Mel-Content.

I think we can all Finally breathe a sigh of relief now that the media-dubbed(and cleverly, might I add) "Melo-Drama" has come to a close. At around 10:00PM last night, after months and months of trials and tribulations, a deal was finally made between the Nuggets, the Knicks, and sort of the Timberwolves.  This blockbuster deal involved 12 players and 3 draft picks...maybe more to come if the Nets get involved.  I don't think this trade could possibly me any more confusing.  I'll just make it easier for you, here's a look at exactly who get's who:
  
Denver Nuggets: G-Raymond Felton, F-Danilio "The Situation" Gallinari, F-Wilson Chandler,C-Timofey Mozgov, 2014 1st Rd Pick, 2013 2nd Rd Pick(From Warriors), 2012 2nd Rd Pick(From Warriors), $3 Million Cash

New York Knicks: G-Chauncey Billups, G-Anthony Carter, F-Carmelo Anthony, F-Corey Brewer, F/C-Shelden Williams, F/C-Renaldo Balkman

Minnesota Timberwolves: C-Anthony Randolph, C-Eddy Curry

 ...and exhale.  There it is, in writing, so we can all see exactly how this deal is going to shake up the league.  Who are the winners?  Who are the losers?  Those are questions for another day.  Since everyone else has decided to focus solely on the Knicks' side of the deal, I am going to do all you Denver fans out there a solid and break down exactly what this trade means to you.  Denver fans; come on, we all knew this outcome was inevitable. Sure, it would have been nice if Melo had stayed in those UCLA-ean blue and yellow colors, but I think that if that were a possibility, Denver would have been all over it.

As disappointing as his departure is, I think we need to look at the silver lining in all of this.  I mean, if the Nugs had decided not to trade the guy, they would essentially have let him walk at the end of the season while receiving nothing in return.  By trading him before the deadline, they ensured that they would at least be getting some useful pieces that could either be used to rebuild the team, or in trades to get other desired players.  Personally, I think the Nuggets' front office deserves a kudos for getting this deal done and here's why.

Raymond Felton has all-star potential.  Is he as good as Melo? Heavens No! He's far from it, but look at what he has done since being traded from the Bobcats (one of the lowest scoring teams in the league) to the Knicks (one of the highest scoring teams).  Since the beginning of this season, Felton has averaged 17pts, 9 assists and nearly 2 steals per game.  Pretty impressive numbers, and if it weren't for a loaded Eastern Conference, he very well could have made the All-Star team this season.  You know who else is a high scoring team? The Nuggets.  In fact, the Nugs lead the NBA in points per game with 107.  Not only should Felton assimilate well to Denver's fast-pace offense, but he is also significantly younger than former point guard Chauncey Billups.  Don't get me wrong, it's a shame to lose Billups, the guy played high school, college and professional ball in Colorado.  He will be missed not only for his clutch shooting and skills on the court, but for his leadership ability off the court. Regardless, I feel that Felton should be able to more than compensate for the loss of Chauncey and is someone who can help anchor our team for many years to come.

As for the rest of the newcomers,  Danilio Gallinari and Wilson Chandler should be able to provide instant offense for this now-rebuilding squad.  Gallinari is a guy who is capable of going off for 30 points on any given night.  His game is similar to Wizard's PF Rashard Lewis.  Gallinari measures in at 6-10 but he has the outside shooting skills of a small forward. The result is a player who keeps defenses honest and creates some space in the low post.  When playing along side a dominant center like Nene, it creates plenty of opportunities to score high percentage shots.  Speaking of dominant low post guys, how about the final acquisition in this trade, 7-1 center Timofey Mozgof.  This guy has played professional basketball in Europe for the past six seasons and has shown signs of dominance in limited minutes off the Knicks bench. No matter which way you cut it, every team could use more big men and Mozgov not only adds height to the Nuggets lineup (if he plays with Nene down low), but also can be used off the bench to give Nene rest, something we really haven't been able to do this season.

So where does this trade leave us?  I think that it will still be a rough road to recovery for the Nuggets.  The scoring will still be there, but this is a young team that will often be over-matched by teams vying for playoff position.  Unfortunately, it looks like the Nuggets will be missing the postseason this year, but with all of the draft picks they've received, along with middle-of-the road picks of their own, I think it is only a matter of time before they are competitive once again...and drafting another Carmelo wouldn't hurt either...

On a final note, now that this saga is over with, let's look at whose "decision" was ultimately worse.  The way Melo handled this situation heading int free agency was the polar opposite of the way Lebron James decided to bolt Cleveland and head to Miami.  Each decision has their pro's and cons, but in the end, both made unnecessary spectacles of themselves.  I think in the end I'd rather be on the Melo side of things.  I mean, at least he was honest with Denver fans for the most part.  He made it very clear from Day 1 that he wanted to play for the Knicks over anyone else, so can you really blame him for the media frenzy that it created.  Lebron, on the other hand, straight blindsided Cleveland.  He refused to let the organization or the fans know his intentions until the absolute last minute.  As a result, Cleveland was left high and dry and out of the race for any of the other highly touted  free agents in a loaded 2010 class.  What happened next? Cleveland went on to lose a record 26 games in a row and has the worst record in the NBA this season.  Fortunately, this wasn't the case for the Nuggets as they were able to land some key pieces that should help them in the long run.