In the world of the NBA, there are so many rumors flying around like those tiny bugs that gather by the hundreds to create a haze-y bug cloud that it is nearly impossible to keep straight who said what, when they said it, and whether or not it's even feasible. It's like playing Minesweeper on a Windows 95 computer, only without the aid of those little numbers that help you figure out the location of the minds.Ergo, when you want the real down-and-dirty NBA news, you have to get close to the players. You have to talk to the people most important in their lives. You have to get in real deep if you want the good stuff. I'm talking about their wives, of course. Thankfully the New York Daily News caught up with Carmelo Anthony's new bride, MTV's La La Vasquez, to help us solve this mystery.
"Us being in New York is a possibility," LaLa told the Daily News' Amanda Sidman. "It depends on 'Melo's career and where it takes him. There's a lot of talk about the Knicks, I mean, there's a lot of teams out there, he's a great player and I think collectively we just need to think about what makes sense for our family. But I would never say that being in New York is not an option, I'd be lying to you if I said that."
LaLa, who is from Brooklyn, admitted that she's always been a Knicks fan "until I met my husband, then I jumped ship to the Nuggets. 'Melo will tell you, and all the players will tell you no matter where their loyalty is, there aren't many places like Madison Square Garden. They'll all say that, and it's nothing against their teams but there is a different energy in there, and you really can't top that."
Case closed. Carmelo Anthony could possibly join the Knicks if he doesn't join any of the other teams in the NBA. It all depends on whether or not the Knicks acquire him. Thanks, La La.
All joking aside, as we've seen with Hedo Turkoglu and Elton Brand, we shouldn't discount the impact that wives can have on where an NBA player ends up plying their trade. As any married man can tell you, keeping your wife happy makes a lot of other things in life go a lot smoother. If, somehow, Carmelo Anthony ends up in New York at some point in his career, don't be surprised if La La played a significant part in that choice.
That being said, it's hard to see 'Melo giving up the money the Nuggets have offered despite his hesitation to sign an extension. That's a lot of money to leave on the table heading in to an offseason that could end in a lockout or the signing of a collective bargaining agreement that all but eliminates contracts like the one Anthony's been offered. As Chris Bosh taught us, the NBA is a business and turning down $65 million is hard to do.
Of course, stranger things have happened. For instance, I'd have never expected to watch Carmelo Anthony marry a VJ on a cable network that used to only show videos by Melissa Etheridge and Blessid Union of Souls, but I'll definitely be setting my DVR for the Sept. 13 debut of Carmelo and La La's wedding show on VH1. The world is weird, you guys. Via Ball Don't Lie
