yourself to three more years with the Nuggets, who face a myriad of questions and some serious concerns? Or do you reach for free agency and flexibility next summer, certainly exposing yourself financially, but making up for it with a fresh start on a new and possibly better team, and maybe in a higher-profile city (New York, wink-wink)?

Such is the tough spot Anthony put himself in three years ago when he decided not to go along with the blueprint set forth by his old Team USA teammates. LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade chose to sign three-year deals, and even implored Anthony to do the same, but as Anthony said last season when asked why he chose a different path and went for four years plus an option, "I wasn't passing up the money."

That contract waiting for his signature may not be worth the paper it's printed on next summer, given the issues in the labor negotiation. The owners might take a hard stance on guaranteed money, or length of contract, or they just might lock out the players if it comes to that. Basically, don't expect the next free-agent summer to look remotely close to this one.

Had Melo followed Wade and the rest, he could be suiting up next to Amar'e Stoudemire with the Knicks. Instead, he's locked into at least another season with Denver, not so bad considering he'll pocket $17 million. But it's also not without some understandable on-court trepidation.

The Nuggets are coming off a 53-win season, though they have some issues that could very well follow them into this season. Coach George Karl missed the second half of the season with neck and throat cancer, and the Nuggets fell apart, losing in the first round to the Jazz.

Will Karl's health allow him to keep coaching without interruption? And is coaching even a priority now? Kenyon Martin also dealt with injuries, and now he's on the last year of his contract. Chauncey Billups was solid in 2009-10 (19.6 points per game), but he's not getting any younger.

What about the Nuggets' upside? Is Al Harrington enough of an addition to sway Melo to stay? Does Melo want to continue living in Denver? Or is he willing to relocate East -- he was born in New York and raised in Baltimore -- where his new bride (a TV personality) would have greater entertainment industry options?

He does have good reasons to stay in Denver, besides the money. He's the face of the franchise, and owner Stan Kroenke obviously values him. He also likes Denver and gets the red carpet treatment. Plus, it's not like the Nuggets are headed to the lottery.

Of course, LeBron had those very same reasons to stay in Cleveland, and look what he did.

If Anthony decides to wait until next summer, when he can escape his current contract, the Knicks would be appealing, mainly because they'll have money to spend. Why wouldn't Anthony want to be romanced on the open market like Wade and the others?

He's just entering his prime and one of the game's top five pure scorers. He's finally maturing as a player and becoming more coachable. He'll never be a top defender, mostly because it just isn't in his DNA, but his offense (30.7 in last year's playoffs) makes up for most of that.

The general feeling in the Nuggets organization is Anthony will eventually sign that extension. It's not too difficult to retain your own player, is it?

Just don't ask Cleveland about that.

Shaun Powell is a veteran NBA writer and columnist. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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