Carmelo Anthony trade: Interest in Chicago Bulls shows Melo cares about winning after all

Carmelo Anthony.

Word that Carmelo Anthony had put the New Jersey Nets atop his trade list made more sense for his fame-addicted reality-TV star wife La La Vazquez than for his chances of winning a championship. But while some outlets suggest that Houston's now the trade frontrunner, more persuasive reports argue that Chicago's got the best shot -- which makes more sense for Anthony and the Nuggets.

Here's how we put it in a post yesterday:

If rings were Anthony's main thing, he'd be pressuring the Nuggets to work out a transaction with Chicago. After all, the Bulls have strong talent to shop, plus the duo of Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer, who could combine with Carmelo to create a troika every bit as formidable as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

These thoughts are reinforced by fresh info from ESPN, which says that while Anthony would most love to play for the New York Knicks, that squad doesn't have enough to offer the Nuggets. As a result, "the Chicago Bulls are a firm 1A on his list. This is partly attributed to the fact that the Bulls are much closer to assembling the sort of package Denver would want in return for its franchise player than the Knicks."

Carmelo and La La on "Lopez Tonight."

The alleged sticking point remains the Bulls' unwillingness to include Joakim Noah in a trade package for Anthony. But ESPN says Chicago's dangling "Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and one future first-rounder," which constitutes pretty impressive compensation.

The Nuggets appear to have given up on Melo suddenly deciding to accept a $65 million offer that he's ignored since June, and that's a good thing. So, too, is the team's willingness to sit back and let other franchises bid against each other for his services. Make no mistake about it: Losing Anthony is bad for the Nuggets. But if it has to happen, they need to get the maximum possible talent in exchange for his services before they bid him adieu.

Page down to watch an ESPN report about trade prospects: